GNW: Me & My Brothers, Vol. 1 by Hari Tokeino

I picked up the first volume of Me & My Brothers while perusing the graphic novel shelves of the Teen section at my local library. They have quite a bit of manga (pronounced: mah-nga), so I've been trying to find some new series' to check out. I picked this one up after a few failed attempts at finding something I like and didn't even read it until it was a day overdue. (Sorry, librarians!)

When fourteen year-old Sakura's grandmother dies, she's all alone. The old woman was the only family she had- or so she thought. When she comes home to a house full of boys, she quickly learns that she has had four step-brothers the entire time and now they're here to take care of her. After the death of their mother, most of them had been split up between relatives, but these boys are more than ready to come back together for their baby sister. That is, if she'll have them.

Remember, manga is read from right to left.

Filled with family drama and adorable sibling relationships, I really enjoyed Me & My Brothers. As much as I love manga, I do have quite a hard time dealing with the inherent sexism particularly displayed in shoujo (manga written specifically for heterosexual women--see what I mean?). Therefore, I tend to lean more heavily toward the ones where the sexism is a little more subtle so I can enjoy the story and the artwork more fully.

I love Sakura and her brothers. Her brothers are protective and do everything they can to make their baby sister happy and she tries her best to do the same for them. They're all doing their best to become a family after having been torn apart so long ago and each has to figure out exactly what that looks like for them.

I definitely enjoyed the first volume and have already picked up volumes 2 and 3 from the library. I definitely recommend this one to manga readers as well as those who would like to dabble in the genre. (Also, for those of you who have read or watched Fruits Basket, you'll notice that Kyo and Ayame seem to have practical dopplegangers in the form of two of her brothers, which greatly amused me.)


Rating: ★★★★☆

GNW: A Bride's Story, Vol. 1 by Kaoru Mori

When Amir Halgal goes to live with her new groom and his family, she expects it to be difficult. After all, they are both from different cultures and her new husband is eight years younger than she. Amir is considered old for a bride and strange in more ways than one, but her new family is a kind one, as is her young husband.

Though they are different, they are determined to be a family now and Amir is loyal and loving to her core. Sometimes being different isn't all that bad. Perhaps Amir can teach her family a new thing or two and they can teach her about her new home and how to fulfill her position in it as well.

This isn't the first manga I've read, but it is certainly the most intricate when it comes to the artwork. The clothing and the tapestries, even the wood carvings are drawn to the finest detail. It's more than eye-catching, it's wholly captivating. I can't even imagine how long each frame must have taken the artist, much less how long the book itself took.

As for the story itself, I really enjoyed it. I haven't read much about the Silk Road, but I know enough to appreciate how well researched every part of this manga series has been and will no doubt continue to be. It's an interesting world to read about, much less get the chance to see into the way this manga allows the reader to do.

Amir is everything I hoped for in a heroine at that time. Yes, she's a lady and she knows her place, but she was also raised in a nomadic family where the women hunted and did their part as well. Her budding feelings for her husband are sweet and would be sweeter if there wasn't that uncomfortable knowledge that he's a child, but then that was how life was back then. It was a part of the culture and something you have to deal with when it comes to the story. She starts out with almost a sisterly role and, if the author lets enough time go by, it will be less uncomfortable as they grow older.

All in all, it's definitely an interesting manga and one I will definitely be reading more of in the near future.