This month, we’re looking at two new titles and checking in on two others. Melinda sees potential in one-shot Heaven’s Will and Michelle enjoys the latest volumes of High School Debut and We Were There. She also finds Otomen to be a lot of fun.
By Satoru Takamiya
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: Teen
The only things that terrify schoolgirl Mikuzu Sudou more than boys are ghosts and monsters (also known as oni). This is an unfortunate fact, since they are especially drawn to her and, unlike most humans, she can see them. Fortunately, she meets up with Seto, a cross-dressing exorcist with a deep appreciation for cake, and his companion, Kagari, a vampire who can transform into a wolf. Seto provides protection from the monsters, Mikuzu provides the cake, and a winning team is born! Things are never as simple as that, of course, and as the three work together as exorcists-for-hire, we learn more about the individual challenges and frailties that complicate the relationships between them.
The first chapter of the volume was intended as a stand-alone piece, and trips along quite lightly for a story about monsters. As the volume continues, however, things get serious fast. As it turns out, Seto dresses like a girl in memory of his sister, who was the real exorcist of the family. She died saving him from oni, and it is Seto’s intention to earn enough money to have a sex-change operation, after which he will find a way to transfer her soul into his living body, resurrecting her and ending his own existence. Kagari, who has been too long miserable in the loneliness of immortality, is devoted to Seto because he has promised to exorcize Kagari’s soul (effectively killing him) before he kills himself. Mikuzu, who is terrified of men, is able to work comfortably alongside Seto because he has the non-threatening appearance of a cute girl. She even falls in love with him, so of course she wants to keep him in this world as long as possible, which means she must work against his plans. All of this is complicated by the fact that Mikuzu is the only one who is able to communicate with the spirit of Seto’s dead sister.
The tale Satoru Takamiya has woven is complex, very poignant, and has no hope whatsoever of working successfully as a single volume. The plot as it stands makes very little sense. There are interesting (if not wholly original) ideas, but without exception, the execution is rushed, clumsy, and generally muddled. Nothing is resolved in a satisfying way, and everyone’s stories are left woefully unfinished. Yet despite the clunky storytelling, the characters’ personal journeys and their relationships with each other are maddeningly compelling. Takamiya’s ideas are far too ambitious for the time and space alloted (possibly also for her current level of skill), and she frequently loses the thread while trying to pull it together, but at the core of it all there is that deep, shining honesty that is the seed of all powerful fiction.
The art in Heaven’s Will is simple, yet expressive. The character’s facial expressions are extremely nuanced, allowing them to move from emotion to emotion with an unexpected genuineness and fluidity, the result of which can be quite moving. Seto’s look of embarrassment when he admits he likes cake, for example, provides a surprising glimpse of vulnerability in his character early on, without being at all melodramatic or cloying.
Although Heaven’s Will is deeply flawed, and not something that can be wholeheartedly recommended, there is much promise there of better things to come.
Heaven’s Will is available now.
–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi
By Kazune Kawahara
Viz, 210 pp.
Rating: Teen
This is a pretty episodic volume, but still manages to move things forward for the characters. In the first chapter, Yoh is sick, giving Haruna the opportunity to care for him overzealously. Next, Yoh’s sister Asa is feeling insecure in her relationship with Yoh’s friend, Fumi, since he seems to easily resist her seductive powers. She entertains the notion of cheating on him, which, of course, makes Haruna want to step in and intervene. Lastly, the new school year begins, and several new freshmen boys are introduced, each of which gets stabbed by Haruna as she attempts to pin on their “new student” ribbon at the entrance ceremony.
There are some series you read that just make you happy, and High School Debut is one of those for me. I think the main thing I love is the open communication between Haruna and Yoh. He tells her what he likes about her, for instance, and they both immediately sense problems in the Asa/Fumi relationship and discuss what they ought to do about it. I really dislike it when a prolonged misunderstanding is used as a plot, so it’s such a relief to me when characters actually talk about things with each other.
I can’t believe this series is at the halfway point already! I recommend it most highly.
