Rica ‘tte Kanji!?

    (ALC, 2005)
™ and © 2004 AniLesbocon (ALC)

Rica, a freshman at Tokyo Women’s Junior College, likes girls and, after some difficulty navigating her way through the lesbian single scene, finds one. And that’s pretty much all there is to Rica, simple anecdotes (calling them “stories” would be overly generous) from the life of a young woman who knows who she is and what she wants.

It’s sweetly simple and even innocent, because, when Rica finally does find herself a sweetie, you shouldn’t expect “fan service”-style nudity and sex. (Given the basic cartoon art, that’s probably for the best.) Rica’s like most male heterosexual manga protagonists: so awkward and uncertain dealing with both love and sex that, after a while, you want to shout, “Are you two getting together or what?”

This is a refreshing, well-told slice-of-life manga universal enough to win fans outside its core demographic. Consider it the perfect antidote for all those gay-themed reprinted titles (written almost exclusively by women) that rely on overwrought melodrama.

— S. A. Bennett
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#1 - 2nd printing


Cover Price: $15.00
1 copy available for $12.00 		Rica TakashimaRica Takashima