MeruPuri: Vol. 4

by Matsuri Hino

Synopsis
All high school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband, and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend on will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of fairytale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.

The bizarre adventures of reluctant pair Airi and little prince Aram wind down as their love story comes full circle. As the gap between the kingdom of Astale and the real world narrows, revelations about Airi's and Aram's quirky family members begin to float like pixie dust. Will Airi ever achieve her dream of sharing a cozy home with a loving husband? And what happens to her magic mirror? Discover the wacky twist that's sure to leave you begging for more!

Review
We finally come to the last volume. Since this was a fluff series to begin with, there's not much to expect, but still, it ends up being very good, sweet, and memorable. Most of the loose ends are tied up, and we find out what happens to most of the major characters.

Probably the only problem I have is that the main story arc that was continued from the last volume is concluded in the first chapter, and what makes up the rest of the books is interesting, but just doesn't have the oomph that a conflict would give it. It's like I knew that everything was going to turn out ok, so there wasn't anymore tension in any of the stories. Still, though this sounds bad, the chapters that follow are worth reading.

Overall, I'd have to say that this was a very enjoyable series to read. It was well-written, beautifully drawn, and I absolutely love the costumes that she drew.

Final thought: It's worth owning; definitely a unique series.

MeruPuri: Vol. 3

by Matsuri Hino

Synopsis
All high school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband, and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend on will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of fairytale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.

While on a seaside field trip, the little boy Aram and Airi find themselves in the middle of a blackout at a public bath. Frazzled to no end, Airi drags Aram inside a closet, but someone walks in on them. Will Aram's secret be blown so soon? Meanwhile, Aram's former fiancee Mariabel shows up at school. What evil schemes does she have in store for Aram and Airi?

Review
Well, it's more soap opera, but since this series never takes itself too seriously, it works. First, Airi's ancestor's ex-fiance's grandson (or something) has come to take his revenge on Airi, because it will make up for the fact that if her ancestor hadn't run away, his family would be in power now. Because you know, taking revenge on someone who is blameless will make up for everything, I suppose. Yes, it's ridiculous. Too bad Airi's not smart enough to say that to him.

Then, Aram's real fiancee comes to take her revenge, by making Aram forget about being in love with Airi. So, almost amnesia, but not quite. The story bumbles around for a while, with Airi feeling hopeless, and Aram acting aloof. I thought it could have been solved rather quickly if Airi had the courage to ask about their "marriage marks," or whatever those things are. It wouldn't bring back his memory, but at least he would know that she is/was important to him. Fortunately for Airi, that even though she bumbles around, Jeile is around to help her. I, personally, think he's an interesting character, and think that it's too bad that she won't end up with him. Also, this has been bothering me, he calls her "mountain lily maiden," which is likely in Japanese the word: "yamayuri." Translated literally, it could mean mountain lily, except botanists have another name for it: lilium auratum, or golden-rayed lily. That took me all of five minutes to look up, so why can't the translators get it right?

Final thought: I want to read the next volume, it's the last!

MeruPuri: Vol. 2

by Matsuri Hino

Synopsis
All high school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband, and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend on will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of fairytale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.

After Aram's elder brother Jeile fails to lift the spell on him, Aram is forced to stay with Airi. Meanwhile, and unsuspecting Airi recites Aram's full name in front of the mirror and is magically transported to Astale! But to Airi's dismay, the citizens of Aram's kingdom give her the cold shoulder. What do they know about her secret bloodline...?

Review
This manga is pure fluff. But I don't really mind because it never promises to be anything more, so I'm not disappointed.

The hijinks continue as Aram and Nakaoji (Airi's other love interest) fight over Airi, a decendant of a jilted lover, Raz begins attending Airi's school, which causes Aram and others to go to her school as well, and a school field trip where identities might be revealed.

But, the two characters Airi and Aram also become closer to each other, although we still have the weird dichotomy between child and teenage Aram. They also apparently get married too, which has weird implications, but it's all clean.

Really, there's nothing wrong with this series. You just go along for the ride, and enjoy it. At only four books, I'm not worried about the author jerking me around and trying to drag anything out. It's a cute series that doesn't take itself seriously.

Final thought: I'll keep collecting this series.

MeruPuri: Vol.1

by Matsuri Hino

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
All high school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband, and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend on will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of fairytale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.

One the way to school one morning, Airi loses her mirror -- one that had been passed down to her through generations -- and suddenly finds herself in a bizarre situation. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Aram, a little boy from a magical kingdom, to have emerged from the mirror in the short time it took her to track it down!

Review
This is not a serious series at all. That didn't bother me, though. I found that if I just let go and let it play itself out, it's actually pretty charming.

The story begins with Aram's brother, Jeile, casting a curse on him, to the point where Aram has to escape, and comes out through Airi's mirror. She takes him in, he's a cute little kid, after all, only to discover that he grows older at night. Apparently the curse was supposed to render him old and his magic ineffectual. One might question why a brother would do this, but then, the story doesn't really make much sense if you think about it too much anyway. They hate each other, that's all there is to it.

One thought does enter my mind: Airi treats Aram like a child when he is one, such as bathing with him, and sleeping in the same bed, but when he's a teenager, she doesn't continue to treat him that way -- she treats him like a teenager, with all the same hormones, etc. She even goes to the point of getting embarrassed about certain situations. I personally don't get this. Regardless of what he's like on the outside, his maturity is still that of a child. Whatever. Of course, funny things are supposed to happen when Aram becomes a teenager, though the hitting people just doesn't do it for me. I'm sorry, physical violence is just not funny. Fortunately, there isn't a whole lot of it.

Silly hijinks ensue, and more characters are introduced, leading to a reverse harem. None of it is terribly serious though. I suppose more will be explained in later volumes. And at four volumes, it's pretty short for a series. Enough to make me pick up the rest just to see. It's cute, just let go and have fun, I think.

Personally, I love the artist's artwork. I think it's very gorgeous, and I plan to read more of her series. I have started Vampire Knight, but sorry, it won't be featured here. (It's too popular.)

Final thought: I'll get the next book to see what happens.