Manga Review: Magical x Miracle

So far there is only one volume of Magical x Miracle by Yuzu Mizutani released in the United States, but I wanted to bring it to everyone's attention. This drama/fantasy is being published by Tokyopop and the second volume is due out in August.

Merleawe is a country gal and has just moved into the big city of Viegald to attend the best magic school in the kingdom. On here first day in the city she is kidnapped while buying her school books and dragged by a man dressed all in black into a lavishly furninshed room. It turns out that this man is Vaith the head of the Black Knights and he has brought her into the castle because she looks exactly like the Master Wizard, who has gone missing. Merleawe agrees to dress up as Master Sylthfarn in order to ease the worries of the king and kingdom, but how can she and her pathetic half learned magic replace the Master Wizard?

This is a very cute manga but seems to have a serious emotional side to it as well. Merleawe truly wants to help the kingdom in the same way the Master Wizard did, but may not have the ability to do so. She must deal with the guilt that if she were the real master wizard she would be more helpful. Also several of the characters criticize her for not being Sylthfarn and make it clear that they would trade her back in an instant. They don't judge her as herself they compare her to how Sylthfarn would act. In their minds Syth is perfection incarnate and Mer is a very pathetic stand in.

I can make some guesses where this manga is going. If you don't want to read a possible spoiler stop now. The way Mer acts perfectly like Sylth on a few occasions leads me to believe that: A. Sylth has been transformed into Mer/brainwashed/whatever else would lead him to think he was a girl or B. Mer is a long lost twin of Slyth and he got all the magic out of the deal, and when the are reunited they are far more powerful together. Also there is definately a budding romance between Vaith and Mer.

LUV AND HUGGS,
Magic