Legal Drug Book 1
- Posted by Johanna on January 20, 2006 at 7:52 am
- Category: Manga Reviews
- CREDITS: by CLAMP; adaptation by Jamie S. Rich
- PUBLISHER: Tokyopop, $9.99 US
The newest series by fan-favorite art studio CLAMP features pretty boys working at a drugstore. Rikuo saved Kazahaya’s life when he almost died from exposure in the snow. The two now share an apartment, work together, and demonstrate the kind of “he’s so frustrating!” relationship that hints at deeper feelings of unrecognized attraction.
Their boss, a psychic, sends them off on extra jobs to find mysterious artifacts, aided by Kazahaya’s ability to see visions based on memories. Mystically symbolic occurrences complicate their tasks.
I’m not a huge fan of CLAMP, so I’m not able to wax effusively over the art here, although it’s apparently a major source of enjoyment to other readers. I found it hard to follow exactly what was taking place in certain sequences. The characters also never came alive for me, and I wasn’t involved enough in the little bits of umbrella story to want to find out the meaning behind the cliffhanger.
Like much of their work, this story combines magical abilities, fantasy, and hints of romance. CLAMP fans, especially those interested in the boy-boy implications, should enjoy it.
December 23, 2005 at 4:41 pm
[…] Hina makes a cameo in the second volume of Legal Drug, another Clamp series about two boys being sent on mysterious errands. […]
April 22, 2006 at 11:24 am
[…] (One brief correction: he says that “There are no shared universes in Japanese comics. Characters don’t meet and crossover or team up.” That’s not completely true — some of the Clamp books do, with a character from Suki appearing in a volume of Legal Drug, for instance, and Tsubasa seeming like nothing but guest appearances — but they are rare.) […]
November 17, 2006 at 9:41 pm
[…] I’m still a little put off by the references to other CLAMP series in this book. I recognized the two boys from Legal Drug, and the notes in the back helped explain a little of the Tsubasa crossover, but I’m not interested in exploring the wide world of every CLAMP series ever. I just want more stories. And a good annotation site. […]
February 5, 2007 at 6:23 pm
It was good, but I don’t think that this is the right Manga for me to read every day like Hana-Kimi or Othello.
February 25, 2008 at 2:30 pm
why do they only have 3 volumes out?!?!?!?!!
>.< i want the rest……
February 25, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Blame the artists — that’s all they’ve created so far, I’m told.