Manga Monday: Short speculative fiction from the God of Manga

No one represents the beginnings of the manga art form quite the way Osamu Tezuka does, and his anthology Clockwork Apple gives the reader a taste of the suspenseful.

In 'Miraculous Conception' a scientist and his domestic android are working on Saturn's moon Titan. They've lived alone together for seven years, and slowly they've fallen in love. After holding a wedding ceremony for themselves, the scientist Hiroshi is killed by escaped convicts who have decided to use his science station as a hideout. A tragedy, to be sure, but what explains the increasing waistline of the android?

The titular story 'A Clockwork Apple' shows the reader a town under siege. The roads in and out of town have been closed indefinitely for repairs, and cars are turned back by force if they try to get out. Food could be an issue, but the main employer in the area has plenty of supplies for its cafeteria, and the stores have a large stockpile of rice. Everyone seems okay with the situation and doesn't question it, except for Shirakawa, whose wife serves bread instead of rice. Even the pharmacist, who took a sample of the rice to the next town over to run a few tests, hasn't been seen in days. Is Shirakawa descending into madness, or is there a conspiracy at work?

Readers of Tezuka's Black Jack will find 'Sack' eerily familiar. The narrator meets a wonderful woman named Rika. After a whirlwind romance, he travels to her home to ask her mother for Rika's hand in marriage. Strangely, her mother doesn't have a daughter named Rika. Her only daugher, Mari, is a perfect copy of Rika, though, even though she professes to have never met him before. At a later meeting, Rika begs him to prevent Mari's surgery on the 20th, but can't explain why. Is there something sinister going on?

These stories of the late 1960s and early 1970s give the reader a snapshot into the thoughts and fears of postwar Japan. Throughout the collection weaves a distrust of the government and authority, as well as an undying optimism for the future, even if there are many ways for it to be derailed.  Once again, Tezuka is able to mine the depths of the human psyche, and reveal more than a traditional author ever could.

Highs: Whether a statement about the follies of war or a creepy suspense story, all of Tezuka's works leave an indelible mark on the reader.

Lows: Even with the footnotes, it's hard to be familiar enough with the era in Japan to fully follow a few of the narratives.

Verdict: Best suited for a reader very familiar with manga in general, Clockwork Orange is a masterpiece.

Further Reading: Black Jack, A*tomcat, A Bride's Story

Manga Monday: Like mother, like daughter

Osamu Tezuka revisits the realm of Silverland from his beloved shojo classic in The Twin Knights.

The Twin Knights is the sequel to Princess Knight. Although it takes places years later, there are a few spoilers from the first series. The review of Princess Knight Volume 1 is here. Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: In the tradition of Krypto and Lockjaw...

Another work of Osamu Tezuka is back for another generation to love, A*tomcat.

Tsugio is like so many other little kids out there. He loves his manga, he gets picked on by bullies, and he brings a kitten home to the chagrin of his parents. Of course, this little kitten is hardly perfect, and eventually he's told to get rid of it.

On his way to drop the kitten off 'somewhere far away,' Tsugio is hit by a car. The (rightfully) concerned drivers run to his aid, and while Tsugio will be fine, poor Atom hasn't survived. Thankfully, our reckless drivers are actually aliens in disguise, and are able to pull Tsugio's memories of Atom and recreate him just as he was.

Well...the kitten is just like AN Atom...

A*tomcat is an adorable story of Tsugio and his kitten-cum-superhero friend. Atom helps protect him from bullies, rescues the girl (both human and feline) and even breaks up a smuggling ring, all while keeping up his adorable kitten alter ego. Not one of Tezuka's most serious stories, even here we see Atom dealing with being an orphan kitten and not quite fitting in with either other cats or his human companions. This is an adorable book, deserving to be in the collection of any manga fan.

Highs: The peeks into the story of Atom, as an American reader who didn't grow up with the comics, are a welcome look into one of the first, and most enduring, manga.

Lows: This is hardly deep material, and fans of Ode to Kirihito might be put off by the topic.

