Mei-chan no Shitsuji: I stumble upon odd things.

Hello dear readers!

                As you may know, I have been in a Pokémon frenzy for a while, but have also found myself addicted to a manga. For those of you unable to read the large title, it is called Mei-chan no Shitsugi, which, as far as I know, translates to Mei-chan’s Butler. As you can imagine, the crossing over of these two in my mind has left me with some strange dreams (Including one where we fought with Butlers, and when viewing their states I found one had a special ability in bed). But this is in fact, not important, as neither has much in common with the other.

  Mei-Chan no Shitsugi is a story about Shinonome Mei, a 2^nd year in middle school. When she was younger, she remembers being saved by a man in a suit, with a pin in his coat who claimed to be her butler, after she had gotten lost. She lives with her parents, who own a noodle shop, in a poor house. No one believes that Mei was ever saved by a butler, especially her friend Kento Shibata, a pretty boy whom she is close friends with. One day while at school, Mei is told her parents have died in an accident. Now an orphan, Mei’s world is changed when the butler with the pin, Rihito, comes to Mei and tells her she is actually the heir a very rich family, and that he has come to take care of her. But there are dangers that come with being a member of such a rich family, dangers Mei will never have dreamed of.

This manga has a lot of sheep…

This starts off as a standard awkward romance manga, where the character is thrust into a totally different lifestyle and has no idea how to deal with it. The instant Mei see’s Rhito she states that he is “Just her type”, falling in love with him despite the fact that he is in his early 20s, and she is only 13. As the story goes on however, we find out more of the reasoning for each character, and learn of their intentions (except Rhito, I still have little idea of what he really wants). The setting changes over time as well, with Mei leaving her home town behind to go to a prestigious all-girl boarding school after an attempt on her and her friends. The plot amazes me, not because it’s unique, but because it’s well crafted, as the characters are well crafted, giving the story more depth. There is a certain tension as well, never a dull moment, one character always facing a problem, often dragging down the others with them. This leads to a funny but romantic and dramatic story, with action sprinkled throughout.

By dark I mean worse then this, but it’s a sad moment…

The themes in this book however, seem less appealing. They are often dark, and depressing, sometimes even illegal, so much so that each chapter has a mature content warning, despite the fact that what is often warned about only appears in 1 or 2 chapters. The character seem almost awkward in such a dark scene, Mei is an extremely innocent and clumsy girl, but despite this she is extremely brave, and will fight for what she believes is right. Shibata is the opposite, smart but scared, he will do anything for the people he loves, even put others in danger. Rhito is mysterious, and dark, he is well aware of everything he does, and a dedicated to being a butler. These characters balance each other out, but also create their own inner chaos. This leads to both comical and heart wrench moments, and allows for a more human feel among each character.

Miyagi Riko shows skill as a writer and an artist. The art in this manga is truly amazing, each detail seems perfect, and Miyagi seems to have a way of communicating threw both art and words very well. Even the little author blurb at the beginning of each volume is often used to explain some process of making the volume, and often gives insight to what the author was thinking. I honestly believe the composition of this manga makes it run very smoothly and causes it to be quite addictive, even if just for the amazingly drawn Bishōnens.

Did I mention there were PANDAS?!?!

Over all I am very addicted to this manga, I find it enjoyable and very plot heavy, but not for those who focus solely on action or the innocent. I enjoy it very much and look forward for an English release of both the manga and the live action Japanese TV drama (which I have yet to watch, but the actor for the live action role of Sebastian from Black Butler is in it). But if you like drama, romance and comedy with dark undertones, then you’re going to love this.

Well, back to the manga for me!

PandaEatingATaco