Mars: Vol. 6

by Fuyumi Soryo

Synopsis
Kira and Rei are definitely in love -- but no one said love was easy. When a new guy enrolls in their school, he instantly develops a big crush on both Rei and Kira. (Gulp!) To make matters worse, it turns out that this mysterious stranger is actually a face from Rei's violent past. Slowly, Kira begins to discover Rei's darker side, but she's not so sure she likes what she sees. As scandalous stories and shocking secrets are revealed, Kira hopes beyond hope that their love will conquer all.

Review
This new character, Masao, is really irritating. And sick, he's really, really sick. I don't know what it is about him, but he seems to bring out the worst in Rei, which freaks Kira out, and it starts to change how she thinks and feels about him. I kinda wonder to myself if Masao is just really good at manipulating people around him, without them realizing it. I wish that Kira would listen to Rei more, especially about Masao, but understandably, she doesn't, having seen some of his darker side.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot to say about this volume, as it mostly revolves around Masao, the characters getting to know him, and understanding his true, sick nature. It's a really good volume, but pretty messed up, too.

Final thought: I have to read more!

Mars: Vol. 5

by Fuyumi Soryo

Synopsis
Kira and Rei's roller-coaster romance continues! When Rei suddenly gets ill, Kira takes care of him at his apartment... and ends up sleeping over. After their night together, Rei finally tells Kira the real reason his twin brother Sei killed himself: Rei told him a a secret he new Sei would never be able to handle. Kira tires to comfort Rei, but secretly wonders if mere words have the power to ease the pain Rei harbors deep inside. Meanwhile, Kira's best friend, Harumi, warns Kira if she doesn't start sleeping with Rei soon, he'll probably break up with her. Ouch! Kira's worries deepen when Rei's ex-girlfriend tells him she's still in love with him -- and will do anything to win him back. With the pressure mounting by the minute, Kira is about to make the biggest decisions of her life!

Review
This is a really emotional volume. A lot about Rei and his brother are revealed, and there's even an emotional catharsis. This part was very good, and has to be read to be understood. I really like Kira and Rei's relationship, because it seems more real to me than other comic book relationships, or even some real relationships. They actually feel like real characters, with their own baggage and motivations.

Rei is finally straight with Shiori about how he has no feelings for her. Then, he smartly ignores her drama, and leaves to meet up with Kira. I was glad that this wasn't dragged out longer than was necessary.

So near the end a few different things happen. Kira shows Mars at an art exhibit, where a mysterious older man comes in and compliments her painting, then vanishes just as quickly. Then Kira and Rei start kissing, but Kira pulls away without an explanation. And finally, a new character is introduced: a boy who looks like a girl and claims he "likes" Rei. Just pile on the drama.

Final thought: I have to read the next volume!

Mars: Vol. 4

by Fuyumi Soryo

Synopsis
Just when things are beginning to heat up between Kira and Rei, Rei's old girlfriend shows up and confesses that she never stopped loving him. When Rei tells her not to come around again, she walks into traffic and Rei is forced to rescue her. His act of heroism only intensifies her obsession, and soon the exiled ex refuses to get out of bed or eat until Rei agrees to see her. When Kira tries to give him some girlfriendly advice on the matter, Rei lashes out at her and reduces her to tears. Emotions continue to escalate until the anniversary of Sei's death, when repressed memories are unearthed and hidden secrets revealed.

Review
This volume kinda reads like a soap opera, with the introduction of the ex-girlfriend, Shiori, who tries to wedge her way in where she doesn't belong. On top of that, she's not that nice, or actually, she plays nice to get what she wants. She's very selfish and spoiled, probably so that the readers won't like her at all. But she does have her own motivations, too, and she doesn't feel introduced just so that Kira and Rei's relationship will stop developing, she feels like a natural addition to the story. One thing that I really appreciated was how easily Rei saw through her. There was potential for him to be an idiot and think that she was genuine, but fortunately, the characters are smarter than that.

What else is interesting is everyone has their own idea for why Sei committed suicide. Rei says it was teenage impulsiveness, while a friend says it was because Rei stole Shiori from Sei. At the end of the volume, Rei says he remembers the real reason, because their father wasn't their father. But we'll have to wait until the next volume to find out more, because it ends there.

This is a really good series. It's interesting without having to contrive conflicts, and the characters are believable.

Final thought: I have to read the next book!

