Ranked #632

Kobato. (Manga)

Please note that I haven't finished reading "Kobato" yet, because it is still in the process of publishing.

Kobato is one of those mangas that makes you smile. And I don't mean just any smile; the kind of smile that comes from seeing acts of kindness (and cuteness) that only our heroin, Kobato Hanato, could create.


Story:

Kobato Hanato is a mysterious girl who's mission is to fill up a bottle in order to grant her wish. The only problem is, the bottle can only be filled when she heals wounded hearts. With the help of her strange and foul-mouthed friend, a stuffed dog like thing name Ioryogi, she ventures off into a strange world that she doesn't seem to be familiar with.
I don't want to ruin anything for you, but I will tell you that the story raises a lot of questions. It does a good job of getting your interest at the beginning, and doesn't let up as it gets more in depth with the characters and Kobato herself.

Art:
It's CLAMP. So if you've read any of their mangas before, you know it's going to be just as lovely as the rest. Kobato is beautiful (and somewhat reminiscent of a long-haired Sakura) and Ioryogi somehow manages to be cute and scary all at the same time. As far as the art goes...this is another masterpiece.

Characters:
Kobato is perhaps the most lovable character I've come across in a long while. She's kind, ditzy, adorable, and strong. I find myself wanting to go and help someone after every chapter that I read. I also love how they manage to add some mystery behind what Ioryogi is and where he comes from. The character development is fantastic in general.
(P.S: be on the look out for characters for other CLAMP classic characters that make guest appearances)

Enjoyment/Overall:
In two words, to total it all up, I would describe it as "Heartwarming, and Mysterious." CLAMP manages to make Kobato's wounded heart healing interesting by adding in several major questions along the way. And I never find myself doubting that the story will reach a dead-end.
I highly recommend that if you are a fan of CLAMP, you should check this one out.
Thanks for reading!




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First off I've read all the released chapter which would be Drop. 23d. (Which I've counted all the chapters to be about 39 if they are published by real chapters like in Yen Press so that is why it says I've read 39 chapters.) Kobato. has not ended yet, though and is released monthly. Now for the review.

O.k. I will say that when I first heard of Kobato. I didn't think it would be all that great. I was looking at works by CLAMP, who I enjoy a lot of manga from and when I got to Kobato. I thought it just looked stupid. Still if you are desperate to read some new manga, like I was, you will try anything (except yaoi or yuri), so I gave it a shot and now it is my 2nd favorite manga. I mean I LOVE it! I didn't look like much at first but the farther you read into it the better it gets. Trust me!

10/10 Storyline: Kobato Hanato is a sweet, cheery, but naive girl with a mission: fill up a mysterious "bottle" she carries with her all the time. There's a place Kobato wants to go, and she can only go there once the "bottle" is completely full. In order to fill her "bottle", she needs to find people with hurts and heal their hearts. The more people she heals the more hearts there are in the" bottle". However, there is a restriction: she can't fall in love with anyone she heals the heart of. Accompanying Kobato on her mission is Ioryogi, a foul-mouthed talking blue dog plushie who has his own reasons for helping her get her wish granted. Now I must say that following them on their quest makes for a great read. It's has the comedic times, the dramatic times, the mysterious times, and the all-around enjoyable times, which is why it really caught me! Kobato.'s story has a little bit of everything in it making it outstanding! Hopefully the ending will be as great as the story so far as been.

10/10 Artwork: It's CLAMP! What more can I say? I mean all their art is fantastic so Kobato.'s rocks as well.

9/10 Characters: Now as for the characters you've got the sweet, naïve Kobato who can be a bit stupid with her misunderstandings but you come to love her because of her caring nature and her determination and you really want to see her succeed. Then you have the bad mouthed, harsh, and mysterious Ioryogi. Although he can be mean to our lead character, he truly cares about her. His past is also kinda mysterious and you wonder why he helps Kobato. Then you have Sayaka who is like a motherly figure to everyone. She can put on a good show to hide her hurts but she can't get past Kobato or Fujimoto either. As for Fujimoto he can be very gruff and grouchy to everyone but really he cares. He picks on Kobato a lot and seems to not trust her. He will do anything to help Sayaka with the Kindergarten and he too seems to have hurts. As you read on new characters appear and some surprising things about our 4 main characters are revealed, which is what I think makes the story even more interesting.

10/10 Enjoyment: I enjoy Kobato. a whole lot, especially as the story progresses. If you like CLAMP works then you will enjoy Kobato. Or if you just like a great story then you will enjoy Kobato. too. The only thing I don't enjoy CLAMP releases the chapters too slowly!

10/10 Overall: Although at first glance I thought it wasn't much, it really captured me when I first read (and I'm still reading it). Everything about it makes it a wonderful manga that anyone will enjoy. So if you are ever sitting their bored wanting a new manga to read, like I was that one faithful day, then go look for Koabto. I'm sure you will fall in love with it too! read more