10 Mar / Translucent (vol. 3) by Kazuhiro Okamoto, translated by Heidi Plechl
The adventures of Shizuka Shiroyama and her two best sidekicks, strong-willed Okouchi and ever-cheerful Tadami, continues in this third installment with some guilty feelings, a heartwarming wedding, and dealing with a meddlesome doctor’s awkward attempts at matchmaking because she still can’t get over her own lost first love. Shizuka endures a naked search for a missing notebook, hopes to meet a superstar actress visiting her school, and tries to use her Translucent Syndrome to help a suffering family make peace with their past.
Not everything works out the way Shizuka expects, but she’s never one to shirk challenges … and in spite of disappointments and frustrations, especially as she fades at the most inopportune moments, Shizuka knows she has her friends and family to boost her up whenever she needs a little something extra.
Without ever being too preachy, manga creator Okamoto presents an easy balance between big life lessons and just plain fun. Translucent is just what the angst-filled, hormone-driven, overdramatic, young teenage reader will surely enjoy.
Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Published: 2008 (United States)