Manga's appeal: The New York Times Magazine (registration required) looks at the rapidly rising popularity of manga in the United States, focusing on one of the hot titles of the moment, Rurouni Kenshin:

"The open-ended, almost soap-opera-style story tells of Rurouni Kenshin's befriending a young woman and a little boy, and it alternates between humorous, vaguely romantic episodes and improbable sword fights. The hero is honorable, mysterious and, although he looks like a Spice Girl, basically invincible. According to Viz, almost half of the title's readership is female. In fact, it seems to be young girls who are behind much of the current manga boom, probably because many titles don't rely on superhero punch-ups."