When a stage magician gets actual magic.
Sixteen-year-old Kasumi Morioka never stays in one place for too long due to her father's profession as a botanist. One day, she and her father are driving to their new home when her father stops in a forest along the way, examining the plant life. Kasumi, exploring the forest on her own, finds a sphere of light which leads her to a magnificently tall tree; Kasumi climbs it to chase the sphere of light further. When she almost reaches it the branch she is standing on breaks; Kasumi cuts open her left hand when she tries to grab a higher branch. As she is falling she fervently wishes not to leave her father alone, since her mother died long ago. Many more spheres of light furiously surround her, breaking her fall.When next she wakes up she is in her new home, the cut on her hand completely gone though Kasumi can still feel it pain her occasionally. On that day she is to start at her new school, Seiran Academy, where only the highest elite attend. Upon arrival Kasumi is met by the Student Council President Ryuuki Hasegawa and the Vice President Reika Takemoto. Later, due to a misunderstanding with Ryuuki, Kasumi becomes the target of bullying by Reina and the RSF (Ryuu-Sama Fanclub). With the help of her new friends Yuuta Goodwin and Maiko Koyanagi, not only does Kasumi have to fend against the RSF and an indifferent Ryuuki, but also has to figure out a New Super Power she discovers she has: an ability to turn invisible when holding her breath. However, one question remains: how does Ryuuki know about Kasumi's new ability?
Kasumi is a shoujo OEL Manga series published from 2008 to 2009. It was written by Surt Lim and illustrated by Hirofumi Sugimoto.
This manga provides examples of:
- Alpha Bitch: Reina quickly proves herself to be a highly unpleasant and nasty person when she believes that Kasumi may have feelings for Ryuuki. She and the RSF constantly bully and humiliate Kasumi in the hopes that she will become fed up with the abuse and leave Seiran Academy.
- Blood Oath: Kasumi inadvertently created a blood pact with the tree spirit Kamiki when a fall from one of its branches cut her hand.
- Blush Sticker: Various characters will sport a blush-colored oval on their cheeks whenever they're feeling peppy or fawning over something.
- Character Title: The series is named after Kasumi Morioka, the main character.
- The Chosen One: Kamiki considered Kasumi cutting herself on one of its branch as part of a blood pact with it. This lead the magical tree to gift her with its spirit, thereby giving her the ability to turn invisible. It commands her to find the priestess who will be her guide. When Kasumi finds her, the priestess explains that she is the only one who can read the Book of the Misty Forest, with her job being to protect both book and priestess from the Forsaken.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Maiko is viewed by others as spacey and is often seen dancing on a whim no matter where she is.
- Cross-Popping Veins: The classic "cross-shaped intersection of veins" will sometimes appear on top a character's head whenever they're angry.
- Cut Short: The series never made it past two volumes, stopping just when it seemed to tease the main antagonist and primary conflict.
- Elaborate University High: When first seeing Seiran Academy, Kasumi is surprised at how large and elegant the campus looks.
- Fanservice: Kasumi's transparent school swimsuit shows off some her physique, and the Shapeshifter's transformation includes her clothes ripping due to her breasts expanding.
- Girlish Pigtails: One of the members of the RSF sports this hairstyle, emphasizing her bratty attitude toward Kasumi.
- Gratuitous Japanese: Some Japanese words and phrases are used despite there often being no need to; when Kasumi tries to ask Ryuuki for help, her text bubble says "onegai" with a small translation note underneath the panel explaining that the word means "please". The text could've just as easily been the word "please".
- Instant Fan Club: The RSF is a fan club that follows Ryuuki. Members must adhere to strict guidelines.
- Intangibility: Ryuuki's power is the ability to phase through walls and objects whenever he closes his eyes.
- I See Dead People: Maiko can communicate with her deceased miko ancestors.
- Last of Her Kind: Maiko is the last miko of her bloodline.
- Luminescent Blush: During moments of intense embarrassment, some characters will have a blush covering their cheeks and noses.
- Miko: Maiko is the last priestess of her bloodline to defend the Book of the Misty Forest against the Forsaken. Maiko can also communicate with the spirits of her miko ancestors.
- Missing Mom: Kasumi's mother died of an unspecified illness long before the start of the series. Part of the reason Kasumi wants to be a stage magician is to honor her mother's memory.
- Nature Spirit: Kamiki is a giant tree that sits within an unnamed forest. By making a contract with it, people can obtain any one out of numerous magical powers.
- New Super Power: After accidentally making a contract with the tree spirit Kamiki, Kasumi soon learns that she has gained the ability to turn invisible whenever she holds her breath. Part of the series is her figuring out how to use her new powers by playing around with them.
- New Transfer Student: Kasumi transfers to Seiran Academy at the beginning of the story. She is the first transfer student in Seiran's history.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Kasumi is a regular high school girl who just wants to perform magical stunts and find new friends.
- Orphaned Series: Despite a teaser at the end of volume two, a third volume has never seen print since 2009.
- Otaku: Yuuta is a huge superhero fan, especially for his favorite hero Superguy. He is derisively called "Otaku-Ken" by his classmates. In Volume 2, he and Maiko get gold premium, all day passes to SugoiCon where Yuuta plans to get the new release of Superguy.
- The Protagonist: The story is centered around Kasumi Morioka and her adventures (and misadventures) after accidentally gaining the power to turn invisible.
- Rescue Arc: In order to draw out Kasumi, Seiji's crew leave photos of Yuuta and Maiko bound and helpless in her vandalized locker. Kasumi goes to their rescue alone, disregarding Noriko's claim of this being a trap.
- Sailor Fuku: Kasumi's previous school's uniform was a typical sailor-style ensemble, complete with large lapels and center front bow.
- Shapeshifting: One of Seiji's allies has the ability to transform her looks magically. Kasumi witnesses one of these transformations in the women's restroom, seeing the unnamed girl's uniform ripping apart as she transforms from a teenage girl to an adult woman.
- Stage Magician: Kasumi's hobby is to perform magic tricks for others. She hopes to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a professional stage magician like her mother did.
- The Stoic: Ryuuki's default expression is one of apathy or boredom and he tends to keep his thoughts to himself.
- Student Council President: Ryuuki is Seiran's local student council president. He's fairly aloof, but that doesn't stop him from being rather popular, especially with the girls.
- Super-Strength: Isamu's power is illustrated when he alone stops a shed from falling by grabbing it from underneath.
- Sweat Drop: Kasumi and some of her classmates will have a large sweat drop appear whenever they see something confusing or feel exasperated.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Ryuuki is one of the tallest members of the cast, has black hair, and is regarded as the handsomest boy in school.
- Wingding Eyes: Yuuta's eyes sometimes have symbols in them, usually when he's trying to placate Reina and generally whenever he's being enthusiastic about his hobby.
