Spending time at the Christian all-girls school, Ame no Kisaki, we meet all the quirky students. The quirkiest has to be Mariya and it’s the main character, Kanako who has to put up with most of his/her drama. Have fun getting to know these characters, along with other notables like the maid and dorm leader, in this verbal comedy.

Highlights

Jumping into the story, the dorm leader steals the scene with her over the top character (Maybe you know someone like her).  Back in her room, Kanako banters with her room-mate Mariya.  Trouble swarms about the up coming physical exams.  Kanako, a lesbian, doesn’t know how she’ll handle the image of all the classmates scantily dressed.  And, since learning in volume 1, that Mariya is really a boy pretending to be a girl, how is he/she going to keep his/her secret? Here’s the twist which reveals his/her reasons for acting the part.
Kanako, suffering from a boy-phobia, makes her way through the school with Mariya buzzing around annoying her like a persistent fly. It begins and ends with their “close but I hate you relationship”. Later, Kanako happily develops a crush on someone else. Here was a surprising insert of a little chat on Christian History, but it gives us background on the school’s philosophy and Kanako’s position.

Overall  
This is a well drawn manga, plenty of lively dialogue, sexual angst and touches of odd/funny unrealities.  Definitely for the older teen audience, the sharp witted antics of  the students at Ame no Kisaki  treat us to  a bit of humor swimming in the teenage mind.  Matsurikasan, the maid, makes a great cover because she personifies the sarcastic humor so well. My favorite part is the bonus manga corner where she gets her due notice.

ComicsOnline gives Maria Holic Book 2,  3 out of 5 mysterious creatures in a bag.