Lately, I've been writing reviews (more like shameless plugs) for webcomics that I read on a regular basis. This is actually the third I've written, but I've been posting them on my MySpace page for my friends to read. Now I suppose I should start sharing!

Red String by Gina Biggs tells the story of 16-year-old Miharu Ogawa, a very spirited girl who one day returns from school to a very shocking announcement from her parents: she has been engaged for an arranged marriage!

Red String is a very moving story grounded in love of all kinds, and not just romantic: there is also parental, platonic, heterosexual, homosexual, unrequited, mythologically-based and other kinds of love referenced in the same comic. The comic is updated on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, which I find works the best for most comics; just enough to get me through the week, but not so much that it is impossible to keep up if I have been unfortunate enough to miss a few updates.

A shorter list might be to write what I don't love about this comic! What really makes Red String stand out is its accessibility to new readers and those unfamiliar with the Japanese culture in which the story is set. Biggs provides helpful explanations beneath strips where a cultural reference or situation might be confusing for the reader, and the archives are neatly organized and broken apart with filler-art "covers" between chapters.

Every character is well-rounded and developed into what feels like a real person with their own problems, character flaws and quirks that make them unique from the rest of the cast. Biggs's art style is fun and fluid, and her skill in backgrounds and scenery are flooring when she pushes herself to use them, especially later in the comic.

Her writing is moving and realistic, delving into the world of young love and all the complications that come with it, and she does so without restraint; I grew to greatly admire Biggs as a writer when one of the homosexual romance subplots was treated like an everyday affair, no different from the heterosexual cast. Themes like sex and homosexuality are not given the undue taboo that generally permeates the topics in our daily lives and in other comics, instead being laid bare for what they are.

The story behind Red String carries with it a certain appreciated depth without being overbearing, and the art style is realistic enough to accurately put a scene together while maintaining the light, fun, fluid air a comic should have from panel to panel and page to page. Those unafraid of falling in love with characters over and over again, or just looking to follow Miharu on her journey to discover herself and find her own fate, should give Red String a read.