Rating: 
Summary: A little bit... creepy. But good.
Review: This is described as "sweet" and "lovely" by other reviewers. I'm probably just a bad person or something, but initially I just get a sort of creepy feeling from it. Maybe you have to read the whole series to get it. Right now it's just disturbing me. I'm not saying it's not good; it's terrifically well written and drawn and told. I think part of the reason it's giving me the crawlies is *because* it's so well done. If it were silly, or dumb, it wouldn't be nearly so affecting. But Clamp - the quartet of women who write it - take their craft seriously, and it shows. Initially it's about a very, very innocent girl who lives alone. A man moves in next door. She likes him... The emptyness of the rooms, the teddy bears sitting on the floor to see her off and greet her; you can almost hear the silence of the house. That's what's giving me the shivers. Ignorance is not bliss. I'll probably have to read the rest of them or it's going to bug me forever.
Rating:
Summary: A little bit... creepy. But good.
Review: This is described as "sweet" and "lovely" by other reviewers. I'm probably just a bad person or something, but initially I just get a sort of creepy feeling from it. Maybe you have to read the whole series to get it. Right now it's just disturbing me. I'm not saying it's not good; it's terrifically well written and drawn and told. I think part of the reason it's giving me the crawlies is *because* it's so well done. If it were silly, or dumb, it wouldn't be nearly so affecting. But Clamp - the quartet of women who write it - take their craft seriously, and it shows. Initially it's about a very, very innocent girl who lives alone. A man moves in next door. She likes him... The emptyness of the rooms, the teddy bears sitting on the floor to see her off and greet her; you can almost hear the silence of the house. That's what's giving me the shivers. Ignorance is not bliss. I'll probably have to read the rest of them or it's going to bug me forever.
Rating: 
Summary: More than meets the eye
Review: This needs to be said, in my opinion. I loved this volume. There is much more to be said than 'it's cute'. For one thing, there is a lot of 'read between the lines' information, that gives greater insight into Hinata's character, and the other main and even sideline players. I found a very strong resemblance to Shidou Hikaru, from CLAMP's 'Magic Knight Rayearth' series. There's the naivete, that's been mentioned several times in the previous reviews, but there's also a delicate sense of responsibility and honor that may not be seen, initially. There are little hints and clues into Hina's past, and her teacher's intentions, that you may not initially see. At the risk of providing a spoiler, it is hinted and mentioned that Hina 'doesn't want anyone else to be hurt', that strongly implies she knows she was at fault for something in the past. That 'something' is possibly/likely the reason she decided to move away and by herself. The teacher's reasons for interest in Hina have also been implied to be less than honorable or at least less than straight-forward. I agree that the art style takes some getting used to, but the story is definitely not aimed for 'kiddies' despite appearances. She is innately a lonely character, that contributes to her willingness to disregard the blatant fact that there's much more going on, some of it quite obvious. There's much more involved, and the story will draw you in if you let it.
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