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mergs_scribbles's review
3.5
I enjoyed more of the stories in this volume than the ones in the last. CLAMP certainly knows how to create, fun cases
jmronbeck's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
cyanide_latte's review
5.0
First rating: 4 stars
Second rating: 5 stars
There's nothing quite like returning to a fluffy, feel-good sort of series, and CLAMP School Detectives continues to deliver on that front. The long chapters continue to help give the manga a fully-fleshed sort of feeling to their episodic nature, and I personally loved a lot of the stories in this volume more than I did in the first (something I recalled from having read the series once before in high school.)
The longest chapter is the first one, following the boys as they uncover a deception by a good-hearted and well-meaning president of the elementary school art club, who has rescued a litter of kittens and takes to hiding them in the art room overnight, setting up a screen projector to show the image of a ghost she's painted in order to protect the kittens. Honestly, I think this particular story has a lot of genuine warmth and heart to it, and a touch more "detective work" on the parts of Nokoru, Suoh and Akira regarding how they handled the case, in comparison to previous chapters from the first volume. (A quick minor note, the splash page that kicks off this chapter shows all three boys throwing a salute at the image of a cat's face in place of a sun. Regrettably, the stance resembles a Nazi salute, so be forewarned that this splash panel can be confusing at first glance if you choose to read this series.)
The following chapters give us yet another story where Nokoru is threatened by a girl too afraid to openly express her feelings for him, and introduce us to a love interest for Suoh while also throwing a reference out to the side series Man of Many Faces in the form of hints regarding Kindergarten Chairlady Okawa's feelings towards Akira. While the former feels very "meh" to me and I've long since been over the line of girls who threaten Nokoru in lieu of being honest, I do enjoy the latter immensely because both couples are utterly adorable.
The final chapter isn't necessarily a job for the CLAMP School Detectives, but focuses a lot more on showcasing Akira's gentle character as he assists a college-level student in her efforts to improve her skills at making apple pies in order to express her feelings for one of the teachers on campus. I remembered this story pretty starkly, though why, I'm not certain. It's very sweet though, and I think it was a fairly good chapter on which to end this particular volume.
I'm not sure what else I could possibly throw into this review, but I am loving my return to this series. I plan on going through Man of Many Faces next (or the first volume of it, at least,) before wrapping up this one, but I hope to get to it soon and write up a final review expressing my love for this little series.
Second rating: 5 stars
There's nothing quite like returning to a fluffy, feel-good sort of series, and CLAMP School Detectives continues to deliver on that front. The long chapters continue to help give the manga a fully-fleshed sort of feeling to their episodic nature, and I personally loved a lot of the stories in this volume more than I did in the first (something I recalled from having read the series once before in high school.)
The following chapters give us yet another story where Nokoru is threatened by a girl too afraid to openly express her feelings for him, and introduce us to a love interest for Suoh while also throwing a reference out to the side series Man of Many Faces in the form of hints regarding Kindergarten Chairlady Okawa's feelings towards Akira. While the former feels very "meh" to me and I've long since been over the line of girls who threaten Nokoru in lieu of being honest, I do enjoy the latter immensely because both couples are utterly adorable.
The final chapter isn't necessarily a job for the CLAMP School Detectives, but focuses a lot more on showcasing Akira's gentle character as he assists a college-level student in her efforts to improve her skills at making apple pies in order to express her feelings for one of the teachers on campus. I remembered this story pretty starkly, though why, I'm not certain. It's very sweet though, and I think it was a fairly good chapter on which to end this particular volume.
I'm not sure what else I could possibly throw into this review, but I am loving my return to this series. I plan on going through Man of Many Faces next (or the first volume of it, at least,) before wrapping up this one, but I hope to get to it soon and write up a final review expressing my love for this little series.
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