Matoh previously had a hit with Fake
, a shonen-ai tale about two (male) New York City cops falling in love while solving cases. This older series has a similar setting without the boys' love elements. Rai, a boy with psychic powers, mails himself to a private detective's office. His crazy plot is for his violent-but-protective sister to find him and for the detective to help them find out who's trying to kill the sister. Rai's an impulsive young boy who can't be kept out of dangerous situations, and the sister and detective predictably flirt with each other. Just as the plots are based on typically familiar elements, the art is full of classic manga stylings: round heads of poufy hair, faces all eyes and mouths, and expressions and actions wildly exaggerated for immediate emotional and comedic effect. By the end of the first chapter, there's a new status quo with the sister the secretary and Rai and the PI teamed up fighting crime, giving the whole thing the feel of a mid-'80s TV show. The boys treat the sister as a bargaining chip in a variety of ways, a fate also shared by the only other female character. The over-the-top drawings are not for everyone, but the ever-growing shojo audience won't mind. (Oct.)
