Nanase Takamine is a fire investigator, a job at which she not only excels but also approaches with a dogged determination to discover the truth. In this volume, she’s on the case of a fatal fire at the home of an elderly, wealthy man with three suspicious children, and later must determine why an experienced arsonist made a beginner’s mistake. Nanase is, in a way, haunted by … [Read more...] about Fire Investigator Nanase 4 by Izo Hashimoto and Tomoshige Ichikawa: B+
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Fire Investigator Nanase 3 by Izo Hashimoto and Tomoshige Ichikawa: B
From the back cover: "The Towering Inferno" continues! Nanase and her team are sent into the Astro Tower, a brand new skyscraper that everyone believes to be practically indestructible. But when the anti-fire device system suddenly goes down, there is no advance warning when the boiler blows. Now, Nanase is trapped in the fiery building with all of the terrorists, but the … [Read more...] about Fire Investigator Nanase 3 by Izo Hashimoto and Tomoshige Ichikawa: B
Oh! My Brother 2 by Ken Saito: B-
It’s been one month since Masago Kamoguchi’s brilliant older brother, Shiro, died and began possessing her. With all of this going on, Masago hasn’t been studying, so when exam time comes around, she allows Shiro to take the tests for her and ends up with a perfect score. Her impressive performance prompts a teacher to encourage her to run for student council, a decision she … [Read more...] about Oh! My Brother 2 by Ken Saito: B-
Emma 1-2 by Kaoru Mori: A
More than any other non-shojo series, Emma is the one I most frequently see being mistaken for shojo. It's easy to see why: it's a low-key love story between a lovely and graceful maid and the liberally minded son of a wealthy merchant family. When we first meet Emma and William, she is working in the home of his former governess, Mrs. Kelly Stownar, whom he's been very remiss … [Read more...] about Emma 1-2 by Kaoru Mori: A
Stolen Hearts 1 by Miku Sakamoto: B+
The basic plot of Stolen Hearts is summed up succinctly on its back cover: “a mismatched pair finds romance through a kimono shop.” Though the premise has some things in common with other shojo series—a significant difference in height between the two protagonists (Love*Com), a girl who attempts to familiarize her classmates with the finer qualities of her scary-looking love … [Read more...] about Stolen Hearts 1 by Miku Sakamoto: B+