From the back cover: When two mysterious young men walk into the café to declare war, Uru's passion gets the best of everyone, and they accept the challenge—with one condition: the loser will have to quit the industry for good. However, just before the contest, Shindo sprains his wrist! And when Uru's mother shows up at Bonheur, will she convince Uru to go back home? Café … [Read more...] about Happy Cafe 2 by Kou Matsuzuki: C+
Manga
Married Under the Italian Sun by Lucy Gordon and Mayu Takayama: B-
When Angela—an actress who’s been playing a “dumb bimbo” called Angel for eight years—is jilted by her wealthy husband, she’s too weary to battle his lawyers and instead accepts an Italian villa for a divorce settlement. Upon moving to Amalfi, she meets Vittorio, the former owner who assumes a lot of negative things about her character, given the life she comes from, only to … [Read more...] about Married Under the Italian Sun by Lucy Gordon and Mayu Takayama: B-
Dr. Slump 1 by Akira Toriyama: C+
From the back cover: When goofy inventor Senbei Norimaki creates a precocious robot named Arale, his masterpiece turns out to be more than he bargained for! Basking in the glow of his scientific achievement, Senbei scrambles to get Arale in working order so the rest of Penguin Village won't have reason to suspect she's not really a girl. But first Senbei needs to find her a … [Read more...] about Dr. Slump 1 by Akira Toriyama: C+
Otomen 5 by Aya Kanno: B
Otomen is the story of Asuka Masamune, a manly-seeming boy who harbors a secret love for “girly” pursuits like cooking and sewing. In this volume, his tomboyish girlfriend, Ryo, is picked to represent the second-year students in the school’s Ideal Woman competition, and draws on things she’s learned from Asuka in order to meet the challenge. The third chapter focuses on Juta, … [Read more...] about Otomen 5 by Aya Kanno: B
Otomen 3-4 by Aya Kanno: B
These two volumes, although mostly comprised of one-shot chapters with silly plots (Kanno writes that she's trying to hit all the major shoujo clichés), still manage to introduce two new characters and elevate the status of Ryo and Asuka's relationship to “officially dating,” though that doesn't result in any changes in the way they interact. Volume three begins with Asuka … [Read more...] about Otomen 3-4 by Aya Kanno: B