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Manga Reviews REVIEWS

Kaze Hikaru Vol 22 and Happy Marriage?! Vol 7

Kaze Hikaru Volume 22 by Taeko Watanabe

So much of Kaze Hikaru deals with repressing emotions, since Sei has disguised herself as a boy in order to join the Shinsengumi and Soji has agreed to keep her secret. While Sei and Soji are clearly in love with each other, there’s a long way to go until any actual romance occurs. This volume revolved around so many feelings, as Sei has been newly assigned to Saito’s troop and Saito harbors some suspicions of Sei based on his past friendship with Sei’s brother. Saito has disturbing dreams and isn’t sure what is happening with his involuntary reactions to Sei. Saito finally figures out that Sei is a girl, and his reaction is that he’ll simply maker her quit the Shinsengumi and marry her. When Saito goes to Soji to discuss his plans, Soji encourages the marriage, telling Saito to “Make her happy.” It is interesting how effectively Watanabe explores the points of view of the characters, while Soji cares for Sei the idea of pursuing marriage with her isn’t in his worldview. He’s just going to support her while thinking of her as the man she pretends to be.

Saito’s plan begins to evolve as he sees Sei protect Soji in battle and he realizes that she’s more courageous than most of the men she knows. At the end of this volume, Sei is transferred back to Soji’s troop, where I’m sure Soji’s general feelings of uneasiness and his tendencies to lie to himself will grow even stronger. Kaze Hikaru’s detailed historical setting, clear and attractive art, and compelling story make it one of my favorite Shojo Beat titles. I wish the new volumes came out at a greater rate than once a year, because I think the deliberate pace of the story would reward readers who like to stockpile volumes and read a bunch at a time. I read every volume almost as soon as I get it though!

Happy Marriage?! By Maki Enjoiji

I enjoy reading Happy Marriage?! just because romances set in offices give me a break from all the romances set in high schools that I tend to read just because I am such a shojo manga aficionado. Chiwa continues to work in her new job, but has to deal with one of her former friends still having a crush on her. Hokuto continues to be both busy and remote, and his father is still in the hospital. Chiwa attempts to intervene to bring Hokuto closer to his family, without the results she was expecting. One sour note for me in this volume was Hokuto slapping Chiwa in the middle of an argument. While they fight and work through their issues as always, I’m starting to get a little weary of the relationship dynamic in the book. I’m also a bit more interested in some of the newer Shojo Beat series like Spell of Desire or Black Rose Alice. I’m hoping that the next volume of Happy Marriage is a bit better.

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Manga Reviews REVIEWS

Happy Marriage Vol. 3 and Demon Love Spell Vol. 5

Happy Marriage Volume 3

I continue to enjoy Maki Enjoji’s series about an office lady who abruptly finds herself married to a seemingly cold and domineering company president. Chiwa and Hokuto have gradually grown closer over the first two volumes of this series, and the relationship continues to develop further in the third volume. Chiwa finally deals with Hokuto when he’s in a vulnerable position when he suddenly becomes ill, and she has to tend to him at home. One thing I enjoy is the way Enjoji slips into showing action without words or thought balloons in order to show events with more emotional impact. When Hokuto wakes up in the middle of the night and sees Chiwa sleeping by the side of his bed, he looks absolutely shocked, then silently pulls her over so she can sleep more comfortably beside him. There are still some slice of life humorous moments in the manga, like when Chiwa deals with Hokuto’s hidden slovenly habits at home and her tendency to become an “Octopus Woman” when she sleeps.

The big emotional breakthrough in the volume occurs when Chiwa and Hokuto have to go visit his family, and Chiwa sees how poorly he’s treated by his relatives. This explains a great deal about his personality and motivations, and Chiwa gets so angry she is more emotionally honest about her feelings for her husband as she’s sticking up for him than she’s ever been when talking to Hokuto directly. I’m looking forward to what happens next! It is a bit odd to root for a married couple to get together, but Enjoji manages to pull this situation off with an engaging story and sympathetic characters.

