桜姫華伝 [Sakura Hime Kaden] #12

A sweeping close-up of two figures — a young woman in an ornate floral kimono and a dark-haired companion beside her — fills this twelfth volume of Arina Tanemura's Sakura Hime Kaden in a wash of pink blossoms and delicate sakura motifs. The soft, luminous shoujo artwork captures an unmistakable sense of intimacy and emotional tension between the pair, perfectly in keeping with the series' blend of romance and Japanese folklore. Fans of Tanemura's signature wide-eyed style will find this penultimate stretch of the story as visually lush as ever.