By Tachibana Higuchi. Released in Japan as “M to N no Shouzou” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Tokyopop.

I’d noted when reviewing Volume 1 of M&N; that I felt it had a big problem, which was its premise. That has not changed. Hoerver, the focus is now firmly on love comedy, with the masochistic and narcissistic qualities being an afterthought. Strangely enough, this makes it work better.

The lead couple are still painfully earnest, even when going through comedic situations. Mitsuru is still shy and meek, blithely accepting all the bullying from the other girls that’s coming her way. (Speaking of which, what is it with Tachibana and bullying? I know it features in a lot of shoujo titles, but both of her larger series have it in spades, and with Gakuen Alice it’s almost the main plotline.) Natsuhiko, meanwhile, works best when he’s freaking out and being overprotective, as when he’s repressing everything, he just comes off as dull.

Even Hijiri turns out to be your typical rival guy, though at least by poking at the main couple he is doing something to make them move closer, as it’s very clear that this couple needs help. Neither of them would dare make a move on their own, being tormented by crippling self-doubt. This is where their peccadilloes come into play, with Mitsuru fighting against her masochism whenever she trips and falls, and Natsuhiko trying to avoid self-absorption (though he’s really too nice a guy for that).

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the one-shot at the end of this volume, written two years before Tachibana began M&N.; It’s about a school that’s a way station for ghosts, who have to have someone realize they’re dead and mourn before they can pass on. This can be tricky – one girl was killed in a bombing raid during WWII, and was listed as ‘missing’, so is still there. It’s a pretty fine premise, and the first few pages have some nice comedy that tends to be missing from the main M&N; series. It also has heartwarming moments (Yurie finally being reunited with her mother) and ends in a sweet, yet also dark scene where the hero promises to love a ghost the rest of his life. (Tachibana says the audience wrote in to ask if it was a happy ending or not.) Good stuff.

The concerns I had with Volume 1 have not really gone away. This series is far too serious for its premise. Even the cover art is sedate and mature. However, that’s actually less of a problem in this volume, as the focus is far less on the masochism and narcissism and more on the two shy leads crawling slowly towards each other as a couple. Which is sweet, but I have to wonder about a series whose weak point is still its basic premise.