Ageha grew up in the shadow of her beautiful twin sister, Hana, but lately, with the help of her school counselor, Ichijiku-sensei, she’s been gaining confidence. As volume three begins, Ichijiku and Ageha have begun dating, but it doesn’t last long, as devious Hana dupes Ichijiku into believing she’s Ageha and behaves obnoxiously on a date, causing him to call off the … [Read more...] about Papillon 3 by Miwa Ueda: B-
Shoujo
The Lapis Lazuli Crown 1 by Natsuna Kawase: B
In the country of Savarin, about 20% of the population can perform magic. Seventeen-year-old Miel comes from a long line of sorcerers, and though the family has fallen a bit since the days when their services were sought after at the palace, they’re still very respectable. Miel doesn’t have much interest in improving her own skills, though, until she meets Prince Radian (also … [Read more...] about The Lapis Lazuli Crown 1 by Natsuna Kawase: B
NANA 11 by Ai Yazawa: A
Cut for spoilers. From the back cover: With the tabloids still out for blood, Nana and her Blast bandmates move into a weird dorm building run by their agency. But they've barely got enough time to settle into their new digs beacuse their crammed schedule has them running from music studio to TV interview. The stress of band life and dealing with a disintegrating Ren have … [Read more...] about NANA 11 by Ai Yazawa: A
NANA 10 by Ai Yazawa: A
NANA is a series I vow never to spoil. From the back cover: Being engaged isn't as wonderful as Hachi thought it would be. She has a trendy new apartment, but she's isolated from all her friends and Takumi is hardly ever home. When scandal hits hard, Trapnest (and her fiancé) flee to Europe, and Hachi is left to watch Blast suffer in the scandal rags and tabloid … [Read more...] about NANA 10 by Ai Yazawa: A
Boys Over Flowers 23 by Yoko Kamio: B
From the back cover: Tsukushi ends her visit at her parents' quiet seaside home and returns to Tokyo. She is welcomed back with a "girls' night out" and ends up meeting a ton of guys! Unfortunately, they all turn out to be losers. In fact, one of the boys is downright terrifying and bears a striking resemblance to a certain curly-haired ex-boyfriend! Could they be … [Read more...] about Boys Over Flowers 23 by Yoko Kamio: B