Kare Kano, Volume 2

You know that couple that was obviously meant for each other, and everybody knew it, except them? That"s Yukino and Soichiro, the two top students in school, who are capable of anything other than a normal relationship. Still, despite all they"ve been through, it seems they could finally be getting together. But now, the school"s token pretty boy, Hideaki, is intent on wedging himself in between them, for reasons they can"t begin to imagine.

Library Journal

Yukina and Soichiro are the top students at their high school, and everyone admires them for their grace. For Yukina it's all pretence and vanity-she lives for the adoration of others and wins it through the perfect persona she has created, hiding her true self beneath. Soichiro deals with himself strictly because he fears ending up like his criminal parents. When Soichiro accidentally sees Yukina with her guard down, they start down a road that brings them closer, and their feelings break down their facades. This is Tsuda's first series, and her artwork is not as polished as that in comparable series (such as Marmalade Boy), but it includes all of the right shojo (girls' comics) elements: flowers, falling cherry blossoms, expressionistic backgrounds. The series' highly acclaimed anime version is called His and Her Circumstances in its English translation-Kare Kano is an abbreviation for its original Japanese name. This is a compelling story of the awkwardness of first love, looking deep into the doubts and fears of two high achievers who find in each other the courage to be less than perfect. Strongly recommended for teens and adult manga fans. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.