by Janice on October 24th, 2004, 3:54am

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User rating of this review - 5 out of 5
Story/Plot - 4 out of 5
Characters - 5 out of 5
Drawing Style - 3 out of 5
Enjoyment - 5 out of 5
Overall - 4 out of 5

Click here for series information

Plot/Story
Satoko is a domestic girl with a kind heart. She lost her father when she was little, and her family became very poor since her father's company went bankrupt. However, "life is happy enough when you're optimistic about everything" was Satoko's motto and she enjoyed her life heartilly. One day, she was rescued by Fuuma, an extraordinarily matured 10-year-old boy, from a mad dog. Little did Satoko realize that this boy is the head of Wakudera Corporation, as well as her future husband!

Characters
There are two words that describe almost all the characters in Dear Mine: cute and clumsy! Especially the two main characters, Satoko and Fuuma. Both of them are such lovable characters that you just feel like hugging them all the time. Yet they don't just stay the same all the time and you can see them "growing up" as you read on. Sometimes their unexpected actions really make me laugh hard *cough*...

Drawing Style
Compared to many great shoujo mangakas, I must admit that Takao Shigeru doesn't have the best drawing style. At the beginning of volume 1, she drew such thin lines that you couldn't really view some of the objects so clearly. Yet I was satisfied with the fact that her drawing style remained consistent throughout the series: this causes less confusion for readers.

Enjoyment
Very enjoyable especially if you're a shoujo manga lover and like to read some good romance. The story itself is not very exciting like some action/adventure genres, yet the heart-warming feeling is always there when you read this manga. And best of all: it's for all audiences so you don't have to worry about any age issues.

Overall
You just don't find a cuter romance than this manga! "Arranged Marriage" might sound like a silly idea to most of us nowadays, but after you read something like Dear Mine, you'll probably change your mind! (laugh) I strongly recommend this manga to shoujo lovers, but shounen lovers might like this type of story too if you like mangas that focus on ordinary daily events. Life can't be exciting all the time, and I'm sure you'll have your "peaceful moments" by reading Dear Mine.

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