Iwahara Yuji.  Chikyu Misaki
CMX MANGA  $13.50  ISBN 1-4012-0799-5  196 pg.
Reviewed by Melissa, Age 13

Makishma Masaki is a young girl, and is an only child to one parent. Her father is worried all the time, and can’t help being nervous. It seems to be a habit of his. It doesn’t help things any when Masaki finds out about their lawyer‚ Aoi-san. This woman seems to have taken a major liking to her father. How could he be replacing mom, with her? To make things even worse, she moves away from everything she has ever known to Hohoro Lake. This is where she enrols in a new school and where she meets a new friend, Sanae-chan. She also finds herself running into a strange creature from the Lake of Hohoro. When this animal is kissed it changes into a human boy!

Chikyu Misaki caught me off guard with its tale. The cute manga sketches are to die for and the captions going along with them made it an interesting read. The pictures express the characters distress and anguish, bringing an almost coloured image to the reader’s mind. It is a stunning fairy-tale that leaves you wondering more than ever at the end of the book, when the pages suddenly stop turning under your fingertips.

I would recommend this book for grades seven and up. I used the fairy-tale term in this review, but fantasy or not, it is still meant for older eyes and ages. I am sure you would love this graphic novel. It can make you laugh, gasp and cry. All of this depending on your reaction to the villains and the surprises brought up by the author in sheer brilliance. Give this novel a chance and one is all that is needed to capture you and drag you into the world of Hohoro Lake.

Five stars! It was a novel that kept me attentive and always gave me another exciting development to read. Well done.