Blank Slate

Title:  Blank Slate
Japanese Title:  Akusaga
Mangaka:  Aya Kanno
Length:  2 Volumes (Completed)
English Translation?  Yes, both volumes have been released by Viz Media.
Demo/Genre:  Shoujo/Drama

How did I hear about it?  I dunno... I think I might have just stumbled across it on Amazon or something...

I'm not sure how much I remember about the plot.  It hasn't been too terribly long since I read it, but it's just that it didn't stick to me very well.  I remember thinking that it was almost a really great manga.  It's definitely not your average shoujo.  Let's see what I remember (too bad there's no wikipedia page to help jog my memory).  The story is about a man named Zen who has no memory of his past.  Hmm...I don't really remember much beyond that.  Zen has a very dangerous set of skills.  I remember that a bounty hunter who was after him became drawn into his world and wound up being his partner in crime, of sorts.  Sorry.  Fuzzy memory is fuzzy.

I remember more about what I thought after reading this manga than what I actually read.  It was very interesting to see a shoujo of this type.  BS was mysterious and dangerous with no trace of romance.  It was a very interesting concept, but unfortunately, it was too short.  I thought that if it had been just four volumes long, instead of two, that maybe there would have been enough time to develop the characters a little bit more.  I remember that there were plot points that were supposed to have a large impact, but because the characters never really became three-dimensional, that impact just doesn't hit with the force it needs (as evidenced by the fact that I can't remember a damn thing about it).  I doubt I'll be collecting this one.

It certainly wasn't a bad manga.  I remember enjoying it, at least.  It's just that beyond its unique take on shoujo, it doesn't stand out.  I would call Blank Slate "almost, but not quite."