Mars: Vol. 3

by Fuyumi Soryo

Synopsis
Although Kira and Rei are opposites in every way, their bond just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Rei finally trusts Kira enough to take her to the racetrack to watch him ride his beloved motorcycle. Just when Kira and Rei's romance is getting hot and heavy, Rei is called away to ride in the race of his life, the Suzuka 8-endurance. Kira would give anything to be there to support him, but her mom forbids her to go along. As Kira roots for him across the miles, Rei fights his way to the finish line in this mile-a-minute manga.

Review
Unfortunately, I found this volume to be pretty weak due to its focus on racing. There's nothing wrong with it, and the author handles it quite well, it's just that personally, I find it quite boring. And very little happens in this volume except for racing.

Overshadowed is a subplot about how Kira wants to paint Rei. This is essentially what she does when she can't be with Rei to watch him race. It wins the contest that she entered it in, and at the very end, a girl shows up, crying when she looks at it. Presumably, this is the start of the next arc.

I hope this series doesn't feature so much racing in the future. I can take a little, but not this much.

Final thought: I'll keep collecting this series.

Mars: Vol. 2

by Fuyumi Soryo

Synopsis
Rei promised Kira that he would protect her from anything and everything, but he never knew how soon his chance would come. When a conniving classmate steals Kira's original painting, Rei quickly stands up for her, but his efforts are hardly rewarded. He gets kicked out of school, and now it looks like he might become a permanent dropout. Suddenly, "good girl" Kira finds herself in the middle of a bad situation. She'll need more than a little luck if she ever wants to rescue Rei and salvage her hopes for a future romance.

Review
There's really two things that happen in this volume. The first is Kurosawa, a fellow art student, steals Kira's mother and child painting, which he uses to win an art contest. Interestingly enough, Kira doesn't care about that, she cares that her painting was stolen, because now she can't give it to Rei like she promised. Rei, however, becomes much more upset, and beats up Kurosawa. I, personally, was furious that he stole the painting, and was quite gratified when Rei taught him a lesson. I would never do such a thing, but it's nice when a character can do what you can't. You sort of live vicariously though them. It's pretty scary too, how Rei can just do stuff like that. I've heard of soldiers sometimes turning the conscious part of their brain off so that they are able to kill people. I get the same feeling from Rei, and while it is scary, he's not really a sociopath. It's just that he's not worried about consequences, like the rest of us are. I wonder why.

The second thing is that Rei had an identical twin brother, Sei, who died. He's still really affected by it, by the way has these attacks whenever it affects him too much. Not much is really discussed about Sei in this volume, though.

Kira and Rei are definitely getting closer in this volume, they share their first kiss and such. Kira even skips school to check on Rei. I keep looking forward to what's going to happen with them.

Final thought: I'll keep collecting this series.

Mars: Vol. 1

by Fuyumi Souryou (Soryo)

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
Kira and Rei might as well be from different planets. She's a shy art student, afraid of boys and hated by her classmates. He's a rebellious motorcycle racer with girls dropping left and right just to talk to him. Their lives become intertwined when Kira asks Rei to model for her and, to everyone's surprise, he agrees. As these two battle their personal demons and the pressures of their classmates, they learn to not only love each other, but themselves.

Review
The synopsis is a bit misleading, I think. I don't think they're from different planets at all (har har, get the Mars reference?). They're both outcasts, or maybe more like oddballs who don't really fit into the world they find themselves in. Rei might be more popular, but it's clear that the women who want to date him just want him for his looks or his coolness, not because of who he really is. In fact, they seem to belong together, because neither is really what you'd discern from the outside, and only they seem to have the courage to see each other as they truly are.

I personally found this volume to be very intriguing. There's very little in the way of action, but yet it still holds your attention fast. I instantly liked both characters right away, and I love to seem them interacting with each other. When they're together, it's like nothing else matters, and they don't talk about superficial things, their conversations are always deep and insightful. I love that.

Of course, nothing can be perfect, and there will be obstacles to overcome. In this volume they have to deal with a rather bitchy girl who thinks that Rei should be hers, since she's been waiting the longest. She even goes as far as to want to inflict physical violence on Kira. In a way, I felt bad for her, but couldn't help thinking that she was wasting her energy being mad at the wrong person. (I tend to feel the same about women who blame the "other woman" for their spouse cheating, but I digress.)

I also think that this series is very refreshing. I didn't really encounter the types of cliches that I usually encounter in romance series, and the characters, as strange as they are, felt more real to me than even some people in real life. I can wholeheartedly believe in characters such as these. They're fascinating, the story is great, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Final thought: I have to get the whole series!