About the Mangaka
Tsuda Mikiyo is one of two pen names, the other being Zao Taishi. No idea what her real name is sorry. The reason for the two names was to keep the fact that she drew manga about gay relationships from her family. Under her Mikiyo name she would release shojo comedy stories, and yaoi/yuri is released under the Taishi name.
About the Manga
Initially I had planned to include this volume in my Princess Princess review, but after reading it several things made me decide to give it it’s own.
The art in this stand alone volume looks and feels a lot better than the original series. The characters are better designed, with a more consistent feel to their looks. The surrounding art is also greatly improved, with attention being given to even the small areas.
The basic art is pretty much the same as the previous series, which makes it easy to follow on reading from. Also all of the previous characters make an appearance at various times in the volume. Like the rest of the art they’ve also improved a great deal. Though it’s harder to really say since their designs were set in stone previously. However their designs are sharper and more refined.
The two characters this volume, Matsuoka and Izumi are well drawn, and I have to admit tat looks wise they do rival Yuu and Tohru. However something about them feels a bit wrong to me.
As with all single volume titles the story progresses at a rather fast rate, and while it doesn’t really feel rushed, another volume or so would have done the series wonders.
Story wise I have to admit I do feel this had a potentially stronger premise than the original series. But due to it only being a single volume it’s never really given a chance to grow.
Like the pervious series this one is mainly about the relationship between the two princesses, and I have to admit I like how this unfolds. The varying troubles they go through before reaching a sort of friendship, losing it, then reaffirming their friendship.
Like I said the previous three princesses return and act as a sort of guide for the new pair. I found Mikoto to be the funny this time around. His attitude was bloody funny, though he doesn’t get much screen time.
Yuu and Tohru try and help fix the rift between our two princesses, and while they do, it has a rather unexpected rebound effect. I found this rather funny, but at the same time a bit off.
Arisada returns, and his megalomania has reached an all new high. However after reading the volume I wondered just what his place in the volume was. Since frankly he doesn’t fit in on any level, I got the impression he was added purely to fill page count. Especially since it’s never built on again.
The one aspect of the volume that really disappointed me was the number of extras in the volume. At one point she says she can’t do anymore due to the page count. I feel that if that was the case then she should have scrapped the extras and used the pages to carry on the story.
One of the things about this volume that changes from the previous ones, is that the guys are given fake breasts, though they’re not always obvious. I’m glad Mikiyo didn’t given them to big ones, since that would have spoilt the characters I feel.
The outfits are also more free flowing than previously, no goth loli looks this time as such. I loved this volumes outfits as well, though the back cover art was my fave. Cowgirl outfit was awesome.
There is a minor inconsistency between the original series and this one. At the end of Princess Princess they choose three princesses, saying it works for a better balance. However in this volume it’s suddenly only two princesses, with no explanation as to the why. Though it’s most likely due to only the one volume, but it would of been better if a reason was given in the manga as well.
The reason I gave this it’s own review was because it comes from a new label. Princess Princess was released by Digital Manga Publishing, however this volume was released by Doki Doki Books; an imprint of DMP.
Sadly the difference between the two is visible from the outset. Firstly the volume is a normal manga. No slip covers, no inside cover art, and smaller than the Princess Princess volumes.
The quality is superb, however compared to the Princess Princess volumes, it looks a bit woe begotten.
The translation was smooth and consistent and flowed really well. I also found this volume to have a total lack of guttering. Which gets a huge thumbs up from me. The editing for the most part was pretty good, and easy to read. However there were a few times, mainly thought text, that were hard to read properly, especially if the background was dark.
All told I liked this volume and it’s a great addition to the Princess Princess fold, though I hope we get more in the series.
Where to Buy
