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20面相におねがい!! [20 Mensou ni Onegai!!] #2
Man of Many Faces, Vol. 02
"Please come, 20 Faces!"
What's the one thing that can stop a master thief from a life of crime? True love! Akira Ijyuin, aka the notorious thief 20 Faces, has been in love with young Utako for years, but is it true love? The mystery man must set aside masks for his greatest heist ever: stealing Utako's heart once and for all!
What's the one thing that can stop a master thief from a life of crime? True love! Akira Ijyuin, aka the notorious thief 20 Faces, has been in love with young Utako for years, but is it true love? The mystery man must set aside masks for his greatest heist ever: stealing Utako's heart once and for all!
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1991
2 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Clamp
757 books3,151 followersŌkawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; Ōsaka, bloodtype: A]
Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]
Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: O]
Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]
CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.
In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.
In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.
[born: 2 May 1967; Ōsaka, bloodtype: A]
Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]
Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: O]
Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]
CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.
In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.
In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 21, 2025
So you might ask what happened in this volume story wise, the answer is naff all! It's a shame, clamp have some excellent titles but this is not one of them, it's not offensively bad, it's just extremely mid.
October 23, 2025
Review for complete series
Akira follows in his father's footsteps by stealing various items as the mysterious thief known as 20 Faces. Although he also leads a normal life as a schoolboy, his mothers - of which he has two - always make sure to come up with new items for him to steal. One of his nights out as 20 Masks brings him to a villa where he meets Utako who promptly declares him the new love in her life.
Akira and Utako are cute, and that's about it. As much as I think they are an adorable couple, this manga doesn't really lead to anything. Akira and Utako are very young with him being 9 and her being 5 years old - neither of them acts according to their age. This also makes their romance seem a little hard to believe. But I am happy enough to put my disbelief aside - this is a CLAMP manga after all, they often come up with somewhat controversial couples. This story is also more on the comedic side which really allows the series a bit of freedom.
The character's age aside, the story has many elements that are left unexplained or simply don't seem very credible. Akira has two mothers - why? We never know. His father also posed as 20 Masks but we never learn what became of him or really anything about him at all. The two mothers generally don't sit right with me - they are literally referred to as Mother A and Mother B, they are slightly dim-witted cleptomaniacs who send their nine-year-old son off to steal whatever item catches their fancy. And that already sums up the entire motivation of Akira stealing at all. He himself shows no initiative that he wants to be a thief, he just goes along with whatever Mother A & B ask of him.
There's also a lot of comedy which just completely failed to make me laugh. I understand that this ties in with other CLAMP works and I suppose it could work as a spin-off with some fun cameos. Yet as a story, it is too thin and too... weird. I just feel this series can't carry itself. The absolute only thing it has going for it is the gorgeous artwork and the fact that Akira and Utako really are cute - a more realistic and perhaps more in-depth version of the story could have made this a nice romance manga, but as it is, it did not really work for me.
January 13, 2020
Today's post is on Man of Many Faces, volume 2 by CLAMP. It is 192 pages long and was published by Tokyopop. The cover has the two main characters on it. It is the second the CLAMP's Man of Many Faces duology and you have to read the first volume to understand what is going on. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character Akira. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- What's the one thing that can stop a master thief from a life of crime? True love! Akira Ijyuin, AKA the notorious thief 20 Faces, has been in love with the young Utako for years, but is it true love? The mystery man must set aside masks for his greatest heist ever: Stealing Utako's heart once and for all!
Review- A cute finale to a cute series. Akira has some heists in this volume but most of the story is about the characters and moving their individual plot lines along. Akira and Utako decide what they mean to each other and end up happily ever after. I had fun with this little series, the story was cute, the art is great, and it stayed consistent within it's world. I had a good time with this series and I would recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.
From the back of the book- What's the one thing that can stop a master thief from a life of crime? True love! Akira Ijyuin, AKA the notorious thief 20 Faces, has been in love with the young Utako for years, but is it true love? The mystery man must set aside masks for his greatest heist ever: Stealing Utako's heart once and for all!
Review- A cute finale to a cute series. Akira has some heists in this volume but most of the story is about the characters and moving their individual plot lines along. Akira and Utako decide what they mean to each other and end up happily ever after. I had fun with this little series, the story was cute, the art is great, and it stayed consistent within it's world. I had a good time with this series and I would recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.
October 12, 2024
This was an interesting read. I only picked it up because it was written by CLAMP, and only two volumes long. It wasn't bad, but once again I'm reminded that I don't necessarily agree with all of CLAMP's ideas on love.
