By Noriko Segawa
Published by NETCOMICS
Rating: 16+

Saiko and her adopted father have just moved to New York City. She is immediately charmed by their housekeeper’s younger brother, a boy named Miguel. Saiko quickly learns that Miguel is actually deeply involved in the Puerto Rican mafia and begins to find herself in situations where her naïveté either puts her against Miguel and his associates, or in a situation where Miguel needs to save her. Additionally, Saiko has some psychic powers that enable her to read people’s thoughts and intentions just by touching them. She strenuously objects to many of the things Miguel does, and Miguel can never outright lie to her because of her powers, so the two develop a relationship based on honesty and forced trust. Later, Saiko learns about her past, and a cult that’s after her powers begins to threaten her father and Miguel’s sister, extended family, and even his mafia connections.

Setting the series in New York City and having the characters battling for and against the mafia brings a lot of interesting things into the story. It’s rare to see series set in America, and even rarer to see this type of shojo crime drama. This story doesn’t really do anything new or interesting with the subject matter, but it does go into some surprising detail about immigrant life in New York City and some aspects of poverty-level living that you wouldn’t really expect in a series like this. The eventual psychic cult storyline doesn’t really go anywhere new or interesting, and the bits about the Puerto Rican mafia at the beginning are the best part of the story. There are two extra stories after the main plot finishes, one about Dario, a side character, and the other about the relationship between Saiko and Miguel. They have an understated and rather strong bond throughout the story, but it’s not really something you’ll likely find yourself all that interested in.

Unfortunately, the characters almost all fall completely flat. Saiko in particular is guilty of being quite shallow; Miguel explains his reasons for being in the mafia again and again, and the two of them find themselves in several situations where there may be two sides to the issue, but Saiko never brings herself around to see Miguel’s point of view. She was also by far the least interesting character. Miguel was better, since he plays a tough guy with mysterious reasons who also always finds a way to help Saiko, but he never really grows much as a character save when he decides to rebel against his mentor in the mafia, Angel. The most interesting characters in the series are actually two side characters, Miguel’s cousins Pedro and Dario. The latter has a huge crush on Saiko, and the former talks in depth about how the pair sticks together because they only have each other. Both serve important roles at different times, but if the story ultimately changes anyone, it changes Dario. He’s sort of a sad guy in general.

I’m not entirely sure when this story was originally published, but the art looks like it was produced sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s. There is a soft quality to the line and tone, and there’s a lot more curves and shading than you would find in contemporary artwork. And to give it credit, there are also some interesting panel layouts. The character designs are fair, but it is easy to keep everyone straight.

Overall, the series is pretty so-so. While it’s hampered by one-dimensional characters and some stereotypical plot devices, there are some interesting things thrown into the formula to add flavor. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really do anything particularly well, so it’s kind of a disappointing read in the end.

Illusion City is available online at NETCOMICS.com