 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | ARINA TANEMURA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 171 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 03/03/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 08/14/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SANDRA SCHOLES |
Fifteen-year-old Haine Otomiya loves her family life as much as anyone, but being a bronze ranked student at the Imperial Academy, a private school for aristocrats, and only the best students get to go there. Haine was given away to the Otomiya family for the sum of 50 million yen as a loan, and finds life hard at the bottom rung of the pecking order ladder when she meets the other students who lead a better life there, and have all the perks. Above Haine the other ranks are silver, and gold - there is only one gold student, and he is Shizumasa Togu, the head of the Academy and known as "The Emperor," who she instantly falls in love with.
Starting as an errand girl, she works up the ranks at the Academy making friends with most of the students, and still hoping to befriend Shizumasa, but when one day she finds him in a romantic clinch with someone else, her heart drops and her hopes fade of ever getting close to him - but it becomes worse when she realises who he is kissing. The Gentleman's Alliance is an all new series created by Arina Takemura, author of Full Moon, and it is not without its surprises. At over 24 volumes this is a real hit in Japan, and is tipped to be the same in Europe.
It is a high school comedy, well written. The illustrations are excellently drawn, the style shojo and shows much detail and a tremendous skill with the art media. The bubbly characters are brought to life, and a nice dose of shonen-ai is in there too with character Maguni who has also fallen for "The Emperor," and proves to be Haine's main rival in this, the first volume of the series readers will relish.
IN SUMMARY:
Fitting in at school was never like this! Thoroughly enjoyable. |
