Kiken Mania

I really enjoyed Kiken Mania--possibly more than it deserves. But allow me to try to explain why: Story and Character: This is a pretty basic shoujo romance at heart. Girl meets guy. They clash. They become friends. They fall in love and live happily ever after. If you don't like shoujo romances, or aren't interested in that basic setup, stop right now and go read something. For those of you who remain, Kiken Mania is different because both of the main couple are extremely popular "serial daters". This turns the standard "popular boy meets unpopular girl" set up onits head (see: Kare "First Love", Say "I Love You", Kimi ni Todoke, High School Debut... I'll stop now). The girl is more naive than the guy, certainly; but she's also on (at least) her fourth boyfriend. So, instead of this being a standard shoujo about a popular boy dragging an under-appreciated girl into the spot-light, this is about two friends, on equal footing, both trying to find true love by dating whoever comes along. Until they inevitably start looking at each other, of course. Also, I should mention that the characters are all likable; there is nothing particularly objectionable (no sexual assaults or adults having sex with minors); it's a fast read; and it has a very good end. The downside, of course, is that the story is only two volumes, and so there ins't enough time to fully explore that dynamic. But kudos to the author for shaking things up a bit. Art: Art is fine. Pretty typical shoujo style. The characters are a bit less gaunt and lanky than in many shoujo. On the downside, the guys all kind of look the same. Enjoyment: If you like shoujo romances, I would strongly encourage you to read this one. There are certainly better shoujo romances, don't get me wrong. But this one has a unique approach to the genre that I found somewhat refreshing. It's a short, cute, and fluffy shoujo story, to be sure. But it'll leave you smiling, and it's a bit different than most other things you'll have read. So check it out.