By Miki Kiritani (Tokyopop)
ISBN: 1-59816-932-4
When over-protective Mikako Saeki learns that her sister Megumi has accepted a marriage-meeting (a formal precursor to an arranged marriage: The parents arrange the match but the prospective bride and groom can then meet to scope each other out and decline their intended if they’re unhappy) with high-school student Rou Kitajima, she wants to know more about her prospective brother-in-law. Despite being only 15 years old she tricks him (he’s unaware of who she really is) into letting her share his flat for three weeks, during which time she’ll discover if he’s good enough for her beloved sister.
But put two healthy, good looking people in such close proximity and even the most deliberate plans can start to unravel…
This light, frothy teen-soap comedy is a gently romantic farce with little gravitas or depth but lots and lots of sophisticatedly innocent charm that belies its premise. Episodic and a little hit-or-miss in places, it’s still got a lot of laughs and engagingly romantic underpinnings to entice the open-minded and soft-hearted.
This volume – printed in the ‘read-from-back-to-front’ manga format – also includes a bonus story ‘Sentimental Spillover’, a lyrical and languid high-school/hospital romance about a girl obsessed with how she looks when crying and a guy who doesn’t mind.
© 2000 Miki Kiritani. English script © 2007 TokyoPop Inc. All Rights Reserved.