Peach Girl #2
Adult/High School-Who needs enemies with a friend like Sae? Certainly not Momo. It's bad enough that her tan and her beauty make her classmates think she's a playgirl, but Sae is doing everything in her power to sabotage Momo's relationship with her boyfriend Toji. And poor Toji is just too naive to see that Sae is a lying, manipulative vixen. Luckily, Momo has Kiley watching her back, but since Kiley has a crush on her, Toji is suspicious of their relationship. Melodramatic? Well, there is the moment Momo threatens to jump out the fourth-floor hospital window unless Toji listens to her side of the story, but other than that, Peach Girl is surprisingly down to earth and reflective of the cliques, rumors, and betrayals that plague high schools. Momo is a fun, appealing character to root for, Toji is cute (if clueless), and Kiley is a sweetheart, ready to help Momo fight for Toji even though (or maybe because) he loves her. Sae's an intelligent, determined antagonist, and Ueda renders her expressions, from cunning to calculation to delight, wonderfully. The black-and-white art is kinetic, with a focus on facial expressions and luminous eyes. Peach Girl is enlivened by humor, from Kiley reacting as if struck by lightning (cartoon skeleton and all) when he and Momo see Toji and Sae in a compromising position, to cat-girl Sae, her usual form when conniving.Susan Salpini, Fairfax County Public Schools, VACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.