Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Baku

by Hakase Mizuki
Published in the U.S. by Tokyopop


Slugline: Two brief story arcs, one about reincarnation, one about a medium.

Hakase-san's art is light and lanky -- long legs, high foreheads, feline eyes -- and her characters prowl through these stories without even mussing their hair. Despite the stylized presentation of two stylized stories, the art beguiles and the devotion these characters show to each other charms and this volume ends up with a pretty good rating.

Often, devotion has a psychotic edge in manga, but here it's allowed to be simple and realistic. Hakase-san's art style is noticeably different from manga-standard, and really makes an impression. This glosses over a few weak spots in the plotting, though, as does the genuinely warm affection and concern that the characters show for each other (Nana, with the first aid ointment, particularly got me).



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

- Miranda

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