Manga Review: Phantom Thief Jeanne, Volume 2, by Arina Tanemura

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2014

Volumes: 5

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

RightStuf Synopsis:

Devastated by Chiaki's deceit, Maron decides to cut him out of her life and never to rely on anyone. After the announcement is issued that Phantom Thief Jeanne intends to steal another painting, Maron goes missing, leaving the painting for Phantom Thief Sinbad to take. Has Maron now turned her back on being Phantom Thief Jeanne too?
Story and art by Arina Tanemura.

Review:

I am really enjoying getting to re-read this series. The color pages have not been as impressive as I was hoping, and I do miss Tanemura’s author comments, but I’m still liking this translation, and the books are still really pretty. It’s been so long since I first read this series, and it really is my favorite Tanemura series.

In this volume, there are some phantom thief cases, including Chiaki’s father, who is really kind of humorous (when not possessed), and Miyako’s brother. The humor doesn’t interrupt the serious moments, which is really nice, although it really does make the fight scenes rather cheesy, but for me that works for this series. It makes the cases less serious, although a bit more dramatic.

There are several moments between Chiaki and Maron in this volume, including one where they’re at the carousal (which was a memorable scene from my first read), and another really nice one when they’re both captured. They’re possibly my favorite Tanemura couple, so I just really enjoy reading these moments again, and falling for them all over again.

There are a few hints about something deeper going on with the phantom thief thing, and I’m looking forward to that revelation. Then there are some mentions of Maron’s parents—some good things, as well as her hurt feelings over them. And given how hurt she is over them, it really shows how strong she is, how hard she tries to put on a happy face for everyone.

There’s a cliffhanger at the end of the volume (with something that I thought happened earlier in the series), and then a bonus story about why Miyako is so set on capturing Jeanne. The bonus story was nice, really showing how important Maron is to her.

The next volume is sure to be good, and I look forward to reading it.