Series Update: Pastel, v. 1

SERIES UPDATE (v.2, v.3)

One of the things that we are doing here at Prospero's Manga is filling in some of the holes in our reviews. When we first started receiving out review copies from the publishers, we ended up starting up in the middle of some series, such as Pastel. My sense of completism drives me to at least try to talk about the previous volumes in the series. Sometimes when I look back at some of my earlier reviews I wonder if I was being too easy on them back then, or more appropriately after months of reviews I've become jaded and bitter. Well, more jaded and bitter than before I started reviewing manga regularly. The first volume of Pastel sets up the situation of the series and why Mugi doesn't feel like he can just admit his feeling for Yuu, and it just barely makes sense. Barely. Making that setup work requires the sort coincidences that are de rigeur in these sort of titles. I know I originally said I liked this title, but maybe it is the effect of reading a whole whack of the series in a sitting that other than the occasional moment of interest it is just not grabbing me.

Pastel vol. 1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand