China Girl and Handmade no Oujisama

Its like the weather is playing tricks. It finally started to get cooler, but suddenly this week it's getting up to 110 degrees. I do not understand! 

In any case, here are some manga reviews! I ended up with two thanks to feeling guilty about how short just one was, they don't really match in anyway but I enjoyed each quite a bit for its own reasons.


China Girl Art by Kei Aoyama and Story by Rei Hanagata

Art (c) Kei Aoyama Story (c) Rei Hanagata

Genre: Senien
Length: 1 Volume – 9 Chapters

Like so...

           Art is well practiced, and though the eyes are plain, the expressions well make up for it. The great diversity of the people is excellent, though. Backgrounds were typical, and well drawn, especially inside of restaurants and the like. Clothes are pretty plain, mostly suits, ties, and other work clothes, and they don't have a lot of detail. The clothes fit the body frames well, just aren't anything to look at. There is one thing that bothers the eye, the way the nose is shaded between the eyes is a bit strange looking. It gives good definition of the shape of the bridge of the nose, but, in full on and in profile, it also gives a sinister look to the face, and if not sinister, a cluttered look. Even after nine chapters, it distracted me.
          Kamijou is very competent in his job, and his looks are nothing
to sneeze at, all the same, he hasn't had a girlfriend in over five years. That is because Kamijou believes that in all of the world, there is only one woman for him, his, literally, one in three billion. Near his house there is a Chinese restaurant that has the best fried rice he has ever tasted, because it was made by the woman he thinks is the one for him. But, though he is good at talking at work, Kamijou can't find the courage to tell her how he feels, let alone make her understand because of the language barrier. Will he succeed in love, or fail, heart broken?

           The worst part of this manga is the ending, or more appropriately, its lack of one, where it ends before you get any sense of closure. The ending can be frustrating, but since the artist died suddenly, it unfortunately can't be helped. In fact, at least there is some closure beforehand. To rewind back to the beginning, this manga has a simple premise, an almost boring one, its very much a slice of life story, and its refreshing to read a manga like this every once in a while. Especially one done as well as China Girl. The characters feel real, and the world around them is so easy to understand, that living with them as you do is a pleasure. Kamijou, though he is very good at his job, is so at a loss on how to deal with a girl he likes that its almost like an 180, and he is so sure in his thoughts that everyone has only one soul mate that he sounds very naive. He is very flawed, in other words, and his faltering speech and blunders make him even more disliked by Xianlan so he has to keep starting over with her every time they meet. It makes it quite cute, actually. Though there are some very silly jokes, as well, like when he's arguing with himself in the bathroom on whether he should make a move or not (his libido wins out, of course). There is just something entirely human about the two of them. It really is too bad about the ending, the two of them could have had some interesting times together.



4/5 A nice, simple story of misunderstanding and believing in love.




And the second review:





Handmade no Oujisama by Sayo Koito

Art and story (c) Sayo Koito

Genre: Josei
Length: One Volume – 5 Chapters


           The art is really cute, the eyes are the highlight, they have really good depth and range of expression with minimal (looking) effort. The eyes are enormous though, even the guy's eyes, but only once or twice was it really obvious, and its usually because the main character also has heavy lashes to accent it. There were many times the backgrounds were pretty empty, panel composition
sort of hides it, but it was often the same tones used again and again, as well. The clothes, while not overly detailed, were all cute and styled, and make up for the lack of backgrounds from time to time, too. The hair is kind of generic, though well drawn and natural looking. I found the art, overall, unique and fun to look at.
           Michiru Asaba is a woman with it all, a good job at a magazine company where everyone looks up to her work, and a handsome boyfriend. That is, until she's dumped because she isn't 'girly' enough, unable to properly do housework, or even sew a button back on. Since what his says is true, all Michiru can do is let him go. During her
depression, she meets a bright man who loves to sew and who convinces her to join his sewing class. Of course why exactly she decides to stay is the real mystery, does she really care to improve herself? Or is it the cute 'Handmade Prince' teacher that brings her back to class?
            This manga, based on making cute things and loving cute things, is actually really cute. Big surprise, huh? Its really too bad, though, that his manga is only two chapters long, and the other three chapters are unrelated one-shots, because I want to know more about the sewing couple. The other stories are cute, too, but not nearly as much. Michiru is a nice strong woman, who is so suddenly dumped, but doesn’t do the typical manga moping, instead she tries to improve herself with out the premise of winning her ex back. Mr. Handmade Prince, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of what this type of woman usually gets. He's more than just cute and good at sewing, he's straight forward and hardworking. Seeing these two personalities interact is fun. You get a few heartwarming chuckles and they end up together, what more could you ask for?



4/5 I just really wish there was more...

Yes, yes I do.