Wish, Volume 2

This may very well be my favorite volume in the series. The story gets into stride in this one. And, if not for any other reason, buy this volume to see Shuichiro's mother. She ranks as one of the most beautiful manga characters ever created. And her name is Hotaru, like Hotaru-chan of SailorMoon (Sailor Saturn) which is a beautiful name that suits them both so well. She even has purple eyes, so Koryo-kun points out. (I don't know the honorific intended for him but he's a `kun' to me =^-^= ) One of the reviewers mentioned that there is an allusion to incest in the book, but I'm afraid he (or she) didn't read the book very well or even read the whole series. I don't know if Tokyopop dubbed it down or something, but it is stated quite clearly, once by Hotaru-sama (have to call her that) and once by Shuichiro's grandfather, that Shuichiro is NOT, I repeat NOT, her son. In fact, he's not his grandson either. Shuichiro was found by the man who became his father (all the names sound just like Shuichiro so I can't remember them!) and who married the mysterious and beautiful Hotaru. I don't think he was a baby either, I think his grandfather said a `kid'. It would make sense that a kid would fall in love with his foster mother, or believe himself in love. Especially if said mother is an incredible beauty who appears to be no more than fifteen. Do the math. And its more desperation than anything that makes him say, `aren't I enough?' But think what you like. Don't by this book if: a. You have an allergic reaction to flowers b. Romance makes you go `ew' Do by this book if: a. You want to see a young Shuichiro with long hair b. You want to see Koryo totally hitting on Shuichiro (don't worry; it's all very innocent and hinted at) In this book, my favorite character besides the enigmatic Shuichiro-san, Koryo-kun, goes back in time with Kohaku-chan (I'm putting on my own honorifics for fun, so back off!) to find out more about Shuichiro. San. I don't want to give away more than that, but if you want more beautiful moments and lovely artwork, buy this book. A complaint about Wish is its artwork. Yes, the artwork is different from other CLAMP works, but that's because the artist is different. What you are seeing is neither worse artwork, nor bad artwork. You are seeing a different style. The artwork is really beautifully done in thin pen lines and beautiful, light and airy pages. Like Naoko Takeuchi-sensei, the artwork may seem awkward but that is due to the different style, not lack of talent. I mean, a person who can draw the gorgeous-hunk-of-man that is Shuichiro and so-much-more-gorgeous-but-not-so-much-man Koryu can not be lacking talent, okay? Okay. The second problem is that the angels call each other fat and chubby when they are pretty skinny and have `no hips, no ass' but they are merely referring to their `super deformed' or chibi selves, not their true forms. Finally, some people seem to have a problem with the plot. Well, romances aren't

In this volume, the angel Kohaku is still trying to figure out what wish she could possibly grant for Shuichiro, the hard-working doctor who probably has the best poker face in existance. In order to find out how she can help him, she goes back in time and discovers startling things about his past and his family. This isn't the best of the Wish books, but it's still really good. I like all the characters, although the demons are my favorites. It's a cute series, and I would recommend it to most people.

The second volume is the only one that I've read from this series but all I can say is that it was extremely enjoyable. In this book, Kohaku travels back in time with koryu to solve the mystery of Shuichiro's mother's disappearance (*sigh* his mother's so beautiful). I don't know about the other's, but this volume is a little wistful and nostalgic, since it's a look into the past. It is beautifully written and I love Mick Nekoi's style. I especially like the simplicity and innocence of this story which is refreshingly different from Clamp's other works such as the action packed series of Magic Knight Rayearth and X/1999 (although they're really good too). I understand that not everyone will enjoy reading this, but if you like to read about simple joys of life and love, then I would recommend this book to you.

This continues the story from the first volume. An important thing to note for those concerned: In this volume, it is revealed that the main supposedly female character is NOT a female at all but in fact is genderless (being an angel). This was a concern of mine in the previous volume, but it is now revealed for all to see in Volume 2. :)Of course, the story is expanded upon, and there's a bit of foreshadowing as the characters gain momentum. You can see the transition of "growing up" beginning for Kohaku.All in all, I really enjoyed it!

I've been reading Clamp's excellent works for a while know, so it should not be a surprise when I picked up Wish. It's absolutely fanastic! Compared to Clamp's heavier titles such as X or Tokyo Babylon this one is simple and not overly complex. After reading it I felt geninuely happy, which is rare when I read a book