Halloween Oneshot 1: "Kaeribana no Kanojo" ("The Return of the Flower Girl") by Meca Tanaka

It's already Halloween for some parts of the world, so let's get on with the Halloween cuteness. This is a short oneshot that came out in Shiro Lala 2012. Get out a hankey, because I bet this little oneshot is gonna cause some tears.

Manga Review: Pearl Pink

I finished "Pearl Pink" by Meca Tanaka last weekend and I think I was satisfied with the way it ended. If you read my initial write-up after reading the first volume, I was concerned about the direction this manga was going when the main female character, Tamako, decided that she wanted to be an idol. I think it played well for me because I felt that the story didn't deal so much with Tamako becoming an idol, so much as how Tamako and Kanji deal with Tamako's pursuit of stardom. I think the most important part of this was Tamako forcing her independence from Kanji and her mother's stardom and Kanji letting Tamako go for the sake of her career and their relationship. Sometimes that can tough, and I think the stress of being apart for long periods and the general wanting to the know at all times about the well being of a cared about person were shown well in this manga. Kanji also had to grow-up and become independent from his father and his father's business for Kanji's sake, as a person, and for the sake of the business he will one day inherit.

I felt the business about the identity of Tamako's father came out of nowhere and really didn't move me because it felt so inconsequential to the story. I think it would have worked better for me if that part of the story had been introduced earlier and with more impact, rather than as an afterthought.

I give this 4 volume manga series 4/5. Oh and another thing, this manga sorta has the same feel as "Faster than a Kiss" -- more like a "-lite" pre-cursor to try out the idea of relationship between a older, somewhat career decided adult male and female student love interest and to play with the idea of a guy who has a fetish for dressing up girls in costumes. In many ways Kanji is like Ojiru, but without the bad history.

Manga Review: Omukae vol 1

This is a manga about a high school turned college freshman, Madoka Tsutsumi, who one night, after studying too much, starts to see ghosts and a shinigami (grim reaper) dressed in a pink bunny suit. The first chapter is pretty cute but this is not a manga for me so I quit after the first chapter. I'd have to say overall this is mediocre manga. There's no conflict to drive the story along and the characters aren't interesting enough to care about. Actually, I'm rather surprised that someone took the time to translate this series when there are much better series out there from Meca Tanaka and other mangaka. 2.5/5 because there must be someone out there who likes this series.

Pearl Pink: Volume 1

I finally got around to reading the first volume of "Pearl Pink" yesterday and I was quite surprised. What's laid out in the first volume is actually rather sweet. I ended up reading the manga twice. Anyhow, "Pearl Pink" is the story of Kanji and Tamako. Kanji is 16 or 17 and Tamako is 13. Long ago Kanji made a promise that if Tamako would quit being a crybaby he'd marry her. Ten years have passed and Tamako enters Kanji's life again. Instead of being a crybaby, she is now a rambuctous tomboy who turns Kanji's life upside. The back drop of the story is entertainment. Tamako's mom is a moderately sucessful actress and Kanji's father, who is delightfully perverted, runs the studio she works for. There is also a fun side character named Raizo who stirs things up every once in a while. Kanji has a little perverted streak too, which is nice because we wouldn't want our main male character to be too perfect.

I have the 2nd and 3rd volumes on order and I'm a little worried because the preview at the end of volume 1 indicated that they are going to focus some attention onto Raizo and have Tamako possibly emerging as an idol. Well, I guess I find out Wednesday.