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Title:  +Anima #2

Author: Natsumi Mukai

Publisher: TOKYOPOP

ISBN: 1598163485

May Contain Spoilers

Cooro and the gang find themselves in more hot water.  After Cooro knocks over a bee hive and is chased off by the angry bees, he finds himself running an expected errand for the bee keepers.  Separated from his companions, he agrees to take honey to Lady Beena’s Manor.  Unknown to our happy little hero, there’s something not quite right at the creepy manor.  Will Husky, Nana, and Senri arrive in time to save Cooro? 

Also included were three chapters that were created prior to +Anima being serialized.  The author considers them to be in a parallel world, and they aren’t part of the series continuity.  I felt a little disoriented with the beginning pages, because the reader is just dropped into action with no set up given to ease the way.  All four members of the +Anima group are already together, and we follow them on unrelated, episodic adventures.  Without the character introductions for their parallel selves, I felt disconnected from the action and didn’t care for the chapters all that much.

Overall, I thought the adventures in this book were a little bland and not overly entertaining.  Maybe I felt cheated because half of the book consisted of an alternate version of our heroes, and I just couldn’t relate to their alternative selves.

I like the art more than anything else about this series.   I especially like Cooro’s character design and the way emotions play across his face. He’s one of those simple-minded characters that leaps into action without thinking the consequences through, and then seems baffled at the messes he finds himself in. 

Grade:  C

Rated for Teen 13+