Magic Lover’s Tower (rank 3) (manhua)

Publisher: Dr Master
Volumes: 2/2 (Complete), OOP but not hard to find
Shoujo
Genre: Romance, Chinese Mythology

Summary: Roxanne, a quiet girl, is secretly in love with her classmate, Logan, but he barely knows she exists. One day she accidentally releases Baphalen, a divine being who was sealed inside a painting as punishment. He offers her a chance to win over Logan’s heart by playing a series of games. If she wins, he will love her in real life, if she loses, he will hate her! But what’s this? This game is not what it seems to be?

Review: This series surprised me. It was nothing super special as a concept, but it was sweet. The game scenarios were entertaining and Roxanne gets a chance to show she's not just a quiet nobody. I think it would have been a fun read on that concept alone, but then in volume 2, there’s a big twist that our main characters and the whole scenario is not what it appears to be. There are some Chinese Deities at work who have a benevolent interest in our main characters.

All in all, it's a satisfying and sweet romance with a good ending.

Recommended: If you want to read an unexpectedly sweet romance that only gets sweeter. I know this art style is not very popular, and the Chinese mythology and terms might be a bit confusing for some. But if you don’t mind it, give it a try.

Age Rating: PG13

The Other Side of the Mirror (rank 3) (manhua)

Publisher: Tokyopop
Volumes: 2/2 (Complete), OOP, but not hard to find
Seinen (reads like) actually Josei
Romance

Summary: Two down on their luck people meet one day in New York City and spark a romance: Lou, who makes a living by betting he can out drink other guys in bar bets, and Sunny, a prostitute who was abandoned by her boyfriend at a gas station and left to fend for herself. Despite their differences, they feel an attraction to each other and quickly get involved. Will it be enough to turn their lives around?

Review: This series fills me with such conflict. The cover art really attracted me, but at the same time I felt repelled by how emotionless and empty inside they looked. And the title, “The Other Side of the Mirror” was cool, and I had hoped perhaps it was a story about identity or something similar.

Instead, it’s a romance, but honestly... it’s so unromantic. The two of them are so jaded, cynical, burnt out and slightly traumatized by their pasts. The world beats them down and they struggle so much, it is really hard to read, it’s quite depressing. Their worlds seem so hopeless with no chance of escape. They both gave up on their dreams and even the smallest happiness seems beyond their grasp.

Somehow, amazingly it manages to end happily, which was nice to see. Not saying every romance needs to end happily, but it would have been super frustrating to see them start and end still in their super shitty lives.

Other notes: surprisingly, this is a manhua set in New York City (well, volume 1 anyway) and not an OEL, and it reads right to left. The actual main story is really quite short, only 1.5 volumes. The rest of it is 3 unrelated short stories.

Mini Short Stories review: Overall I liked the short stories better than the main story. The best short was “Funeral Procession of the Stars”, a ghost story. It’s way too short to summarize without spoiling anything, so I won’t.

The second best, IMO, was “Peggy” but even though I enjoyed it, it was basically a big tease for BL readers. BL fans will probably find the story to be pretty cruel- it’s the sort of story that offers hope, only to throw it all away.

Lastly, “99 Roses” which was stupid. The first half seems like a fantasy romance, and then the twist ending... was really lame. I don’t see the point of a story that looks set up to be a fantasy romance and then be like... haha fooled you! It’s not romantic at all! It's kind of dumb.

Recommended: All in all, I think Jo Chen is definitely a creator to watch out for, I think she has some serious talent in both writing and art, but somehow I feel like she hasn’t quite managed to make her masterpiece(s) yet.