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Manga Review


Book Cover

The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross
Volume 1

 

Author: Arina Tanemura
Artist: Arina Tanemura
Viz Media
RRP: £5.99, US $8.99
ISBN-13: 978 1 4215 1183 2
ISBN-10: 1 4215 1183 5
Available 03 March 2008


Haine, a cute fifteen year old student, has not had a very good start in life. For a loan of 50 million yen her family have given her over to the Otomiya family to be raised as one of their own. Haine, however, has bigger problems. She loves Shizumasa Togu and, in the stratified society of her school - where he is Gold and she a Bronze - it would seem that her love will remain unrequited...

The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross: Volume 1 is the first in a set of six from Arina Tanemura (born 1978), who is predominantly known as a Shojo artist, producing work for a female demographic, aged between ten and eighteen. Representing the twentieth manga from Tanemura, the series was originally published in the September edition of Ribon. Her most popular titles Full Moon wo Sagashite and Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne have been turned into anime’s.

The Gentleman’s Alliance Cross is a bright sparkly romance set in a rather complicated private Imperial school, where the students are stratified into ranks according to the power, wealth and prestige of their families. Although the students have an opportunity to move up the ranks depending on their contribution to the school, there is not much in the way of interaction between the ranks. This poses a particular problem for Haine as the source of her affection, Togu, is not only the schools president, but also the only gold, making him almost impossible to meet, let alone interact with.

The artwork is detailed and dense a description that could be applied to the plot as there is an enormous amount of information to be digested in the first volume. Haines elevation to the Student Council by another’s subterfuge, the discovery that the president may be gay and the power struggle between the Council and the seemingly opposing renegade faction, the Heretics, run be the deposed previous school president. To be honest the inrush of detail made my head spin.

With such rich foundations it is difficult to know where Tanemaru will take her school comedy, but I’m sure that there will be many who will want to go along for the ride.

As well as the main story the book contains a bonus story, a text introduction from the author, some bonus funnies and pages of notes which clarify some of the terms used in the story.

7

Charles Packer

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