Verdict: A wonderful children's piece, with enough depth to entertain adults as well.

Further Reading: Unico, Pluto

Manga Monday: Only a master blacksmith could dare to make Black Jack's scalpels

Doctor Black Jack operates out of spite, and is reminded to always be humble, in Black Jack Volume 5.

Note:  Black Jack Volume 5 is, of course, the sequel to Black Jack Volume 4. The Vertical edition is published not in chronological order, but in the preferred order of Osamu Tezuka, so spoilers are not generally a problem. The review for Black Jack Volume 1 is here, and the review for Black Jack Volume 4 is here. Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: Even Doctor Black Jack makes mistakes sometimes

From pickpockets to fugitives to yakuza, our favorite unlicensed doctor works on all types in Black Jack Volume 4.

Note:  Black Jack Volume 4 is, of course, the sequel to Black Jack Volume 3.  The Vertical edition is published not in chronological order, but in the preferred order of Osamu Tezuka, so spoilers are not generally a problem.  The review for Black Jack Volume 1 is here, and the review for Black Jack Volume 3 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: Can someone raised as both a boy and a girl ever be comfortable in her own skin?

Princess Sapphire comes up against pirates, goddesses, and even Satan himself in Princess Knight Volume 2.

Note: Princess Knight Volume 2 takes places after the events in Princess Knight Volume 1. The review for Princess Knight Volume 1 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: We finally meet the man who trained Genma and Soun...

Welcome to the Anything Goes Martial Arts dojo, and meet Ranma's grandmaster Happosai in Ranma 1/2 Volume 6.

Note: Ranma 1/2 Volume 6 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 5. The review for Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here, and the review for Ranman1/2 Volume 5 is here. Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: Does Doctor Black Jack perhaps have a soft spot for children?

The more human side of Black Jack comes out, whether dealing with lonely widows or treating young children in Black Jack Volume 3.

Note:  Black Jack Volume 3 is, of course, the sequel to Black Jack Volume 2.  The Vertical edition is published not in chronological order, but in the preferred order of Osamu Tezuka, so spoilers are not generally a problem.  The review for Black Jack Volume 1 is here, and the review for Black Jack Volume 2 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: A young angel's slip-up causes all sorts of trouble

It's a great time to be a manga reader in the US.  Even though recent years have seen the demise of both CMX and Tokyopop, and now even Bandai is pulling out of the DVD anime business, other publishers such as Vertical and Yen Press have really stepped up to bring us a variety of manga that has never been available before on Western shores.  Vertical especially, with both the Osamu Tezuka classics as well as current gems like The Drops of Gods and Twin Spica, has added tremendously to the depth and spectrum of the genre.

There's also been a resurgence in the shojo genre on store shelves.  The most prominent series would, of course, be the Kodansha re-release of Sailor Moon in the original, unflipped format and with the Japanese names intact.  Beyond that, both Magical Knight Rayearth and Cardcaptor Sakura have received the omnibus edition treatment.  Tezuka, as is often the case, wrote one of the earliest entries in the genre with the 1950's Princess Knight series.  Serialized in Shojo Club, it is where many of the common themes of shojo manga first appear.  Vertical, in its recent trend of releasing Tezuka's manga in the US, has split the series into two volumes

In Princess Knight Volume 1 we learn about the terrible predicament poor Princess Sapphire has found herself in.  Before her spirit was sent down to be born, a mischievous angel-in-training named Tink causes the poor princess-to-be to receive both the wild heart of a boy and the refined heart of a girl.  So Tink is sent to follow the Princess to Earth and retrieve the misassigned boy heart.

To make things worse, Princess Sapphire was mistakenly announced to her kingdom as PRINCE Sapphire With a throne that can only be inherited by a male heir, and an evil uncle waiting in the wings to steal the throne for his son, the King and Queen make the heartbreaking decision to keep up the charade, keeping Sapphire's public presence strictly princely.

