Manga Review: Portrait of M&N Volume 1

From the creator of Gakuen Alice, Portrait of M&N tells the tale of Mitsuru and Natsuhiko and their attempts to have a peaceful school life. While everyone has their own secret that can’t be revealed to anyone,  their secrets have ruined their lives, and in Mitsuru’s case, she’s had to be moved to a new school due to hers. That is where the two meet, and where the story begins.

Highlights
Starting with a simple introduction of Mitsuru Abe, we see her warned about how she shouldn’t repeat what happened to her. With her at school, we are introduced to our second main character, Natsuhiko Amakusa. After class introductions and seeing Natsuhiko stumble, we see how popular Mitsuru is. Because of her behavior she has many guys in her school who like her and many of the girls hate her for her perceived stuck-up behavior. Here we begin to see what secret Mitsuru is hiding. Because of her upbringing, due to being part of a prestigious family, she has become a masochist. We also learn about her past and why she has come to this school. Natsuhiko is no better when it comes to his behavior, even with perfect vision; he wears glasses that make it so that he can’t see properly. Because of his upbringing he is an extreme narcissist. With this newfound friendship, and hanging around together, rumors spread. And with Natsuhiko trying to keep Mitsuru’s secret safe, it accidentally spreads to someone else.

Overall
For a manga described as a Romance/Comedy series, it is very light on the romance. There is some romance, but it mainly one-sided for most of this volume. The romance is mainly kept in the small story at the end of the main story. It was a very touching story that alone would be an interesting volume on its own.

This being the first of Tachibana Higuchi’s manga that I have read, I don’t have anything else to compare the artwork to. It is very nice and soft looking. Nothing is overly exaggerated. And when needed, it has a nice touch of detail.

This is a great story that I suggest anyone who likes comedy or even romance should read. I highly suggest any fan of Tachibana Higuchi  check this manga out. It is a touching story of love in its many different forms.

ComicsOnline gives Portrait of M&N 3 out of 5 mirrors.