Japanese Title: Kidô tenshi angelic layer

Number of Volumes in Manga: 5

Characters:

• Misaki "Misakichi" Suzuhara
• Icchan
• Tamayo Kizaki
• Koutarou Kobayashi
• Hatoko Kobayashi
• Ohjiro Mihara
• Shouko
• Ringo Seto
• Kaede Saitou
• Sai Jounouchi
• Fujisaka sisters (Arisu and Madoka)

Summary: When young Misaki Suzuhara comes to Tokyo to stay with her aunt, Shouko, she is first exposed to Angelic Layer, and is immediately intrigued. A strange man shows up and tells Misaki all about Angelic Layer and tells her exactly when she'll need to get started with it herself. Before she knows it, she's in her first tournament, fighting with her angel Hikaru, and showing remarkable skill and instinct.

Commentary: At first I thought that this series would be really girly, but since it was by CLAMP, the people who wrote Chobits (which I absolutely love!) I thought I'd give it a chance. I was very surprised to find the emphasis more on the fighting and the tournament than the "girly" stuff. There's some cuteness thrown in here and there, but it gives a good balance. This series has been compared with other "tournament" series like Yu Yu Hakusho, Flame of Recca and Pokemon. Of course, Angelic Layer has a lot of new things to offer. If you like action, this is definitely one to try!

Rating: 9/10
Reasons for Rating: Lots of action, great story, intriguing and not as predictable as one might think