Customer Reviews

Saint Tail #1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is, quite honestly, the sweetest thing I have read in a long time. Megumi Tachikawa is new to the US manga scene but I think this one measures up to the well-established and revered Card Captor Sakura by the ever-wonderful CLAMP. Not only is the artwork a clean and pretty style, the storyline is refreshingly light and fun, with not too much romance trying to overpower it.

The story is interesting-something of a take on Robin Hood. A teenage girl, Haneoka Meimi, seems pretty normal by day-a student at St. Paulia Academy, a carefree girl. But at night, she becomes the famous thief Kaitou (phantom) Saint Tail-a thief who steals back things that have already been stolen for their proper owners. Chasing Saint Tail is the very determined son of a local detective-Asuka Junior, who just happens to be in Meimi's class at school to boot. Add to that a nun-in-training as a best friend and a million magic trics, and you get something truly new.

I won't wreck the plot here, but the first volume really delivers, and the scene at the end with Meimi and Asuka Junior is too cute for words. Not only that, but you get the added bonus of two original short stories from Tachikawa-"Portrait of a Morning Glory" and "A Music Box for Spring". In my opinion, the second is especially good.

So, for fans of shoujo manga in particular, I wholeheartedly recommend this! You won't be disappointed (and as a side note, check out the animated series, it's great too!)

This book is a must read for anyone who is totally into manga. It's all about this eighth grade girl who is secretly the thief Saint Tail. There's a twist to all of her thefts, Saint Tail only strikes those who have acquired their items through wicked ways. She is a good theif if there ever was one. Meanwhile, Saint Tail is being tracked down by the son of a detective, Asuka Jr. In her disguise as common schoolgirl Meimi leaves various calling cards to challenge the "great" deductive skills of Asuka Jr. I left a WHOLE lot out and I'm not tellin' what so you'll just have to read it and find out. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books like Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura, or to anyone who is into manga. This book is totally sweet and charming with a magical and romantic twist, sort of like a hint of lemon (although not nearly so sour).

I remember reading the manga and watching the anime when i was young. So this series really has a deep place in my heart. That said this manga series truly is the epitomy of cute, sugary, and nauxiating shojo style. Generally it will remind you of mangas like Alice 19th or Ceres. Card Captor Sakura is also not so far away from this genre.

this mangas good point lies in its sugary cuteness,likable characters, and all the situations between the theif and the detective. How they will end up being is very obvious, and you probably can tell what will happen on the way pretty easily, but you will also find that it's very hard to to just push this book aside and say that "it sucks." Comedy and the cuteness certainly will keep you flipping you pages through till you reach volume seven and say "that was a fun read." romance also works out really well here as well I thought. I found myself cheering for the main characters in each event though the result was obvious. The characters are likable and attractive and the storyline cheerful.

the negatives? If you expected deep analysis of the psychology of love that you would see in Kare Kano, that is not here. this manga really isn't about depth. But it certainly is about getting you cheer for its chracters. It's length is too long considering its content, but then again it could've gone longer as dragonball which has no depth and perhap no story went on for 42 volumes. If you do not enjoy these cute shojo manga, don't even try reading it. Don't force your self to read it so that you can say this manga sucks. Go read something else i would say. But if you like shojo genre certainly this manga is worth a try.

But even for shojo manga this isn't the best. Among Shojo mangas I enjoy mangas like Kare Kano (Masami Tsuda), Fruits Basket (Natsuki Takaya) or Paradise Kiss (Ai Yazawa) more. New manga "NANA" by Ai Yazawa seem to be promising as well. Card Captor (CLAMP) is certainly better than this one as well. But hey if you already read most 1st rate shojo mangas this one certainly won't be a bad read.

Saint Tail is the story of a fourteen-year-old Catholic schoolgirl named Meimi Haneoka. At night, she transforms into the intrepid thief Saint Tail, a Robin Hood-like character, stealing things from people who took them unjustly and returning them to their rightful owners, using the power of magic tricks. With the help of her best friend, Seira Mimori, a nun-in-training, Meimi locates the people in peril and saves the day.
However, it's not all that easy. A somewhat high-strung boy at Meimi's school named Daiki Asuka (a.k.a. Asuka Jr.), who wants to be a detective, has been appointed by the mayor to capture Saint Tail, and he is determined to do so. This is somewhat confusing, as Saint Tail is only out to do good deeds, and Asuka Jr. is PERFECTLY AWARE OF THIS, but he still makes a point of trying to capture her. (I think it's that he thinks thieves are unforgivable, but it still doesn't make any sense.)
Asuka Jr. has no idea that Meimi is Saint Tail, because he has never seen her face. (Although at times she has been within perfectly good viewing range of Asuka Jr., so perhaps he is extremely nearsighted.)
Among the other cast members are Manato Sawatari, a reporter for the school paper who does not get on terribly well with Asuka Jr.; Kyoko and Ryoko, a couple of schoolgirls who are friends with Meimi; Genichiro and Eimi, Meimi's parents, who are a magician and a former thief, respectively; and (introduced later on in the series) Lina (Rina?) Takamiya, the mayor's niece, a somewhat formidable girl who attempts to catch Saint Tail as well.

