Review by Ed Sizemore When Kenji was nine years old, he dreamed of saving Japan from alien invaders and nuclear holocaust, but as a 37-year-old man, he runs the family convenience store. His days are now filled with stocking shelves, dealing with his cranky mother, and raising the baby his sister dropped off at his doorstep. Suddenly, strange things begin to happen around him. A loyal customer and his wife disappear. Next, a childhood friend dies under mysterious circumstances. Stranger […]

Even when tackling standard shojo situations — in this volume, boyfriend Yoh gets sick, and Haruna is left alone to care for him — High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara puts its own unique twist on them. First, there’s the way Haruna takes everything incredibly seriously. The terror on her face when she hears the news … her energy and concern contrasted with Yoh’s sister’s blase “you take care of him, I’m going out” … how completely unprepared she is […]

If you’re looking for shojo teen romance with more substance than the usual high school hijinks, Sand Chronicles by Hinako Ashihara is the perfect series for you. Sand Chronicles is Ann’s story, told in flashback to key seasons in her life. At the age of 12, she and her mother move from Tokyo to her grandparents’ rural village. Her parents have divorced due to her father’s debts, and her mother is having trouble coping, with hospital stays for overwork and […]