written by Konami Sonoda

ChocoMimi is about all things cute, sweet, and candy-like. With no central plot, it instead centers on short stories (sometimes very short ones in the shape of four descending panels) about two eighth-grade girls, Choco and Mimi. The way they act, like their innocence around boys, makes them feel younger than fourteen. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would guess they were in elementary school and just very fashion-conscious.
 
Yes, there’s lots of fashion in ChocoMimi. This is the kind of series that sparkles, and not in a metaphorical way. It’s about glitter, clothes, desserts, and fun. Every so many pages there are “fashion notes” for various situations, showing the girls in distinct outfits and giving tips.
 
Neither Choco nor Mimi would be described as geniuses, though Choco is definitely the smarter of the two. Choco usually knows what she’s doing, whereas Mimi is an airhead. Time and again Mimi does something silly to get laughs, like when she dresses up like Mozart because she believes this will make her good at writing music.
 
They both have a crush on a semi-moody boy named Andrew, and their interest in him and other boys might be the closest thing to a plot, because he shows up repeatedly and the girls want to catch his attention. They don’t seem to have any idea what they might do with him besides hang out, which is part of what gives it such a youngish feel.
 
ChocoMimi is rated All Ages. The girls act young, and the vocabulary is mostly pretty basic. The only thing that feels out of place for young readers are some of the outfits. Sonoda goes into great detail on giving her characters cute little outfits, but a few times the outfits are a little on the raunchy side. This mainly happens with pictures done as sorts of chapter headings, where the girls are just drawn this way to look interesting, and not as part of the story. Still, it’s a little odd to see them a couple of times with tattoos and skimpy clothing.
 
As a bonus, stickers of the girls and varied desserts are available inside the first book. Despite a lack of plot and at least one really inane main character, ChocoMimi is pretty entertaining. Some of it is very funny. It’s a light read for younger readers, especially those already interested in manga and fashion.

-- Danica Davidson

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