Juunikyuu de Tsukamaete

I truly wish this manga had lasted longer. It's genuinely underappreciated, and I believe more people should discover it.

For me, it brought back memories of my childhood, watching shows and reading manga like Cardcaptor Sakura, Pretear, and to some extent, Sailor Moon.

STORY:
At times, the pacing feels rushed, and I would have loved for it to delve deeper into its themes. Despite this, I still enjoyed the fun and adventure woven throughout. Even if some of the mysteries were a bit exaggerated at times, they added to the charm.

ART:
The artwork is fantastic. I appreciated how Ando held a design contest for her zodiac signs, showcasing her strong bond with her fans. The character designs are meticulously thought out, adding depth and uniqueness to each one.

CHARACTER:
I find all the characters to be cute and enjoyable. While the main characters may not have extensive backstories, there’s nothing particularly off-putting about them. Each zodiac sign's personality reflects their traits to an entertaining extreme, which was both intriguing and amusing.

ENJOYMENT:
I found this manga to be fun and upbeat. As someone who loves astrology and has a soft spot for shoujo, this was a perfect blend for me.

OVERALL:
Give it a try; it's definitely worth your time :) I still feel this manga is underrated.

First off, I absolutely adore this manga series to the point where I made sure to purchase all the volumes as soon as possible. It certainly helped that there are only four books in total. The characters are engaging and quite amusing, even those who don't stick around for long. Lili herself is incredibly charming and intelligent, especially when it comes to astrology. However, I noticed she seems to rely solely on a person's sun sign, which slightly puzzles me since I know a bit about astrology.

Lili’s friend is an odd one, being allergic to women. I’m not entirely sure how he developed such an allergy, but there it is. And somehow, Lili is involved in causing it, though the explanation given is rather bizarre and doesn’t really clarify much. Not only that, but he suddenly appears with a PhD, yet still attends high school? This doesn’t make much sense considering his constant search for logical proof. Can anyone explain the logic behind the PhD and the allergy?

Each story stands alone with only a few recurring characters. This gives the manga plenty of material to work with, but unfortunately, it feels a bit too short for my liking. There were numerous instances where Lili could have utilized the ring's power further, something that actually happens towards the end. You'll understand why I think the manga ended prematurely once you read it.

The artwork is stunning, as is typical for a shojo manga. There are highly detailed pieces, although some panels appear somewhat goofy, which oddly enough complements the comedic elements of the series.

Hmmm, writing a review isn't my strong suit. But for some reason, I felt compelled to write one for this book.

Zodiac P.I. is a mystery novel with a touch of romance. Admittedly, the mystery aspect isn’t as detailed as in other books. The crime-solving happens quickly and sometimes without much explanation, leaving you wondering how they figured it out from just noticing something minor. If you prefer meticulously detailed detective work, this might disappoint you. However, if you enjoy the mystery genre regardless of its depth, give Zodiac P.I. a try. The cases are swift and concise, not dragging on long enough to bore you.

The romantic elements are charming and sweet. Sure, it can be a bit cheesy, but as someone mentioned in a comment, it's better cheesy than terrible. If you're looking for more dramatic love stories, consider reading something like MARS instead.

The characters aren't groundbreaking; you've probably seen similar types elsewhere. That said, they’re still enjoyable to read about. Again, if that’s not what you’re seeking, avoid this book to prevent disappointment.

I’m repeating myself, but seriously, don’t read it if it doesn’t align with your tastes just to end up disappointed. My review may not be extensive, but take it as a hint of what to expect. If you like what I’ve described, go ahead and give it a shot. If not, move on to another book. This one can simply be considered a nice, refreshing read—light and calm.

Personally, I enjoyed it. It wasn’t too dark, was cute, and I appreciated the detective work despite its lack of detail. Overall, I quite enjoyed the book. It matched my mood perfectly at the time.

Well, believe it or not, this is my first manga review, and I don't often read much manga. But that's not to say the concept is foreign to me; after all, I've watched plenty of anime based on manga, whether released before or after the anime aired. Often, I'm told that if an anime ends, just read the manga. The only time I did that was after watching Battle Angel Alita, and I ended up liking the manga more than the OVA. As for the manga I'm about to review, there was something—actually, a few things—that drew me in.