Demon Love Spell Volume 5

This volume will be particularly fun for any fans of Mayu Shinjo’s series Sensual Phrase. Demon Love Spell can be depended upon to serve up plenty of humor and paranormal romance hijinks, and this volume picks things up with a funny plot device. Incubus Kagura and priestess Miko decide that they’re going to move out of Miko’s family home/shrine and her father promptly agrees! But before they go Miko’s father uses his priestly powers and puts a curse on Kagura so that he will be utterly incapable of romancing Miko in any capacity. The young teenager and incredibly old incubus struggle with finding an apartment. Miko starts working a part-time job to support them. They barely ever see each other, and it seems like their new apartment may also be haunted!

In any romance manga, misunderstandings get in the way of true love, and when Kagura decides to go into showbiz in order to make some money to support Miko, she promptly becomes jealous and concerned that he’s getting “powered up” from other women. Kagura’s demonic hotness ensures overnight success as a male model, and he soon becomes a pop sensation as well. Much is made of Kagura’s resemblance to the hero Sakuya from Sensual Phrase, and I found it hilarious that Shinjo’s habit of drawing her male heroes in a very similar fashion was acknowledged in this manner. All in all, this was another fun volume of this series. I’m definitely enjoying Demon Love Spell much more than Ai Ore, and I hope that more of Shinjo’s series get translated over here.

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Manga Reviews REVIEWS

Happy Marriage ?! Vol. 1

Happy Marriage?! Vol. 1 by Maki Enjoji

When the series Butterflies, Flowers ended I was a little bit concerned about the future state of translated editions of smutty romance manga for Older Ladies. There’s plenty of smutty romance manga set in high school, but josei titles are a bit hard to come by. Happy Marriage?! comes from the josei magazine Petit Comic, which is the home magazine of Butterflies, Flowers and Midnight Secretary (also coming soon!). The manga opens with a winning image as an attractive woman freaks out over having to sign her name to a marriage certificate. What will become of her!?

Chiwa Takanashi is a hard-working office lady who moonlights as a hostess in a bar to pay off her father’s business debts. She loudly proclaims to her friends that she has no interest in romance, because she would want a normal guy who can take care of himself, but all of those men are already taken. Chiwa has an odd encounter with an arrogant businessman at her night job who tells her “there’s no point to what she’s doing” and she should quit because there’s nothing about a hostess job to take pride in. Chiwa stands up for herself by throwing a drink in his face, and promptly gets fired. At her normal job, she’s called in to the office of the president of the company, meets his grandfather, and gets the proposition that if she marries the handsome CEO Hokuto, her family’s debts will all be paid off. Hokuto’s grandfather is delighted with the prospect of Chiwa as a granddaughter because he used to be in love with her grandmother. Chiwa decides to be pragmatic and go through with the marriage, only to find out that she’s getting a lot more than she bargained for.

The set-up and characters for Happy Marriage?! make it seem fairly similar to Butterflies, Flowers but there are enough differences that I think readers would enjoy both series. Chiwa is a little bit more scrappy than Choko, and while Hokuto and Masayuki both share certain romance manga alpha male tendencies, Hokuto is much less weird. Happy Marriage seems like it dials back the wackiness and insane situations of Butterflies, Flowers and explores the developing relationship between Chiwa and Hokuto with a bit more nuance and emotion.

Enjoji’s character designs remind me a little bit of Miki Aihara. The illustrations do a good job at portraying all the nuances of the character’s emotions, from Hokuto’s black moods when he’s worried their secret marriage is going to be revealed at work, to the unexpected enjoyment the new couple find in each other’s company when they hide out in a love hotel only to have a marathon video gaming and karaoke session. One of the things that I liked most about this volume was the fact that Hokuto would secretly go out of his way to surprise and support Chiwa when she has to face the anxiety-ridden situation of going to a high school reunion.

Overall, this was an enjoyable first volume. The insane arranged marriage is set up very efficiently in the first chapter, so the rest of the book is devoted to showcasing the unconventional romance. I’m always happy to read more josei manga in English, but it is even more of a treat when the series is fun, entertaining, and capably illustrated. Happy Marriage?! won’t disappoint josei fans looking for a new series to follow.