Wow, where can I begin? A group of five children decides to raise an alien baby that fell from the sky and has a superpower. The story could be really sweet if it took the usual shoujo route. But what I didn't expect, especially considering the mangaka's other works, was such a thrilling story that makes my heart rate go up.
In the beginning we're presented to a group of five seemingly average children who take up baby Bara and raise her together, taking turns in keeping her in their house. This is where the good part starts: not only do we get to meet each child of the group individually and, through their interactions with baby Bara, discover that, despite their age, they're not so simple and their seemingly tight-knit group actually has a more complex structure than what you would expect from five-year olds, but each of them is a multidimentional, superbly-written character in their own right. We have Kojiro, a weak and easily bullied boy who goes through good character development while shouldering the responsibility of being a good role model for an innocent and gullible child, the cute and straightforward Arika who has a history with Saya, the tall and cool girl with a vulnerable side, Yukinari, a bright child who is sort of the center of the group, but hides a sad past, and Inori, who despite being cold cares a lot for Yukinari, who makes him feel he's not alone.
Then, of course, we have Barako, the child that fell from a meteor and who shows an incredible growth rate and an unusual power. Barako, who is like a blank sheet of paper in her innocence and naivete, and whose purity is morphing to amorality.
Honestly, I was expecting the manga to be like Gakuen Babysitters. I did not expect it to have such a dark undercurrent, and I certainly didn't expect it to keep me on the edge of my seat like it did.
