From the back cover: Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity! Nanami has … [Read more...] about Kamisama Kiss 1 by Julietta Suzuki: B
Shojo Beat
The Return of the NANA Project
I've reached a point with NANA where, instead of wanting to write a review all by my lonesome, I save all my thoughts for the always-enjoyable roundtable discussion with Danielle Leigh and MJ. Their perceptions of the work cause me to look at it in new ways, and it's a testament to the depth of the story that we're on our eighth column and still haven't run out of things to … [Read more...] about The Return of the NANA Project
Millennium Snow 1-2 by Bisco Hatori: B-
Millennium Snow is the first series by Bisco Hatori (of Ouran High School Host Club fame), one of those that began as a stand-alone but eventually achieved serialization. It’s been on hiatus for some time, but now that Ouran has wrapped up, some fans are hoping that Hatori will return to it. I’m not so sure that’s a worthy endeavor. Chiyuki Matsuoka has had a weak heart since … [Read more...] about Millennium Snow 1-2 by Bisco Hatori: B-
The Story of Saiunkoku 1 by Kairi Yura and Sai Yukino: B+
From the back cover: Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne'er-do-well ruler to … [Read more...] about The Story of Saiunkoku 1 by Kairi Yura and Sai Yukino: B+
Honey and Clover 9-10 by Chica Umeno: A
These are the final two volumes of Honey and Clover, so there will be spoilers here. Beware. Be sure to have some mental palate cleanser on hand—fluffy shoujo may work for you but I turned to shoot-’em-up seinen—when you finish Honey and Clover, because, man, is it depressing! It’s not that I’d expected everything to turn out rosy, since much of the plot revolves around two … [Read more...] about Honey and Clover 9-10 by Chica Umeno: A