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.

Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 48
Issue Date: 11/10/2004
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 506

Negima to be animated. This is only the second volume of Shonen that has Negima on the cover. One of the other news items is that Ai ga Tomaranai wil be re-re-released. I have the second release as I bought them for $1 a piece. I don't know if I'll get the latest version. I didn't like it that much. The Kodansha this week manga features this year's Miss Magazine.

Suzuka: ＃３６目撃 (Witness): After the competition, the track team is celebrating. Yamato goes outside to gather his thoughts together about the two girls, Suzuka and Honoka. As he sits by a pond, Honoka comes and sits beside him. A fish startles her and she leans into Yamato. When she tries to give her a kiss, he says that he can't. However, he has second thoughts and kisses her instead. Suzuka's friend, Miki sees them in a lip-lock.

Negima: ７２時間目　もえろ　乙女たち！ (Burn It Up, Girls!): Negi writes to Nekane about how things are progressing, how everyone is treating him nicely, what he's learning from Ku Fei and Eva, how Asuna is still having trouble at school, and that he's gotten a new friend, Kotaro. He stops short of telling her the other bad events that have happened. At school, the girls are preparing for their cultural festival. That night, Asuna tells Negi that she's noticed he's been pretty bummed lately and has been crying in his sleep. She offers to let him sleep with her for the night. In the morning, Konoka and Setsuna catch Negi clutching to a half-disrobed Asuna.

Tsubasa: ６１最強の２人 (The Strongest Two): Shaoran takes on the two people who look like Fye and Kuro. As he combats, he realizes that the two can't be the Kuro and Fye that he knows. However, he recognizes Kuro's sword as the Souhi, the one that was given to him a couple of dimensions back.

King's Sword: ９再び某城 (Back to that Castle): Ahi's injured, but he'll live. Ryuhi has him rest while he and Kanu go back to the fort. When they reach the fort, they find that there's a human shield composed of the male residents.

Full Swing: ６思い知らせてやる！ (I'll Make You Remember!): Tama gets partnered up with Shun Momose during practice. Since he doesn't like Tama, he gives him a hard time and eventually pegs him with the ball. During serve returns though, Tama shows that he has some skills by blasting an ace past Shun. The secret is that Douchi told Tama that serving uses the same motion as throwing a baseball from the outfield to home base.

Hamanaka Ai: ０５７N先生 (N-sensei): Nakamura introduces Seiji, the new teacher who she used to date. They have a little reunion and he calls in sick the next day as he's hung over.

Changing Now: ２６修業！！出直しの連続 (Training, Continual Adjustments): One of the enemies that Dog Fighter defeated has decided to go to Kyoto to train. However, he gets caught up with the tourism there and sends Dog Fighter and Crimson Bunny postcards of himself.