I'm a sucker for historical-based manga, so I was really thrilled to chance upon this light-hearted detective shoujo that promises romance among its genres, but has not shown explicit rabu-rabu 11 chapters in.

STORY
So far, the chapters following the lead heroine's obligatory intro and meetcute with the lead guy have all been mini-arcs of cases. The mysteries vary from something as banal as mixed restaurant orders to something more Meitantei Conan-like (decade-old murder cases).

I'm the type of reader who easily goes "oooh!" at simple cases of observation and deduction skills, so I really can't recommend this to mystery lovers. However, I can vouch for its light humor and over-all pleasant feeling it brings to the readers.

Romance (which is one of my criteria for selecting manga reads) is still not evident, but the story's just starting. There are subtle hints here and there about the special bonds the leads share, like the detective's protectiveness over his assistant.

CHARACTERS
The lead male is refreshingly cheerful and uber nice to the lead heroine. No back stories about him encountered yet, but I sure would like to know how he ended up as a detective in a historical period!

The lead female is sincere and kind-hearted. She also reminds me a bit of my favorite shoujo heroine, Naedoko of Kono Dano Ai Dano, appearance-wise. But I digress. Kanoko is pretty likable.

There are other characters here, and they all appear every now and then in the chapters. While they're mostly in the background, their scenes have been enough so far to give the readers an idea about their personalities.

ART

Very nicely drawn. I love the characters' wardrobe most especially (but then again, please refer to my earlier disclosure that I love outfits from this period)

OVERALL

I look forward to reading the successive chapters (and hopefully, read the romance its genre tags promised!)