▪	RELEASED BY:		DEL REY
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		TOSHIHIKO KOBAYASHI
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / COLOR
		▪	PAGES:		208
		▪	RATING:		OT
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		09/25/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		09/23/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN

There’s a child in the house!  What’s going on?  Kinky cosplay is happening in the bedroom.  Say it isn’t so.  Mugi can’t summon up the courage to tell Yuu he loves her.

Nothing new there…

PASTEL, a sweet, funny and even poignant romantic comedy from Del Rey, is centered on the life of Mugi, a teenaged boy who has a flare for cooking, and his housemate and love interest Yuu, who must masquerade as his cousin so as not to scandalize the neighbors.  We have seen these two grow closer together in the face of various calamities as each volume came out.  Yuu moved back in with her divorcee mother at one point, taking precocious sister Tsukasa with her.  Then she came back- without Tsukasa- and the light bedroom farce continued.  In a sense, therefore, as the second half of the story develops, nothing has changed, except it is becoming obvious to everyone that Mugi is just going to have to ‘fess up to Yuu and tell her he loves her. 

In the meantime, however, he is going to have to deal with some other issues.  Volume Eight opens with another visit from Sayuri, who dumps off a child belonging to an old friend of hers on Yuu and Mugi, just as they are heading out for the day.  Mugi is then called away to help at the restaurant, leaving Yuu alone with the feisty toddler.  She manages well, playing and then bathing with him giving readers more fan service in the process.  When he starts crying, she holds him as her mother held her, and when Mugi returns, he finds them both asleep in a perfect scene of maternal bliss. emphasized through a lightly drawn two page spread frame.  Of course, the family comments are made, and Mugi is left speculating when Yuu does marry, who it will be to.

Hint: Mugi- it won’t be you unless you say something to her!

Enter Tsukasa, who returns to the story after an absence of at least one volume.  Grown up, she makes her startling appearance in the shower, when Yuu and Mugi happen on her after returning from an outing.  Having just been through a date with a an old school chum who publicly confessed her love for him, Mugi doesn’t really need Miss Matchmaker making mayhem in the family nest.  But, of course he does!  He will never confess his love, Tsukasa reasons, if she doesn’t intervene.  So, it’s off to the races once again as Mugi is given a crash course on love tips from the girl.  What follows is classic bedroom farce manga- with people locked in rooms naked, the aforementioned kinky cosplay happening- all controlled by the master puppeteer Tsukasa.  Will Mugi finally get those magic words out of his mind and into Yuu’s ears? 

That would be telling…

As in Volume Seven, PASTEL works so well when exploring the relationship dynamics between Yuu and Mugi, but is also becoming a bit tedious where repressed feelings, between the two are concerned.  Tsukasa, for all her best intentions, will not likely help matters.  However, as she is possibly the most fun of all the characters in the manga, who cares?  It’s great to see her back, making mayhem wherever she goes.  We know eventually things will happen and feelings held back will break forth into the light.  But when?  In all other aspects, the series continues to charm readers with its lovely girls and fluffy light plot.  The drawing is clean in line, and simple in composition.  No heavy, dark backgrounds here.  This is cheery stuff we’re dealing with, perfect for a quick read before bedtime. 

A note for readers.  This manga is for older (16+) teens.  PASTEL’s fan service in Volume Eight does include the odd bare bottom and nude body covered strategically by bathtub mists.  There’s nothing prurient, but if nudity in any form is not to your tastes, take notice.

EXTRA:
PASTEL has some useful notes provided by Del Rey at the end of the story, helping us non-Japanese understand the culture better.  There is also a preview of Volume Nine in the original Japanese format and ads for other Del Rey titles.

IN SUMMARY:
PASTEL charms its way into the hearts of readers with its fresh faced characters, sunny storylines and softly sensitive tone.  Alternately funny and heartfelt, PASTEL is a fine read for older teens and adults looking for light comic romance alike.