Captive Hearts by Matsuri Hino

Title: Captive Hearts
Mangaka: Matsuri Hino
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: Approx. 200
# of Volumes: 5
My Rating: 3.5/5

Megumi Kuroishi is a university student who have been living a luxurious life for the past two years. It was because for many generations, his family served the prosperous Kogami family and gained their trust. When the recent Kogami family left to China many years ago, they were proclaimed dead and Megumi's father receive their mansion because of the master's will. All is well until he found out their only daughter survived. Good-bye future fortune!

When Suzuka Kogami first appeared, Megumi is found kneeling in front of her to welcome her home and started calling her Princess! He is weirded out that he was acting like a servant when he have done nothing of that sort for the Kogami family who was gone fourteen years ago! He found out from his father that their ancestor, Kuronekomaru, tried to steal an heirloom scroll from the Kogami family. When he opened it up, him and his family (including descendants) was cursed to serve the Kogami family forever by the Dragon God guarding the scroll!

Suzuka is a sweet girl and does not wish for Megumi to follow her around like crazy due to the curse. Is there a way for Megumi to rid the curse? How would their relationship work out if they do?

In the beginning, I read it through it so quickly that I had to read it again slowly so I could do this review. It shows that this is one of the mangas were you have to pause to read. This is Matsuri Hino's debut manga and to say it wasn't as great as MeruPuri. I'm not sure if I would consider it better than Vampire Knight or the other way around. (One of her most recent series still in publishing. I may or may not do a review on it). There are cute parts within the manga but I think the storyline went a little to quickly for my liking. MeruPuri was the same but that was the start of the second volume, which is good because most of the time some series start to get boring after the first volume. Hence, since this first volume went by so fast, I don't think it the second volume need to be made at all! There are a couple of loose strands that the second volume may clear it but it is not the ones that bother the heck out of you. A cute read but you would have to catch your breath to read it or else you would get lost. The first volume contains two short stories at the end.

Review copy provided by Viz.

MeruPuri by Matsuri Hino

Title: MeruPuri: Marchen Prince
Mangaka: Matsuri Hino
Age Group: Young Adults
# of Pages: Approx. 720 for whole series
# of Volumes: 4
My Rating: 5/5

How high are your standards when you are looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend? Well, Airi Hoshina is a young Japanese high school girl who dreams of having a perfect husband and gets to live in a cozy home. Her standards are set very high and she even once turned down a guy who asked her out at graduation because she didn't think they were meant to be. She is waiting for her perfect soul mate.

All changed when one day Airi was running late for school. She accidentally dropped a star-shaped mirror that used to belong to her great-great-great-(great?) grandmother. A young boy came out of the mirror and when Airi came back looking for it, he was holding the mirror in his hand. His name is Astale=Ei=Daemonia Eucharistia Aram, or Aram for short. Airi felt sorry for him because he has to wait for his companion so she decided to take him until he is picked up.

Little did she know, he is prince from a magical kingdom called Astale. He is trying to escape from his older brother who hates him earlier by crossing into her world for safe hiding. Unfortunately, before he passed through in time, his brother already casted a spell on him! It causes him to grow older every time he is in the absence of light. Imagine the shock Airi is in when she woke up with a handsome looking seventeen years old boy sleeping beside her!

The only way for Aram to turn back to his cute seven years old self is to get a kiss from his fair maiden. He chose Airi as his fair maiden but she refused to give away her first kiss in the beginning. Aram can not get back to his own world without his powers so Airi is stuck babysitting him! What in the world will happen to these two?

To be honest, the first time when I bought the first volume, I was not completely into it. It was about nearly a year later that I decided to get the second volume because I didn't know what else to buy for my manga collection. And oh my gosh! It gets so intense! The next day I bought the last two volumes and it was completely worth it! If you are a manga and shojo fan like I, pick up this book! My review for this series is very vague because I don't want to spoil anything. So go get it now!