I’m crazy OVER this manga by Riko Miyagi. Or maybe cause I didn’t have D.Gray Man for nearly 3 months already. D.Gray Man was my soul and pleasure when it came to comedy. But Hoshino injured her hand again and thus it began to go on HIATUS. =( Poor Hoshino, its already this second time she got her hand injured.
Mei-chan no Shitsuji iabout a girl name Mei [obviously] who has a past of being lost and alone in the woods only to be saved by a man who is known as Mei-chan’s butler. Back to the present, Mei’s parents passed away in a car accident just right about when they were comfortable with their lifes. Poor Mei with no options and no guardians would have been force to go to orphanage. Teased by Kento her classmate, he offers with his grandfather to allow her to stay with them.
Only to be cut by the presence of a man who claims to be her butler, Rihito also known as Kento’s older brother. A brief history is revealed that Kento Shibata and Rihito Shibata comes from a lineage of long serving butler under the Hyougo family and Mei is actually the heiress to the Hougou cooperations. Rihito who is to stay by Mei’s side is an ideal “perfect” image of a man who’s equiped with knowlegde and skills to perform and protect Mei while she holds the Hougou name. Mei believes she’s able to lead a normal life however when the day her friends almost died near her house, she decides to attend, St. Lucia academy, a prestigious school catered for the best and rich girls of First Class families.
There’s a catch though, St. Lucia is a boarding school and does allowed butlers to stay, where each and every girl will have one serving them. While on the discussion of her new school, Rihito is being told by Mei’s grandfather secretly that he is to be her future husband in 5 years time and must seduce her. Kento who’ve over heard of this disapproves her leave. She continues while holding the aim to be the best and ideal lady Rihito will be proud to serve.
As she starts her journey, her butler is stripped of his coat due to her low rank, a system created to rank the students of St. Lucia by their effort and behaviour. Since Mei has just begun, she must work her way up slowly from Embro [?] to Luna and finally Sole. She face rejections from the day she begin but does her very best to keep up with the society. The beginning of the arc is mostly about her progress and her relations with her classmates.
Enter the second arc where, she meets Lucia-sama [Highest Rank and Title Bestowed On The Best] in the greenhouse who she founds out relates back to Rihito her butler. The school events finally revealed that someone is after Mei, and wants to eliminate her for good. Rihito however ensures Mei that he is always by her side. Mei is at the point where her crush has developed even deeper. On the day of their ball dance, Rihito asks of Mei that she is to stay beside him at all times. Mei agrees but only to be betrayed at the ball, when Lucia-sama entered the hall and claims her butler for a dance.
Mei who was betrayed by Rihito who has the gentle look in his eyes when he sees Lucia. Lucia’s butler Shinobu [?] tells Mei that Rihito was once Lucia’s butler while he was the second one serving under her. Their relationship wasn’t simple and that Mei is to be blamed for seperating them. Mei convinced by this felt overly depressed and left the ball to return back to her dorm. She was then found by Rihito, crying on her bed. Unable to fathom what was going on, Rihito could only console her and tells her the forbidden words that breaks their bond as a master and butler.
Mei however doesn’t want this anymore for she is at the verge where she has fallen deeply in love with him to the point that its unbearable for her anymore. Mei is convinced that he is faking it to heal her heart. Rihito silently disagrees and accepts that the time must have not been right. Over the events, Mei and Rihito develops into a better relation and progressed into a forbidden relationship. Happy days don’t last, when Lucia-sama somehow manage to convince them into a duel and begins the fight.
I wasn’t able to get hold of the outcome of the battle but I think Mei lost and Rihito is taken into Lucia’s pavillion and molested there while he’s being drugged. She’s one insane woman to have molest Rihito even in front of Mei. While Mei who is in pain seeks comfort under Kento who is now seen attending butler school with his desire to strongly serve Mei as her only butler. Kento and Mei’s relation developed from friends to close friends and finally Kento confessed his feelings for Mei after harboring it for so long.
A romantic scene between Kento and Mei took placed but was captured by Shinobu who gave these pictures for Rihito to see. Rihito who is hurt by this finally took matters in his own hand as predicted by Lucia. Lucia gave Rihito back to Mei which abruptly reveals Mei’s secret affair while Rihito was suffering being drugged in dazed to Lucia’s bidding. Angered by Mei’s actions, Rihito left Mei on his own will and begins to serve under Lucia willingly. Mei couldn’t take the whole scenario played when Rihito gave his cold reply.
I don’t know what happened again, cause there were some scans missing, but another duel is initiated and this time, its the battle between the Shibata brothers. Mei being on the side of her classmates versus Lucia the Sole factions. Kento must cut off all the petals of roses from Rihito’s chest pocket to win this duel. Half way throughout the event, Kento is badly injured and a time breaker is given. Mei goes sits with Lucia and had a little tensed up conversation. When Rihito comes, Lucia takes the opportunity to destroy Mei’s heart by kissing Rihito in front of her. Mei is deeply hurt but thanks to her toy who made a little distraction, woke Mei up as she regain back her composure and confidence.
At last they won, by Rihito’s own decision to remove the final petal and to go back into the service of Mei. All is happy except Lucia and her butler Shinobu. Right after the duel, Shinobu attempts to injure Mei but was stopped by Kento and Rihito. In tears, he leads them back to the greenhouse where Lucia is found with her eyes close and crying bloody tears. She had stabbed her own eyes not wanting to see the painful reality anymore. She was being adopted just to serve as their heiress of the Hougou family when Mei’s existance was still with her father who ran away from the family. Mei prevents her from continue stabbing and console her to stop while being stabbed in the arm. It is then seen that the greenhouse where her little home was, was burned down. Shinobu took Lucia away from the school to a place peaceful.
Mei however continues her life in the academy with Rihito serving her. She is then seen grown up with a longer hair and taller body frame. She goes back to the school and continues her life events there with Rihito while Kento goes to England [?] to pursue his studies as an elite butler. There were a few cute scenes between Mei and Rihito.
Entering into the third arc, St. Lucia is visited by a few foreigners of different race and are men. This is as far as they current manga goes. And I’m excited as to how the out come will be for Mei. Rika seem to have matured both in her drawing and became a bit angsty. Unrealitic yes, but still worth the read.
Here are a list of few mangas, I’ve taken interest so far:
1. Kekkaishi
2. D.Gray Man
3. Full Metal Alchemist
4. Rurouni Kenshin
5. Shugo Chara
6. Ouran High School Host Club
7. Trinity Blood
8. Vampire Knight
9. Basilisk
10. Nodame Cantabile
11. XXXHolic
!2. Saiunkoku Monogatari
And anime adaptions:
1. Chobits
2. Ouran High School Host Club
3. Kekkaishi
4. Clannad/Clannad ~After Story~
5. Trinity Blood
6. Tactics
7. Nodame Cantabile
8. Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu?
9. Full Metal Alchemist