Nervous Venus is the newest manga of Chie Waseda, who is known mostly for her short stories. It is mostly angst-filled, but it has elements of humor throughout the story. Haru and Akira are best friends and fellow swim team members in middle school. They are both planning to go to Kitakou High School, renowned for its swimming program. Akira planned to tell Haru on her birthday that he loved her, but he unexpectedly dies in a tragic car accident. Haru, grief-stricken, enters Kitakou, where she meets a guy named Seki...

Personal Comments:
Nervous Venus is a shoujo manga, but it doesn't contain any of the typical cliche-ish shoujo elements. There's no hearts and flowers in the story, no romantic plot devices are present, and the heroine's's first love dies before the first chapter ends. Don't worry, the manga still has plenty of bishie guys to dish out. ^_^

Nervous Venus is one of the best shoujo mangas I've read in a long time. Chie Waseda's art is striking and original , and it grows on you after a while. Her characters' eyes are really well-drawn; you can grasp their emotions just by looking at the eyes. Character development is also excellent, although some readers might get tire of the mulitple side stories that Waseda puts in each volume. The plot is the best part of the story, though. There are many unexpected twists and turns which never fail to entertain the reader. if you're looking for a good, atypical shoujo manga, Nervous Venus is something I would recommend all the way.