But Sapphire has a girl's heart as well, so along with the fencing lessons and horseback riding, Sapphire's mother makes sure that she has plenty of time to follow the more gentle, womanly pursuits of reading poetry beneath the trees and dancing lessons.

Eventually, though, her uncle becomes determined to steal the throne for his son, and he and his cronies work to show 'Prince' Sapphire for the young woman that she is.

There's all sorts of stories tied together in Princess Knight.  There's the Cinderella effect of Princess Sapphire going to a ball in a dress and falling for a handsome prince from the next kingdom over.  There's an evil witch who wants to steal Sapphire's girl heart for her own daughter.  There's the fact that Sapphire and her parents are truly worried about what would happen to their kingdom if their nephew comes into power.  And there's poor Tink, the angel-in-training who caused this whole problem in the first place.

At its heart, Princess Knight is just like its titular character.  It has a sweet, romantic side, as well as an action-packed, royal intrigue side.  It helped work out the formula used even today in countless shojo and shonen manga, from Ranma 1/2 to The Story of Saiunkoku, balancing the romance with action.  While not perfect by any means, Princess Knight Volume 1 is worthy of shelf space next to so many of Tezuka's books that formed the manga that we enjoy today.

Highs:  Tink is such a sweet little sidekick to Princess Sapphire, and even as you want Sapphire to keep both of her hearts, you still want Tink to earn his place back in Heaven.

Lows:  It's a little bit insulting how all of Sapphire's bravery and strength is tied to that boy heart of hers.  And why does no one notice that a certain swan has human legs?

Verdict:  Besides the boys' role vs girls' role mess that a book like this is almost certain to provoke, Princess Knight Volume 1 is a fun read, especially if the reader keeps an eye out for all the standard manga themes of today.

Further Reading:  Dororo, A Bride's Story

Manga Monday: A woman who steals others' lives, and the consequences of those actions

As a person grows, she can be likened to the stages of an insect's life.  As larva, she absorbs her surroundings, eating voraciously, like a child learning about her environment and developing many talents at once.  As a pupa, the insect cocoons herself away from the world, focusing and changing, as a person might in High School and college, slowly focusing down into one or two fields.  Then, as an adult, the insect springs forth, fully formed and ready to face the world in her new form, as a graduate would be ready to enter her chosen field. 

But what about when someone doesn't want to grow up?  Such is the case of Toshiko Tomura, in Osamu Tezuka's Book of Human Insects.  She's made a life of absorbing field after field of interest, not caring who might be in her way, and after achieving fantastic success, throwing it all away to pursue a new field.

And she doesn't just take on the field she's pursuing.  She chooses one of the most promising rising stars in the field and steals everything away from them.  She stole the troupe right out from under the director while she was acting.  She stole the blueprints from an amazing architect she dated.  And she stole the research from an author, submitting her book first and stealing an award out from under her.  She leaves a trail of broken careers, and broken people, behind her.

We meet several of the people whose lives she's stolen, both in flashbacks and in the current time, including the architect and the director.  The victims never really regain their momentum, and end up simply working along in middling jobs afterwards.

But when a paparazzi becomes fixated on her, and makes it his job to follow her, we learn that perhaps the saddest character in this story is Toshiko herself.  Even though she takes great pleasure and pride in each metamorphosis, as well as some glee in the idea of swindling people out of their own work, she never is able to come into her own talents.  She still runs back to her mother's home for comfort between transformations, and has a bizarre, infantile existence there.  Since she can never stay in one adult form, she can never really become her own person, either.

Osamu Tezuka gets accused of both misogyny an racism in several of his books.  Some of the stores in Black Jack show indigenous people with the stereotypical big lips and kinky hair of earlier cartoons.  Ayako has the main character of a girl who has been locked in a shed for almost all of her life, and therefore has very twisted relationships with the family members who interact with her.  Even Dororo has the majority of the female characters as either victims of the men in their lives, or demons themselves.  I do believe that this is more a product of the times in which Tezuka was raised and wrote, rather than a personal opinion of the women in his life.

In prewar Japan, a woman's role certainly was in the home, and she was still treated as property, as women were treated in American and Europe in centuries past.  In a society such as Japan, with even now the strong emphasis on conforming to society's expectations, women generally didn't have a chance to be anything else.  So when a woman with as much ambition as Tomura hits the scene, odd things are bound to happen.

Highs:  Tezuka has always been great at understanding human motivation and portraying full, well-rounded characters.  As damaged as some of the people here are, they can hardly be accused of being stock, one-dimensional characters.

Lows:  The problem with any book like this is the characters who don't get their stories told.  There are so many side characters that inevitably can't be given their own side stories, but it leaves the reader wondering exactly where they came from.

Verdict:  A very strange read, but worth the time to decipher the threads woven together to make the whole.

Further Reading:  Ayako, Pluto

Manga Monday: It falls onto one dumb High School kid to save the world? Again?

Some guys are just destined to have bad luck.  Ranma Saotome is a good example.  Most people would thank that having dozens of people falling all over themselves to be with him a good thing.  But when those people include both genders, and all are martial artists, love spats can get a little out of hand.

Tanaka-san from Neko Ramen would be another good example of luck gone horribly wrong.  Somehow, he's become involved with this terrible ramen stand, and everything he does to get a decent lunch, including trying the new curry restaurant in tow, is in vain.

Ataru, though, probably takes the cake, in Urusei Yatsura Volume 1.  When an alien race chooses Earth to invade next, it uses a computer program to pick Earth's one chance at salvation.  Out of 6 billion people, the Oni's computer picks Ataru Moroboshi, a luckless, lecherous, rather dumb High School student from Japan.


But even though Ataru is dumb, and even though it takes his girlfriend agreeing to marry him if he wins, it's still just a dirty trick that gets him the win to save the Earth.


And yet, he can't seem to get that right, either.  For when he tells his girlfriend Shinobu that he'll marry her, the alien Lum that he's been trying to catch thinks that he's proposed to her.  And she promptly accepts his proposal.


So now Ataru has a very angry girlfriend who he'd intended to marry, as well as a green-haired alien babe in a tiger-striped bikini calling him Darling.


And hitting him with lightning bolts when she gets mad.


The worst part is that his bad luck doesn't end there.  The crises continue, from taking a taxi ride that inadvertently costs the world's supply of crude oil, to being tormented by all sorts of demons and demon-hunters.  And as much as Ataru wants to get rid of Lum, more often than not, she's the only one that can get him out of the predicaments that he finds himself in.


This is Rumiko Takahashi's first ongoing series, and it shows.  The art is becoming more and more dated, and the characters aren't nearly as well-developed by this point in the series as we see in Ranma 1/2 or Rin-Ne.  Still, it is a series that helped shape the love triangle genre of manga and anime, and the stories are funny enough to keep the reader engaged.  If Rumiko Takahashi or romantic comedies are your thing, might as well see where it all started.


Highs:  Ataru's poor, poor parents


Lows:  The art really is nearly unbearable in the anime as well as in the manga


Verdict:  If nothing else, a good way of seeing how far manga has come


Further Reading:  Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2

Manga Monday: Everyone has a past, even demon hunting orphans

Hyakkimaru and Dororo travel on, defeating evil spirits in Dororo Volume 2.

Note: Dororo Volume 2 is, of course the sequel to Dororo Volume 1.  The review of Dororo Volume 1 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: Black Jack may not have very many friends, but he'll do anything for the ones he has

Black Jack's skills are stretched to the limit treating children, presidents and even whales in Black Jack Volume 2.

Note:Black Jack Volume 2 is, of course, the sequel to Black Jack Volume 1.  The Vertical edition is published not in chronological order, but in the preferred order of Osamu Tezuka, so spoilers are not generally a problem.  The review for Black Jack Volume 1 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: More rivals for Ranma!

It's mayhem as usual, with a particularly feline twist, at the 'Anything Goes School of Martial Arts' in Ranma 1/2 Volume 4.


