Emma series (manga) by Kaoru Mori

(Please forgive this post - I know, I know, it's basically cheating, since I didn't really have to come up with anything new. My only excuse is that I've been really busy so far this week, and I'm tired. I'm also starting to run out of drafts to finish - I really need to create drafts for all the books and movies I've finished in the past couple months!)

Emma, a young maid in Victorian London, meets William, one of the gentry, and the two fall in love. Unfortunately, William's family objects to his interest in Emma because of the differences in their social classes. In an effort to forget about their feelings for one another, Emma leaves London to work as a maid in a large household, and William tries to be a good heir and do as his social class dictates. William eventually ends up engaged to a young lady who's much more acceptable to his parents than Emma, but William finds it difficult to be happy about his engagement after he is reunited with Emma. Both William and Emma have to figure out what they're going to do about their feelings for each other, and their decisions will have repercussions not only for themselves, but also for those around them, especially in William's case.

This is a slow-paced, romantic historical drama. The characters are a big appeal of this series. They are almost all interesting, and many of the characters are well-developed. Mori uses extended flashbacks to show readers the pasts of certain characters, like William's parents. Since Mori often does not reveal characters' thoughts, these flashbacks provide readers with more information about characters' motivations.

Another appeal of this series is its historical aspects. Although it's difficult for me to say how accurate the Victorian details (behaviors, clothing, etc.) are, since I don't know much about that time period, Mori is very interested (some might say obsessed) with all things old and British, and she puts as many appropriate details as she can in her artwork and dialogue. In keeping with the slow pace of the series, Mori often takes the time to show characters performing everyday tasks - for instance, servants shining silver or caring for clothing.

The gentle romance is also an appealing aspect of this series. William and Emma's relationship develops slowly. In the first couple volumes, they don't actually see each other often, and, when they do, they blush a lot, talk to each other, and visit certain Victorian London attractions. It's not until much later that William and Emma kiss - this is as far as their relationship goes within the manga's drawings, although, by the end of the series, it's quite likely that Emma and William will soon be getting married.

This series is suitable to recommend to just about anyone, but those who recommend it should be aware that several of the volumes include female nudity (the characters are fully nude, although the most that readers see are bare breasts and butts). These characters aren't doing anything objectionable, however, just being dressed by their servants or taking a bath. Actually, the nudity made me think more of nude drawings in art books more than anything else...

Overall, this is a lovely, slow-paced historical series.

If you'd like to see more information about the different volumes and the read-alikes and watch-alikes (why they were suggested, what they're about), then click on the links for the different volumes. I had a really hard time coming up with read-alikes and watch-alikes for this series, so some of my suggestions are a better fit than others, and some of them are really off-the-wall.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

Volumes 1-3

• Boys Over Flowers (manga) by Yoko Kamio; Boys Over Flowers (anime TV series)
  
• Ouran High School Host Club (manga) by Bisco Hatori; Ouran High School Host Club (anime TV series)
  
• The Gentleman's Alliance Cross (manga) by Arina Tanemura
  

Volume 4

• Fruits Basket (anime TV series); Fruits Basket (manga) by Natsuki Takaya
• Maria Watches Over Us (anime TV series)

Volume 5

• Romeo x Juliet (anime TV series)
• Mushi-Shi (anime TV series); Mushi-Shi (manga) by Yuki Urushibara
• Fruits Basket (anime TV series); Fruits Basket (manga) by Natsuki Takaya
• Maria Watches Over Us (anime TV series)

Volume 6

• The Prisoner of Zenda (book) by Anthony Hope
• Fruits Basket (anime TV series); Fruits Basket (manga) by Natsuki Takaya
• Maria Watches Over Us (anime TV series)
• S.A (manga) by Maki Minami; S.A (anime TV series)
• The Initiation (book) by L.J. Smith
  

Volume 7

• Maria Watches Over Us (anime TV series)
• Shirley (manga) by Kaoru Mori
• Land of the Blindfolded (manga) by Sakura Tsukuba
• Fruits Basket (anime TV series); Fruits Basket (manga) by Natsuki Takaya

Gakuen Alice series (manga) by Tachibana Higuchi

Ten-year-old Mikan and Hotaru are classmates and best friends. One day, Hotaru tells Mikan that she's leaving to attend Alice Academy, a mysterious and elite school for geniuses. Mikan is heartbroken, but she becomes determined to go to Hotaru and become a student at Alice Academy as well. On her way there, Mikan meets at teacher from the academy and finds out that the meaning of "Alice" is not "genius" but "special ability" (we're talking telekenesis, the ability to quickly and easily create amazing inventions, etc.). After Mikan proves that she has an Alice, a special ability, she is allowed to become a real student at Alice Academy. Unfortunately, Alice Academy students are allowed little contact with the outside world, and there are many secrets that the academy and its teachers are hiding.

