Crossroad (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Shioko Mizuki. It was serialized by Akita Shoten
in the shōjo manga magazine Princess
from 2003 to 2005 and collected in five bound volumes
. It is licensed in North America by Go! Comi
and in France by Taifu Comics. It is about a teenage girl, Kajitsu, who after her grandmother dies ends up living with her two stepbrothers and younger stepsister, all unrelated to each other.
released the seven tankōbon
volumes of the manga between June 12, 2003 and December 16, 2005. Go! Comi
released the manga's seven volumes between November 1, 2005 and May 30, 2007.
, and by Mania.com as a storyline of "delicious complications" that does "a fantastic job illustrating the wreckage that is youth". Mania.com's Julie Rosato described herself to have been "engulfed" by the characters and their story since the first volume, and considers the series to have a good balance between comedy and drama. Rosato enjoyed the pacing of the second volume, finding it unusual that Kajitsu's teacher doesn't mind that Kajitsu has a crush on him. The fourth volume includes a story where Taro supports his ailing birth mother, and Rosato says "touching to see their affections take root and hold on so fiercely" despite the tenuous nature of the family's existence. In the sixth volume, Rosato criticises the manga artist
for being "too attached to certain characters to let them go properly" as shown in "the return to school after summer vacation". On the fourth volume, Rosato comments that "the narrative wasn't as clear as it could have been, and maybe not all of the characters met their full potential, but there's a lot going on underneath the surface." Manga Life's Brigid Alverson comments on the first volume that "the mood is a bit uneven, alternating between cartoony [chibi] violence and pensive moments, but the story never bogs down." Nicolas Demay of Planete BD comments the manga for its tone "while sometimes moving stay light without giving into the excess of pathos
". He also comment that "the author wanted to dedicated herself in her vision of the heroine." Planete BD's Faustine Lillaz review of the second volume commends the manga for its "minimalist" art, saying "the arts are of good quality: the cutting and the directing are well done, the trait is fine & precise and the screentone is abundant. (even if often a bit crude)." A review of the third volume by Lillaz commends the manga for the rendering of Kajitsu's feelings. Lillaz's review of the fourth volume criticises the manga for its slow pacing but commends the manga for its "expressive" characters and its "cutting is rather dynamic and the trait is rather precise." A review of the fifth volume by Lillaz commends the regular comedy to "alleviate the atmosphere". Lillaz comments on the use of fan service
in volume six. Lillaz's review of volume seven commends "the narration [which] is perfectly mastered and thus the story conveys the feelings with sensibility and pudor.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Shioko Mizuki. It was serialized by Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
in the shōjo manga magazine Princess
Princess (magazine)
is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly on the 6th in Japan by Akita Shoten. It is aimed at teenage girls, and its main competitors are Lala, Bessatsu Margaret, and Betsucomi. Its sister publication is , which branched out from the Princess magazine in 1979...
from 2003 to 2005 and collected in five bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
. It is licensed in North America by Go! Comi
Go! Comi
Go! Comi was an imprint of the American manga publishing company, Go! Media Entertainment, LLC. They published such series as After School Nightmare, Cantarella, Her Majesty's Dog, Tenshi Ja Nai!! and Crossroad...
and in France by Taifu Comics. It is about a teenage girl, Kajitsu, who after her grandmother dies ends up living with her two stepbrothers and younger stepsister, all unrelated to each other.
Manga
Akita ShotenAkita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
released the seven tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes of the manga between June 12, 2003 and December 16, 2005. Go! Comi
Go! Comi
Go! Comi was an imprint of the American manga publishing company, Go! Media Entertainment, LLC. They published such series as After School Nightmare, Cantarella, Her Majesty's Dog, Tenshi Ja Nai!! and Crossroad...
released the manga's seven volumes between November 1, 2005 and May 30, 2007.
Reception
The storyline has been described as "unique" by IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, and by Mania.com as a storyline of "delicious complications" that does "a fantastic job illustrating the wreckage that is youth". Mania.com's Julie Rosato described herself to have been "engulfed" by the characters and their story since the first volume, and considers the series to have a good balance between comedy and drama. Rosato enjoyed the pacing of the second volume, finding it unusual that Kajitsu's teacher doesn't mind that Kajitsu has a crush on him. The fourth volume includes a story where Taro supports his ailing birth mother, and Rosato says "touching to see their affections take root and hold on so fiercely" despite the tenuous nature of the family's existence. In the sixth volume, Rosato criticises the manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
for being "too attached to certain characters to let them go properly" as shown in "the return to school after summer vacation". On the fourth volume, Rosato comments that "the narrative wasn't as clear as it could have been, and maybe not all of the characters met their full potential, but there's a lot going on underneath the surface." Manga Life's Brigid Alverson comments on the first volume that "the mood is a bit uneven, alternating between cartoony [chibi] violence and pensive moments, but the story never bogs down." Nicolas Demay of Planete BD comments the manga for its tone "while sometimes moving stay light without giving into the excess of pathos
Pathos
Pathos represents an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric , and in literature, film and other narrative art....
". He also comment that "the author wanted to dedicated herself in her vision of the heroine." Planete BD's Faustine Lillaz review of the second volume commends the manga for its "minimalist" art, saying "the arts are of good quality: the cutting and the directing are well done, the trait is fine & precise and the screentone is abundant. (even if often a bit crude)." A review of the third volume by Lillaz commends the manga for the rendering of Kajitsu's feelings. Lillaz's review of the fourth volume criticises the manga for its slow pacing but commends the manga for its "expressive" characters and its "cutting is rather dynamic and the trait is rather precise." A review of the fifth volume by Lillaz commends the regular comedy to "alleviate the atmosphere". Lillaz comments on the use of fan service
Fan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
in volume six. Lillaz's review of volume seven commends "the narration [which] is perfectly mastered and thus the story conveys the feelings with sensibility and pudor.