The World Exists for Me Volume 1

With more self-awareness, this magical historical romance could be a parody of goth-styled fantasy manga, but it's played all too straight, and the result is flat and incoherent. During a train wreck, Sekai and a mysterious cherub-like boy clutching a doll are thrown back in time. There, a version of her school crush tries to rape her, after saving her from mysterious forces who want to burn her as a witch. The layouts are poorly constructed, leading the reader to wonder which balloon or caption comes next, and Sekai is all staring marble eyes, short petticoats and frilly garters. It's sub-par fantasy fulfillment, with the girl dueled over by a variety of boys who want to claim her in exotic, historical settings. Sekai is a pawn, not knowing what's happening to her or why, desired by the boys because possessing her (in one way or another) will grant them power. She's got a magical gemstone somehow welded to her body and every so often, faux-poetic folklore is dropped in to hint at a backstory that's trying to impart some amount of meaning to this adolescent daydream. (Jan.)