Title: Midori Days Volume(s): 8 Creator(s): Kazurou Inoue Format: Unflipped; Right-to-Left Publisher: Viz Media MSRP: $9.99 Genre(s): Action Rated: Older Teen (16+)

Ever feel as if the price for originality is going up faster then the price of gas these days? I find myself in that situation many times these days. I read so many comics that I don't review half of them now because there's almost no point to. When the only dfference between a series is the names of the characters, I feel my comic reading in a rut. Thankfully, I stumbled upon "Midori Days," which not only was a breath of fresh air, it proved that there are still a few original tricks to add to comics. "Midori Days" revolves around a seventeen-year-old boy named Seiji Sawamura. Seiji has a reputation around town for getting into tons of fights, having an additude, and his special attack (known to everyone as the "devil's right hand") has become legendary. There is one thing Seiji doesn't have though: A girlfriend. With such a bleak reputation, it's no shock to discover that no one wants to go out on a date with Seiji, and he spends most of his free time wishing he had a girlfriend.

Then one day, a girl who loves Seiji comes out of nowhere and confesses her love for him...on his right hand. Yes, in a VERY original story twist, Seiji wakes up one morning to discover that a teenage girl by the name of Midori is on his right hand! Not even on his right hand, she IS his right hand! Seiji may have been desperate for a girlfriend, but he certainly wasn't this[italiazed] desperate. Still, there's not much he can really do about her, seeing as how Midori doesn't really know how she got on his hand either, so he has to live with the girl now. This means that Midori cooks for Seiji (dragging him all the way across the kitchen), chews him out when he reads porn, and claims to be his girlfriend. Seiji doesn't know what to do with Midori, seeing that Midori can be really nice and really annoying at the same time. Since this is a romantic comedy, it should come as no surprise that this is when several girls start to take a liking to Seiji, and Seiji has to choose between dating one of the girls or his hand (man this is a fun review to be writing right now). Of course, the will he/won't he choose Midori aspect of the storyline is obvious, but it drags itself out because there wouldn't be much of a series if it wasn't. In this sense, "Midori Days" will most likely only keep your attention throughout the whole series depending on how fond you are of this particular type of genre. Truth be told, I think this series will entertain just about everyone for the first couple of books based on the premise alone.

While I may be stating the obvious here, "Midori Days" really is one of the most unique storylines to come from Japan in the last several years, and no self respected comic lover should go without at the very least checking it out, but I have to admit that the story gets a bit repetitive after three or four books. We like Midori and we like Seiji, but there isn't any real storyline to this book beyond the premise. There is almost no discussion as to what it is that has caused Midori to be attached to Seiji's hand while her real body lies in a coma somewhere. There is no explanation why Midori loses her memories of Seiji when she goes back to her real body (several times). Seiji gains friends in this series, but all of them are unchangable one dimentional characters (particularly a guy who is into dolls, and therefor won't stop bugging Midori). I must also admit that I don't think the relationship really developes int he fair way that most romances should develope if they are to develope healthy. Midori loves Seiji, but no real reason is given to why she loves him so much. Yet she does everything for him. She cleans, she cooks, she writes about nothing but him in her diary, and he doesn't even return the affection. By the time he does return her affection (come on, you knew it was going to happen), I can't help but feel it's not a fair relationship.

Midori idoliazs Seiji to an unhealthy point, and not once does Seiji wonder what Midori is like. What are her hobbies, who are her friends, what does she want to be when she grows up? That's why when Seiji's rival turned friend Ayase starts to develope feelings for Seiji, we wonder why he doesn't fall for her instead? Ayase is tough as nails but can show a very human feminine side during an emotional time, she has interests, she has a life. Most importantly, she has reasons for liking Seiji, yet she holds restraight because while she's the one who spends most of the time trying to impress him, she knows that he has to make an effort to please her or else the relationship is unfair. Funny, seeing as how Midori's whole life revolves around Seiji, which suggests a bleak future for the couple. In this humble reviewers opinion, getting into a relationship with Ayase seems like the more healthy and beneficial relationship for Seiji to get into. Likewise, Seiji's constantly drunk sister (who has a heart of gold, surprise, surprise) also questions why Midori idoliazes Seiji to the extent that she does. It raises some very interesting questions about relationships, and the end result makes you look through the story and realize just how immature high school relationships really are sometimes.

Aside from all this though, the series is a bit too long. With a story that only equals about three books in length, the series is dragged out to eight books, resulting in a lot of filler stories. None of this is bad, but since there are several major questions that are never answered properly, it feels as if the author is really just mucked around with the lenght of the story sometimes. Even though the series leaves a lot of logical story developement to pass, goes on too long, and developes the characters in a questionable way, I can't deny that the series is mostly just a good natured series. Though flawed in many areas, "Midori Days" is an original series that entertains reasonably well and makes you feel warm on the inside. It's not a perfect romantic comedy, but it's a servicable one. It's a shame the author didn't have the courage to go above and beyond the basic requirements for a romantic comedy, as we really could have had the best romantic comedy since "Ranma 1/2" if he had gone that extra mile.

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -