Metamo Kiss

Written and Drawn by: Sora Omote

English publisher: Tokyopop

The back of volume one reads:
"Kohamaru comes from a peculiar family--each member can switch bodies with his or her soul mate! His parents can switch bodies, and his aunt, oddly enough, can switch with her cat! Now it's Kohamaru's turn...

When Kohamaru literally runs into Nanao, the girl of his dreams, they switch bodies. True love, right? Well, unfortunately, she's in love with someone else. And if that weren't bad enough, the "someone else" turns out to be Kohamaru's twin brother Konatsu...who can reverse their transformation with his own kiss!"

Kohanamaru Taki


Kohanamaru lived with his grandmother until she passed away. At age 14 he leaves the country side, and heads off to Tokyo to live with the rest of his family. At the train station, he runs into Nanao and finds that he can switch bodies with her. After accidentally switching back, he goes home to find out that this is a family trait. His family can switch bodies with the person they are meant to be with. However, Nanao is already in love with someone else....Kohanamaru's twin brother.

Nanao Higashiyama


Nanao is an obnoxiously stubborn girl with a tendency to be a drama queen. She's in love with a boy from her childhood whom she believes is Konatsu, Kohana's twin brother. Her memory of this boy includes watching some fireworks with him on a hill. When she asks Konatsu about this incident he tells her that he doesn't remember much from his childhood, but Nanao refuses to believe that the boy could be anyone else. She's very girly, but she can throw a punch better than most boys. She can be quite scary when she's angry, but she does have a soft side.

Konatsu Taki


Konatsu is Kohanamaru’s twin brother. He is very popular at his school, because of his looks, athletics, and smarts. He is also the boy Nanao has a crush on. Konatsu is the only one in his family who cannot switch, but he is also the only one who can return the partners back to normal when they are unable to do it themselves. It is believed that Konatsu did not inherit the ability because of his twin brother, remaining the reason of Konatsu’s jealousy towards Kohanamaru. Konatsu is a part of a love triangle between Nanao and Kohanamaru, out of jealousy towards his brother for being able to switch, Konatsu tries to steal Nanao away from Kohanamaru, making him Kohanamaru’s rival for Nanao’s affection. Though Konatsu’s personality appears cold and distant, he truly cares for Nanao not just to make Kohanamaru jealous, and he also cares for Kohanamaru a lot as well.

Thoughts/Review:

This gender-bender shojo manga kind of threw me for a loop with the lead character being a boy, but it adds to the plot in an interesting way. Whether Kohana is a girl or a boy, his sincere and honest personality shines through. He is a very sweet character. (n_n) Nanao's reactions are outrageous and very hilarious! (n_n) I love her hairstyle and her expressions. Konatsu comes off as bit of a butt-head in the beginning but his true self eventually shows itself. The fact that Kohana's Aunt can switch bodies with her cat sounded a tad odd to me, but it was actually a cute little tidbit to add to the story and it also helped show how unusual the Taki family is. Kohanamaru's name seems to change a bit and/or it alternates between Kohamaru and Kohanamaru which can be a bit confusing. Overall, it's a cute manga with a semi-bittersweet ending. I only wish they had continued it a little bit longer.

Kitchen Princess

Written by: Miyuki Kobayashi
Drawn by: Natsumi Andō

The opening page reads:
"My prince left me a silver spoon and disappeared. I will find him and make him the most delicious dessert in the world. That is my dream."

Najika Kazami is the main character of this story, and she has quite the story to tell.

Najika starts out as an orphan living in Hokkaido with a talent for cooking.

She lives in the "Lavender House" orphanage with her caregiver Hagio (referred to as "Hagio-sensei."), as well as the other orphans. The story starts out with Najika tasting a variety of flan and correctly guessing all of the ingredients as well as where they're from. She also has the ability to figure out who made the dish just by tasting it.

Najika lost her parents in an accident at a very young age. Shortly after their deaths, the young girl was saved from drowning in a river by a boy that gave her a delicious flan along with a special spoon. The spoon has a special emblem on it that leads Najika to the prestigious Seika Academy. In the hopes of finding her "flan prince" Najika studies hard and manages to get into the academy and even receives a recommendation from the director.

Upon entering the school Najika is placed into the "special class" wherein all of the students have a special talent of some kind. She is initially rejected by her classmates but makes friends with Sora and Daichi Kitazawa, the Seika director's sons. As her classmates learn of her amazing cooking abilities, she earns their respect, except for Akane Kishida who leads others against her out of jealous over Daichi's attention towards Najika. Almost eternally optimistic and cheerful, Najika is a caring and hard-working individual. She is somewhat naive and easily manipulated by others, however she is also very forgiving, even of Akane who eventually becomes her best friend. Part of her talent is in her prodigious sense of taste: she never forgets a taste and can accurately analyze the components of almost any dish.

The story follows Najika in her quest to find her "flan prince' and to become a pastry chef like her parents once were. It is a manga filled with love, loss, heartache, and hope.

There are ten volumes in total, plus a light novel called Kitchen Princess - Search for the Angel Cake.

Thoughts/Review:

This manga really tugged at my heartstrings. It had the feel of a "magical girl" story, but with a good bit of reality thrown in. The main character is easy to relate to and has such a happy-go-lucky personality that it's hard not to like her. (n_n) The other characters add some fun and drama to the plot with their personalities, as well as their "special talents." There are many secrets and mysteries aside from Najika's mysterious "flan prince" that add suspense and depth to the story and make it that much more exciting. (n_n) The characters are beautifully drawn and and the backgrounds and clothing are wonderfully detailed. Kobayashi-sensei has given us an amazing storyline and Ando-sensei has provided the awesome artwork. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who is a lover of desserts, especially because the recipes for anything that Najika cooks are included in the back of the manga volumes as a bonus.

If you love desserts, lost loves, and following your dreams then you'll be sure to love...
Kitchen Princess.