with the daily pressures being the most bullied kid in school, lead to her having mysterious blackouts. Entire days begin to be unaccounted for as Aki finds strange items in her closet. Adding to her bewilderment is that the cutest boy in school suddenly takes an interest in her. As Aki wonders if her grip on reality is slowly slipping away, something even more shocking might be behind this haunting tale...

Aki Kuno
The trouble young protagonist of the story. She mourns the death of her brother will dealing with the pressures of being a bullied teenager.

 Ken Kuno
Aki's brother who died in an accidental fire. Adored by all, even in death Aki lives in his shadow.

 Adrian Philips
The cutest boy at school--that just so happens to have a crush on Aki.

 Marya Ashley
One of the popular girls in school that seemingly takes pity on Aki, taking her under her wing.

The Triple-A's
The three meanest girls in school. They take great pleasure in torturing Aki.  

Anna & Takeru Kuno
Aki’s parents. So blinded are they with grief over the death of their only son, they can’t see the pain that their own daughter is in.

Alex Carr
The policeman assigned to Ken's case.  

Kuro-chan
A plush cat that Aki confides in. 

Sho Murase was born in Japan and grew up in Spain. She now resides in San Francisco, California. She has had a love of cartoons and art since she can remember. Sho works in animation as a designer, story artist and traditional animator. She is the creator of SEI Death and Legend published by Image Comics. She is also the illustrator for Nancy Drew graphic novels published by NBM-Papercutz.

Let’s just get this out the way—Me2 is beautiful. And I don’t mean beautiful as in “the art is pretty cool,” or “the character designs are cute.” No—I mean honest to goodness, “art gallery/hang it on your wall” beauty.

The use of the stark blacks and whites…the intricate tones and patterns…the pencil work that is at times abstract, while at others as attention-grabbing as a thunderclap at midnight…all these elements, coupled with the heart-wrenching story of a young girl trying desperately to cope with her gradual slide into depression and madness, help to create a truly unique manga experience.

But leaving it at that would be like reading only the end of a great novel, thinking you know the full story. Often, the road to that great play, or good movie, or acclaimed manga is filled with seemingly insurmountable challenges—and Me2 was no exception.

Me2 had already been in production for a long time when I was assigned the book. It was late. And though the project was far from dead, it definitely needed someone to take the reigns and get the wagon moving. Such was the challenge I faced on Me2—to take a stagnant global manga project and Frankenstein it back to life.

As I write this, I’ve been a full-time editor for more than two years now, but Me2 was the first global manga I was assigned. “Nervous” isn’t an apt enough word to describe my fears about being handed such a responsibility. (I can only imagine a lion tamer wearing a pork chop loincloth who would have more on-the-job jitters than me.) I really wanted to prove to my boss, myself—and most important, to Sho—that I was the person who could help her get Me2 across the finish line.       

 And what a long race it has been. But that’s the thing with the long marathons—they may tire you out the most, but that exhaustion is often matched equally by the reward. Computer failures, insanely tight schedules, zero hour art tweaks…you name the hurdle, and more than likely Sho had to jump it.

I should mention now, that as just the editor of the manga, I’m guiltily aware of how easy it is for me to jab a thumb over my shoulder and tell an artist to “go change that”—and then wait for the result to magically show up in my email the next morning. But it’s not magic (at least not of the “snap your fingers” variety). It’s hard work, sweat and toil, and often it begins only after a full day of work has ended. Such was the case with Sho…after finishing work at Maverix (the studio where she works), Sho would go home and then start Me2…toiling into the night…day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, bringing Me2 ever so closer to completion.

And when it was finished…when we were truly, officially done with volume one…well, I don’t know about Sho, but I felt a great sense of elation. For me, Me2 represented the equivalent of a publishing hot coal walk…if you can make it across, you can achieve anything. And here we both stand, Sho and I, with scorched feet and pride in our hearts.

I say pride because Me2 was—is—a labor of love, from conception to finish. Sho had a clear vision from day one of the emotional journey she wanted to take. And though certain plot points changed as the project developed—the core of protagonist Aki’s journey remains intact.

I think that’s really what makes Me2 so special. It’s easy to look at the pages and admire Sho’s art style. But once you finally settle in and start reading, you’ll find the real glue keeping it all together is the story’s emotional journey. You’re right there with Aki as she tries to make sense of her life—and her brother’s death—while surviving the gauntlet that is high school.

I liken it to a brakeless roller coaster…you careen around the bends and turns, the hills and valleys, until you fly off the track itself with the shocking reveal on the last page. Indeed, Sho’s art is such that if she wanted to publish a “silent” manga using only the pictures to tell the story, she could do it. So when you have art of that caliber supporting a script with characters you genuinely care for…well, you just struck a vein of pure manga gold, my friend.

So here we are…Sho’s vision has finally been realized, and the world is about to discover what I have known for many months—Sho Murase has redefined manga. And now, as preliminary planning begins for volume two, I am armed with renewed confidence. Sho and I know each other’s steps and rhythm, so volume two should be a much smoother dance. And I, for one, couldn’t ask for a better dance partner.

~Troy Lewter, Editor