From Kou Fumizuki the creator of the anime/manga Ai Yori Aoshi comes Umi no Misaki, an comedy/harem series.
Nagi Goro is a older teen from Tokyo who has just moved to the Pacific island of Okitsushima, where his late mother was born and raised. Left in the care of a neighbor when his father is abruptly assigned to NYC instead of joining him on the island as planned, Nagi tries to fit in with his new high school classmates, but for some reason they are reluctant to be more than polite with him.
The biggest surprise is when Shizuku Narumi, a gorgeous and friendly girl his age who saved his life when Nagi accidentally fell off a cliff into the ocean his first day on the island, suddenly becomes cool and remote toward him once she finds out that he is a new resident of the island and not a tourist. Along with meeting Karin Nagumo, a fiery neighbor who he first sees when she accidentally undressed in front of their open facing windows, and Soyogi Mitsurugi, an attractive classmate who is very protective of Shizuku, Nagi is starting to regret coming to the island.
Invited to a traditional festival, Nagi learns that the three girls are Cape Maidens, living goddesses and priestesses awaiting the return of the Dragon God, revered by the islanders for protecting them in past times. To his shock, Nagi learns of his legacy, one that has roots in his mother's past and results in a reboot of their relationships and new feelings by the Cape Maidens toward their newly discovered Ryujin...
This manga is published biweekly in Young Animal Magazine in Japan, and is currently at Chapter 46. In tankobon format it has been published in four volumes at three month intervals, with volume 5 coming out in May 2009. It has not been released in English, however there are scanlations available at OneManga, Crazy's Manga, and MangaFox, currently at Ch 39. There is no official rating for this series, but it is at the AYA level of fanservice, with lots of gorgeous drawings of the island and, of course, the girls (I actually bought the untranslated tankobons just for the art).
There is plenty to recommend in this series, especially if you enjoy harem storylines, yet hate it when the male lead is wishywashy about the girls attracted to him and therefore not picking one and hurting the others. In Ai Yori Aoshi there was never any real doubt who the male lead was going to be with in the end, but in Umi no Misaki the decision is still very much up in the air. Shizuku, Soyogi, and Karin are now very much attracted to Nagi, and he is attracted to them in return and they all know it. The fun really starts when the Cape Maidens start to act on their mandate to 'gain the favor of the Dragon God and devote their mind and body to his service', and all three girls move into Nagi's house for the summer break...
Hopefully, more people will read this outstanding series and discussions on this board will help inspire fics for it. I know of one well-known author on TFF that has several excellent ideas already.
Nagi Goro is a older teen from Tokyo who has just moved to the Pacific island of Okitsushima, where his late mother was born and raised. Left in the care of a neighbor when his father is abruptly assigned to NYC instead of joining him on the island as planned, Nagi tries to fit in with his new high school classmates, but for some reason they are reluctant to be more than polite with him.
The biggest surprise is when Shizuku Narumi, a gorgeous and friendly girl his age who saved his life when Nagi accidentally fell off a cliff into the ocean his first day on the island, suddenly becomes cool and remote toward him once she finds out that he is a new resident of the island and not a tourist. Along with meeting Karin Nagumo, a fiery neighbor who he first sees when she accidentally undressed in front of their open facing windows, and Soyogi Mitsurugi, an attractive classmate who is very protective of Shizuku, Nagi is starting to regret coming to the island.
Invited to a traditional festival, Nagi learns that the three girls are Cape Maidens, living goddesses and priestesses awaiting the return of the Dragon God, revered by the islanders for protecting them in past times. To his shock, Nagi learns of his legacy, one that has roots in his mother's past and results in a reboot of their relationships and new feelings by the Cape Maidens toward their newly discovered Ryujin...
This manga is published biweekly in Young Animal Magazine in Japan, and is currently at Chapter 46. In tankobon format it has been published in four volumes at three month intervals, with volume 5 coming out in May 2009. It has not been released in English, however there are scanlations available at OneManga, Crazy's Manga, and MangaFox, currently at Ch 39. There is no official rating for this series, but it is at the AYA level of fanservice, with lots of gorgeous drawings of the island and, of course, the girls (I actually bought the untranslated tankobons just for the art).
There is plenty to recommend in this series, especially if you enjoy harem storylines, yet hate it when the male lead is wishywashy about the girls attracted to him and therefore not picking one and hurting the others. In Ai Yori Aoshi there was never any real doubt who the male lead was going to be with in the end, but in Umi no Misaki the decision is still very much up in the air. Shizuku, Soyogi, and Karin are now very much attracted to Nagi, and he is attracted to them in return and they all know it. The fun really starts when the Cape Maidens start to act on their mandate to 'gain the favor of the Dragon God and devote their mind and body to his service', and all three girls move into Nagi's house for the summer break...
Hopefully, more people will read this outstanding series and discussions on this board will help inspire fics for it. I know of one well-known author on TFF that has several excellent ideas already.