Note:  Ranma 1/2 Volume 4 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 3.  The review of Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here, while the review of Ranman 1/2 Volme 3 is here  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: Fighting demons to make himself whole

Osamu Tezuka is a legend in the field of manga for a reason.  Besides having been one of the men who developed the form from the traditional  4-panel comic strip to the graphic novel of today, he is also considered the creator of entire genres of the medium.  He helped get adults reading comics again with titles like Black Jack and Ayako.  He created the fictionalized biography Buddha years before Maus and Persepolis were taught in university classrooms.  He even created the half-boy, half-girl in manga idea with Princess Knight before Rumiko Takahashi began Ranma 1/2.  As he revolutionized shojo manga with Princess Knight, he also helped to create shonen manga with Dororo.

In Dororo Volume 1, Hyakkimaru has had a very unfortunate beginning.  His power-hungry Daimyo father promised a temple of 48 demons each a piece of his unborn son in return for being the ruler of the land.  They made good on their end of the deal, and when his son was born with no eyes, ears, limbs or internal organs.  And yet, his son refuses to die.

When he orders his son done away with, his mother sent him downriver in a basket.  Thankfully, while his father's prayers were answered and he comes into tremendous power in the area, so too do his mothers prayers for his safety.  Doctor Honma found the baby along the river, and was astonished at the the little creature inch its way across the floor to look for food.  Dr. Honma used a combination of medicine and magic to create the pieces that Hyakkimaru lacks, and raised him as a son.

Ever since Dr. Honma found Hyakkimaru, though, demons have been plaguing his house.  Eventually, when Hyakkimaru is old enough to look after himself, Dr. Honma has no choice but to ask him to leave.

Hyakkimaru eventually finds out his origins; a ghostly voice tells him the circumstances surrounding his birth.  And so begins his journey throughout the countryside, destroying the demons he fines to regain all that was taken from him.

Along the way, Hyakkimaru manages to pick up our titular character.  Dororo (babytalk for 'thief') is helped out by Hyakkimaru, and Dororo takes a liking to our hero,  He declares that he is the world's greatest thief, and that he is going to steal Hyakkimaru's sword.  That's going to be quite a bit more difficult than normal, as the sword is part of his arm prosthesis, but that doesn't deter our little sidekick.  Of course it's just a little street kid's excuse to tag along after a big brother figure, but Dororo's so likable that it's hard to mind.

Since this is such an early series, flaws that might be annoying in current manga are more easily forgiven here.  Panels of fight scenes are so cluttered that it's often hard to figure out where our heroes are in them, or what exactly is happening.  While a kid tagging along after the hero has been done over and over again, this might be given a pass the same way Ranma ½ is tolerable as a harem show because it is one of the first.  Also, anyone who has read manga, or any fantasy books at all, should know that something's up when Dororo won't bathe in front of Hyakkimaru.

Even when taken on it's own merit, without the Tezuka name attached, Dororo: Volume 1 is a good read.  As with many good shonen manga stories, there is more depth to it than it initially appears.  Themes of loss and rejection weave their way throughout many of the stories, along with the idea that everyone is flawed in some way.  The world is a hard place, and the heroes don't always get the credit and the credit that they are due.  They keep on, however, for their own reasons, and perhaps together they might both get a bit closer to what they're searching for.

Highs:  Watching Hyakkimaru's joy at regaining pieces of himself

Lows:  Many Americans new to manga might find the Japanese demons off-putting

Verdict:  The epitome of classic shonen, it's also a fun, compelling read

Further Reading;  Ode to Kirihito, Moribito

Manga Monday: I'll shampoo that guy right out of my hair...

Note:  Ranma 1/2 Volume 3 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 1.  The review of Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: The victim of another cursed black spring arrives!

It’s a good thing that Ranma and Akane is a student of the Anything Goes Martial arts school. Otherwise, they might have a problem with all the different martial arts types he’s been challenged with. Most martial artists would probably have problems when confronted with rhythmic gymnastics martial arts or ice skating wrestling, but Ranma and Akane, and even Ryoga seem to adopt very well.  And this is the very place we rejoin Ranma Satome in Ranma 1/2 Volume 2.

