The college struggles from the previous two books continue to have ramifications, adding drama to this goofy romantic comedy.

Love*Com Book 13
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A couple, friends of main pair Risa and Otani, are facing separation, since she got into college and he didn’t. The relationship of the two seems vulnerable, with all these changes, so another boy, a judo champion, is muscling in on the girl. Otani winds up promising “let’s you and him fight” in a classic sitcom situation of having to train quickly for a competition one’s completely over-matched for.

Thankfully, not a lot of time is spent on the battle and training — the important thing is being willing to fight for the one you love, a message any young romantic will appreciate. The surrounding setup is a bit over the top, which provides the funny, but the underlying emotions are still plausible to readers. The artistic focus on well-drawn faces — eyes, mouths, and eyebrows — makes it easy to keep up with what the characters are thinking and feeling.

After that comes some family conflict, with Risa’s younger brother about to start at her high school, which he’s cranky about. (He wanted to aim higher.) She and her friends try to show him around while acting particularly juvenile, which doesn’t help his impression, but at least they seem like real kids. Brother thinks Otani is the only cool one and so should break up with Risa. This, understandably, doesn’t lead to harmony between the siblings. The real conflict arises, though, when the previously unseen Grandpa decides to set Risa up with someone better suited for her (i.e., taller) while distracting Otani with a professional flirt.

I’m impressed by how Aya Nakahara keeps a very basic premise — tall girl and short boy in love — fresh by introducing different twists and characters as needed. The types may seem familiar, but that just makes it easier to get into situations quickly. At first, the conflicts keeping the two apart were created by themselves: ignorance (of their feelings), then mismatched timing. Now, to keep the story going, the conflicts are external, based on the objections of family members. It’s a movement from the self to the community, although ultimately, it all comes back to trust, an interior virtue.

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

Review by Ed Sizemore

This volume continues, and concludes, the adventures of Mao-chan and the Special Defense Corps as they attempt to fight off the aliens who want to steal all of Japan’s cultural landmarks. The two female alien spies disguised as high school students face new hardships as they run out of money and have to find jobs to pay the bills while continuing their mission. Once the alien leader appears, the final battle begins. What will become of Japan’s national treasures?

Mao-Chan Book 2
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As in volume 1, Del Rey has combined the third and fourth volumes of the Japanese edition into one book for US release.

Part of the charm of this series has been the over-the-top humor. Akamatsu continues to weave light satire into this series. He pokes fun at such diverse targets as Dominion Tank Police, Galaxy Express 999, Gon, and Tenchi Muyo. The jokes are genuinely funny; several times, I actually burst out laughing at a scene. Wait until you see what happens when a tank with artificial intelligence turns to a life of crime.

Surprisingly, the biggest target is Love Hina, with two chapters of Akmatsu making jokes at his own expense. We are introduced to Keinosuke Urashima, a student who keeps failing the entrance examine to Tokyo U, and his girlfriend Nana Nanasegawa. Together, they run a hot spring resort called Hinata Ryokan. The funniest moment in the book is when Nana and Private Mishima (both modeled after Love Hina’s Naru) meet, and everyone remarks on how they look identical.

But the series doesn’t rely solely on satire. Mao-chan is filled with appealing characters. The three young girls of the Special Defense Corps all really care about each other. Their grandfathers may try to make everything a competition, but they wisely ignore them and focus on being friends and developing teamwork. They also take seriously their role to preserve Japan’s landmarks. They’re earnestly trying their best in the face of overwhelming odds. It’s easy to find yourself drawn in by their youth and sincerely.

RAN continues to provide excellent artwork. He’s certainly an accomplished mimic. I would like to see a series where he gets a chance to develop his own style. Just a brief word of warning. There is plenty of fan service. No nudity, but lots of bikinis and towels.

Overall, Mao-chan was an enjoyable read. It was a good break from all the more serious manga I’ve been reading lately. The decision to keep Mao-chan short was wise. It prevents the humor or the characters from getting stale. I’m optimistic that Mao-chan will most appeal to anime and manga fans who like a good parody. However, the jokes are broad enough on their own that anyone can read and enjoy Mao-chan.

Hudson Phillips and Brandon Earnhart have posted two “sequential shorts“, comics based on fables told in a handful of pages.

They’re well-done, with professional-level art, and I like the extra touches: cover design and a back page that explains the genesis of the stories and tells a little bit about the creators.

Although it’s part of the Viz Kids line, I found this collection of fashion- and friend-focused four-panel strips entertaining in a great-for-summer mindless-fun way.

Choco Mimi Book 1
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Choco (Chiyoko Sakurai) is the sporty one interested in moody boy Ando. Mimi is the cuter, frillier one with the adorable dog Chiffon. He’s my favorite character. Although a fluffy dachshund, he thinks of himself as a man serving his master, dedicated to making Mimi happy and being stoic in light of the goofy things she does to him. There’s also Mumu, a cross-dressing little boy who causes conflict in weird ways.

Although we’re told several times they’re 8th graders (making them, what, 14?), they’re drawn in a little kid style (as seen on the cover) that reminds me of Junko Mizuno (only without the grossness). The few introductory pages tell you everything you need to know about them, their likes and dislikes. After that, it’s a series of 4-koma, vertical four-panel comic strips, with the characters being cute and silly at school or elsewhere.

Jokes revolve around Mimi having an unexpected response or the girls and their clothes or how the boys act. There are also half-page images of the girls hanging out, as well as fashion half pages, often seasonally oriented, where their outfits and accessories are described in detail. Sometimes the strips take up a full page or more, with more panels, creating little stories. The result is a lot of content, with plenty to read and lots of detail to look at.

I found it surprisingly readable. I liked entering the ChocoMimi world for a little while, when all that matters is looking cute and having fun with friends. It’s great escapism with an unexpected amount of creative imagination. Although rated for all ages, I don’t know that I’d recommend it for very young kids. It’s best for those who can evaluate what the characters do and figure out which parts make sense (taking care of animals) and which are fictional exaggerations (how Mimi acts in class, like wearing a bikini to school). It’s also not for those who are allergic to “girly”, a word used frequently and accurately within.

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

As a followup to the various Harvey Award discussions, former Gemstone employee Travis Seitler has posted a story of how the company provided pre-filled ballots to employees in 2007 and 2008. He says there were a couple of blank spaces left, and

Nobody was required to submit the ballots (I didn’t either year; mostly because I was disgusted by the scheme), but I’m sure we still had two- or three-dozen nearly identical ballots sent for both of those years. The worst part is that they were so pathetically obvious about it. In 2007, completely blank ballots were e-mailed to Gemstone employees… and then we were told to not touch those, but to instead wait for the “J.C. Vaughn-approved” (pre-filled) versions to be passed around.

That gives some idea of how few nominations it may take to get on the ballot.