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Romance is in the air and nobody brings it to you better than VIZ! Time and time again VIZ brings you great romantic titles that span multiple genres. You can get fantasy, horror, and cute romantic comedies. This time around I’m all hung up on Fushigi Yugi, the Magic Touch and a few more!

The VIZ BIG Edition’s of Fushigi Yugi are my greatest guilty pleasure! While many people will turn away from Fishigi Yugi for being full of too much fluff I cling to it and all its glorious beauty. When Miaka and her lifelong friend, Yui, find The Universe of the Four Gods they are transported to an ancient Chinese Kingdom. Miaka is thought to be the Priestess of Suzaku and begins a quest to find the Seven Celestial Warriors to help save the Kingdom and even have some of her own wishes granted. In this second set of volumes Tamahome gives himself to the enemy to buy Miaka some time to find the last of the Celestial Warriors but in doing so almost loses himself to darkness. Miaka may not know a lot about life and romance but she knows that she loves Tamahome more than anything and for her there is nothing worse than being without him.

Fushigi Yugi getting put out in the big editions is one of this Otaku’s greatest dreams come true. Not only do I get to revisit one of my all time favorite tales but it’s larger, on great paper, with glorious color pictures filling the back pages, and you get three volumes in one for the price of two! This is a pretty long series and especially with more and more people having to tighten their budgets this is one great way to save a few extra dollars and actually get more for what you paid for. If you haven’t read Miaka’s story you really should give it a try. The bond between Miaka and Tamahome is strong and beautiful.
In Magic Touch volume 2 Chiaki is abducted by a really strange guy! After escaping Chiaki returns to the massage club training as if nothing had happened, that is until the strange guy shows up again. This guy just happens to be Asato Ohnuki and he’s a star in the massage world!  It’s not long before Yosuke is filled with jealously as this guy tries to move into his territory with Chiaki. There are many sides to Yosuke that Chiaki has never seen before and she begins to wonder if she really knows him at all.

Magic Touch is fun and cute with jokes that on one side are very innocent and on the other could easily be seen with naughty intent! Chiaki is super cute and her innocence and determination is what makes the story enjoyable. Watching Chiaki blush and run away from her boyfriend will bring back all those embarrassing memories of first loves and the confusion of dealing with your first relationship. My only complaint with the story is that there are far too many times that scenes change or flash backs occur and there is no real transition. There were so many times that I had to go back and read several pages because one second everything is going along smooth and then suddenly everything just gets all jumbled and then after a few more pages goes back to normal again. Sometimes you’ve switched point of view and sometimes you’re in a flash back but even after trying to piece it together it remains confusing.

St. Dragon Girl volume 2 is just as festive and colorful as the gorgeous cover implies! Seriously, the cover alone got probably half of my attention. I don’t know how many times I was reading and felt the urge to turn back to the front and just get my fill of eye candy! The colors are bright and vivid and they alone draw you in and fill you with such warmth. I would love to own a dress as beautiful as Momoka’s in that picture. As far as the story goes Momoka the dangerously awesome martial artist with a reputation to back her up continues to cause trouble, kick butt, and of course help to save the day! Ryuga, her child hood friend and her crush, is as always infuriating and lovable all at once. In the first mini arc Momoka and Shunran are shopping for Christmas presents and they find the ghost of a small boy. Shunran wants to keep him company but the longer she stays with him the more her own health deteriorates.  Once New Years comes around Momoka finds herself protecting a small child only to find out she’s actually a divine beast trapped on earth because she lost a wing. This little story was my favorite! Later Ryuga has to pass a Kou family test and no one is allowed to help him. If he can’t do it then Kouryu will have to step in and finish it for him. After spending so much time with Kouryu will Momoka start to feel differently about him?  I love this series! The story is told with a good balance of silly fun and actual character growth. Just enough of each to let you enjoy a great fantasy without getting caught up in too many details. The art is great throughout and Momoka’s hair and clothing actually change like a normal person’s would which always makes me happy to see. You don’t need to memorize a hair style and outfit to know which character you’re actually looking at.

Then of course there is Otomen volume 2. Asuka is perfect! He loves girly things like cooking, sewing, and cute fluffy toys and he loves his romance. This is a boyfriend you can actually curl up on the couch with and watch romantic comedies that would have your average guy running for cover or mocking you and your tastes. In this volume Asuka has an admirer that almost seems like a tiny Asuka in the making, but which Asuka? The “strong and manly” Asuka or the “gentle lover of all things girly” Asuka? Well it wouldn’t be funny if he wanted to be girly so of course this fan of Asuka’s wants to be just as tough and strong as everyone things he is. With more than one close call Asuka almost loses his protégé in the worst way possible! Then if things weren’t hard enough for him his mother tells him that it’s time for him to meet his future wife! Asuka already loves Ryo, how can he possibly love some other girl! If only someone could save him! Otomen is definitely on my list of all times favorites. I almost passed it up because it was about a boy and I must admit I would rather read about a strong girl than a guy any day but Asuka is special. He’s strong and he’s girly. He isn’t a jerk but he isn’t a push over either. This is a guy that any girl would be lucky to hook up with and there is nothing better than seeing him grow into his true self and fall in love!

With these VIZ titles you’ll be in no short supply of sweet daydreams spawned from these magical stories and their beautiful art! Grab a seat in a fluffy chair with your favorite warm drink and fall in love with these characters and their stories!