Sang-sun, Park. Tarot Cafe

Kliatt, July, 2005 by George Galuschak

SANG-SUN, Park. Tarot Cafe. Tokyopop. illus. 1-5953-2555-7 $9.99. SA

Pamela, the main character of Tarot Cafe, is a fortuneteller who has some interesting clients. There's Calic Cepesu, the blind-vampire-turned-model, who gets his fortune told because his human lover has just been reincarnated, and he wants to know how things will turn out this time (they're doomed). There's Butterfly, who comes to the cafe because he's in a bad relationship: she's the daughter of Mafia don, he's an alley cat. Finally, there's the 300-year-old fairy trapped in the body of a little girl who wants to return home to her fiance.

Tarot Cafe is an entertaining horror/dark fantasy manga that reminds me a bit of Pet Shop of Horrors. The stories, which are about doomed passion and twisted love, are enjoyable but sketchy. The artwork is gorgeous; there's not a whole lot of character development, but those characters sure do look great. Tarot Cafe contains violence and mildly erotic imagery (no actual sex, though); recommended for libraries with manga collections. George Galuschak, YA Libn., Montvale PL, Montvale, NJ

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.