Mamotte! Lollipop volume 1
Michiyo Kikuta
Del Rey, 208 pp.
Junior high schooler Nina is ready to fall in love. She's looking for a boy who's cute and sweet and strong enough to support her when the chips are down. But what happens when Nina's dream comes true…twice? One day, two cute boys literally fall from the sky: they're both wizards and they've come to the Human World to take the Magic Exam. Their success on this test depends on protecting Nina from evil, so now Nina has a pair of cute magical boys chasing her everywhere she goes! One of these wizards just might be the boy of her dreams…but which one?
I admit when I first got this, I really didn't have high expectations. From hearing the premise this sounded like it would be an average mixed magical girl shojo. But it turned out to be a nice romantic comedy with a bit of magic thrown in.
The premise sounds a bit silly at first. Two boys falling from the sky? Really? Having to protect the girl that likes them because she accidentally swallowed the item for a magical exam? It's all too perfect. But it makes a great starting point for a solid romantic comedy.
We go through Nina meeting Zero and Ichi, the two main wizards that she is crushing on, meeting rival wizards-in-training Forte and Sun, we get to see them got to the hot springs (which has censored parts!), Nina as a baby, and mid-terms. These are all things that happen in regular shojo, except there are twists such as using magic and the other wizards coming and trying to kidnap Nina because she has the crystal pearl.
The characters are average at times, but overall you feel like you get to know them more over the course of the book. The releatinship between Nina and her two potential boyfriends grow, and the rivalry between the wizards and other love rivals grow. The characters that are focused on are Nina, Zero, and Ichi, but there are also some recurring characters like Rokka (who loves Ichi but is 5), Go (Rokka's butler/gigolo), Forte (Sun's partner), and Sun (the crossdresser).
The art is great, surpassing my shojo standards. Yes, the characters have huge eyes, but who cares if it adds to their design?
The quality is top notch, which is pretty much a standard for Del Rey. One complaint: why did they censor one panel in the hot springs chapter? Goodness, it couldn't haven been that bad. Otherwise, I commend them for the translation notes, translating sidebars, and including an extra story Magical Medical in the back.
Art: 4.5
Characters: 3.5
Quality: 4.5
Story: 3.5 (Works out surprisingly well despite the average premise.
Overall: A solid 4. Or an A-. Recommended to most shojo fans looking for something fresh and appealing.
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