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SHORT-TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC AND OTHER STORIES |
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Reviews
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Thursday, 21 August 2008 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | ARINA TANEMURA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 192 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 08/05/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 08/21/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
From the creator of The Gentlemen’s Alliance and Full Moon comes an anthology of four short stories about love in the most unexpected places. The first is about a female ninja (known as a kunoichi) named Kajika. Her training is everything to her but she longs to fall in love. That’s when the handsome boy shows up but tells her to be more feminine. It makes her consider renouncing her ninja ways but she seems to have forgotten something. Two things actually. The first is her duty to be true to herself and her family. The second is her childhood friend who isn’t pleased at all about her looking at another guy. The tale is fun loving and sweet natured. Each of the four stories follows this honeyed vein of romantic entertainment. The stories are sugary sweet, light-hearted and each holds a share of comedy. In “Rainy Afternoons…” a girl deliberately forgets her umbrella in order to be with the nice guy who keeps offering to walk her home under his. What she doesn’t realize is that history has a funny way of coming full circle. This girl who has never fallen in love is about to fall hard and perhaps reap the seed she has sown. As a fun and high spirited counterpoint, “This Love is Non-Fiction” tells the tale of two pen pals who want to meet. But the girl Yuri is shy and in her lack of confidence, sends a photo of her pretty and delicate friend Karin in her stead. When Karin goes to meet the boy of Yuri’s dreams, it becomes an adventure of madcap misunderstandings and mixed-identities. The final story is in some ways bittersweet as it is about first love, friendship and second chances. Mana is in a bind. She likes her best friend’s boyfriend. However there is another guy trying to win her heart. Blinded by her first love, can her heart recognize the chance at one that can be actualized? Like the other stories, it has a flair for comedy and charm, but it holds a little something a touch more determined. The art style is an interesting blend of Arina Tanemura’s flowing romantic imagery and some more solid line work depending on the stories. The reason for some of the less flowery work is simple, at least three of these four stories represent the artist’s debut works. The last story was actually her premiere work. Because of the ninja action in the first tale, the style is more flowing and stands as out a little with its grand moves of the characters in motion. It is a manga that will delight fans of Full Moon and those who like the romance of Gentlemen’s Alliance but crave romances that are less angst filled. Short-Tempered is fun, light and romantic fulfillment through and through.
IN SUMMARY:
The manga represents the author of Full Moon and Gentlemen’s Alliance’s debut works. Each tale is an entraining and fun-filled adventure in romance. |
