High school student Miu Asahina has a hard time managing her time. She just never seems to have enough of it. When she stumbles upon a shop that loans time in exchange for memories, she is captivated by the store’s mysterious owner, Kusaka. He tells of her destiny as a go-between, helping maintain the order of the time stream. As she works in the time shop and gets to know its customers, will Miu be able to help them or will they have to pay the full price for the time they borrow?
Kishi’s story is light and fluffy, but has a good heart. His characters are interesting, with Miu’s earnestness, Kusaka’s cryptic nature, and even the talking frog who isn’t as annoying as he might be in another story. The patrons of the time shop have slightly angsty needs—to meet a possible boyfriend on the same night as a major surgery, to earn a parent’s acceptance, to fulfill a personal dream—and they offer gentle life lessons to the reader. Ichinose’s art is soft, but beautiful and even though his characters look much younger than they are, their attractiveness adds an element of romance to the fantasy tale. This quiet, all ages manga is a nice shojo fantasy companion to Ultra Maniac.
Time Guardian, vol. 1
Story: Daimuro Kishi; Art: Tamao Ichinose
ISBN: 978-1-4012-1161-5
CMX, 2007
