Title: ありさ² (Arisa's Circumstances)
Artist/Author: 八神健 (Ken Yagami)
Original Creator: mixwill soft
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 192pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 1/1
Original Serialization: Monthly Shonen Ace 4/04-9/04
First Printing: 10/1/04
Rating: 3/4

Another Ken Yagami manga! Apparently he really likes these promises and dual personalities stories.

This manga is based on an ecchi video game that he also did the character designs for. However, from reading the descriptions of the game, it doesn't seem like there's much of a connection between the game and this story. I like the basis for this story (and as always, his character designs), but it's a bit short. A few more volumes would have done it justice.

Comes with a bonus 4 panel comic.

1. FIRST CONTACT: As a child, 森崎眞一郎 (Shinichiro Morisaki) made a promise to Arisa when she was about to move away. He wakes up from that dream again with his sister waking him up, making him go to school. On his way there, he meets a girl who trips over a rock and lands right on him, passed out. He brings her to the school's nurse's office. In class, a new girl comes running in shouting Shinichiro's name. She looks awfully familiar to the girl Shinichiro brought in earlier. The class leader knocks the new girl out for being to rambunctious and Shinichiro brings her to the nurse's office too and finds that there are actually two girls who look very similar. When they come around, they get officially introduced. The girl he saved in the morning is named 沢渡有佐 (Arisa Sawatari), the loud one is named 沢渡アリサ (Alyssa Sawatari). While their names are identical in pronunciation, they have no apparent relation. Shinichiro looks at Arisa and thinks she's the girl from his past as she's very bashful and shy. However, Alyssa wears the cat-ears that he remembers and she also remembers him. When he goes home, he finds out that his uncle, who he lives with, has taken the two girls into his house.

2. SECOND CONTACT: Arisa and Alyssa both try to help out that Shinichiro's uncle's restuarant, but both mess up in their own distinct ways (although the customers think they're cute). In the bath, Alyssa tells Arisa about where she got her cat-ears. They were from Shinichiro as a gift to cheer her up. The three of them go out around town and Arisa becomes more depressed. Apparently, she doesn't have any memories. Shinichiro vows to help her regain them.

3. THIRD CONTACT: It's sports festival time and Alyssa is enjoying it until he gets knocked out in a heated volleyball contest. After waking up in the nurse's office, he asks Shinichiro if he likes Arisa. Shinichiro responds that he curious about her since she looks like Alyssa and goes on to remind Alyssa of the promise they made. She doesn't remember.

4. FOURTH CONTACT: Shinichiro, his sister, Arisa, and Alyssa all go to the amusement park. They split up with Shinichiro with Arisa and the sister with Alyssa. Shinichiro and Arisa see a lost girl who is looking for her parents. Shinichiro makes a promise to the girl and this triggers something in Arisa's head. Eventually, the girl's guardian arrives. The guardian tells them that he parents had died in a car accident a while back while driving her to the amusement park. That's why the girl is searching the area. This reminds Shinichiro of his own situation. His mom died when they were young and his dad ran off to do be more involved in his research. Alyssa, in trying to find Shinichiro, seems to have bumped into someone.

5. FIFTH CONTACT: Shinichiro's father drops by the uncle's place when the kids aren't around. Arisa hasn't been happy since the amusement park trip and has a flashback. She had bumped into Shinichiro's father at the park who told her that she was Arisa's clone. When she comes back, Shinichiro tries to play a big party for Alyssa, but she's not in the mood and runs outside. Shinichiro sees his dad outside.

6. SIXTH CONTACT: His father tells them everything. Arisa was the daughter of a colleague. One day, while she was visiting, a horrible accident happened where Arisa and her dad got serious injured. With his dying breath, Arisa's dad asked Shinichiro's dad to take care of her daughter. However, Arisa remained in coma, so in order to keep his promise, he made a clone of her and created Alyssa. But then, Arisa awoke, so there was no more need for Alyssa. They eventually find Alyssa who is on the verge of dying because her cloned body is breaking down. While his father could have regenerated her body, her memories would be erased too and Alyssa didn't want that to happen. Months later, a new girl appears in town.

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