Tegami Bachi

A land where a man-made sun shines only on the capital, and where delivering letters can be a hazardous occupation. A young boy who’s determined to become a great Letter Bee and find his kidnapped mother. A mysterious day that seems to affect those born on it. These are the premises of Asada Hiroyuki’s latest manga, Tegami Bachi/Letter Bee, serialized monthly in Jump Square.

Lag Seeing meets a Letter Bee – an official letter-carrier in the land of Amberground – for the first time at the age of seven. Motivated by the courage and friendship shown by the Bee, he’s determined to become a Letter Bee himself. Fast-forward five years, and Lag is off to take the Letter Bee exam. On the way he meets Niche, a silent, fierce girl who’s said to be the daughter of a flesh-eating she-creature. From then on, Lag’s journey becomes even more colorful.

Asada isn’t that great on maintaining a tight plot (and his sense of humor still makes me eyeroll every time, being rather dubious), but his artwork, which has always been pretty, has gotten prettier and more detailed in TB. The two main characters are ridiculously adorable, and the older characters are interesting. Expect lots of eye-candy, a looming mystery in the background, and character development.

You can read the scanlations at Onemanga. More raws and scanlations can be found at the LJ community. I bought two of the tankoubon, and may buy more. Lovely books, although the covers can do with shades other than those of blue.