Jen Lee Quick's Off*Beat is simply a great read. If you enjoy great writing, then read Off*Beat. If you consider light romance your fancy, then read Off*Beat. If you find psuedo sci-fi/mystery set in a urban highschool setting a favorite genre of yours, then read Off*Beat.

To not give too much away, the plot is as such: Tory, the protagonist, is somewhat of a social loner and a self-proclaimed genius. One day a strange boy (Colin) moves in across the street from him and Tory, in his inquisitive nature (or just nosy?), takes it upon himself to discover everything about Colin. In his inquisition, a mystery involving a scientific program is introduced and a relationship seems to be burgeoning with Colin (one that is more than friends...). Thus, the plot rolls on! Spare my brisk summation, the story is much more than this of course. There is an ample amount of humor and of course the subtle "Boy's Love" undertone! Quick's writing is just suburb. Dialogue consistently feels appropriate to the plot and not cheesy or tacked on.

Often with "Boy's Love" mangas, there is a scale of sorts in terms of the level of "gay" relations. Apparently, the term shounen-ai has grown out of favor (apparently it can simultaneously be understood as pedophilia in Japanese), but anyways, shounen-ai was the term used before to denote "Boy's Love" manga that was considerably tone downed compared to its "yaoi" counterpart. To my point, Off*Beat can be understood as a drastically toned down "shounen-ai." In case anyone gets put off at the thought of male/male relations, there are no scenes whatsoever depicting male/male relations (that is, any kissing~), so you guys can breathe. However, Off*Beat, as previously stated, can be seen as a "Boy's Love" manga. At any rate, Off*Beat is a great ice breaker for the "Boy's Love" virgins out there. Its boy's love theme is subtle enough that people unfamiliar with the genre won't be put off by it.Although, hopefully Quick develops the relationship further (with a kiss maybe? =D) in Volume 3.

Many manga fans are snobs. Fans seem to regard "American Manga" in the same realm as week old egg sandwiches. However, Off*Beat is the example of American-Japanese styles and culture intermingling without fault. Quick's story might be depicted visually as the traditional "manga style," but the content, plot, culture are all American. Perhaps some readers might not like America and Japan to mix, but it is a refresher and Quick executes it well.

Read Off*Beat volumes 1 and 2, and then eagerly await volume 3!