Thanks to barnesandnoble.com for the above cover image.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories is a collection of five stories of unrecognized teen love from manga-ka Arina Tanemura, the creator of The Gentlemen’s Alliance † and Time Stranger Kyoko.  There are four storylines, but the title story, “Short-Tempered Melancholic,” is actually broken into two separate, but related stories.

The basic premise of Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories is that people pine after one person – their seemingly ultimate object of desire, while not seeing that other person near them who is a better fit.  In “Short-Tempered Melancholic,” the heroine even chases after a guy who is not only all wrong for her, but could also be a danger to her future.  In “The Style of the Second Love,” the lead character has a serious crush on her best friend’s boyfriend, while ignoring the younger guy who worships her.

Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories features Arina Tanemura’s usual ornate art with its layered flower patterns, toning, and ink wash (or a computer simulation of such).  The stories are the kind of gentle and sweet, light-hearted romance that appeal to Tanemura’s fans

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