Rose Hip Rose: Volume 1    by Tohru Fujisawa Order:  USA  Can TOKYOPOP, 2008 (2008) Softcover     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto Tohru Fujisawa's Rose Hip Rose is the sequel to Rose Hip Zero. While I have never read the latter, I imagine it covers all the background on police operative Rose Hip, so that the first volume of Rose Hip Rose can start right in on the action. High school student Shohei Aiba and his friends run a website that shows panty shots of girls on the subway. As Shohei tries to get his last shot for the day, he picks the wrong girl – one who steals his memory card and performs acrobatic feats to get away from him. However, as she leaves, he notices a rose tattoo on her inner thigh. Later that day, a new girl, Kasumi Asakura, transfers to Shohei's high school. Unfortunately for Shohei, it is the girl from the subway. Intrigued by the girl (who is now basically blackmailing him), Shohei learns that she works at a massage parlor. Mad that she keeps calling him a pervert when she is working as a prostitute, but feeling that he needs to save her, he goes to confront her. He gets a big surprise when he walks in on the staging area of an ongoing police operation to catch the serial killer known as the Sheep. Unbeknownst to Shohei, the girl he is trying to save may be the only one who can save him. Rose Hip Rose is full of action, gore, humor, and fan service. On top of this, it has a solid storyline, which makes it stand out from the other manga full of action, gore, humor, and fan service. Fujisawa's artwork is as solid as the storyline, making Rose Hip Rose an enjoyable manga for an older audience. As with any good continuing series, Tohru Fujisawa ends the first volume in the perfect spot. The major storyline is wrapped up, but there are still plenty of loose ends to tie up later, leaving the reader wanting to find out what happens next. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews