Miki Falls: Winter by Mark Crilley

Mark Crilley is the well-known writer and illustrator of the series Akiko, about a young Japanese-American girl taken from her safe life on Earth to the Planet Smoo to every now and again become a planetary hero. Now, he has come back with another series, about Miki, a Japanese girl who falls in love with a boy named Hiro. But he's no ordinary boy, he's a Deliverer, a quasi-celestial being who tries to save actual love between humans so that great loves happen and continue to happen.

Hiro is supposed to stay above relationships himself, all Deliverers are, but he and Miki have fallen in love, and now are on the run from the Deliverers and their leader, Akuma. They are trying to run away from Japan to the South Seas with the help of another Deliverer, Reika, but it seems that Hiro's Hold Spirit helper, Anra, is being controlled by someone else and is no longer strictly on their side.

They manage to make it to the ship that will take them away from Japan, only to find it was all a trap from the beginning, and that Akuma is on board, Miki is imprisoned in a cabin far away from Hiro and returned to her village, where she and Hiro are tried by Akuma and the other Deliverers. Just as Miki's memories are about to be purged by the hold spirits, she makes a mad dash and throws herself through the window to preserve her memories of Hiro and their love.

But when she comes back to herself, she is the *only one* who remembers him. She manages to hold it together, until she sees the man who helped her and Hiro months before. She runs to him and he leads her back to the temple, where he reveals himself to be Freya, goddess of love. Freya says that Hiro and Miki's love was planned for by Freya, who wanted to oust Akuma as leader of the Deliverers. But she was unprepared for how strong their love was. The Deliverers had branded Miki as a "neverfind", someone who will never find love. But the goddess offers her a potion that will change Miki into a Sustainer, someone who will find love and sustain it all her life. But to change, she will have to give up her memories of Hiro.

Miki is about to drink, but pours it out. She will never give up her memories of Hiro, never give up her love for him. She tells the Goddess that if she believes this was possible for her, she knows as little about love as Akuma does. The goddess is offended by Miki's refusal, and prepares to leave her, but Miki pleads with her for a different outcome...

This was a wonderful end to the story, full of danger, fear, heartbreak and love. Although it plays with the emotions of the readers, it manages to pull off a twist ending that even took me by surprise. This may only be a manga series, but even adults will enjoy the rich, complicated love story and the magnificent ending. Well worth the look *and* the money. This is one you'll end up cherishing.