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Crown, Vol. 1 (2009)

by Shinji Wada(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1605100056 (ISBN13: 9781605100050)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Go! Comi

series

Crown

review 1: Crown by Shinji Wada and You Higuri is a shojo romance manga. Our heroine is high school girl, Mahiro Shinomaya, who lost her parents recently and some cousins came and took over the house her parents owned, turning Mahiro out into the street. She was taken in by some restaurant owners (who conveniently explain the backstory), but Mahiro insists on working for them and also for other various jobs around the city to help pay for her upcoming college. While on her second job of the day, directing traffic, Mahiro tries to direct a car around but it stops instead, two gorgeous men getting out of it. Mahiro is kidnapped and the car speeds away before she can do anything.The two men don't seem to be too threatening, despite the kidnapping, and put Mahiro up at an expensive condo... more/hotel for the night, along with a basket of oranges, Mahiro's favorite fruit. The next morning, things come to light - one of the two men who kidnapped Mahiro is her elder brother, Ren, whom she'd all but forgotten except for her love of the scent of oranges. He and his best friend, Jake, are mercenaries, out to protect Mahiro from the evil queen who wants both Ren and Mahiro dead as they are the heirs to the small kingdom island of Regalia. They had been sent away for protection against their father's second wife.Mahiro has a magic power (what good is a shojo romance without one, right?), in that she is a dowser. She has a gorgeous crystal pendant around her neck and she uses it as a pendulum and to dowse with. Her mother was so good, she could locate diamonds in mines with her ability and it appears that Mahiro is just as good, if not better, than her mother.Mahiro has been located by the queen's men and the attacks do not take long to start - on Mahiro's sixteenth birthday, Ren and Jake take her out to Roppongi Hills, the playground of tourists and the rich, only to stage a game of cat and mouse with the men trying to kill Mahiro. In the end, Roppongi Hills is all but destroyed by the explosives Ren and Jake have set.The storyline is interesting, a blend of sweet and deadly (there are some murders that take place 'on screen', as it were, and Ren and Jake are seen wielding the knives/guns that cause said murders). I would like to see more, as Ren and Jake have already grown on me. Mahiro will take a little time, she's such a sweet, chirpy thing.Storyline and art give this one an 'A' grade. You should try it.
review 2: 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:5.0 out of 5 stars A fine mixture of cute & action!, December 10, 2009This review is from: CROWN Vol. 1 (Paperback)I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this manga. The first few pages made it seem like it was going to be more action-y, yet soon after that I was introduced to the character of Mahiro- a cutesy anime girl if there were ever one. I have to admit, I didn't think I would like it- but I did!The plotline isn't exactly anything new, yet the authors manage to put their own unique spin on it. Mahiro is an orphan, having lost her parents in a horrific accident. To make matters worse, she's lost her home to selfish & greedy family members. It doesn't seem like things will change until she is abducted by two strange men... one of whom is her long lost brother! Unbeknownst to Mahiro, the two of them are heirs to a throne currently occupied by their evil aunt, who would be happier with the two of them dead. Add into this several action filled fights & a strange diamond pendant, & you have 'Crown'. (Don't worry- I didn't know what to think of the summary the first time I read it either!)Really, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this manga & how much I'd originally thought I wouldn't like it. I was sure that it would be another new manga filled with cliches & nothing really new. I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the dynamics between Mahiro, her brother Ren & his best friend Jake. The author manages to make the relationship between Mahiro & her brother cute & close without making it overly ecchi (there's a little there, but not that much), which is nice- too many manga would have turned it into a series of running gags. I also liked the mixture of action, humor & drama. It wasn't entirely a perfect mix, but it was a nice one. It's something that will appeal to those who want something cute, but want something with a little bite to it.Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to most readers. Fans of die-hard cute or die-hard action may be a little bored, but the rest of us will love this series & long for the next volume to be released! less

Download links for: Crown, Vol. 1

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