Volume seven of High School Debut is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Aya Kanno
Viz, 208 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)
High school student Asuka Masamune has a reputation as a cool and stoic guy. He’s ranked number one in the country for kendo, and has black belts in both judo and karate. His name alone inspires fear in the hearts of his would-be opponents. But Asuka has a secret. Beneath this carefully-crafted masculine exterior, he yearns to read shojo manga, make plushies, and fall in love. When he meets tomboyish Ryo Miyakozuka, his veneer begins to crack. He finds himself wanting to do things to help her, like finish a home ec sewing project, make tasty bento lunches, and teach her to make the perfect birthday cake for her father. After Ryo mentions that she prefers masculine guys, Asuka tries to be her ideal, but with some encouragement from frenemy Juta, eventually realizes that he wants to be his real self with the person he cares for.
It’s difficult to see exactly why Asuka falls in love with Ryo in the first place, but once they start hanging out together, her personality begins to come through. They’re joined by classmate Juta, whose playboy ways tick Asuka off, but whom he gradually accepts because Juta’s friendship is also important to Ryo. They develop a kind of xxxHOLiC dynamic, with Asuka preparing lunch for the three of them while muttering things like “why am I always making enough for this guy as well?” Unbeknownst to Asuka, Juta has another reason for hanging around. He’s actually Jewel Sachihana, the mangaka behind Asuka’s favorite shojo manga series, Love Chick, and Asuka is the model for his heroine, as no one else embodies true femininity so well.
One of best things about this subplot is that pages from Love Chick work their way into the story, and you can see how well Kanno emulates that generic shojo art style. Also, as events unfold, it becomes clear that Juta is using incidents from Asuka’s life in his manga, even nudging him into action a few times in order to get new material, and that the male love interest looks exactly like a boy version of Ryo. Asuka remains clueless so far, only mentioning that he “surprisingly identifies with it a lot.”
In addition to the glimpses of Love Chick, there are plenty of other amusing things in Otomen. My favorites include the panel where Asuka, after binging on girly items, thinks “I’ve got to control myself” then looks down to see he has unconsciously completed a teddy bear; the scenes in which Asuka and Ryo both declare their intentions to protect the other, complete with flowery background (an image later replicated in Love Chick); and the part where Asuka purposefully leaves a volume of Love Chick lying around in the path of a heartbroken guy, who proceeds to go all sparkly over it.
Lastly, I’m really enjoying the male perspective. While a male protagonist is by no means rare in shojo, you’ll usually find them in science fiction or fantasy works and not in a high school romance. Asuka’s not your average guy, of course, but neither is he simply a typical shojo heroine in male disguise.
With its quirky characters and comedic approach, Otomen promises to be a lot of fun.
Volume one of Otomen will be available on February 3, 2009.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Yuki Obata
Viz, 210 pp.
Rating: Older Teen
Nanami Takahashi has fallen in love with her classmate, Yano, and confessed her feelings, but he said he didn’t know whether he liked her or not. They continue on as friends, and have some sweet moments now and then, but Yano remains aloof. It seems like every time they momentarily get closer, he slips away again, occasionally saying mean things to her.
Yano is still struggling with the death of his ex-girlfriend, who died while cheating on him with another guy. He didn’t think he’d ever date anyone else, and has been pushing Nanami away because she’s able to get under his guard. It’s quite the surprise when, seemingly out of nowhere, he tells her he likes her.
All of this leads to the most shojo-y page I have ever seen. This image encapsulates the very essence of shojo, and must be shared.
I tend to like series where the lead couple gets together early on (Kare Kano, High School Debut), since the story can then focus on issues other than “Does he like me?!” In We Were There, though, things are a bit weird. Even though Yano and Nanami are together, and are shown goofing around and having fun, the overall feel is not a happy one. A cryptic comment by one of Yano’s friends adds to the feeling of foreboding. Yano has a lot of issues and, somehow, I suspect things are not going to end well.
Volume two of We Were There is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
On that topic, have you seen the 
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