Rapid Reviews - Recommended Manga

Here's my first set of reviews based on the recommendations I got from this post. These are in no particular order... just the order that they arrived from the library and I started to read them.

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (Perfect Collection 1) by Hayao Miyazaki. A fascinating, and very involved, tale of a young princess with strange powers in a post-apocalyptic world. I can't say I loved it. The artwork is great, typical Miyazaki. The story is a little convoluted. While it could possibly be the translation, there were a number of moments that didn't flow terribly well. It's also got a ton of cliches, from the wise old teacher to the princess who has to take on the role of leader even though she's female. I do plan on reading the whole series, at least all of it I can get through the library, and I plan on seeing the movie. But I can't say that I loved it right off... It's good. And I bet it reads better on rereads. But for my rapid opinion, it's merely mildly recommended.
Recommended by TangognaT, Dave Carter, and Dave Lartigue. Will I read more? Yes.

Mai The Psychic Girl by Kazuya Kudo and Ryoichi Ikegami. Ah, this one hit one of my weak spots. I really like tales about girls with strange powers who have to figure out who and what they are before horrible things happen. This reminded me a little of The Girl With The Silver Eyes, which I read when I was young and loved. This is considerably more intense, and yet just as gentle... not to mention the very nice artwork. By the end of this collection I wanted to know what was going to happen to Mai, and if her father survived. It definitely drew me in.
Recommended by Dave Carter. Will I read more? Yes.

Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa. I took one look at this one after checking it out and felt my eyes rolling. Gee, fashion. Just what I don't like. But, I promised to read it, so I started in on it. And although it has that same frenetic style that bothered me with Cardcaptor Sakura, the art is very nice and the story was compelling. The characters are completely wild, but we are being introduced to them through the bored and jaded eyes of absolutely normal Yukari. I found myself giggling repeatedly at the situations that poor Yukari gets herself into, usually through no fault of her own. In the end I realized I was really enjoying it. Yes, it was a little difficult to get used to, but fun once I did. And the fashion angle? Well, I can live with it.
Recommended by Dave Carter. Will I read more? Yes.