The characters are simply superb.The first book allows the reader to get to grips with the personalities of the main two and as the story progresses through the first 4 books, we learn more about Machika and Rain; their backgrounds, their painful memories and hopeful spirits. It makes the two truly enchanting,
The art is, for the most part, simply beautiful, and the text makes it memorable. While art is, in truth, highly scarce online, even in black and white it's easy to appreciate the beauty of each message portrated by the work. But let me take the word "art" and apply it to more than just the drawings. The whole feel of the first 4 books is artistic, symbolic and thought provoking.
So why did the story and enjoyment scores suffer? Well, after volume 4, the pace of the plot slows down a little bit. It feels more forced, flows less and has less tension. The relationship between the main characters - Miaka and Rain - appears to have reached its limit, and the two no longer develop as much as they did before. The focus seems to be more on the minor characters, those who I didn't care for as much. While some old characters, those whom I was fond of, were brought back, their presence became almost tedious. Because of this, the plot dragged on a little.
Still, overall, it's a wonderful story. Well worth a read!
