Cipher by Narita Minako. Published by CMX. Retail $9.99. Rating: Teen (some heavy issues, but little to no sex or violence; I’d say high school age personally). 7/12 volumes released in English, complete in Japan.
Dear CMX,
I think you are my favorite shoujo manga publisher. I’ve only tried a few of your series, and I love Emma and Seimaden, but even your average ones are better than everyone else’s. Cipher is a case in point.
The series initially interested me for a couple of reasons. One is that it was written in 1985, which I’m told is often considered the Golden Age of Manga. I’ve not read much from the period and wanted to try more. I thought the artwork looked pretty. It reminded me of paintings of children from the early 20th century, despite the new clothing, and I thought I might enjoy the change of pace. Also, it was set in New York City, and I always find manga set in NYC to be amusing for all they …
Alex Romero has a bad habit of allowing his libido interfere with his jobs. He signed on to Bullet catchers, not just for its super rich salary, but for the opportunity to guard “presidents, princes, and the head of Scotland Yard.” His boss, Lucy Sharpe, assigns him to guard the body of a tv news anchor in Miami. Alex recognizes this is both punishment and probation. He resolves to be on his best behavior despite the fact that his principal (the body to be guarded) is well, let me just quote you:
I know that authors usually have little control over their covers but I just have to mention the cover for Undressed since it’s so far off base. Way far. If I had just seen this book in a store, I would have immediately thought “contemporary screwball comedy.” If I’d bought it thinking that, I would have been stunned to find out it’s actually a Regency historical. What was the art department thinking here? Since people still seem to be buying Regency historicals, why on earth is this one disguised with a drawing of a cute little cartoon slip?
I am just a simple reader. I understand that you like to write books with subtle clues and hints as the character evolution. But because I am a simple reader, your subtle clues and hints went way past me. Let’s look at your recent contribution to the historical romance market. Your writing is superb. You have a deft hand with dialogue and intersister relationships. But the relationship between the hero and heroine left me dissatisfied and with questions that should have been resolved in the story. The plot is thus: Imogen arrives at the Duke of Holbrook’s home to find his illegitimate brother and the brother’s child living there. Imogen determines that Gabriel is the perfect man with which to engage an affair. Rafe, of course, is madly jealous.
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