Mick TakeuchiRecensioni

This was a really cute and interesting story that I highly enjoyed.

The art was ok, but the characters were what really kept me interested. I was able to relate to a lot of the characters from this story and even though this has a lot of paranormal aspects to it I think it really shows a lot of the things that teenagers go through, especially in high school.

I also liked the fact that whenever it started to get a bit too serious the Mangaka (sorry if I spelled that wrong) always found a way to the lighten the mood and had me cracking up laughing.

Amane is a confident and strong girl who I enjoyed getting to know. I could really relate to how she felt at times and admired her courage.

Hyoue is the character that really made the manga for me. He is just so hilarious without even trying to be. I also enjoyed seeing how he got along with Amane and I can’t wait to see how their relationship will continue to develop in the next volume!

In this volume things really get crazy when Amane and Hyoue find an injured boy in an alley that seems to know a lot about Hyoue.

This volume really lets us get to know more about Hyoue and where he came from. I also highly enjoyed seeing him jealous it was a lot of fun. The relationship between Hyoue and Amane really grows in this volume and we get to see a lot more of the hilarious situations these two get in that I love so much.

So far a lot of these volumes focus on what Hyoue is feeling so it almost feels as if he is the main character and I personally thought it was a fun new twist to the shoujo genre. Hyoue is definitely one of my favorite manga characters mainly because no matter what they are doing Hyoue turns everything into a fun game.

This was a great addition to the series and I can’t wait to read the next one.

Chiko has become a "Tyer", one of the wielders of the five strings of fate. Unfortunately in return for using Shirogane, the white thread, Chiko has given up what she valued most, her maturity. As a little girl with big girl feelings and problems Chiko and her fellow tyers take on problems others cannot including the binding of murdered spirits and their murderers, both of which are as dangerous as the other.

I am enjoying this series so far. Chiko is a strong character with a unique weakness. I totally thought her love interest would wind up being the Hyoue look alike, instead he seems to be her comrade in suffering youth bias :) with their Sensei being the romantic lead. However, there really isn't much romance at all so far and I would say that this is more in the horror realm than the romance one. Still, it is a good story and very episodic. I'm wishing I picked up the third of the series at the same time as this one since this ends off with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Although I didn't like this story as much as Takeuchi's Her Majesty's Dog it was still pretty interesting as well as being a unique supernatural tale.

When down-on-her-luck teen Miharu's father disappears he leaves her only with his bad debts and one ring in memory of her deceased mother. Miharu has always assumed the ring to be useless and worthless until a mysterious and rather clumsy alchemist appears and informs her that her ring is much more special than she could have imagined.

I really did like the more unusual aspects of this story such as alchemy and gemology (if that's what you call the study of jewel stones). I didn't really care for Miharu's personality, she's such a different person than the more empathetic Amane in HMD. I did like Akechi and thought his wimpiness was rather endearing.

To the best of my knowledge this is a two volume set and I do hope that the unresolved mysteries from this one are wrapped up in the second, but we shall have to see.

I loved this series so much that although I'm happy to have a resolution I'm rather sad to see it end. This was the one that started off my (very expensive) obsession with manga when I picked up my very first volume at Borders after contemplating the wonderful cover art and interesting sounding storyline for a month (further details can be found in my review of volume 1).

As a series ending I will say that I found it satisfying. Although I never really cared for the family politics plot, I enjoyed the resolution and thought that the ending twist about Amane was very interesting. I found it amusing that even the manga-ka felt her storyline was getting too serious and made efforts to lighten the mood using Takako and Aoi. I kind of would have liked to have seen those two get together, but ultimately they were only side characters without any definitive ending of their own. I did find it odd to see the changes in the way the manga-ka drew the artwork. In some cases the differences seemed very dramatic. I think you can even see it if you compare the cover art between the first and eleventh volumes without ever even having to open them.

Overall I found this to be an intriguing supernatural series and although I rather feel the first volumes were stronger than the later ones I think as a whole it is a pretty wonderful story. Highly recommended to teens and up.

Amane Kamori has a secret, she is a medium who can control anyone with word magic. Hyoue is the guardian demon whose sole purpose is to protect Amane. Now that Amane and Hyoue have left their village to attend school, can she keep her secret? Can Hyoue keep her safe?
This manga intrigues me and I am curious to see where it will lead. Amane is a somewhat oblivious, certainly un-socialized teenaged girl who can control spirits and people, although it appears she only does so when given no other choice. Hyoue is temperamental and rash with the habit of kissing Amane in public (he need to feed from her life force to live). While the continuing plot seems a little unfocused, the drawings and character development are enough to keep me reading.½

Amane Kamori has a secret, she is a medium who can control anyone with word magic. Hyoue is the guardian demon whose sole purpose is to protect Amane. Now that Amane and Hyoue have left their village to attend school, can she keep her secret? Can Hyoue keep her safe? This manga intrigues me and I am curious to see where it will lead. Amane is a somewhat oblivious, certainly un-socialized teenaged girl who can control spirits and people, although it appears she only does so when given no other choice. Hyoue is temperamental and rash with the habit of kissing Amane in public (he needs to feed from her life force to live). While the continuing plot seems a little unfocused, the drawings and character development are enough to keep me reading. Note: This manga is recommended for older teens (16+).½

