Choco Mimi, Volume 1 [With Stickers]

As a visual representation of ADHD, this is a masterpiece. Sonoda's fashion manga consists of more than 100 short gags and strips with the barest narrative thread tying them together. Choco and Mimi are eighth graders and true BFFs; they are also perfect story opposites, the former mature, the latter impetuous and silly. The only other character of any real import is Ando, the rakish boy who appears from time to time to Choco's delight. Most of the stories are no more than four panels long; occasionally they spill over into subsequent strips, only to be interrupted by half-page \x93Fashion Notes,\x94 obsessive breakdowns of what the girls are wearing. It's all very whimsical and overly cute; it ends with several pages of clothing and hair tips, plus cut-out instructions on how to make a pirate bear. The book's razor-sharp focus will make it a dream come true for one very specific demographic\x97preteen girls, especially those with a love for J-culture\x97and make it of utterly no interest to anyone else. (July)