Title: 恋風 (Koi Kaze) Vol. 3
Artist/Author: 吉田基已 (Motoi Yoshida)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 215pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Monthly Evening KC 1/03-9/03
First Printing: 7/23/03
Rating: 4/4

It's become ever more apparent that the affection between brother and sister is mutual, and maybe even more so on the girl's side. This volume ends on a strong, but sad note and the chapters leading up to it build it up very nicely. You know, I really like the artwork in the manga. Not as good as Someday's Dreamers, but pretty in its own style. The book covers are especially nice.

Like vol. 2, there's a mini-comic at the end of the book.

15. １２月の温度 (The Temperature in December): It's December and Koshiro and Nanoka are doing what typical people of their age do. Koshiro has his parties and hangs out with her friends. However, they're both still preoccupied with Nanoka's confession. For Christmas, Nanoka wanted to make Koshiro a scarf, but he saw her knitting book and suggested to her that he didn't want a scarf, so she decides to start making him a sweater.

16. 本当はね (In Fact...): Nanoka has started picking up on some of Koshiro's attitude. At school, her friends are checking out the guys in PE, but Nanoka can't stop thinking about her situation with her brother. After school, Koshiro calls her to bring an envelope to his workplace. As they're going back home, she holds his hand.

17. 疾走少女 (Sprinting Girl): Nanoka has a marathon coming up and she's quite a poor running. Meanwhile, at work, one of Koshiro's client is trying for the 20th time to have a successful relationship (he works at what looks to be a match-making business). A parallel is drawn between Nanoka's running and the client's efforts at love. While the client eventually has a happy ending, Nanoka finished in the hundreds when her goal was to be in the top 60.

18. 恋色セーター (Love-Colored Sweater): It's near Valentine's and Nanoka has been working furiously on the sweater. She gets it finished, but falls very sick because of her non-stop work. Koshiro takes the rest of the day off to take care of her and she gives him the sweater.

19. 境界線上のふたり (The Two People at the Cutoff Line): Koshiro knows that he's not supposed to have these types of feelings her his sister, but he does. Chidori, his co-worker gives him a pair of tickets to go the amusement park. When he comes home, he finds that Nanoka has fallen asleep on his bed, so he lies next to it. She wakes up and she tells him again that she loves him. He embraces her, and she then runs off.

20. はつ恋 (First Love): Nanoka is back at her mother's place and Koshiro decides to pay a visit after much thought. After he arrives, he goes out and on the street, he meets her and miraculously, snow starts falling and they embrace. Back at home, Koshiro tells his mom that he's going to move out of his father's house.

21. 告白 (Confession): Nanoka finds out that he's moving out and wants to make sure. He finds Koshiro outside and they go to the amusement park. At the end of the day, Koshiro makes her promise to not see him again. And as a parting wish, she asks for a kiss. He almost does it, but only gives her one on forehead...and leaves.

Title: 恋風 (Koi Kaze) Vol. 2
Artist/Author: 吉田基已 (Motoi Yoshida)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 215pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Monthly Evening KC 5/02-11/02
First Printing: 11/22/02
Rating: 3/4

I thought this volume was a bit slow until the very end. A lot of the issues have been established already in the first book, so this just adds a little more to it. Pretty good, but a little weaker than the first. I am, however, pretty intrigued with the story. A slight departure from my usual harem anime/manga/games.

There's a mini-comic at the end of the book titled "The Land of Sisters."

8. 夏の休日 (Summer Holiday): It's the dog days of summer. Koshiro is with their father and Nanoka is with their mother. At the mother's request, Koshiro pays a visit to her house. Koshiro and Nanoka go out to the summer evening festivities and come home. Nanoka insists that they sleep in the same room. As Koshiro is tucking her in, he gives her a nice long look.

9. お母さんの恋人 (Mother's Boyfriend): There's been a guy who's been hanging around the mother's hair salon a little too much. So much that rumors are flying that he likes the mother. Nanoka is opposed to it and asks why Koshiro didn't prevent the parents from divorcing. When asked about the supposed boyfriend, the mother comes up with a plan. He dresses up Koshiro and in front of the suitor, exclaims that she already has a lover.

10. かわいいかわいい妹 (Cute, Cute Sister): Koshiro and Nanoka go out eating at a dessert shop which Nanoka talks about at school. Rumors fly as to whether Nanoka has a boyfriend, but the friends find out it's only the brother. After school, she helps out a male classmate so she comes home really late. The classmate walks her home and Koshiro sees them. He gets all huffy and puffy and blurts out that Nanoka might be taken advantage of because she's cute.