Saint Tail is really nicely done; the art is not only really nice, but the writing can also be really clever and funny. However, sometimes it doesn't make any sense, since certain things aren't explained. (This actually holds true for practically all anime and manga, and it is somewhat frustrating, but it is to be expected.)

Also, sometimes I get really annoyed at some aspects of Meimi and Asuka Jr.'s relationship, in that Asuka Jr. will occasionally act domineering and Meimi will act as if she hasn't any say in their relationship, and she should just do as Asuka Jr. says because he is apparently superior to her.
This really gets on my nerves, but fortunately the rest of the series more or less makes up for it.

In conclusion, Saint Tail is really good, and I'd recommend at least checking it out of the library. I'd also recommend checking out the anime if you like the manga.

Saint Tail is the sweetest manga I've read. Saint Tail is a book you should defiantly read. This is definitely a girl's book but I've heard of guys reading it. This truly a heart warming story about a girl named Meimi who is a student by day and a thief by night. No she is not the bad thief but a "Robin Hood" for her town. She takes back things that were taking or stolen from the innocent and unknowing. Not only does Meimi struggle with her secret identity she struggles with her schoolwork, love life, and not to mention BOYS! She is helped by a nun in training that tells her about people who need help or someone's problems. This series is definitely books you should have on your bookshelf! Even though they're around ten dollars they're worth your money!!!!!!!!!! This is SOOOO cute and adorable! You just have to have it!!

Kaitou Saint Tail (Or, translated here as "Saint Tail") is about a young girl named Meimi who transforms into Saint Tail, a theif who takes stolen items and returns them to their owners. Her rival is a boy in her Catholic school class- Asuka Jr. Asuka is the son of a detective who wants nothing more than to capture Saint Tail to get his name made for the future. With the help of her best friend Seira, who is a sister-in-training, Saint Tail has many daring(and somewhat romantic...)encounters with her enemy Asuka Jr. Saint Tail #1 also includes two bonus stories that Ms. Tachikawa wrote earlier in her career. Megumi Tachikawa is an amazing manga artist and this is a fine example of her beautiful work. This is a great beginning shoujo manga, and I would reccomend it to anyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

What could I say about this book in one word...FANTASTIC!!!!! In this book it tells you how Saint Tail started to send calling cards to Asuka Jr. This book has many chapters in it but when you read the first chapter it becomes a little too hard to put down this book. The art work in this book is wonderful. Also in this book Megumi Tachikawa has a bonus story, two to be truthful and bonus pictures. I know I like these books and I bet you will to like these too. So trust me and buy this book, better yet buy the whole collection.

This is cute. I mean, WAY cute. Saint Tail steals items and returns them to their rightful owners. But she doesn't do it alone. Her best friend, who is a nun in training, gathers the information for her and keeps watch.

Saint Tail's nemesis is a boy named Asuka Jr., who is the son of a famous detective. He is determined to catch her at any cost.

How will this play out? Watch and see!

Saint Tail isn't going to win any awards for ground-breaking plot, but if you're looking for a sweet story, look no further. Each chapter has Meimi, the main character, performing a theft as Saint Tail. However, she never steals without reason, and after the theft, everyone is happier. Her life is complicated by a schoolmate, Asuka Jr., who is determined to catch the mysterious thief.

Also in this volume are two short stories. One is a take off of "The Little Mermaid," the other a story about using magic to win a love.

The translation for this volume is very smooth, allowing the characters to retain their little idiosyncrasies. In all, this is a wonderful example of shojo manga (girls' comic) that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Even though this is definitely a shoujo manga, you guys out there should still check this one out! The art is wonderful and clean and the story is charming, humorous and entertaining! A must have for any manga fan, boys included! *wink* ^-^

Also recommended: Shunas Journey(By Hayao Miyazaki) and Corrector Yui