▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		MASAKUZA KATSURA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		233
		▪	RATING:		T+
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		09/04/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		10/25/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN

It’s all over…

Yes, this is the final volume of I”S, the lushly illustrated and tortuous romance manga from Masakazu Katsura.  I”S Volume 15 brings to  climax the story of Ichitaka and Iori, as they find love in the complicated world of acting in Japan.  This series, brought to you by the artist author who created other classics like VIDEO GIRL AI, has many elements in common with its stablemate, in that both have heroes who are essentially weak, indecisive, and intensely hormonal falling for beautiful women who, by contrast, at least superficially present images of assertiveness matched only by their looks.  As each series continues, the hero must grow some you-know-whats to make their dreams come true, while the women become more vulnerable and less sure of themselves.  This role reversal takes many twists and turns, and the journey is marked with infatuations, mistaken intentions, dark characters who mean nothing but trouble to the lovers, and supportive friends who alternately help or hinder our leads in their quest for love.  While there is nothing of the magical, supernatural narrative elements in this story, unlike VIDEO GIRL AI, both remain grounded firmly in the here and now to the extent this writer would not have been surprised if Katsura san tried a little narrative crossover play for fun.  At least in the volumes read by this reviewer that did not take place; but it would not have been inappropriate if it did.

To reprise the outline of this story briefly, Ichitaka, our hapless hero, and Iori, an up and coming actress, have been secretly dating for some time.  Secretly is the operative word because if news of her romantic attachments gets out among her fans, the mystique around her that has been the foundation of her success in the media would be shattered.  Her agent has been less than supportive of the whole affair, and has tried to undermine it at every turn.  In addition to interference from her agent, and a manipulative actor, Iori has had to deal with Ichitaka’s quirks, his friends and their bungling ways, and a mysterious internet stalker.  In the final volume, everything comes to a head, and right up to the last pages, it is far from clear due to Katsura san’s expert way of twisting the narrative knife whether or not love will win out in the end.  Ichitaka decides to take on the stalker, camping outside the agency to protect Iori and getting beaten up for his trouble.  He also sees his Iori look-alike neighbor move out, to avoid being hurt by him.  Finally, he manages to see Iori, only to dump her- largely on the advice of her colleagues.  Ichitaka manages to make a fine mess of everything by the halfway point of this story, and has to scramble to put it all right again- if he doesn’t get killed in the process.

Whew!  It’s one rollicking ride up to the end.  Katsura-san remains a master of beautiful art and design in this manga, and his narrative style has matured as this series progresses.  While Ichtitaka begins this volume being less of the repressed soul that tortured us in earlier volumes, he does slip back into his old ways when he opens his mouth and dumps Iori.  The temptation to throw the book across the room is short-lived, however, as Ichitaka’s friends step in to help him get his bearings.  The way these books have been written leaves you a little breathless at times from moments like these; but that is what keeps us coming back to them.  Well… that and the gorgeous artwork. 

Truly, why has there never been a book of Katsura’s artwork?  Has not anyone in Japan told him to stop writing for a while and just put together a collection of his drawings and cover paintings, like artists such as Haruhiko Mikimoto or Yoshiyuki Sadamoto have done in the past?  This would be a wonderful work.  On a personal note, I have shown images by Katsura to people who hate manga and the whole Japanese comic esthetic, and they have said universally that his work could actually change their minds on the subject.  Even if he never does release an art book, though, he must still continue with his manga, and hopefully Viz will be fortunate enough to release whatever he produces here.

There are few extras in this manga beyond advertising for other Viz titles.  However, there is an important note from the author explaining how this collected edition is actually expanded greatly from the magazine original, containing more material than was published before.  There is a Mature Content Advisory on the cover as well, so this manga is definitely for older readers.

IN SUMMARY:
It’s lonely at the top if you’re Iori, a talented actress who is so busy working she can’t even see her secret boyfriend.  It’s also dangerous when you can’t trust your agent, and a stalker is out to kill you.  Love and life have never been so complicated as they are in the shocking final installment of I”S, by VIDEO GIRL AI creator Masakasu Katsura.