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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane When they're done well, there's something special about books like Boys Over Flowers: Jewelry Box: they're not exactly part of an original series, but they're a chance for an author and readers alike to revisit beloved characters and, sometimes, see what direction their lives are going in after the series proper ends. In this case, the new stories in the Jewelry Box, which take place a year after the end of the series, feel as if they were written immediately after Boys Over Flowers concluded, with no noticeable change in Kamio's portrayal of the characters. Here we are one year later, and Tsukushi and Tsukasa haven't seen each other in the flesh since his graduation. While they've been trying to keep their relationship alive through phone calls, Tsukasa is honoring his agreement with his mother and living abroad while he learns the ropes of the Domyoji empire, and Tsukushi, who's just graduated herself, has found a job rather than going on to university. She's also become closer friends with Rui, who she's started addressing by only his given name--not the sort of thing likely to go over well with Tsukasa and his jealous streak. As the series so often did, the Jewelry Box takes the characters around the world for Tsukasa and Tsukushi's reunion, and again as Kamio pulls the focus off them in the second half of the book and gives us a look through Rui's eyes as he contemplates their relationship and the way their lives intersect with his. (One bit of the bonus material that I particularly liked was the page of notes on Kamio's experiences with traveling to scout out locations where she wanted to set pieces of the story.) I found myself really enjoying this volume. Because it's a one-shot, there's no room for it to have any major conflicts that overhaul the characters' lives or the way we see them, but that also means it doesn't have any of the over-the-top plot twists that sometimes aggravated me during the main series, which relied on them heavily. Instead, the book is tightly focused on the characters, and the result feels like spending an hour or so with people you used to know well and catching up quickly on how things have been going. It's not high drama, but it's pleasant, so I'd call this a success. Boys Over Flowers: Jewelry Box includes so much bonus material at the end that it's almost like a mini-fanbook tucked away back there. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
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