Mad Love Chase Volume 1 (Manga)
Tokyopop
Release Date: Already released
SRP: $10.99
Creator(s): Kazusa Takashima
Format: 208 pgs., b&w
ISBN-13: 987-1-4278-1598-9
Age Rating: 16+
ICv2 Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Kujou Yamato has escaped from the Demon Realm and into the real world in order to avoid having to marry someone he doesn’t love.  His father has sent three inept demons after him, but since his appearance changed upon entry into the real world, the three hunters aren’t quite sure which “human” is Kujou.  The only way to identify him is by the tattoo on his back, so his pursuers need to get Kujou undressed to be sure they’ve got the right guy.

Best known for writing BL, this is Takashima’s (Wild Rock, Man’s Best Friend, both from BLU) first try at writing shojo manga.  According to the author’s note at the back of the book, she wrote the first chapter as a stand-alone story and then had to come up with a way to make the subsequent chapters work as a series.  The result is a mishmash of slapstick comedy and sentimental friendship-building that never quite melds into a cohesive story.  

Fans of Takashima’s BL stories will love her character designs, as there are bishonen galore, and there are some clever bits of humor in amongst the manic attempts to get Kujou naked.  But these moments aren’t enough to rescue this story from devolving into a one-joke gag manga.  There’s a chance it will get better in volume two, but will readers stick around to find out?

-- Eva Volin