Meteor Prince Volume 1

As portrayed by Meca Tanaka, Meteor Prince is silly comedy, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Hako is the Queen of Bad Luck, known for having things fall on her. A naked guy falls out of the sky and says he’s an interstellar prince and she should be his queen. They’re made to mate with each other, soul mates according to his culture. She refuses, saying humans need to be in love first, so Io hangs around to learn what that means. I get the feel of a modern-day Lum: Urusei Yatsura, with a wacky alien who loses his clothes and engages in romantic hijinks.

Although a typically cheerful shojo heroine, Hako has a quiet sorrow, since when she was younger, she was called cursed and teased by other kids. She’s afraid of those she gets close too winding up hurt. Having a guy interested in her despite her “curse” fulfills dreams she didn’t even realize she had. He has enhanced healing, can grow wings after kissing birds, shape-shifts, and has other superpowers capable of protecting them both. It’s hard to disagree with his planet’s idea that the two are meant for each other.

He does exaggerated things just to see her smile and addresses her fears without her having to speak about them. It’s a charming, childlike view of love that is nevertheless comforting. Although the series tackles the expected stereotypical events — a beach trip, watching fireworks in a yukata — Io’s naive ignorance gives them all a fresh feel.

I think this is only a two-volume series, and I’ll definitely check out the next to see how this star-crossed couple manages to work things out. (The publisher provided a review copy.)