Title: MARS Volume(s): 15 Creator(s): Fuyumi Soryo Format: Unflipped; Right-to-Left Publisher: Tokyopop MSRP: $9.95 Genre(s): Romance Rated: Teen (13+)

When "MARS" was originally being published in Tokyopop's now defunct girl magazine "Smile," everyone thought it was one of the greatest shoujo's that had been written. "MARS" has everything that makes shoujo great: Likable characters, lots of story twists, obstacles to survive, and flowery artwork (where even the mens hands look like they reek of feminism). In Japan "MARS" was one of the best selling shoujo manga's ever written, and the series was popular enough to span a healthy 15 books. After reading this series as a whole I can definitely see what the appeal of this series is. The series is about two very different individuals: Kira and Rei. Kira is a silent artist, she doesn't speak to very many people, is very shy, and people question whether or not she even has any real friends (sorry for the lack of character description, but this is about as much as you find out about Kira in the first couple books). Rei is a trouble making punk, who is constantly taking trips to the principles office, loves motorcycle racing, and sleeps with a girl almost every weekend of the year. As you can clearly see, these two people have nothing in common, and there is no reason to believe that anything could bring them together. However fate has something else in mind.

The story begins one fateful morning, with Rei is looking for a medical center and has gotten completely lost. Rei then see's Kira sitting on a bench and asks the her for directions (please keep in mind that these two had not met until now). Kira draws a map for Rei, and then she leaves without uttering a single word to him. This would have been the end of the two knowing each other existed, however Kira gave Rei a piece of paper with a picture of a mother and her baby on the back of the paper, and Rei wants to know why this strange girl would throw away such a beautiful drawing (it is explained why Rei is so interested in this picture later on). When Rei finally meets up with Kira, all he finds out is that her name is Kira, that she is an artist, and that she would rather not get to know him (one thing he figures out on his own is that Kira is obviously a little shy). Again, this would normally be the end of their friendship, but fate again works its magic on the two. One day walking home from school, Kira see's Rei kiss a statue of MARS (long story behind that one) and she is so inspired by what she see's that she (shyly) asks him if he can model for her. This is where Rei and Kira's rocky relationship begins. From this point on we'll run into jealous ex-girlfriends, dark secrets, and situations where they need to learn more about themselves and each other.

Before I continue I am going to remind everyone that I can see why this series has great appeal. I'm reminding you of this because I'm going to explain why I'm not completely recommending this series even though I know why some people might get a kick out of it. Since this is a girls comic it should be noted that this series contains everything that makes comics like these such hits with women. This series has romance (obviously), comedy, lots of scene's that just make you go "awww," love rivals, selfish pricks that exist for the sole purpose of hating him/her, dark secrets, teens who have problems with their parents (trust me, this one is a given for shoujo these days), and basically every "chick flick" twist you can think of. When I read this the first time through I enjoyed myself. Really, I did. I enjoyed the series, but I when I was finished with it I couldn't really remember too much of the series itself. When I re-read it I realized it was because there wasn't too much stuff in here that was new or daring. When something happens in this series, you mentally start drawing a map of what the events you are reading is going to ultimately lead to.

For example (I'm going to try and keep this as spoiler free as I can):

There is one female character who refuses to let her boyfriend do more to her then give her a peck on the lips every now and then. At one point the couple gets lost in a moment of weakness and start making out. And before the poor guy realizes that anything is wrong, the girl screams for him to stop and is in tears. At that point I knew she had been raped. Since this is a comic I figured she had to have been raped by someone she trusted, so I ruled it down to a friend or family member (however I was leaning more towards the family member since those are the most traumatizing rapes out there). Sure enough, we find out that her step dad raped her once, and once we find that out I knew that the step dad would come home at one point in the story (most likely after something happened to her mom, which gives him an excuse to take care of them), and he would beg for forgiveness, and the girl would forgive the step dad with some lame excuse, and that he would make another move on her, and so on and so on...

This is the main problem with this story: It takes all the cliches of shoujo out there, and sets it up in a way that is very familiar. When a new twist comes up we KNOW where the story is going, we KNOW how the situation is going to turn out, and for the most part the audience doesn't really care that this is the case!! I say don't care because I am fully aware that this is a series geared torwards teenage girls. Romances like this are pure cotton candy, meaning that they are sweet and tasty but not filling. However do you hear girls at the state fair complaining that the cotton candy they just finished didn't really fill them up? Of course not. Why? Because it tasted good while it lasted. Girls are aware that this series has very few original bones in its body. They know this isn't a very original series, whether they know consciously or subconsciously is another story, but the point is they do know. However they don't really care because while it may not be a very original series it's sweet, it's tasty, and they don't really have to give the series much thought when it's done. So with that in mind I may not be the right person to be looking at when it comes to a fair judgement to a series like this. After all I am a male, and men tend to look for very different things in their comics, and this is one of Japan's best selling romance manga's for teens.

So maybe I'm the wrong person to be judging this series. Well I'd like to think otherwise, that despite the fact that I'm a male I DO actually know a thing or two about what makes a truly great girls series too. In my opinion series like "Kare Kano," "Boys Over Flowers," and "Girl Got Game" are teen romances which are MUCH better series then "MARS" is! The thing I have against "MARS" is mainly the fact that the series takes cheap shots to keep its readers. Every cliche you can think of is here, EVERYONE wants to break Kira and Rei apart at one point in the story, and the whole thing just reeks of familiarness! Yes, even the art is the standerd flowery shoujo stuff. You know, cute guys, beautiful girls, long shinny arms and legs, and those smiles that you could just die for! In other words, the artwork is nothing original, and while the art does work it is instantly forgettable, and I suspect that if you put Kira and Rei in a room with a bunch of other shoujo stars, then I doubt that they'd stand out from the crowd. However there is one character in this series that I would like to give a special mention to.

That character is Masao.

In a sea of cliches and speeches that could have been ripped straight from "How To Get A Boyfriend/Girlfriend For Dummies," Masao stood out as a complicated and unpredictable character that stood out above the rest. At first he was the typical pretty boy that looked so good you could confuse him for a girl, who was super shy, and just happened to be gay and in love with Rei. When Masao made his first appearance I rolled my eye's thinking that the author had just given us an idiot twist that seemed to do nothing more then serve as yet another road block for Kira and Rei. However Masao turned out to be one truly, TRULY sick, twisted, and downright evil character! His motivations and thoughts were as unpredictable as they were sick, and Masao added some much needed fresh air that this series was sorely lacking. In ten years I won't remember Rei, I most likely won't remember Kira, heck, I may not even remember exactly what "MARS" was, but I do know that I'll ALWAYS remember Masao! However in the end Masao turned out to only be important for a few of the books before being reduced to a mere cameo character, so he could only bring the grade up by about a notch or two.

And I'll say it again (just to make sure you don't forget); "MARS" is a series that has great appeal, and I can see why. It has everything girls love in a girls series, from the predictable but easy going story, to the flowery but forgettable art, to the beautiful characters that the readers can root for! However "MARS" is just simply not memorable, and I doubt anyone will TRULY remember this story for years to come (think cotton candy)! I mean let's be honest folks, if this was truly that popular in Japan how come it never had any drama CD's, movies, novels, anime, or even a lousy OVA produced for it? The reason is because unlike "Kare Kano," "MARS" is just too predictable to be anything but a fast easy read. How it even lasted 15 books I can't figure out. And this is another downside to the series. At $9.95 a piece, it will cost you about $150 to buy the whole series. And $150 is a LOT of money for cotton candy! Again, "MARS" is enjoyable while it lasts, but when it all comes down to it the series as a whole is not very memorable or original, and it ends up being a fun ride while it lasts. However when it's over it's over. Trust me.

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -