La Quinta Camera: The Fifth Room (Manga)
Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: July 2011
Price: $12.99
Creator: Natsume Ono
Format: 192 pgs., B&W; Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3219-6
Age Rating: Teen
ICv2 Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5

In an apartment in Italy live four single men.  The fifth room is for rent and a wide variety of people move in and out of it, from exchange students to artists to wanderers.  And wander is exactly what Ono does in this quiet slice-of-life story collection.  She isn’t trying to make any big points or examine any deep mysteries; she's just presenting the lives of a diverse group of people as they intersect with each other.  On the one hand, this gives readers a light, refreshing read that feels as relaxing as a holiday in Italy.  On the other hand, this means that none of the characters make a deep enough impression for the reader to care when their lives begin to change.

Since Ono chose to use her comedic, broad, cartoonish style of art--rather than the slightly more realistic style she uses in her other Italy titles: Ristorante Paradiso and Gente--it seems like the creator herself didn't consider these characters to be overly important creations.  But even at her lightest, Ono is still a master of tone and mood.  Readers looking for a breezy read will find it here and hopefully be motivated to pick up more of Ono's work to enjoy her in further depth.

-Snow Wildsmith: Writer and former teen librarian and ALA/YALSA committee member.