CLAMP School Detectives: Volume 1

by CLAMP, 203 pages

Nokoru Imonoyama, Suoh Takamura, and Akira Ijyuin are the Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer of the CLAMP School Elementary Division Board. They're the elite of the elite at their private school, a planned community in the Tokyo area which covers education from kindergarten to graduate school. They're so smart, and Nokoru's so adverse to work, that they spend most of their time outside the classroom.

When Nokoru spots an elderly woman crying in Tokyo Tower (the boys were flying by in a rented blimp, scouting out locations for a school party), he decides to ignore his chairman responsibilities and help her instead. The success of this endeavor gives him the idea to form the CLAMP School Detectives, whose mission is to help damsels in distress everywhere (and give him an excuse to avoid paperwork while still challenging his intellect).

This is silly and completely fluffy. It's also a little wordy for younger kids, but tweens might enjoy the detail and cultural notes included in each volume (the lead trio are in 6th, 5th, and 4th grade, respectively). Visually, it's a little dated (early nineties, which means shoulder pads, big hair, and big eyes--hee hee!), but still well-done. If you're a CLAMP fan, it's fun to see some of their earlier artwork. Since I've gotten completely sucked into Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, I've decided I want to read as much of their work as I can so I'll have a better appreciation for the "CLAMP universe" and get more out of all the crossovers they're so fond of.