Saint Tail #1

Rating:
Summary: Cool!
Review: Kaitou Saint Tail (Or, translated here as "Saint Tail") is about a young girl named Meimi who transforms into Saint Tail, a theif who takes stolen items and returns them to their owners. Her rival is a boy in her Catholic school class- Asuka Jr. Asuka is the son of a detective who wants nothing more than to capture Saint Tail to get his name made for the future. With the help of her best friend Seira, who is a sister-in-training, Saint Tail has many daring(and somewhat romantic...)encounters with her enemy Asuka Jr. Saint Tail #1 also includes two bonus stories that Ms. Tachikawa wrote earlier in her career. Megumi Tachikawa is an amazing manga artist and this is a fine example of her beautiful work. This is a great beginning shoujo manga, and I would reccomend it to anyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Rating:
Summary: Simple and sweet
Review: Saint Tail isn't going to win any awards for ground-breaking plot, but if you're looking for a sweet story, look no further. Each chapter has Meimi, the main character, performing a theft as Saint Tail. However, she never steals without reason, and after the theft, everyone is happier. Her life is complicated by a schoolmate, Asuka Jr., who is determined to catch the mysterious thief.

Also in this volume are two short stories. One is a take off of "The Little Mermaid," the other a story about using magic to win a love.

The translation for this volume is very smooth, allowing the characters to retain their little idiosyncrasies. In all, this is a wonderful example of shojo manga (girls' comic) that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Rating:
Summary: Cute, funny, romantic, and magical.
Review: This book is a must read for anyone who is totally into manga. It's all about this eighth grade girl who is secretly the thief Saint Tail. There's a twist to all of her thefts, Saint Tail only strikes those who have acquired their items through wicked ways. She is a good theif if there ever was one. Meanwhile, Saint Tail is being tracked down by the son of a detective, Asuka Jr. In her disguise as common schoolgirl Meimi leaves various calling cards to challenge the "great" deductive skills of Asuka Jr. I left a WHOLE lot out and I'm not tellin' what so you'll just have to read it and find out. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books like Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura, or to anyone who is into manga. This book is totally sweet and charming with a magical and romantic twist, sort of like a hint of lemon (although not nearly so sour).

Rating:
Summary: Definitely not for those with a need for the shonen style!
Review: This is cute. I mean, WAY cute. Saint Tail steals items and returns them to their rightful owners. But she doesn't do it alone. Her best friend, who is a nun in training, gathers the information for her and keeps watch.

Saint Tail's nemesis is a boy named Asuka Jr., who is the son of a famous detective. He is determined to catch her at any cost.

How will this play out? Watch and see!

Rating:
Summary: The cutest little thief!
Review: This is, quite honestly, the sweetest thing I have read in a long time. Megumi Tachikawa is new to the US manga scene but I think this one measures up to the well-established and revered Card Captor Sakura by the ever-wonderful CLAMP. Not only is the artwork a clean and pretty style, the storyline is refreshingly light and fun, with not too much romance trying to overpower it.

The story is interesting-something of a take on Robin Hood. A teenage girl, Haneoka Meimi, seems pretty normal by day-a student at St. Paulia Academy, a carefree girl. But at night, she becomes the famous thief Kaitou (phantom) Saint Tail-a thief who steals back things that have already been stolen for their proper owners. Chasing Saint Tail is the very determined son of a local detective-Asuka Junior, who just happens to be in Meimi's class at school to boot. Add to that a nun-in-training as a best friend and a million magic trics, and you get something truly new.

I won't wreck the plot here, but the first volume really delivers, and the scene at the end with Meimi and Asuka Junior is too cute for words. Not only that, but you get the added bonus of two original short stories from Tachikawa-"Portrait of a Morning Glory" and "A Music Box for Spring". In my opinion, the second is especially good.

So, for fans of shoujo manga in particular, I wholeheartedly recommend this! You won't be disappointed (and as a side note, check out the animated series, it's great too!)