One thing that Kare Kano does differently from a lot of shoujo manga is that it puts its side stories about the main couple's friends in the middle of the series rather than the end. That might be a disruptive and frustrating choice if one is consuming the story rapidly—the "Dark Arima" arc has been left hanging since the end of volume nine—but for someone like me, who hasn't … [Read more...] about Kare Kano 11-12 by Masami Tsuda: B-
Shoujo
High School Debut 11 by Kazune Kawahara: B+
From the back cover: Haruna becomes worried when she sees Yoh hanging out with an unattractive classmate. (Yoh does seem to have strange taste in women, after all...) She has good reason for feeling uneasy—it looks like this girl really does want to sabotage their relationship! Review: The main reason I love High School Debut is that it skewers some of the typical shojo … [Read more...] about High School Debut 11 by Kazune Kawahara: B+
Phantom Dream 3 by Natsuki Takaya: B
Once upon a time, a thousand years ago, there was a beautiful woman named Suigekka who used her magical abilities to help the people of Japan. The people feared and misunderstood her, however, and killed her after blaming her for the drought that had descended upon the land. A magician who loved her, Hira, went insane after Suigekka’s death and vowed revenge on humanity. He … [Read more...] about Phantom Dream 3 by Natsuki Takaya: B
Phantom Dream 2 by Natsuki Takaya: B-
From the back cover: Tamaki Otoya is the last in a line of ancient summoners tasked to battle evil forces that threaten mankind. But when the rival Gekka family return to collect the demon sword Tamaki's family stole centuries ago, a devastating secret is revealed! Tamaki is left in such a state of shock that he doesn't even notice his beloved Asahi slipping away to the Gekka … [Read more...] about Phantom Dream 2 by Natsuki Takaya: B-
Boys Over Flowers 36 by Yoko Kamio: B
After 36 dramatastic volumes, Boys Over Flowers has finally come to an end. It’s just too bad it didn’t happen sooner. The end of volume 31 would’ve been a good place, for example, with Tsukushi and Tsukasa finally realizing that their love is what’s most important in their lives. Instead, after Tsukasa recovers from a rather lame bout of amnesia, he announces that, due to his … [Read more...] about Boys Over Flowers 36 by Yoko Kamio: B