Juuni Hizoku no Palette
The Palette of 12 Secret Colors

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I am completely astonished that no one else has wrote a review for this amazing manga. I found it from looking at random manga, and this is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I simply made this myanimelist account purely so I could write a review. (Sorry this review is kinda long also, it's my first.) Now that I'm done with my rant, onto the actual review:

(Contains very tiny spoilers, nothing that'll ruin the story.)
Story:9
I know it isn't completely original, but The Palette of 12 Secret Colors really has a unique and mostly original story that is extremely refreshing. Imagine if there was a job ... where you could take the colors of anything, and transfer it onto something else. Sounds cool, but not very helpful right? Well the main character Cello uses her unique ability to do everything from stopping a thieving merchant to helping a friend from a gigantic flock of birds. Speaking of birds, you will love them all from the bottom of your heart. Now, I'm a tiny bit biased for giving it a 9 because at times the plots can be a bit predictable, but even if they are there's always at least one twist that you didn't quite expect. ALSO, I must warn you guys that if your looking for a lovey dovey drama fest, you won't get it. You won't want to get it, if the author had added one, it probably would've ruined the story. There is very little romance throughout the 6 volumes, the 6th and the 5th is really where all the romance happens. I was kinda surprised, because since it was so prolonged I thought it would be rushed at the end. It kinda was, but it fit Cello and the Doctor's personality perfectly. (Also one last thing, Cello was 16 and the Doctor was probably in his early 20's when they fell in love. I haven't looked into the community at all of this manga, but I really hope no one points out the age difference, because there really isn't that big of one.)

Art:8
I really don't have to much to say about the art. It was amazing at times and perfectly fit the story, but at other times I thought a little more emotion would've been better. I think I would probably give it a 7 if not for the birds and the originality of each character's design. The birds are absolutely brilliant, each one totally unique from eyes to body type. The art style really was great for the story.

Character: 7
Now all of the characters are amazing, from design to personality, but at times I kind of though there could of been more back-story to all of them. I really wished there could be 1 or 2 more volumes to fit more development in.

Enjoyment: 10
Again I really, really love this manga. You'll laugh a ton and smile all throughout the wacky adventures, not to mention some of the bird's antics. I put this up in story, but again this isn't a romance love fest. More romance definitely would've taken away from the enjoyment and the story. Even if you like sappy romances, (like I do,) this is definitely worth a read.

Overall:9
I'm admitting I'm being a bit biased with all my scores because I love this manga so much, but it really is worth a read. You definitely will love and hold most if not all the characters to your heart.

http://rocaca.com/manga/the_palette_of_12_secret_colors/ <-- Anyone who wants to read it online
(Though it needs to be cleaned, its still better than nothing)

First time I saw this manga was from a library, and I fell in love with the story. It's like a fantasy but at the same time it doesn't go overboard with the plot and problems.

Story: 10- Listen y'all, it a cute love story. It has progression, personal preference, and it has them funny moments.
Art: 8- Im in love with Guell...Cello will not have him...
Character: 10- All the characters are cute, especially Yoyo and Olga
Enjoyment: 10- I mean, I love it so much that ... I had an urge at 1am to read the whole 6 volumes
Overall: 9- Cause I gave my sleep just to search for this manga online...cause the library has to be closed at 1 in the morning...

Read it! This manga is so..underrated because it is not on any major manga sites..is just sad...thus provided the link. ^^

This is a refreshing shoujo manga that I would recommend to someone looking for a different setting and great character relationships.

Story: 7
The idea for this manga was really refreshing and unique. I love that the setting wasn't Japan - and don't get me wrong here, Japan is great, but it was nice to see a different setting from the one you would normally find in a shoujo manga. Also, while it is technically fantasy because of the palette color magic that is the premise of the whole thing, it was less about the magic and more about the relationship between not only the human characters, ... but also between the palettes and their birds. The only real downside to the story is that the plot lacked real depth and there were the usual shoujo antics that are cutesy but can get a little repetitive.

Art: 8
The art was nothing special, but I loved the island setting and how it wasn't just a differently-named island that had the same culture as Japan- the island had its own culture. While this may not seem like "art", the setting and the culture affect the clothing choices (I love the formal clothes on the island) and the beautiful backdrop of the island. Without this aspect, I would not have enjoyed the art as much and I feel it is a big part of what makes the series enjoyable. This and the way the palettes control the colors; even though it's in black and white, it's awesome to see the colors floating around and it would be really cool if you could actually picture the different hues they are actually using (which I can't do, but maybe you can!).

Character: 10
I loved the characters. Each and every single one of them. While I liked the main character a lot, it was actually all of the other characters that made the characterization and relationships shine. Guell's personality was hilarious, as was Theo's, his contrasting character. The birds were also funny and what made the story unique. Their deep relationships with their palette partners was one of the things in the story that struck me the most, and probably my favorite part of the story.

Enjoyment: 8
I definitely enjoyed this manga, and while I loved the setting and characters, what slightly brought down my enjoyment was probably the appearance of my least favorite shoujo antic that I will not describe due to spoilers. Despite this, I still enjoyed the manga (and probably would have enjoyed it more if I had a little more caffeine...)

Overall: 8
Overall, I would recommend this to someone who is looking for a little tropical break! Enjoyable, though a little hard to find :)