Gr 7 Up-This light novel (traditional prose novel with occasional manga-style illustrations) tells an unusual story that mixes fantasy with urban gang violence and features a large cast of story characters. The story takes place in the Ikebukuro district in Tokyo, where a boy named Mikado is experiencing big-city life for the first time. The action jumps between different protagonists, whose story lines sometimes intersect. There are Mikado's surprising experiences in his new school and his new city, various thugs and gang members getting into violent fights, a motorcycle rider without a head, and a head without a body. The effect of mixing these different threads together can feel confusing and disjointed at times, as readers will not always understand who is speaking or how they fit into the larger story. There are many facts that are kept from readers (such as who is narrating each portion of the story) as well as facts that are kept from different characters (gang members not knowing the real identity of their gang leader), and some teens will require extra patience to wait and see how the pieces fall into place. While most of the questions raised are answered by the end, the biggest unanswered question is what, exactly, the title means. VERDICT For fans of the manga and anime of the same name, as well as for patient readers who enjoy dark, twisted, and unique stories. Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library