Heaven!!
by Pedro Rodriguez
Rinne Ito is a fourteen year old Medium. Having the gift to see ghosts, she carries a harisen to exorcise spirits and send them to Heaven. While hunting one down at school, she literally runs into Masaharu Uzaki, the class punk, and somehow earns them both a one way ticket to the Principals office. Then during the middle of their lecture, the sprite from earlier appears there. Rinne chases it around the room and down the hall, and the vexed Headmaster orders Masaharu to bring her back. When he catches up to her, she is outside on the street and in danger of getting hit by a car. He pushes her out of the way, but in the process causes his spirit to leave his body. Later that night, Masaharu manages to get Rinne to go the hospital, even though she has no idea how to return him to his body. However, when they get to his room they find that his body is currently being occupied by another being. If that wasn't enough, it seems that this new spirit is getting cozy with one of the nurses! Later on we find out that this spirit's name is Keiju, a self proclaimed God with a taste for the ladies. As it turns out, he was just wandering around the hospital when he found Masaharu's soulless body, and helped himself to it. He promises to return his body back to Masaharu as soon as he is done using it. The only thing is he really can't say when that time will be...
In a contemporary adaptation of 'Beauty and the Beast', the Beast's personality gave very little reason for the audience to cheer him on in the beginning. In Shizuru Seino's "Heaven!!" we encounter the same scenario only with a one big twist. In this story there are two Beasts, and while one of them is unrefined, the other one is a bit conniving.
First we have Masaharu. His M.O. isn't that much different from a stereotypical brute in any other manga. He is anti-social, he is quick to throw his fists, and he can not crack a grin to save his life. As a one-dimensional character, it's hilarious to watch him cope with a situation (that calls for finesse) with brute force. It's like watching a big fish from a small pond being thrown into say, Lake Erie. It is almost sad and yet compelling to watch him raise hell one minute, and pine when he realizes he has no control. As the original owner of the body, you can't help be feel a little sorry for him, but every time you think that things are going to be for the better, he proves just how big of a jerk he can be.
Then there's Keiju... it's one thing to be popular with the ladies, it's another thing to do it at another guy's expense. He has a real talent for snatching things before anyone can object or react, as in the case when he jumps into Masaharu's body for the second time (and the third). He also lacks any sense of generosity, and he really won't do anything unless it means that he will be getting chicks. But what is most frustrating is how he is constantly able to keep the cards stacked in his favor. For example, at one point Masaharu and Rinne confront him about letting go of his body, and the two boys start to argue; finally at the peak of the argument, Keiju figures he's going to lose the debate, so he just confines Masaharu to a stuffed pink monkey. Keiju would make the perfect antagonist; the only problem is Masaharu is making a lousy protagonist. In the end the race to be the hero of the story can be won by either person - or rather spirit.
Finally there is Rinne. Rinne is a girl. To expound, she portrays a fourteen year old girl in both strengths and flaws. In the beginning of the book we see a girl that is very passionate about her hobby; it's to the point to where she can blind her self to the bigger issue, like conducting herself in school, or watching for traffic. She also likes to indulge herself in things such as dressing down at the end of the day and snacking. It's hilarious seeing her torn between her two costars. She knows that Keiju is bad news, but she can't help falling for his good looks and charm. She also knows that Masaharu is more honest in his actions, but every time she thinks he would be the better man, he blows it with his bitter personality and apathy.
As always, Tokyo Pop did an excellent job in publishing the English version of the manga. It feels like it's much of the original meaning has been kept in tact, and keeping a natural rhythm at at the same time. The printing quality of the book meets your general standards. It's very clean, and very sharp.
The first volume of "Heaven!!" really hit the ground running. For a genre targeted towards girls, it has a decent amount of shock factor included in it. Rinne's personality had a very nice balance to it, adding a subtle flavor to the title. It also made much of the drama more flexible. At this point neither of the two guys really has an advantage over story or the audience, which also makes this an interesting read. If you're a fan of "Girl Got Game", then you're probably already familiar with Shizuru Seino's method of story telling; chances are you won't be disappointed by this title either.
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