We also get to learn a bit more about Ryoga’s backstory. It makes some sort of perverted sense that one of the few times Ryoga manages to arrive at the same location a Ranma was at the cursed spring training grounds while Ranma and his father were training. Ranma ran into Ryoga, knocking him into the cursed Spring of Drowned Black Piglet! Of course Ranma, the rather oblivious guy he is, doesn't remember this happening.

Unfortunately, Akane herself doesn't realize that the adorable P-chan she’s found is the same as Ryoga. Perhaps she’d be less cuddily and kissy on him if she know. But guys look after guys, and Ranma’s not going to tell Akane that the creature she’s sleeping with is actually a teenage boy.

Beyond the martial arts action, though, it still is a High School comedy. They may not actually be at school terribly much, but they do occasionally hang out at the mall and do other, mundane teenage things.

More action than the first volume as well as developing characters makes Ranma ½ Volume 2 a fun read and a great continuation to the series.

Highs: Watching Ryoga realize who that girl and panda were who knocked him into the Spring of Drowned Black Pig

Lows: How can such an accomplished martial artist as Akane be so clumsy as a gymnast?

Verdict: A solid second volume to the series

Further Reading: Urusei Yatsura, Dragon Ball Vizbig

Manga Monday: A martial arts dojo where literally ANYTHING goes

It must be hard to be a dojo leader and only have had daughters.  Eventually, he’ll need to find an appropriate boy to take over the leadership of the dojo, and then he has the unenviable job of convincing one of his daughters to marry him.

Of course, it doesn’t help when the boy and his father show up as a girl and her panda.

And when the youngest girl Akane goes to bathe with her, and finds that she’s turned into a he?  Still not helping.

Welcome to the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū Tendo Dojo (Anything Goes Martial Arts Tendo Dojo of Indiscriminant Grappling) and Ranma 1/2 Volume 1.  Soun Tendo may not have been blessed with any boys, but he does have three beautiful daughters. He even believes that he has found the perfect husband for one of them, when he hears of Ranma Satome. He and his father have been training in China for the last while, though. And while they were there, they fell into cursed springs, and now whenever they are splashed with cold water, they take on the form of the being that drowned there.

So Ranma mainly wants to not become a girl anymore, but there is not much that he can do in town about that, so he might as well start up at the local high school with Akane.

Akane herself is the most eligible bachelorette in school.  Every morning, she has to fight her way through the throngs of guys trying to ask her out.  Of course, now that guys see her with Ranma, they aren’t too fond of him either.

We also get to meet Ryoga Hibiki for the first time.  Accidently slighted by Ranma several times in their last high school, he is now questing to defeat Ranma in battle.  Unfortunately, his sense of direction is so bad that he gets lost for days just getting across town to where they are supposed to fight.

As always, with the first volume in a series, quite a bit of this book is introduction to the characters and other back story elements.  Because contrary to the premise, the story mainly takes place in common times with little magical elements, most of the world works as one would expect it to.

Besides the pesky body-switching problem the Satome men have, this is the epitome of the the common day dojo and high school manga.  If written today it might not be given so much credit since it’s such a common genre now.  But the reason it’s as common is because authors like Rumiko Takahashi created stories such as these.  An iconic manga, this helped form several genres while providing a hilarious story and memorable characters.

Highs: Dr. Tofu Ono and his unfortunate nearsightedness

Lows: The boys battling for Akane is a little unnecessary

Verdict: A classic manga that sets up the series well

Further Reading:  Dragon Ball VizBig 1, Rurouni Kenshin

Manga Monday: Why is it that no one seems to get a reward that they actually want when they do something good?

In the anime movie Whisper of the Heart, there is a scene where we meet a grey cat statue wearing a tuxedo. Later on, the main character Shizuku writes a story featuring this cat, named Baron von Gikkingen. Baron The Cat Returns, by Aoi Hiiragi is that story.