This comedic/romantic fantasy series is mostly light-hearted and sweet. Although Mikan isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box, she's a cheerful and trusting girl who's good at getting others to open up. The premise, a school for students with special abilities that has a lot of secrets, is not an original one, but Higuchi's story is still an enjoyable read. Readers may enjoy the many details Higuchi provides about life at Alice Academy - in addition to details provided within the story, there are also extras that give details about things such as school uniforms and Alice nullification items.

The characters are another draw of this series. There are many characters, each with distinctive personalities - most readers should be able to find at least one character they like, if not more. Even characters who aren't necessarily nice to Mikan and her friends are made interesting by the secrets and complexities they have that Higuchi hints at.

Overall, I'd say that this series would appeal to a wide range of ages. However, there are some instances in the story that might offend the sensibilities of some readers. For instance, one of the teachers has an Alice involving pheromones - he mainly uses it to deal with overly aggressive students. His pheromones overwhelm children's systems when he kisses them, causing them to pass out. There's nothing sexual about this, and the kiss is just a peck, but it may still upset some readers. Also, at the end of volume 2, Mikan sleeps in the same bed as one of her male teachers, someone she considers a friend. Once again, there is nothing sexual about this - she's 10 years old, has had a scary day, and needs the comfort of being near an adult for a bit. However, as with the pheromone power, this has the potential to upset some readers.

If you'd like to see more information about the different volumes and the read-alikes and watch-alikes (why they were suggested, what they're about), then click on the links for the different volumes.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

Volume 1

• Kodocha (anime TV series)
• Ceres: Celestial Legend (manga) by Yuu Watase
• The Strange Power (book) by L. J. Smith
• Midnight for Charlie Bone (book) by Jenny Nimmo

Volume 2

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (book) by J. K. Rowling
• Arrows of the Queen (book) by Mercedes Lackey
• The Strange Power (book) by L. J. Smith
• Fruits Basket (anime TV series); Fruits Basket (manga) by Natsuki Takaya

Volume 3 [added 9/17/08]

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (book) by J. K. Rowling
• The Strange Power (book) by L. J. Smith

Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber

This series focuses on the adventures of Raven Madison, the only Goth in the small town she calls Dullsville. She's got an odd sort of love/hate relationship going on with one of her school's jocks, her only friend is a girl named Becky who's nice but not Goth, and her family doesn't understand her. Then one day someone moves into the old abandoned mansion in Dullsville, and all Raven's wishes come true, because the new guy, Alexander, is hot, dresses in black just like her, and may be a vampire.

Every book in this series is short, under 200 pages (or at least not much over 200 pages), and probably won't be too daunting for those who don't generally enjoy reading. Readers who like vampires, a smidgen of romance, and adventure of the sneaking-around and clue-finding sort might like this series. Some readers may identify with Raven, who doesn't really feel like she fits in anywhere in her small town - don't worry, though, Raven may dress in black, but she's not the moping sort. She's energetic, determined, and curious, and she loves all things dark and creepy. Raven and Alexander occasionally end up in danger, but things always work out all right in the end.

If you'd like specifics about the storylines of each book and what I thought each book's strengths and weaknesses were, you'll have to click on the links below to get to the original posts I published.

I'm not going to mark down which of these read-alikes and watch-alikes apply to the series as a whole, since I think they all apply. If you're curious about specific information for these books, manga, and shows, click on the links - they'll take you to the posts I wrote for each of Ellen Schreiber's books. At the end of each of these posts are the read-alike/watch-alike lists, with more information about the recommendations and why I chose them.

Book 3 - Vampireville

• Got Fangs? (book) by Katie Maxwell
• Chibi Vampire (manga) by Yuna Kagesaki
• Daughters of Darkness (book) by L.J. Smith
• Secret Vampire (book) by L.J. Smith

Book 4 - Dance With a Vampire

• Daughters of Darkness (book) by L.J. Smith
• Got Fangs? (book) by Katie Maxwell
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (live action TV series)
• The Wallflower (manga) by Tomoko Hayakawa