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 Title: 藍より青し (Ai yori Aoshi) Vol. 13
Artist/Author: 文月晃 (Kou Fumizuki)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 200pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Young Animal Vol. 19, '03-Vol. 4, '04
Rating: 3/4
While I have a long list of backlogs, Ai yori is one of the few title that will preempt the list. Aiao has always been very fast reads for me, and this one was no exception. It probably took me half an hour to finish it since there is one long plot rather than several short stories. I have mixed opinions about the artwork though. The anime is definitely better, but I've gotten used to the manga. However, it seems like the art has gotten worse in this book. There are a few panels where my instinct tells me that there's something really different. While the title pages for each chapter are excellently drawn, some of the contents are questionable.
There are two Aiao 4 panel comics and a nice summary at the beginning of the book. The advertisement insert, at least in my book, describes the limited edition Vol. 14 and the upcoming Young Animal issue with the alternative Vol. 13 cover.
The story this time is very linear and quick to summarize, so I'll skip the chapter listings since the titles might be longer than the summary. Tina invites the whole gang, Natsuki and Chizuru included, to vacation at Kyuushuu. They have a few awkward situation at the hot-springs, but the primary focus is on Tina who will soon be going back to America. Tina tries to thank Mayu for being her counterpoint, but Mayu rejects it, not wanting to make it easy for her to say farewell. Tina's main purpose in coming to Kyuushuu, the place where she was raised, was to spent some time alone with Kaoru...as a boyfriend, even if it's just for a day. She takes him to her old school where she digs up an old time capsule full of her childhood photos where she promised herself she would bring her boyfriend one day.
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