Three for one special!

The best feature about this manga volume isn’t the art style—the art style is fairly generic by shoujo standards and almost mirrors Yuu Watase’s work. No, the best feature of this manga is that not only do you get the main story Captive Hearts, but the second half of the book is dedicated to two short manga stories. Both are girlishly sappy and melting as they should be, and very sweet. Not only that but at the very end the creator, Matsuri Hino, has included a funny mini-comic about not taking Captive Hearts too seriously and just generally lightening the mood. She also does little blurbs at intervals throughout the manga, and, honestly, she sounds like a positively adorable person.

Let’s rattle the chains and see what happens.

Honestly, Captive Hearts might not be terribly original in artistic styling but I found the story to be quite charming. It’s not unique by any means, but it just has just enough personal charm to make it stand out over more general masses. Any shoujo fan worth her (or his) salt knows that stories about couples bonded by fate are countless, but few are ever quite so literal about it. Not only that, but you’re really getting three manga stories for the price of one in a single book—how can you beat a bargain like that in this recession?! It’s a no-brainer—Captive Hearts is a manga that is a must-have for any balanced manga collection, especially if your tastes veer toward sweet and girly.