Crossroad 1

Crossroad #1

by Shioko Mizuki (Illustrator)

Kajitsu has never known a proper family. Her dad's a deadbeat and her mom changes husbands like most people change socks. Kaijitsu isn't alone in her dysfunction - Taro and Natsu, the hottie stepbrothers she hasn't seen in seven years, are also refugees from negligent parents. Abandoned by everyone but each other, the three not-quite-siblings make one last attempt at building a family. It's hard enough getting along in a home with rampant hormones and no adults, but when an unexpected bundle of joy is dropped in their laps, can they learn to be parents, too? From brand-new publisher Go! Comi, an imprint of Go! Media Entertainment.

Genres: Manga, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Romance, Comics Manga, Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

a wild ride.

the art is good but the plot is quite strange. im concerned about incest, even if there's a 'rule' within the book about no incest between step-siblings. im not sure how many more volumes ill read, especially if this concern gets more prevalent.

[Coby Fong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn’t the best to offer any new comers, or as the best in a collection, but is still a book that should be given attention. This book, in many ways, is basically the physical embodiment of what any slice of life manga or anime should be, with many scenes of varying emotions such as anger, depression, etc that portray life for the three main characters of the book perfectly. Seeing as there current situation is safe to say far from what you’d usually expect. Like what Natalie said, “Some scenes are poignant and beautiful, such as Kajitsu grieving for her grandmother. Others are goofy and offset the darker scenes well, even if they border on unrealistic...” (Natalie) creating this balance within the book whilst also having many emotional incidents to invigorate the book and pull even more people into the series of volumes that continue the story of the two characters. Much of the book really brings characterization into the picture, and builds a lot of plot/action, but finally drives a exotic point of view into the picture along with much of what we expect to have with our mangas, so you can still find some big and unexpected actions to occur. Unlike other slice of life novels, anime, or manga’s this book doesn’t truly have a role model or father figure type character that can watch over any of them. This opens the manga up to many possibile scenes, like when one of the characters, Tato, tries to abandon a child outside.

My favorite character in the manga is a split between the main character and two secondary characters because I like them all in their different ways. To be honest, they each bring more tension into the story so none of them truly have a dominant role (except for Kajitsu being the main character). Of course, the interactions between them also brings more content to the story.

Similarly, I do not find any particular quote to be the best or my personal favorite. A great deal of the dialogue in this book is conversation, and usually doesn’t display heavy symbolism or anything like that.

[TT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute idea but a bit bland of a story.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty cute series that I will go ahead and read the rest of! I like the thrown together and adoptive family unit.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the whole idea of a “blended” family. I like that these kids are trying to stay together to make it in this cruel world.

[Kristy Buzbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is really good - I've been wanting to get it off Manga Takeout for months, and I finally got it! It's off to a great start. It's about Kajitsu, who lives with her grandmother because her mom is a deadbeat. Her mom comes back after her grandmother dies, and gets two of her stepsons, Natsu & Taro, to come too. Kajitsu hasn't seen them in seven years, and there's some awkward moments, but they were the only people she ever really trusted because of the way her mom acted. Then - her mom takes off again, this time leaving a six-year-old girl with no one to take care of her. So, Kajitsu, Natsu, & Taro are left to fend for themselves and the little girl as well.

I've read a lot of people who like this series but "have problems with the incest." Yes, there's a romance budding between Kajitsu and Natsu, but if you pay attention to the complicated family lines, you'll notice there's no blood relation whatsoever, and they only lived together as "siblings" for a year or two. I really don't think that counts as incest. :P Kajitsu even says she's not related to the woman she calls mom - her dad left her with this woman when he got a new girlfriend.

All in all, I like where it's going. It's serious, and tackles serious issues delicately, yet the kids in it remain kids. They act their age, not like they're really thirty-somethings.

[Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kajitsu's family life is mess; Granny has died, her adoptive mother is a ditz, and she hasn't seen her step-brothers in seven years; now, when they meet again, her beloved Natsu is cold. A little girl named Satsuki is the key to keeping this mismatched family together, but no adults and conflicting personalities make life difficult. Some scenes are poignant and beautiful, such as Kajitsu grieving for her grandmother. Others are goofy and offset the darker scenes well, even if they border on unrealistic (Kajitsu throws a bench at her teachers and doesn't get in trouble. Also, the fact that they would harass her so forcefully about Natsu's health seemed strange).

This is a fun read, but not gripping - perhaps because the situation is a little far-fetched. The budding Natsu/Kajitsu romance questions the definition of incenst - the two aren't blood related - and I'm unsure if I should be rooting for them as a couple or not. The parents in manga act in incredibly questionable ways - Kajitsu isn't related to Rinko; when her father got a new girlfriend, he left Kajitsu with Rinko (a random woman). For the same questionable things to have happened to all four of these characters asks me to suspend my disbelief a bit farther than I'm willing to. However, I do appreciate the story's down-to-earth bits that represent a poorer, struggling class in a semi-realistic fashion.

[Annemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

9-7-2022: 3 stars (so bringing my overall rating down to a 4).
Crossroad is another one of my comfort series. Objectively, this isn't the best shojo series there is, but I absolutely love it, despite its flaws.

The art is pretty generic for the shojo genre. The plot is thin, because this is a slice of life manga, just focusing on the characters living their lives. While I usually don't really like that genre all that much, this series is an exception. That said, this first volume is really just an introduction to our main characters. We get to know our "family" reuinted after 7 years.

Kajitsu as a main character is very relatable to me. She is a very flawed character, but she is fun to follow and seeing her grow throughout this series is going to be a lot of fun.

I'm going to love this series just as much as I always have, but the first volume is my least favourite.


14-2-2020: 5 stars on third reread. This series as a whole hit me so hard when I first read it, I spend like half an hour crying when I first finished it. It has a special place in my heart for that reason and I still really love it.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kajitsu's grandmother has just died. Her mother is flighty and selfish and has taken off after leaving a new "step-sister" to be taken care of by Kajitsu and her two "step-brothers". Now the four of them must find a way to live on only the salary of Taro, the oldest.

[scarlettraces · Rating 4 out of 5]

exactly the kind of shojo guaranteed to appeal, a tough heroine, interesting characters with the promise of development, and comic relief in the form of brother Taro. i'm guessing there *will* be incest in the house.

[Amy Gideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice blend of drama and comedy. This volume has one of the funniest lines I've ever read in manga, "New rule! No incest in the house!" There are also some poignant scenes, like when Kajitsu grieves for her grandmother and Natsu destroys a painful letter. So far a strong start to a series.

[Audry]

Of the first four manga series Go! launched with, this one was my favorite. It's the one that is most like a wacky, adorable, heartfelt YA novel. Also, I had a thing for the sensei.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of boring start

[Cassandra Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphic novels are my guilty pleasure! I love them all so much though when I started reading them it took me 30 mintues to figure out how to read them! I am in love with this plot line!