During the reading of her grandfather’s will, Kazura discovers she’s been left to Mizuki in return for the cancellation of her grandfather’s debts and Mizuki expects her to be his fiancé! Mizuki, only a year older than Kazura, is moody, secretive, and determined to keep Kazura away from his prying family. He moves her into his home, enrolls her in his school, and makes sure she attends flower arranging, tea ceremony, and etiquette classes. Kazura can’t figure out why Mizuki wants her there so badly, but her grandfather promised she’d stay, so Kazura is determined to honor that promise. It’s only after one of Mizuki’s cousins begins meddling that Kazura learn the truth: Mizuki supports his incredibly wealthy family by performing Soul Returns–calling back people’s souls from the dead. Kazura’s presence threatens Mizuki’s family ability to stay in control of Mizuki and his money. The artwork in this volume is refreshingly clear and the characters are easy to identify, with more than just hair color or glasses used to differentiate them. The story starts off slowly and the lack of translated special effects in either the text or an appendix makes things tough to follow at times. But as new characters are introduced and secrets are revealed the plot becomes richer and more intriguing, leaving the reader looking forward to future volumes and the possibility of more questions answered.
Platinum Garden Volume 1
by Maki Fujita
ISBN: 9781598163612
Tokyopop, 2006