On the way home from school one day, Haru uses her friend's lacrosse stick to save the life of a cat about to be run over by a delivery truck. When she runs up to the kitty to make sure that he's all right, he not only bows in thanks but also promises to show his gratitude at a later date, as he is pressed for time.

Unfortunately, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Cats and his father the King have a very distinctive, very cat-like way of showing their appreciation. After a very strange day of cat-presents such as wafting catnip and cases of canned mice, Haru is kidnapped to the Kingdom of Cats, where she is slowly transformed into a cat herself, and finds her betrothed to Prince Lune.

Thankfully, before she is taken, she manages to make a few friends that could help her. A voice leads her to Baron Humbert von Gikkigen, as well as Muta, a rather fat, piggy-looking white cat. The Baron lives in the world of objects with souls. If an object is created or owned by someone who pours the hopes and dreams into it, it eventually develops a soul of its own, and that aspect lives slightly out of sync with the rest of the world, in the world of objects with souls.

She has a few allies already in the Kingdom of Cats as well. Not surprisingly, Prince Lune has his own preference as to who he wishes to marry. And this female kitty has a connection back to Haru as well.

This is very much a children's fairy tale in the same vein as Alice in Wonderland or Kiki's Delivery Service. Besides the standard morals of doing what's right, there really isn't anything to learn or a deeper meaning to the story. It targets the same audience as Whisper of the Heart, but with a much lighter tone. Still, as long as that's what the reader wants out of the book, it's a very nice read.

Highs: Haru meeting Lune's girlfriend

Lows: The edition that I have, instead of translating sound effects in panel has a list of them in the back of the book. In a book where many panels only have sound effects instead of dialog, this becomes very frustrating

Verdict: Worth reading when in the mood for a light, fluffy fairy tale

Further Reading: Castle in the Sky, Alice in Wonderland

Manga Monday: Will Young Godai manage to accomplish EITHER of his goals?

Slice of life romances, along with comedies, are also a staple of manga in Japan. Honey and Clover is one that has made a big hit in the US, but they've been around for years. We can even travel back over 30 years to one of the founders of modern manga and take a look at Rumiko Takahashi's Maison Ikkoku.

Godai-kun, a ronin trying once more to get into university, is finally fed up with the way his housemates have been treating him. He's decided to leave, but on his way out the door he runs into Kiyoko-san, the new manager of the building. Although she's slightly older than he, it's love at first sight and he resolves to stay at Maison Ikkoku.

What follows is a fairly standard, 1980s style manga. The tenants are a bit on the bizarre side by real life standards, though fairly tame in the manga world. In room 1 we have the Ichinose family, with a lush of a mother, an absent salaryman father and a young son. In room 4 we have Yotsuya-san, who has broken a hole in to Godai's room to swipe food and drink, as well as spy on room 6. Room 6 hosts Akemi-san, a hostess at a local bar who is also quite good at 'acquiring' drink from the people around her, and is perpetually either drunk or hung over, and is often not properly dressed.

The majority of the manga revolves around poor Godai trying rather unsuccessfully to get closer to Kiyoko-san and study for university entrance exams. The former is quite hard, considering the fact that Kiyoko-san is a recent widow, even though she's so young, and has decided not to remarry. The latter is a problem mainly due to the other tenants of Maison Ikkoku having decided that Godai's room is where the parties are going to be held, and keeping him up with drunken revelry most of the night, which is quite hard to study during.

The series itself is a very traditional manga of the time. Even when the humor gets bawdy, it stays within about the same limits as Ranma ½ or any other Rumiko Takahashi manga. It may need a Teen or Older Teen rating within the US, but it's nothing that ought to offend an early high school student, or even really an advanced middle school student with lenient parents.

Highs: A sweet, almost-love-story

Lows: The older style of the manga may be off-putting to the new generation of readers

Verdict: A good, light read that helped found the genre

Further Reading: Ranma ½, Emma: A Victorian Romance