Yurara, Vol. 1

Yurara may not be for everyone, but it was for me. I really liked this first volume and am interested in all the characters. Yurara Vol. 1 made me laugh, but I laugh at almost everthing (what is funny to me may not be to you). Chika Shiomi draws manga very 80's but her work is clean and only has what there needs to be not a detail more. Pick up Yurara, it might surprise you. It surprised me.

Yurara has been able to see ghosts since she was a young girl. This has lead to her living a life estranged from her peers who think her long periods of staring off in to space and sudden crying fits are unforgivably odd. Instead Yurara's strange actions are from her empathic connection to the spirits around her. She had thought that starting a new school would give her a new chance, unfortunately it turned out there were more restless entities there than anywhere else she had ever been. To top it off the ever flirtatious, popular and not to mention grabby, Mei, develops an instant interest for her, much to the dismay and jealousy of her female classmates. Soon Yurara finds that there are even greater forces at work, in her classmates, in the spirits drawn to the school and, most importantly, within Yurara herself. So much for fitting in! I really enjoyed this start of Shiomi's new series, even more than her Night of the Beasts manga. It had subtle humorous moments that I totally enjoyed. I love the interactions between Yurara, Mei and Yako and see a potential love triangle issue brewing. This manga was much, much better than I expected and I'm very excited about reading future volumes. This manga is rated for older teens, but thus far I haven't seen anything I think would be too offensive for younger teens as well.

I love ghost stories!!! And this one is one of them!!! I wonder why Yurara has a guardian Spirit? And what happened in Mei's past that makes him so mad at lonely spirits? This manga is a have to read!!! I still can't put the book down!!!

I bought this one tonight on a whim, and I LOVE it. I'm completely bummed the next one isn't out until September. It's coherent and different. Ghosts, well developed characters, some love stuff- all good. It sort of irks me the person before me rated this without having read it, only a preview. She edits it to say she really likes it, after having read the thing. This is deserving of four stars at least, and I give it five. If you like shojo with just a little something on the side in the way of mystery (think Fruits Basket) you'll like this series.