Bara no Maria

Smartly drawn, the front cover was the first thing to scream “You’re gonna looove this!” at me. The main character, a tough, red-haired, orange-eyed beauty named Maria Rose, is a safe cracker in the slums of the city. She works for large sums of money to repay a debt in order to get her sword, the “Fake Consuming Inferno”, back. Maria works with a band of people who include Katari, whose head turns into that of a fish at random moments, Azian, the Maria-obsessed, somewhat perverted, dramatic romantic, the clever Tomato, and the timid Safina. They must go on a mission to an artist’s dungeon to raid it. However, this proves to have unexpected complications.
The art in itself is reason enough to read it—However, it has some people debating over whether it is shonen enough. Likewise, it should appeal to both gender tastes. This manga would be just the thing for lovers of action, comedy, romance, and fantasy. The characters are wonderfully designed and witty in their own ways. (And Katari’s head invites opportunities for hilarious fish-head jokes.) Maria is the kind of no-nonsense heroine that a successful female-lead manga needs. She is no damsel in distress. Bara no Maria has a satisfying potpourri of romance, action, and comedy (“…Can it be that your eyes and nipples are switched?”) that is sure to have your eyes perusing each skillfully drawn page with anticipation. The story waxes Black Cat, so people who love that manga will looove this! In a few words, this manga should be more popular.