Love Bullet

Love is a battlefield—albeit a cutesy one—in this adorable manga comedy about an invisible war for human hearts. When schoolgirl Koharu dies in a gruesome accident, she’s resurrected as a winged cupid, the outcome for all humans who die without falling in love. Cupids have the chance to earn karmic points, and someday return to life, by playing matchmaker. Bows and arrows are passé; Koharu’s comrades shoot love from guns and grenade launchers. Alongside supportive team leader Kanna, gleefully violent Chiyo (“Hitting two hearts with one bullet? Freaking awesome!”), and logical, bespectacled Ena, Koharu wields her armory for romance. Inee’s fine-lined art is relentlessly charming, and the premise delivers endless opportunities for slapstick: the cupids engage in friendly firefights over their preferred pairings, stray bullets cause bystanders to become smitten, and grenades set off heart-shaped explosions. A deliciously bittersweet sentimentality punctuates the action, as the cupids ache over the mysteries of love and deal with their own mortal pasts. Notably, the couples include same-sex pairings, which the cupids treat as no different from heterosexual relationships. For romantics with a refined sense of humor, this offbeat fantasy delights. (Dec.)