1. 7 Kiss: Asano is feeling on a particular thrill high since she's going to be transferring schools and thinks the time is ripe to maybe take a leap or two. So she sneaks up on her Andou sensei and plants one on him! And records the moment for posterity! The motive is of course to blackmail him into kissing her everyday of the rest of the week till she transfers. Poor sensei, he totally didn't see this coming!
The artwork seems more like a sketchbook as far as Andou is concerned which isn't a bad thing. Asano looks typical with big russian doll eyes and flattering hair. I understand drawing the lips may be a slight sore point with the mangaka here, they seem odd wrt the rest of the face. Anyway, settings and backdrops are done well enough. The humor and sheer gumption is prevalent in many of the scenes which makes your eyebrows jump plenty! Overall, I thought it was a pretty cheeky and brave tale portrayed especially transparently from a girl who realises the gravity of what she's doing, but can't stop herself because at 16, you're ruled by the notion of love! Definitely a 9+ read.
2. HeartBeat Mail: Uehara is a shy girl with an year long crush on the cute Kaji-kun who now sits behind her. One day, in a sudden fit of courage, she slips a note beneath his cellphone asking him to be mail pals (anonymously with an email she provides). So begins her concerted efforts to break into his life and maybe his heart, only Kaji isn't gung ho on socialising with a stranger too easily. What lengths must a timid little creature like her go to get his attention via email and avoid exposure while in class?! And why are his friends so inqisitive about who this mystery emailer might be? Leave me alone!
This manga, while sweet and slightly eccentric, has a couple of very moritifying scenes for our heroine. In one, I shuddered to turn to the next page for 5 whole minutes! You feel happy/light after reading this story especially for it's realistic depiction of boys and girls at 16. The mangaka is quite blessed at drawing cell phones!
3. Love Lover: I can't quite grasp what the mangaka was thinking when she named the title that, but the story is pretty lovey dovey! A remarriage has caused stepsiblings Misaki and Shinji to be thrown into proximity. While Shinji is wary of his flirtatious overtures and smooth talk, Shinji is always playing the sweet brother part coming into Misaki's class just to hug her or deliver bentos! Mmm truly smooth! While it's a little unrealistic that Shinji is apparently two years younger than Misaki yet bold enough to grope her, I like these stepsibling romances. This one is quite similar to how they all turn out, but its sweet in how unsure both parties are.
4. Love Honey: Continued from Love Lover, Misaki is constantly subjected to girls throwing themselves at an adonis Shinji right next to her, as they don't think Misaki could possibly hook such a hottie. Ahh teenage girls and their airs! Also, since they're still siblings in the public eye, Misaki isn't too thrilled with getting it on in public. A chaperoned trip to see the sakura festival and soak in the hot tub together may solve that problem though. How will our young couple fare this time? Will Shinji's overactive pheromones take a break or wreck havoc on their relationship even away from home. Read this one to find out and you won't regret it.
