Dreamin' Sun, v. 2-4 by Ichigo Takano

Dreamin' Sun, v. 2 by Ichigo Takano - 180 pages
Dreamin' Sun, v. 3 by Ichigo Takano - 180 pages
Dreamin' Sun, v. 4 by Ichigo Takano - 180 pages

These volumes continue the story of Shimana as she tries to figure out her feelings for Asahi, Zen and the Landlord.

I thought the first volume of this manga was pretty cute.  However, the next two volumes nearly put me off the series completely.  Shimana's character is very annoying.  Her feelings seem very fickle.  She only things of herself.  And she is constantly looking to the boys to "save" her and tell her what to do.  The fourth volume was a little better as it started to delve into the mystery of the Landlord and his past.  However, I don't know if it is enough to keep me reading the series.

Dreamin' Sun, v. 1 by Ichigo Takano

Dreamin' Sun, v. 1 by Ichigo Takano - 180 pages

When Shimura Kameko runs away, she stumbles upon a strange man in the park.  He offers her a place to live on three conditions.

1.  Tell him the reason she ran away.
2.  Find his house key.
3.  Have a dream and fall in love.

Kameko quickly agrees to these terms and moves into a house that immediately feels like home.


I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.  From the description, I thought it was basically a retelling of Kamisama Kiss.  However, there are a lot of differences between the two -- the biggest being that there is no supernatural element to the story.  I will definitely read the next entry in the series.

Orange by Ichigo Takano

Orange, v. 1 by Ichigo Takano - 384 pages
Orange, v. 2 by Ichigo Takano - 384 pages

The day Naho starts 11th grade, she receives a letter from her future self giving her directions on how to save the life of new friend Kakeru.  Working with the letter's directions and with the help of her friends, can Naho save him?

This was an unusual manga.  It was a lot more serious in content than a lot of manga series that I have read in the past, even with the inclusion of the time travel story line.  The themes of self-confidence, depression, and suicide run through every story told in the collection.  I would recommend this to those who like more serious stories or a little mysticism with their realistic stories.