Amane Kamori has a secret, she is a medium who can control anyone with word magic. Hyoue is the guardian demon whose sole purpose is to protect Amane. Now that Amane and Hyoue have left their village to attend school, can she keep her secret? Can Hyoue keep her safe?
This manga intrigues me and I am curious to see where it will lead. Amane is a somewhat oblivious, certainly un-socialized teenaged girl who can control spirits and people, although it appears she only does so when given no other choice. Hyoue is temperamental and rash with the habit of kissing Amane in public (he need to feed from her life force to live). While the continuing plot seems a little unfocused, the drawings and character development are enough to keep me reading.½

And the obsession continues... Anyone who has read my previous reviews for this manga series knows that I adore it. Volume 7 wasn't a disappointment. We start off with Ateko trying to stave off her usual penchant for sticking her nose in to other people's business when she receives an anonymous love letter meant for Amane. The next chapter has Hyoue going undercover in drag (I was driving my family crazy giggling the whole time I read this) to earn money for Amane's birthday present. Then we were on to the more serious matters of Amane and Hyoue being framed for a crime they did not commit and a dramatic, startling announcement from the elders of Amane's home after a picture of Aoi and Amane in a compromising position appears in the tabloids.

Needless to say I've loved this one as much as the others. Now the wait begins again until Volume 8 is out *sigh*

Volume 6 of HMD was a return to much lighter storylines. Although Hyoue and Amane have renewed their contract a number of issues still stand in the way, not the least of which is Hyoue's determination to not let his feelings for Amane get in the way of his duties as her Komi-Oni. In this volume we also get to meet Amane's grandmother, who is much different than what I expected LOL There is also the return of spoiled teen star, Mitsumine who is not only determined to pursue his infatuation Amane (much to Hyoue's distress) but actually shows a bit of startlingly astute insight into her feelings. As always, I enjoyed this manga even more the second reading through and it managed to make me laugh out loud in a few different places both times.

I know I've probably said this in my review for all of the mangas in this series thus far, but I highly recommend them! (If for nothing else than for the hope to have someone come and chat with me about them!)

I can't wait for Volume 7 to come out!

In this volume of HMD we get a very interesting look at Amane and Hyoue's past and learn about just how it is that they found eachother. There is even a Q&A portion in the back, brought up by Takako of course, which helps to clear up a couple ethical questions. Another very good installment in this lovely series.

I actually did a quick review on Volume 4 before doing this review because I've been pondering this third volume of the series. I really think I need to re-read it again. There are a few things I didn't like about it starting off with the discovery of Hyoue's vice (not at all something I would have expected). However, it does serve to bring home the fact that although he may LOOK (and sometimes act) like a teenager, he is not one at all. I also didn't care much for the two characters introduced in this volume. The first is a self-absorbed former kid star and the second a sort of refugee with a peculiar fascination/obsession. The reason I say I think this volume in particular bears re-reading is because maybe it will give me a better sense of these new characters. I really don't think we are meant to like them, but maybe we are supposed to find some granule of attraction for them to be further explored as the series goes on. If that is the case, I missed it.

These things aside I still love these mangas and was thrilled to see that there is another volume (7) due out in December. I think I would be quite sad to see this series end so soon!

Amane discovers her competitive side, Hyoue continues to struggle with his feelings (for more than the usual reasons) and a new teacher is mixing things up for the first year C-Block.

Four books in and I'm still finding this series of mangas very charming and rather addictive. Too bad I have to wait until next weekend to get my next fix! (volume 5).

In the second volume of HMD Amane's new best friend Takako makes the unexpected announcement that she thinks she is in love with Amane. As always Amane reacts with her standard preternatural calmness and innocence, unlike Hyoue who reacts with his own customary brand of non-calmness (my new made-up word). This rather hilarious beginning gives way to darker themes after Hyoue is reunited with an old partner and fellow Koma-Oni. Once again I've very much enjoyed this story. These mangas really are a whole other way of reading and I have to say I'm quite happy I finally took a chance on them!

About six months ago I came across a display of manga books. Although I've never been a big comic book fan, I fell in love with the beautiful cover illustrations and began to browse through them. One manga in particular caught my attention, not just for the cover art but also for the book description. The story of a teen psychic and her guardian demon is a tale that sounds right up my alley. However, I just wasn't sure. For months every time I've gone into a book store I go to the manga section, pick it up and put it down again. Today I finally decided to buy the first of the series. I'm so glad I did! Despite my confusion over the format (read back to front and, I think, in the opposite direction of American books) and the very short actual reading time spent on the book, I found it facinating. I loved the storylines about malevolent spirits, the innocent girl and her overprotective guardian. I really enjoyed reading this manga and totally plan to pick up the rest of this series.