In the first volume, a four year old is "in love" with her pre-k teacher, and devastated when he doesn't reciprocate. And it's treated like a real, true love. Later on, he's referred to as her first love. I only bring this up because in this volume we find out a character marries her first grade teacher (she's in her 20's when she does it, but still). This is not the only time CLAMP includes a student-teacher relationship where the student is in primary school, and its portrayed as being romantic instead of super predatory and disturbing.
It makes it hard to fully enjoy the book, to be honest. Even so, the art is cute. The story is silly and has low stakes, which is a nice change from some of their other works. CLAMP is most known for Cardcaptor Sakura (that's how I was introduced to them as a kid- thank you, Saturday morning cartoons!), but if you start looking at some of their other works you realize that they really do explore some dark themes.
This series is not one of those explorations.
In the first volume, a four year old is "in love" with her pre-k teacher, and devastated when he doesn't reciprocate. And it's treated like a real, true love. Later on, he's referred to as her first love. I only bring this up because in this volume we find out a character marries her first grade teacher (she's in her 20's when she does it, but still). This is not the only time CLAMP includes a student-teacher relationship where the student is in primary school, and its portrayed as being romantic instead of super predatory and disturbing.
It makes it hard to fully enjoy the book, to be honest. Even so, the art is cute. The story is silly and has low stakes, which is a nice change from some of their other works. CLAMP is most known for Cardcaptor Sakura (that's how I was introduced to them as a kid- thank you, Saturday morning cartoons!), but if you start looking at some of their other works you realize that they really do explore some dark themes.
This series is not one of those explorations.
September 30, 2023
The story needs to be tightened up but I think the overall premise is really cute. Two kids who fall in love and manage to stay together and keep their love feel like it’s new. Plus the dude is a handsome thief. What’s not to love?
It would be amazing if this got made into a wholesome movie. Or combine this with CLAMP School Detectives and Defenders and make it an anime.
Some additional thoughts:
• I think Akira’s moms are sisters who married the same man
• would have really liked to see more of Akira’s dad and see Akira learn that Akechi is his uncle
It would be amazing if this got made into a wholesome movie. Or combine this with CLAMP School Detectives and Defenders and make it an anime.
Some additional thoughts:
• I think Akira’s moms are sisters who married the same man
• would have really liked to see more of Akira’s dad and see Akira learn that Akechi is his uncle
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2022
very dumb and cute. a lot of this volume was just various characters sharing their (often bad) philosophies on love. the story continues to be as strange and nonsensical as it was in the first volume, but it's fun and sweet. the art is the main star of this series; it's the gorgeous, shimmery shoujo art clamp was known for during this time period. any points where the story and characters were lackluster, the art made up for it.
December 24, 2024
Ayah Akira akhirnya dimunculkan sebagai Sinterklas yang datang memberikan hadiah saat istri-istri dan anaknya tidur. Kenapa dia enggak tinggal bareng keluarganya? Tentu saja tidak dijelaskan sampai akhir 🤣
Ya udahlah. Pokoknya udah tahu ceritanya sampai chapter terakhir. Enggak expect apa-apa, sih. Kalau mau baca cerita soal anak SD yang lebih make sense, baca aja Hai Miiko 🤣
Ya udahlah. Pokoknya udah tahu ceritanya sampai chapter terakhir. Enggak expect apa-apa, sih. Kalau mau baca cerita soal anak SD yang lebih make sense, baca aja Hai Miiko 🤣
January 29, 2017
still goofy and cute! i wouldn't mind reading the story of akira's moms and dad, does that exist? also there was some quality fluff in those last few chapters, CLAMP has a gift for making me warm to ridiculous romances. 3 stars
December 24, 2018
3.5/5
It was good, and I loved how sweet the romance is. I am left with a lot of unanswered questions though. Plus, everything was quite solid, but then we randomly get a terrible sneak peek into Utako's sister's future. No, thank you.
It was good, and I loved how sweet the romance is. I am left with a lot of unanswered questions though. Plus, everything was quite solid, but then we randomly get a terrible sneak peek into Utako's sister's future. No, thank you.
September 7, 2023
La historia un poco màs cortada, pero mantiene su energìa.
Màs de amor, y con personajes muy estèticametne bellos y atractivos. Aunque supongo que la historia fue terminada de tajo y sin acciòn, por asì decirlo. Màs enfocada a un primer acercamiento hacia el amor.
