The Building Opposite

A delightful slice of life view into the lives of the occupants of a regular three-story apartment block. Claire and Louis are the 20-somethings on the top floor. Below them live Fabienne and Jacky with the monstrous, but lovable, Gypsy. Finally there is Beatrice, the single, pregnant mother of Remi. Their interactions unfold before the reader in episodic form; from the opening chapter of Claire's period pains, through the usual Sunday for everyone to the birth of Beatrice's daughter, Charline. Vanyda, a young French / Laotian art student, brilliantly adapts the design and story codes from manga and cooks them up in a French sauce to serve up her own particular brand of [i]Nouvelle Manga[/i].