Ai Ore! Volume 1 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Mizuki Sakurazaka is the female “prince” of the all-girls school, St. Nobara Girls Academy.  People mistake Mizuki for a boy.  Akira Shiraishi is the male “princess” of his all-boys school, Dankaisan Boys High School.  People mistake Akira for a girl.  Mizuki is the lead guitarist in the rock band, Blaue Rosen.  Akira wants to join the band and has romance on his mind, but Mizuki absolutely does not like boys.

Ai Ore!, Vol. 1 opens with Blaue Rosen lead singer, Kaoru Naruse, leaving the band so that she can go to New York City with her parents.  Akira does all he can to convince Mizuki and her band mates that he has the voice talent to be the new lead singer.  Mizuki resists the idea because she insists that Blaue Rosen is an all-girls band.  If she is so against the idea of letting Akira in the band, why is she letting him into her heart?

THE LOWDOWN:  Bishounen, Goth-Loli, emo, frilly, punk, shojo manga:  I’ve been there, done that, and it’s called Nana.  Ai Ore, however, is surprisingly good.  Unlike the melodramatic Nana, Ai Ore is playful.  It is a silly comic romp with innuendo and teasing (now you almost see breast; now you almost don’t).  The series is beautifully drawn, and creator Mayu Shinjo apparently approaches drawing every character’s face as an exercise in creating pretty.  This series does want to be dark and dangerous at times, but it is really just slightly risqué comedy married to high school romance.  It’s also fun to read.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for “Shojo Beat” off the beaten path will want Ai Ore!

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