''Kasumi'' is an

original English-language manga An original English-language manga or OEL manga is a comic book or graphic novel drawn in the style of manga and originally published in English. The term "international manga", as used by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, encompasses all ...

written by Surt Lim and illustrated by Hirofumi Sugimoto and published by

Del Rey Manga Del Rey Manga was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. History Del Rey Manga was formed as part of a cross-publishing rela ...

. The first volume of the manga was released by

on July 28, 2008.

Production

As Surt Lim is an American writer and Hirofumi Sugimoto is a Japanese

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

, most of the collaboration between the two were done with "online Japanese-English translator,

instant messenger Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing real-time text transmission over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and trigge ...

, e-mail and the assistance of a bilingual translator based in Tokyo". To draw shōjo manga, shōnen manga artist Hirofumi Sugimoto had to study shōjo manga, especially those of

Moto Hagio is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to ''shōjo'' manga ( manga aimed at young and adolescent women), Hagio is considered the most significant artist in the demographic and among the most influential manga artists of a ...

's. Inspired by ''

Boys Over Flowers , is a Japanese ''shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio and set in Tokyo, Japan, and the fictional "Eitoku Academy" (an elite school for children from rich families). It tells the story of Tsukushi Makino, a girl fr ...

'', ''Special A'' and ''

The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross is a Japanese '' shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Arina Tanemura. The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross premiered in the September 2004 issue of '' Ribon'', running until the June 2008 issue. The 47 chapters were collected and publi ...

'' with their "exclusive private school" setting, Surt Lim wrote Kasumi with "an average girl in a high school with lots of hot guys" in mind. Both Surt and Sugimoto agree that the manga contains both shōjo and shōnen elements, like '' Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle''.

Reception

Comics Worth Reading's Johanna Draper Carlson comments on the illustrator's portrayal of the male protagonist by putting an "unusual twist on the standard

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in ''Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorativ ...

geek". Mania.com's Erin Jones criticises the manga for most of the characters being " clichéd, overly-predictable" as well as the plot that takes "too long to be implemented".

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

's Deb Aobi commends the manga for its "clean, simple and appealing artwork that doesn't get in the way of the story" but criticises it for "the characters' occasional lack of noses", which she feels is "distracting". A later review of Volume 2 by Deb Aoki commends it by "A lot more action-packed than Volume 1" but criticises it for overusing "sound effects".

References

External links

Official ''Kasumi'' website
* Comics about magic Del Rey Manga Shōjo manga {{comics-stub