Lili Hoshizawa is an ordinary girl… except she can see the future with the Star Ring given to her by her mother, which calls upon Astral Spirits. With the help of the victim’s Astral Spirit, Lili solves numerous cases with her partner, Hiromi Oikawa. This story is about a girl named Lili Hoshizawa who uses her powers under the name Spica to solve crimes. Her old friend, Hiromi Oikawa, assists her with all her cases. One good thing about this book is its educational content about astrology.

Here's something I’ve never seen in a manga or anime before—a detective using astrology and zodiac signs to solve cases. I must admit, I was loving that aspect of the storylines involving different characters committing these crimes. While some culprits aren’t always evil for the sake of being evil (and those people do exist), their stories still caught my attention.

The characters here are highly likable but also strangely weird. There’s Lili (or Spica), a very high-spirited girl who shows her intelligent side whenever she’s on a case. She has her sweet side and her hard-headed side (well, she is an Aries). Much of the story involves her and her childhood friend, Hiromi Oikawa, who returned to Japan after studying criminal psychology in America. He’s the straight guy (normal one) in the manga but has a weird allergy to girls—he gets rashes everywhere when approached by one. The character I find most interesting is Sirius, a private investigator who tests Spica and turns out to be quite similar to her as the manga progresses.

As for the art style, I find some of the work very well-detailed, though there were some images and speed lines that left me puzzled while reading. Still, it didn’t hurt my eyes or confuse me too much. Overall, the art style is fine here.

FINAL VERDICT: Even though the manga is only 4 volumes, I have to say I really liked it. It combined the detective genre with elements of astrology into something worth reading. I’m surprised nobody has made this into an anime series—or at least an OVA. Yeah, I’d make this an OVA since it feels more appropriate.

Zodiac P.I is a magical girl detective manga series created by Natsumi Ando. Lili Hoshiwaza, a thirteen-year-old girl, takes on the role of "Spica," a private investigator who tackles cases too challenging for the police. With a lineage of astrologers, she uses astrology to predict people's futures.

The characters in the story are decent and relatively likable. They fit the typical Shoujo genre mold, making appearances similar to those found in other romantic Shoujo stories, as this series includes quite a bit of romance. The comedy has its cheesy moments, particularly with Lili’s love interest Hiromi, who is allergic to girls. He is her childhood friend who returns after studying abroad for several years.

Lili summons Zodiac Spirits using the power of a special ring left to her by her mother. The summoned spirit varies based on the case, the birth date of the victim, and the timeline of the crime, helping her piece together what transpired. Each spirit exhibits personality traits corresponding to their zodiac sign.

The artwork is beautifully drawn, with excellent character designs. While the atmosphere is dark and mysterious, it also retains that feel-good upbeat style characteristic of Shoujo manga. Given that the manga spans around 20 chapters, the pacing feels brisk.

Overall, it’s an okay story.

Story: 4/10

Primarily, I believe this series would have greatly profited from being longer. There was an endearing concept for the plot, but it could've been executed more effectively with additional time. As a mystery/detective series, the cases felt rushed and provided only superficial explanations for how crimes unfolded.

The story's haste made some panel transitions jarring, making it hard to follow events. Crucial contextual information seemed missing due to insufficient time to elaborate properly. The narrative itself was quite basic; most twists were either predictable or nonsensical due to stretches in crime and detective work.

Despite this, I think the story had potential. With a bit more length, it could have been a decent, if still basic, tale without needing to extend beyond its ending. Some basic inconsistencies, like varying astrological signs and birth dates for the main character, were noticeable. Whether these are author or translation errors is unclear, but they detract from coherence given astrology's importance.

Art: 7/10

I admit bias here as I enjoy shoujo art styles, and I found the manga visually pleasing overall. While not exceptional, it’s nostalgic for fans of 90's-00's shoujo aesthetics despite some anatomical issues and cluttered panels.

Character: 6/10

Characters lacked depth, yet their tropes conveyed enough personality. Given the series' brevity, the portrayal was decent, though main characters were likable but average, while others faded into obscurity.

Enjoyment: 7/10

Though flawed, this series suits younger audiences, nostalgia seekers, or those with low expectations. It offers a pleasant read for those seeking a cute shoujo experience.

Conclusion:

This manga felt rushed and underdeveloped. Despite staying at surface level, it was enjoyable. For a light, cute shoujo manga, it's worth considering.