11. すき、きらい、すき (Love, Hate, Love): The siblings have little interaction with each other after the incident. Nanoka has to commute to school by herself and gets bumped around in the train car. At school, she's offered a ticket to the school festival for her and her brother; a couple's ticket. The next day, they leave at the same time so Koshiro is able to accompany her on the train. Like a boyfriend, he protects her from the mass crowds.

12. 恋文 (Love Letter): Nanoka gets a love letter from a classmate at school that invites her to the school festival. However, Nanoka is still torn about her brother. She would really love it if Koshiro went, but he has work so he can't go. At the festival, she refuses the boy who wrote the love letter and thinks about her brother.

13. 兄妹になる方法 (The Way of Being Brother and Sister): It's Sunday and Koshiro and Nanoka go out and about. They go to the zoo and spend time in the park. At the end of the day, Nanoka confirms that they have a really good relationship being brothers and sisters.

14. 秋　ロマンチック (Autumn, Romantic): Nanoka tells Koshiro that she loves him.

Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 21
Issue Date: 5/5/2004
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 524

Yuko-rin! Kawaii! Okay, so she does look quite...err...very shallow, but hey, she's eye candy. I haven't heard her CD single yet as I don't want to ruin my impression of her. She'll also be featured in next week's issue too. Yay!

Hamanaka Ai: ０３２痴漢撃退しようの会 (The Meeting to Fend Off Perverts): On the train, Ai gets inappropriately touched by a man in the crowd. At the study group, Nakamura tells her what to do in case this happens again and also teachers her some self-defense moves. While they're in an awkward position practicing, Rin walks in.

Suzuka: ＃１０恋患 (Lovesickness): Yamato sees a horoscope book at the bookstore and reads that he should confess to the person he loves as he'll certainly get a positive response. He discusses this with Yasunobu and asks what people do when they're going out. He responds that they go shopping together, eat together... all of which Yamato is already doing with Suzuka. He's still hesitant about popping the question though. After school, Suzuka catches up to him and tells him that she wanted to have him accompany her to go shopping.

Negima: ５１時間目　再臨・闇の福音 (Second Coming, Dark Evangel): Asuna and Negi defeat their enemy (Chigusa's #2 person, I forgot that boy's his name). Setsuna snags Konoka away from Chigusa. Evangeline appears from no where (she's supposed to be at school) along with her partner, Chachamaru, and defeat the summoned monster.

Tsubasa: ４２消せない記憶 (Persistent Memory): Shaoran comes back and informs the people at Fye's Cat's Eye cafe that he saw the new monster. He then has a flashback to when he was in Clow Country and was saved by Seishirou from that world from a bunch of thugs who wanted Shaoran to return a book. At that time, Seishirou was traveling to far off places to search for some enemies (vampires?). Being that he knew about Shaoran's eye, Shaoran asks him to teach him how to fight with the handicap.

Title: ヤングマガジン (Young Magazine) Vol. 21
Issue Date: 5/3/2004
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 486

Feature girl is 下村真理 (Mari Shimomura). They're certainly don't hide the reason they have her type of girl on the cover. Back cover girl is 平山あや (Aya Hirayama), same girl from Shonen last week and a few pages on some exotic cars. No different than your typical Maxim or FHM.

This will be the last XXXholic until May 24th (3 issues after), but starting next week, there's gonna be a new series, Love Lucky. Maybe it'll be clean enough for me to write about. There was a series that started last week that I've been looking though. You really need a sense of humor to read through some of these comics, unfortunately, I don't think the American culture has enough.

XXXholic: 48: On his way home from "work" at Yuuko's, he starts seeing this forearm everywhere he goes. He then sees it move at which he dash off into the distance. He takes a break at the park, but the arm is also there. Some other kids see it, approach it, but Kimihiro stops them from touching it, but not before dropping his bag which the hand takes and disappears with. He leaves the area thinking he's safe, but with his back turned, the arm appears again.

Redlight: 4: Satoshi finally gets help from Chiko and the guy lets go of him. They all talk for a bit and Satoshi gets beat up some more as the guy doesn't receive his money. After more abuse, Satoshi gets KOed. It's suggested that Chiko give him some mouth to mouth, but he revives just in time.

>From amazon, yet another book i won't be reading for a long while