Genre: Shoujo, Romance, Drama
Review Status: Full (1 Volume/ 1 Volume)
Licensed: Unlicensed in the US
Summary: Aria’s parents have been gone since she was very young. Thus, she’s had to grow up in a “foster home” of sorts, and was raised by nuns. On her 16th birthday, Aria receives a present in the mail– a ring from her “Daddy-long-legs” (a man who protects someone from afar while they’re growing up)! All of a sudden Aria’s life is thrown into chaos. Men try to run her over with cars, shoot her, and kidnap her. Relief comes in the form of Canon, who claims he’s her bodyguard. But can he keep Aria safe forever? (From Naberoshi Manga)
Review: First off, the pros of this manga- The art is fairly well done- even if the characters seem to have oddly large eyes, it’s short, and…. It’s short. Yeah, not a whole lot to commend it, is it? However, in this manga, you can tell where the story had been compressed into something that closely resembles a ball of fluff. We in the know refer to this “Akira Compression Syndrome”- where a long, complex story is condensed into a short amount of time, such as when Akira the manga was compressed into a one-and-a-half hour movie.
In this case, a story of a girl and her bodyguard has become a love-at-first sight story- something that CAN be done well, with finesse and time, but instead within a day or two (or a few pages, as the case is) not only realize their love for each other but confess it and get their happily-ever-after.
And of course, the bodyguard and the girl have a “past history” together, which she doesn’t remember but is the reason he loves her.
Of course, the man who threatens to tear them apart instantly regrets what he’s done after his best friend is injured protecting the girl (and you get a gold star if you can guess who his best friend is!). Ooops, did I spoil that for you?
I’m not sorry. This was a pathetic attempt to fit all sorts of shoujo clichés into a story that was too short and made it obvious, lame, and a waste of time. It’s great if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands to read more involved stories, but for everyone else, stay far, far away.
Recommended: No. Well, maybe if you’re about 10 or so, which is about the age group that would enjoy this insipid story.
Other ones you'd like instead:
Full Metal Panic (anime),
Searching for the Full Moon (anime and manga)
Alice in the Country of Hearts (manga)
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