is a romance

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series by Shigeyoshi Takagi. The series follows Riko, an extraordinarily strong teen girl that is forced into a relationship when the spoiled and wealthy Ran asks her to marry him. The manga was first published by

Hakusensha is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company mainly publishes manga magazines and is involved in series' productions in their games, original video animation, music, and their animated TV series. The com ...

in the ''shōjo'' manga magazines ''

LaLa ''LaLa'' is a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Hakusensha on the 24th of each month. The magazine's bonus contents are usually calendars for New Year issues, drama CDs, and so on. In a 2006 survey conducted by Oricon, Japanese girls ...

'' and '' LaLa DX'' between 2006 and 2008 and collected in 2 bound volumes.

Viz Media Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...

announced at

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

2009 that they had licensed the series with the intent of publishing it in 2010.

Plot

The main series follows high school students Riko Kunumi, a young girl with

superpower Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to Sphere of influence, exert influence and Power projection, project power on a global scale. This is done through the comb ...

s, and Ran Tachibana, a rich heir. Riko is initially irritated when Ran storms into her classroom stating that he has fallen in love with her and that she should be his bride. She spends much of her time running away from Ran as he pursues her using his vast wealth. The situation is made worse when Ran's fiancé appears to claim him and assassins are sent after them.

Bonus stories

The official releases through Viz and Hakusensha included two bonus stories. The first, ''Jigoku Kokyuu no Hitsuyou'', centers on a boy that finds him awoken from his nap by a girl's kiss, while the second story, ''Fureru Ondo'' deals with a male student that hates being touched by anyone other than the female biology teacher.

Main characters

*Riko Kunimi: In the series Riko initially appears to be an average teenage girl, but secretly possesses super powers such as super strength and speed. She's initially annoyed with Ran, but gradually begins to develop feelings for him over the course of the series. *Ran Tachibana: Ran is a wealthy teenage boy that becomes interested with Riko due to her personality and superpowers. He is initially selfish, but as the story develops he becomes more aware of Riko's feelings. *Akage the assassin: Akage is a strange and flashy assassin that initially approaches Ran and Riko, but is eventually shown to be not much of a bad guy. *Chiaki: Ran's friend from prep school, Chiaki spends much of his time battling with Ran due to feelings of inferiority for not being more perfect. *Kokonoe Rinko: Rinko was chosen to be Ran's wife by his parents and is initially portrayed as a superficial stereotype of a rich heiress, but is later shown to have real feelings for Ran.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Flower in a Storm'' was largely mixed, with the

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

writing that the first volume was something that readers "can comfortably pass on and wait for something stronger to come along".

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

gave the first volume a C rating praising the artwork while stating that "situations often feel overplayed and underwhelming". In contrast, Booklist's review of volume one was largely positive, with the reviewer stating that " en the next volume is released, readers will hope for more of Takagi’s shorter works, too." A staff member for Mania.com wrote that the series "doesn’t have much sustenance" but that she was ultimately "charmed by both protagonists".

References

External links

* {{LaLa 2006 manga Adventure anime and manga Hakusensha manga Romance anime and manga Shōjo manga Viz Media manga