The Stellar Six of Gingacho Vol. 1 (Manga)
Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: November 2010
Price: $10.99
Creator: Yuuki Fujimoto
Format: 208 pgs.; B&W; Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4278-0678-9
Age Rating: Teen
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

Mike, Kuro, Iba, Kyuu, Sato and Mamoru are The Stellar Six, the adolescent sons and daughters of the owners of the shops located on Gingacho Street a.k.a. Galaxy Street.  They’re lifelong friends that have started growing apart since they entered middle school but Mike is determined she’ll keep the gang together no matter what.

We get brief introductions to all of the Six but the focus in Volume One is mostly on the deep friendship between Mike of the Yaoko Green Grocers and Kuro of the Uoichi Fishmongers (with hints that there might be a romance between them sometime soon).  Most of the 'action' focuses on their friendly rivalry over who can lure the most customers into their parents stores and their extremely low key adventures.  Like trying to win a group dance contest so they can give their prize money to a friend or trying to get enough Popsicle sticks to get a free ice cream out of a cantankerous old shop owner.

A lot of the manga I read feature predictable situations and characters that fit neatly into very narrow genre and sub-genre categories.  But along with its solid art and strong characters a large part of the appeal of The Stellar Six of Ginacho is the heartfelt and original way it deals with the every day lives of ordinary people.

--Steve Bennett: Writer and retail services consultant.