Dear Mine is a manga by Takao Shigeru-sensei. The series ended with the fourth tankoubon, published in 2001 (I think). Takao-sensei is drawing another series, Teruteru X Shounen; they’re both published in Hana to Yume.

Satoko is a cute high school girl with long hair, a very kind heart who cooks her friends’ bento. She lives with her mother in a small flat, and she seems to actually mind everything: cooking, cleaning, and she even wakes up her lazy mother. And one day, as she was having lunch in a park with her friends, a kid jumps over the railings next to them to flee a dog. Satoko isn’t much disturbed and invites him to eat with them. Satoko and Fuuma, the kid, will meet again, first still because of the dog, then because of a promise made long ago by their parents… Satoko’s father was the boss of a big company that got bankrupt, and he died soon after. From that time Satoko’s mother works hard to raise her daughter, still they are quite poor. When Satoko’s mother suddenly moves from their little flat without telling Satoko, their life changes completely. A man, Hagane, comes to pick Satoko up with a rich car, and tells her how his master came to pay back all her mother’s debts. They finally reach a huge luxurious mansion, her new house, and Hagane tells her the truth: Satoko is the master of the Wakudera family’s fiancée. And her future husband, the family master, is… Fuuma!

Characters

	Satoko: Satoko is very generous, but has quite weird reactions, which makes her very funny. She’ll either remain very calm, or she’ll act impulsively. She won’t wonder how Fuuma managed to do her physics homeworks and will only be relieved not to get scolded by her teacher. And she’ll immediately protect kids threatened by a dog even if she could be wounded. Sometimes she makes me think of Honda Tohru from Fruits Basket, a cute simple girl with exaggerated reactions. She doesn’t know much about Japanese traditions, and sometimes regrets her previous simple life with her mother only. She seems to have a crush on a guy of her age, Machida.
	Fuuma: In spite of his age (only 10), Fuuma is quite already a little adult. Very clever, he spends his time working as the head of the Wakureda company. He’s quite serious, though he sometimes smiles to the people he loves, particularly to Satoko. He doesn’t always know how to react with her, though he’s not particularly shy, maybe just awkward. He’s very kind but doesn’t want to show it, and worries for others. Somehow he looks like a mix of Ring (Please Save my Earth) and of Hiro (Fruits Basket).
	Hagane: Maybe in his late twenties, Hagane is the man who introduced Satoko to her new life, and to her new husband. He works for the Wakudera family though I haven’t pointed out what his job exactly is. Let’s say that he takes care of Fuuma, and is also a kind of secretary. He’s very present in the story, being the one who explains things most of the time. He almost always smiles, and quite makes me think of Shigure from Fruits Basket (though he doesn’t seem to over react much).
	Satoko’s mother: Can’t remember her name… ^^; Anyway, she’s of the genki type! She’s still quite young and beautiful, and sometimes seems to be here only to tease Satoko. When Satoko learns about her future marriage, her mother was hidden in an armour to witness everything. She’s very childish, but she did her best too raise her daughter, and Satoko loves her.

 

Translations

Volume 1

Chapter 01

 

Another cute and funny manga, the kind I like. The art is nice, the story is simple but here are many funny scenes to enjoy. I can’t remember why I bought this manga at first, but it wasn’t for the first cover (I can’t stand it, the next ones are much prettier). There’s a short story at the end of the first book, Chiranai Hana, a mysterious love story… Dear Mine is also a drama CD.

Dear Mine volume 1 by Takao Shigeru Published by Hakusensha (Hana to Yume) ISBN: 4-592-17181-0 Cost: 390 Yen	Dear Mine volume 3 by Takao Shigeru Published by Hakusensha (Hana to Yume ISBN: 4-592-17183-7 Cost: 390 Yen