This year’s batch of AmeriMangas is good, isn’t it.
Like a vintage of wine that came out just right, this year’s pickings have to date shown lots of promise, and makes the Best AmeriManga of 2006 vote look more and more intriguing with more titles coming up as viable picks for that award. This year’s picks, in particular, is a toss up between underdog company Seven Seas (and titles such as Destiny’s Hand, Captain Nemo, Aoi House and more) and longterm company TOKYOPOP (with both it’s bargain priced titles Kat & Mouse and Agent Boo as well as titles such as Star Trek the Manga (celebrating 40 years of Classic Trek) and this title… Sorcerers and Secretaries).

Shh… do you hear that? Listen now as Patrick Stewart walks us through the opening of the title as we find ourselves in a world different than what the cover promises…

Far away in another realm there lived a sorcerer named Ellon.
He lived for the most part alone, except for his familiar named Sonneth, who kept him company though seemed abit on the naughty side.
As for Ellon? He spent his days gathering precious stones, using his time honed skills in magic and craftsmanship to carve these pieces of pretty stone into the images of people, people who inspired the greatest of humanity in people in the realm of humanity who became kind and just leaders for their people.
But this was not to last, as one day Ellon’s trusted friend and familiar betrayed him, stole his power and his work, and fled to the moon to work a dark design on this one honored craft by carving soulless figures who empowered soulless humans who worked evil over good upon their subjects.

But this, all well and good, is seemingly only a distraction for our true “heroine”, a woman named Nicole.
Nicole Hayes doesn’t live in a fantasy realm, she leaves in the here and now reality dreaming of a world that is not her own… and yet, seemingly, touching more into her life in one sense than maybe even she realizes (or maybe not). Her life is about as dull as life could be, and she often escapes into fantasy (and this world she “created” and logs down daily in her “dreamlog” which she writes in often making her abit distant from the real world she seems to shy away from). But then again with college bearing down on her in the form of courses she would really rather not take (forced onto her by her demanding mother), and a job as a receptionist that wears on her soul, you kind of can’t blame her for “escaping”… even if the escape maybe hides a deeper truth (or maybe I’m just reading too much into it).

Enter Josh, who has known Nicole for sometime now though their bond seems to have it’s ups and downs. Best of friends once it seems Josh’s “playa” attitude drove Nicole away in despair, which may have opened the door to this “World” she envisions (and thus casting her at the kind wizard who was betrayed by her once companion (who I think may be Josh) even if she’s not willing to admit it) which is bad because as the story goes on it seems she is getting a severe attachment to the wizard Ellon (who may or may not be a iconic representation of… herself).

But as Josh pushes harder and harder to work himself back into Emily’s good graces will she change? Will she go back even if she has to eventually admit that she maybe still has feelings for him…? Or will something happen that will leave the title in a cliffhanger ending (romantically I mean, not near death somebody’s going to drop ending) that may put Josh’s attempt to woo Emily in jeopardy?

A love story that is bittery real and yet that’s one of it’s charms. A real woman stuck in a real life finds that escape into fantasy may deny her happiness that can only be found in a life less fantastic, with someone she has written off as no good who (in fact) might be just what she needs to pull out of her withdrawn status and rejoin the world she seems to shun often. Amy Kim Ganter (no stranger to working quality work with her contributions to the acclaimed anthology Flight, as well as her online work with Reman Mythology first took flight on her website felaxx.com) spins a nicely done and down to Earth tale with abit of fantasy element worked in (while keeping it real and in reality at the same time).
Breakdown time.

Breakdowns and Reviewers the 1st
What’s Hot?
Finely crafted little slice of reality that works both sides of the street of love, with a bit of fantasy tinged into the real world setting through Nicole’s imagination which may point towards her present situation with Josh, we are given a nicely done love story that proves that AmeriManga in 2006 has got quite abit to offer us, and to vote for at the end of the year. Hopefully next year proves to be as fruitful.

What’s Not?
I don’t remember seeing any sign of the sequel yet, and this came out in February.
With one more volume to come to finish the series, we wait patiently to see how Sorcerers & Secretaries ends… maybe it’s online because I heard six chapters are supposed to be online now.
I wish there was signs of the next volume because I, for one, want to see how this ends.

Moments to Remember?
Nicole’s life may be a life less glamorous or special but it is her life, and watching her sway back and forth from her life she’d rather not be a part of into the life she wishes she was in (her fantasy world) is interesting, and it also sets for the perfect setting for a love story that seemingly shouldn’t be and yet may be most workable as you read page by page to see if Josh really will be Nicole’s one and only or not.

What to Ignore?
Don’t forget the cliffhanger. This one ends in a cliffhanger ending so you’ll have to wait until the second volume to see if this love story can be rescued… now hurry up already! Milking this all the way to 2007 might make me drop the score abit next time if I have to wait so long!… ugh, ignore me, I’m snippy.

Overall?
So far we’ve gone through AmeriManga that was action, Nancy Drew drama slash buddy flick, raunchy comedy and even an AmeriManga that fit quite well this summer being how it was all about Pirates of the Caribbean’s second movie (and this one was a Pirate themed title). Now add romance to your plate (not so much comedy/romance as a fine romance with abit of wit and humor to the serious tones of it‘s romantic entanglements).

It might not be Revolutionary Girl Utena, but this might be a title you might find a well worn copy of tucked in Utena’s nightstand between days of class and stabbing people during Rose Bride duels.
A Silver Recommended Star for you, Amy Kim Ganter. Enjoy!