Dolls

A collection of loosely connected short stories make up the first volume of this shojo manga (female-oriented Japanese graphic novel) series. In a nameless city, a mysterious, foppish proprietor presides over the only store selling plant dolls--beautiful, childlike creatures who live on milk and cookies...and thrive on love. The ways in which various dolls attach themselves to the shop's oddly assorted clientele say as much about the clientele as they do about the dolls. The customers include an arrogant, xenophobic foreigner who ultimately finds himself unable to distinguish his doll from his daughter; a lonely, struggling businessman who finds his only happiness in the doll he can't afford; and a miser who discovers that there are some things that not only money can't, but shouldn't, buy. As is typical of shojo illustrations, the backgrounds are minimal, with the focus on the people inhabiting the plot. The art has almost an exaggerated prettiness, and special attention is paid to the detail and depth of the characters' oversized eyes. This book is printed in the original Japanese right-to-left orientation.