I.O.N

I'm not a big Arina Tanemura fan, but I'm working on a Listmania of short shojo, and I needed more entries. I really wasn't expecting much considering that this is one of Tanemura's early works, but I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, I thought the characters were cute. They weren't especially deep, but they were believable and sympathetic, and they all had funny moments. The romance didn't get very long to develop, but some chemistry did come across. I thought it was sweet. The story is good. It's a little random in one or two places, but it's not that noticable. The parts about psychic abilities were fun. I also thought the art was cute. It's a little overdone for my tastes, but it is well done, and it has a lot of detail. Overall, I thought this was a fun, cute manga. The plot and characters don't get enough time to develop much, but it's still a way to spend an afternoon.

Ion Tsuburagi has had a good luck charm since she was a child. Whenever she chants the letters of her name something good always happens. She has also had a lifelong dream concerning romance... The man she will fall in love with must have a dream, something he's passionate about, something he has to work towards. In high school the student council president, Kouki, starts pursuing her she has no interest in him. He's shutting down clubs he doesn't like and this turns Ion off of him and she tries to dodge him at all costs. During one of her attempted escapes Ion meets Mikado, the president of the Psychic Power Research Society, and she falls for him. He's so passionate about psychic ability, and this passion allures Ion to him in a nanosecond. Ion joins the PPRS, mostly to prevent its shut down, and things heat up between her and Mikado. Her good luck seems to be triggered by a substance he is researching and Ion soon discovers that her good luck can actually be attributed to true psychic ability. Kouki still does all he can to interfere, but something is developing between Ion and Mikado that psychic ability cannot account for... or is it merely that he is only interested in her as a research specimen? Cute and quirky this single volume by Tanemura will have readers squealing with glee. Her work is always good and the fact that this series is short and concise only improves the flow of her storytelling. As always, beautifully drawn, but even more beautifully conveyed. This is one of those series that Tanemura fans must have.

for the "first book by Arina Tanemura", Its pretty good. Even for a 1 volume series, this is a good addition to anyone's manga collection. The story is kind of odd and is different then what you'd expect. Though all the same, it's kinda cheesy. Only because her psychic powers aren't explained very well, but for a short story like this, it's still okay. Long time fans and new of Arina will quickly pick up on the charm and cuteness. And still in my opinion, way too overtoned, but some like that. Pick it up if you're a fan. If not, I recommend The Gentleman's Alliance. Read that first before this and get used to the art if that's somthing that might bother you.

...that's what this manga, ION, is mostly about. ION is a girl named Ion Tsuburagi, who uses her name as a jynx. She gets chased endlessly by the student council president, and one day, she just happened to jump out the window. Mikado Hourai, who is one of Ion's classmates, just happened to be there at the moment she jumped out. When Ion learns that Mikado is trying to create psychic powers, Ion becomes interested and decides to help with his work. That's all I am willing to say about this Tanemura-sensei's work. There is only 1 volume, but another cute story. At the time I am writing this review (sort of), I don't think ION has been published in the U.S. (I read ION from scanalations). But, if it does, be sure to read it, 'cause it's a great story!^_^