Afternoon comfort read.. ( )

Just another, odd, spiritually-based, Japanese comedy that the Del Rey publishing company has made. The tone is much lighter than "Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei" (their previous book I read), but I find their humor not amusing, and their spiritual elements pretentious and without meaning. ( )

I had picked this one up some years ago, when I hadn’t yet read a lot of manga. I “didn’t get it” then. (Manga novices, take note: nothing to see here… ;)) This time, I enjoyed it very much. I know the tricks of the genre better and they make me happy.

I liked both Yuka the witch and Watanuki. Yuka runs a wish-granting shop and tricks Watanaki into working for her. Now stuff can happen, while Watanuki spends the rest of the volume reeling. Naturally, nothing is simple and nothing is what it seems when it comes to people’s wishes. Magic, horror, humour and slapstick were an enjoyable mix.

The drawing style is beautiful, with Art Nouveau influences. Sometimes it felt too pretty, but it’s not something to complain about in this case.

There is a cliffhanger at the end, it must be a sign that I’ll be reading more of this series :) ( )

ok ( )

I had heard good things about this manga and when I saw volume 1 on the shelf, I picked it up.

I didn't care for it that much. It's confusing - both pictures and story. There is a teenage boy who sees spirits who goes to work for a modern day witch who will grant wishes - for a price. The premise is good but I was a bit confused the entire time. I know some of what is referenced can be found in other manga I haven't read. I'm not sure if there were moral lessons I was supposed to be taking from this, like - don't lie - and if you have a bad habit, fix it for you and no one else. Those topics were covered but I wasn't very satisfied in how the tale was told. ( )