Hoshisato Mochiru 星里もちる

Lives now in Hotani City in the Toukyou metropolis. Hoshisato mostly writes romantic comedy stories, placed in an all day setting but with a little twist.

Living Game
りびんぐゲーム
serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1990-93
10 volumes @ Y500
[ 01:9107| 02:9109| 03:9112| 04:9203| 05:9206| 06:9210| 07:9301| 08:9302| 09:9304]
[ 10:9305]
bunko 7 volumes @ Y600
[ 01:9706| 02:9706| 03:9707| 04:9707| 05:9708| 06:9709| 07:9709]

A romantic comedy about a Fuwa, a guy living in a small apartment in overcrowded Toukyou, who wants to have a place of his own. Because of a building accident in their new office building, Fuwa's company (5 employees) had to move into his apartment, right after he had moved to a larger place. And the new employee (Hiyama Izumi, a 15 year old girl) had to move into Fuwa's place, as she had just come from the country. Then Fuwa's old girlfriend Tokiko, who had already gotten married, ran away from her husband and came to Fuwa's place. If you like Maison Ikkoku, then you will love Living Game too. {DOI}

See also:
<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/LivingGame/homepage.htm>

Kiken ga Walking [Danger is walking around, aka Dangerous Walking]
危険がウォーキング　
serialized on Shounen Captain Comics, 1988-89
4 volumes @ Y370
[ 01:____| 02:8802| 03:8808| 04:8905]

His debut work. What should you do when you are a school girl with sweat that becomes explosive in hot weather? That's the problem our lead character has to face, and it's causing her boyfriend a lot of trouble. Because he has to keep her cool under all circumstances. And if she sweats, the sweat shouldn't hit the ground (sounds like nitroglycerine).

Comedy is the main attraction here. It's only later on that the characters are more developed.

See also:
<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/LivingGame/kiken.htm>

Ikibata Shufu Rumble
いきばた主夫ランブル
serialized on Shounen Captain Comics, 1990
1 volume @ Y490
[ 01:8911]

The boy is animator, the girl is mangaka, they live together, and one day boy loses his job and becomes "shufu"-househusband. Slowly they learn who plays which role in a home for what and for who and why. {018}

Wazuka itchomae
わずかいっちょまえ
serialized on Shounen Captain Comics, 1991
1 volume @ Y500
[ 01:9102]

A story which excels in its simplicity and humor. Wazuka is a little girl mourning about her dog that died. The dog, Mach-gou, succeeds in convincing the Gods to let him return on earth for a short period to help Wazuka out.

Half na bun dake [The Story of Looking for the better Half]
ハーフな分だけ　
serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1991
2 volumes @ Y500
[ 01:9103| 02:9105]

The story of two people, Yuu and Minoru. Yuu, a translator, has a romantic nature and is easily moved into tears. Minoru wants to become an actor but is unable to feel anything for melodramatic scenes, it just makes him laugh. These two people, different of nature end up together at a wedding. From here their lives get intertwined, and their characters change.

Kekkon shiyou yo [Let's get married]
結婚しようよ
serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1993-95
6 volumes @ Y500
[ 01:9401| 02:9404| 03:9407| 04:9409| 05:9411| 06:9504]

A Japanese wedding ceremony/reception normally takes place in a wedding hall. They take care of all the details and offer as well Japanese-style weddings as Western-style weddings. This series tells the story of the workers at such a Toukyou wedding hall. The hall's employees take care of the wedding-business but also dream of getting married themselves. As such the story tells about the relationships between the hall's personnel.

Yume kamo shinnai [Maybe it's a dream, aka Dream with Ghost]
夢かもしんない
serialized on Big Comic,
5 volumes @ Y500
[ 01:9604| 02:9609| 03:9612| 04:9705| 05:9710]

What can be happening when you are a salary man, have a wife and kid, but suddenly you are the only to see the spirit of a dead young girl who used to be an idol singer? Yume kamo shinnai is a touching story about the happiness in life.

TRA:(X)v1c1-4

Cocktail Ponytail
かくてるポニーテール
serialized on Shounen Captain Special,
1 volume @ Y490
[ 01:9006]

Story of Akane-like (of Ranma series) tomboy Saiko, who gets told off by her sweetheart after one fight too many, and, chopping off her ponytail, vows never to fight again. And about a crazy alien in a flying bar who wants Saiko to use his "ready-tail unit" to become a ponytailed superheroine, and tries any scheme to change Saiko's mind about fighting.

Omuraisu [Omelette Rice]
オムライス
serialized on Big Comic,
5 volumes @ Y500
[ 01:9805| 02:9811| 03:9905| 04:9910| 05:9912]

Hikari Imai happens to live with four pretty sisters in the same house. How long can this strange community exist? Comedy. {009}

Honki no Shirushi
本気のしるし
6 volumes @ Y505
[ 01:____| 02:____| 03:0108| 04:0112| 05:0206| 06:0303]

It's about a loser girl who "appears" to leach onto guy(s) to help her in anyway possible (money, etc.) by simply looking vulnerable and in a jam, and a guy who just can not stand by and leave her alone, (kind of treating her like a lost puppy) even though he is dating two other girls at the same time. Simply looks like a bad relationship from hell.

I am sure by book #6 there is a nice pays off for the ending, (the girl can't help herself, all because of circumstances, etc.) so all the trust the guy had for the girl will not go wasted, but I was suffering so much by book #3 I decided to ditch it. There is simply no joy in reading it. {CPK}

To which someone else replied: You are right. There is indeed a nice payoff in volume 6, because the "looser girl" feels sorry (like always) for what she did to him all the time, but really works hard to win his love and confidence back. Until then both go trough hell, especially in volume 5.

Ki ni naru Yomesan
気になるヨメさん
2 volumes @ Y505
[ 01:0206| 02:0208]

This is what Hoshisato Mochiru made after Honkino Shirushi, which, BTW, is the first Hoshisato title so painful that I quit reading it half way through the story. Thankfully this one went back to comedy which is more enjoyable. Story is simple enough, after honeymoon, the wife was on the way to send in the form to register their marriage, enters and wins a beauty contest instead, which just happens to be sponsored by the husband company's biggest client, so they were forced to delay turning in the form, and have to hide the facts that they were married for an entire year, in order to keep the husband and the client's companies happy and avoid return the one million yens prize, very funny, (situation, not physical comedy) but lacks romance tension.
The title, BTW, according to postscript, is a take off from a 1971 TV soap opera. At that time there were quite a few TV dramas dealing with unrelated people living together, as Hoshisato admitted, had profound effects on his manga story directions such as Living GAMES, (didn't realize he wrote the second word in all caps on purpose). This one actually reminds me of one of the old Japanese TV series "My mother is an idol."
The filler for book 2 "Tokyo Maze" is about a company which publishes reviews of media equipments, and assigns a new girl who is totally clueless about direction to write a review on car navigation system. Of course, from trying to improve herself in her work she also learns lessons of life. Again funny but not very romantic. {CPK}