An Incurable Case of Love

Enjoji (the Happy Marriage?! series) returns with a josei manga—or manga geared toward women—featuring a promising, if perhaps overly familiar, opposites-attract scenario set in a busy hospital. Five years ago, Sakura Nanase met medical resident Kairi Tendo when they both helped an old woman who collapsed on the street. Inspired by this brief, one-time meeting, she dedicates her life to becoming a nurse—and nurtures tender feelings for Tendo (“This man is... the prince I’ve been waiting for!”) who she hopes to find again. But when she gets assigned to train with him on her first day as a nurse, she receives a rude awakening: he doesn’t remember her and harshly rejects her advances. Tendo has a reputation as a difficult boss and plays like a Mr. Darby type. But, while her romantic dreams may be dashed, Sakura focuses on her patients and realizes she loves her profession for its own sake. Enjoji’s artwork is typical of the genre, with exaggerated reactions and dramatic angles, but the hospital setting is distinctive. Workplace details fill in Tendo and Sakura’s world and ground the narrative. Despite the clichéd setup, Sakuro’s character development and the unusual details of the medical workplace setting make this a series worth following to the next volume. [em](Oct.) [/em]