Màs de amor, y con personajes muy estèticametne bellos y atractivos. Aunque supongo que la historia fue terminada de tajo y sin acciòn, por asì decirlo. Màs enfocada a un primer acercamiento hacia el amor.
June 8, 2019
Charming collection.
July 26, 2020
I'm going to die now from an overload of cuteness.
March 15, 2021
Muy dulce. Vemos un poco del futuro y como se desarrollara todo. Muchas reflexiones sobre el amor.
April 25, 2021
Mejor que el primer volumen, pero no mucho más.
May 14, 2022
wtf did I just read
July 4, 2023
3.75 super sweet story, but not the best by Clamp, still I really enjoyed it.
December 2, 2025
Me niego a darle 1 estrella a un manga de Clamp, pero esta vez he estado cerca. Qué cosa más ñoña, tonta, simple.
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December 18, 2025tooth-rotting sweet 😩🙏
May 8, 2020
It was so nice to return to this volume and wrap up my re-read of this mini-series. Life during this pandemic has just been such a stressful mess, and I've been needing the silly, sweet little CLAMP School Universe as a pick-me-up. Man of Many Faces in particular never fails to make me smile, particularly with its sentiments regarding love and romance.
I think the older I get, the more the sentiments of romance in this duology really stick with me, because while in some ways they're an ideal one can't reach, I think a lot of what gets spoken about in this series is something to strive for in a relationship, to help keep it alive and strong if someone and their partner still love each other and have a mutual desire to stay in their relationship long-term. By no means is anything said perfect (nor is the storytelling and this series itself,) but a lot of the notions given here are very thought-provoking, speaking of love as an on-going act and feeling all in one that changes and grows with both the person and the relationship they're in. It's really something worth thinking on.
And of course, the way things wrap up in this volume, while a little too perfect, are definitely sweet and heart-warming in a way I've really been needing at this point in time. As always, I highly recommend this series for CLAMP fans if you have the time and money to track down the volumes.
[An interesting side note, while I own the physical copy of this volume, the cover shown here on GR (of adult Akira and Utako) for the edition I own is not the actual cover on my volume. The cover image listed as the English Kindle edition here on GR (child Akira and Utako, in a tux and a white fur dress) is the image on my physical cover, which is surprising and confusing. Even when I bought this copy a few years ago, I was baffled, because I remember every copy of this volume that my school friends owned being the image of adult Akira and Utako! I'm not sure how in the world I ended up with a copy with the cover art that I have. Maybe there was more than one printing?]
I think the older I get, the more the sentiments of romance in this duology really stick with me, because while in some ways they're an ideal one can't reach, I think a lot of what gets spoken about in this series is something to strive for in a relationship, to help keep it alive and strong if someone and their partner still love each other and have a mutual desire to stay in their relationship long-term. By no means is anything said perfect (nor is the storytelling and this series itself,) but a lot of the notions given here are very thought-provoking, speaking of love as an on-going act and feeling all in one that changes and grows with both the person and the relationship they're in. It's really something worth thinking on.
And of course, the way things wrap up in this volume, while a little too perfect, are definitely sweet and heart-warming in a way I've really been needing at this point in time. As always, I highly recommend this series for CLAMP fans if you have the time and money to track down the volumes.
[An interesting side note, while I own the physical copy of this volume, the cover shown here on GR (of adult Akira and Utako) for the edition I own is not the actual cover on my volume. The cover image listed as the English Kindle edition here on GR (child Akira and Utako, in a tux and a white fur dress) is the image on my physical cover, which is surprising and confusing. Even when I bought this copy a few years ago, I was baffled, because I remember every copy of this volume that my school friends owned being the image of adult Akira and Utako! I'm not sure how in the world I ended up with a copy with the cover art that I have. Maybe there was more than one printing?]
December 31, 2013
I loved reading this! It was wonderful reading a happy story from CLAMP for once, and a love story on top of that! I will eventually have to get these to complete my CLamp School set. This was truly a delight to read, and with a positive outlook on love.
January 19, 2016
Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)
For a full review of this series, please click here.
For a full review of this series, please click here.
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August 4, 2009Nice one.
April 15, 2019
Edición española, tomo 2 de 2.
February 2, 2022
I absolutely adore Clamps Man of Many Faces series from start to finish my only objection is I wish the ending did not end so abruptly.
February 25, 2009
Man of Many Faces, Book 2 by Clamp (2003)
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April 14, 20171.5 / 5
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews