Mahoraba -Heartful Days-

Foth-Bite is having a lot of fun fansubbing this charming “fairy tale of how a prince meets a princess” (with special problems,) a story of how two teenagers get to learn about each other.

Episode 5 has just been release (as of 2/15/05), and I do want to share with you as to how charming this series appears to be. With an innocent playfulness similar to Aa! Megami-sama! TV, this series might best be considered a comedic drama. But it is the many faces of Kozue that add a strong measure of complexity to spice up the story line. I am happy that this story focuses primarily on the main characters and their relationships, without having to resort to the overt violence of the Girls Bravo series, or the teen-angst of that appears in the Futakoi series.

Shiratori Ryushi is following his childhood dream of being a children’s book artist and now, at the age of (almost) 19, he has to move to Tokyo to attend the art school that will further his career. It is to far for him to commute from home, so his mother arranges for him to move into an old-single-story apartment complex owned by her cousin. When Ryushi arrives, he is greeted by a very shy and charming apartment landlady, Aoba Kozue, the teenaged daughter of his mother’s cousin (more correctly his second cousin,) whom he does not remember ever having met. But Kozue does remember him, and talks about having spent a day with a cute young Ryushi some ten years ago. She remembers a young boy who dreamed of being a storybook artist and makes a heartfelt pledge to support him in achieving his goal.

But there are only eight apartments in the old traditional complex, and the other tenants are very interested in the new arrival, if only understand why Kozue is excited at his arrival and to warn him about Kozue’s special condition. They are all young and quirky people who consider the apartment to be their special home, and if Ryushi proves himself to be OK, then they might accept him as member of their apartment community……..

But it appears that Kozue is a princess who has many faces, (as in the Many Faces Of Eve,) and a tramatic event will prompt a change to the Kozue and bringing forth a different persona; a very different Kozue, one who does not remember having met Ryushi before and someone whom Rysushi has not yet met!

I like the fun drama of this series, and I am looking forward to the next episode.