Synopsis(from the back of the book)When Kazura is sent to live in Mizuki's house, she learns that she's really there to become his wife! Furious, Kazura tries to leave, but discovers that she was given as payment for her deceased grandfather's debts. But things aren't what they seem to be in this household -- Mizuki can call back people's souls, and Kazura wants him to bring back her grandfather!
Maki Fujita's shojo comedy is filled with delicious family secrets, dream high-school romance, and plenty of spirited fun.
Review
Another manga with a weird premise, but not one that I dislike, because it depends on what happens with it.
Understandably, Kazura is unhappy about being sold to the Magahara family, and this is compounded by the fact that she is to be Mizuki's fiancee, and that he's a real jerk. She takes it well though, and does her best. But she's not one to be cowed, and although some hitting does happen in this book, it's not often, and it's usually deserved (for once). What I thought was enjoyable to watch was Kazura and Mizuki fighting. It's weird, because I don't care for fighting, but these two just push each other's buttons so well, and are equally good at fighting that it's kinda fun to watch and see who wins.
As I kept reading, I found that some development does happen for both characters, and I started really caring about both of them. Mizuki is really sullen for a reason, and it's possible that only spunky Kazura can help him. (Only in books. This doesn't work in real life.)
In the final chapter, we see her finally going to school, as she's been kept in the house the whole time, and as usual, the girls are horrible bitches who misunderstand everything and see Mizuki as something that belongs to them. I know this generates conflict, but it's really cliche, and I've seen it before. Maybe only in Japan, I don't know because I've never been to school there, does this kind of thing happen. My real problem with it is there is never anybody who notices the girls fighting with each other and puts a stop to it. I mean, where are the teachers and parents? The kids are always left to figure it out themselves. It just doesn't ring true.
Also, the mysticism doesn't show up much here, but it probably will in future volumes. I'm not sure how I feel. It seems tacked on compared to the story so far, and I hope it's not used to drag out the romance part. I guess we'll see.
I know Tokyopop wants to do their 100% Authentic manga or whatever, but this means that they didn't translate the sound effects. Usually, this isn't a problem, but this manga seems to rely on sound cues for what happens in the next panel, leading to confusion for people who can't read Japanese. I am not one of these people, but I can empathize. The least they could have done was to put some translation in the gutter between panels, that way it wouldn't interfere with the artwork. Of course there's a fine line between censorship and comprehension, I just think they didn't try very hard with the comprehension part.
Final thought: I have to get the next book!
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