Miki Falls Book One: Spring (review)

In this manga-influenced graphic novel, Miki is beginning her senior year in high school, and she is desperate for something new in her life. A stand-offish (and gorgeous) new student, Hiro, presents a challenge for Miki, but she is determined not only to befriend him but also to uncover the reasons for his constant spying on people. After doing some spying herself, Miki learns that Hiro is a Deliverer, one of few chosen to control the limited flow of love in the world; by accepting this fate, Hiro became a non-human, sacrificing his own normal life to serve this role. After learning this secret, Miki should have had her memory erased, but her stubbornness is such that even powerful magic cannot deter her. Rather than being angry, Hiro seems relieved to have a friend who knows his secret, and the first novel in the series ends quietly, with the two pursuing their bond. A seven-page introduction before the title page seems to set up the main climax of the whole series, which makes for a slightly confusing start for this particular outing. However, as with his middle-grade Akiko series, Crilley's gripping and well-written plot and intriguing characters will easily lure readers back to see the series through. The black-and-white illustrations, softened with crosshatching and smoky grayshading, augment the text effectively: the art reflects the humor and emotional depth in Miko's story that is occasionally missing in her fact-heavy past-tense narration. Romance readers will appreciate the elegant and well-developed magical twist to the typical boy-meets-girl story: a boy who has forsworn his own love so that he may manage it for others, and the girl who is determined to find a loophole around this vow while not risking the balance of love in the world.