Ciao Ciao Bambino by Momoko Tenzen: B

December 28, 2009 by Leave a Comment

ciaociaobambinoI think I must be a Momoko Tenzen fan, because this is the second time I’ve been impressed by her ability to create compelling characters in a short story format (the first being Unsophisticated and Rude). Not only that, she’s able to write stories about romance between middle schoolers and teachers that aren’t completely icky (only mildly icky).

There are five stories in this volume, though the first four focus on the same set of characters: Kaname, a lecturer at a cram school; Yuuta, Kaname’s student, seven years his junior; and Kei and Mako, friends of Yuuta’s who have feelings for each other. What I liked about these stories is that Kaname and Yuuta take several years to get to a point where love is openly discussed, and although Yuuta is still too young (in my opinion) when they finally sleep together, his character is developed enough that it’s clear he’s not being taken advantage of by an adult in position of authority.

The fifth story, “Brand New Wednesday,” is about a tall kid named Kana—and seriously, both he and Yuuta must attend one of the junior highs from Prince of Tennis, because they’re far bigger than any ninth graders I’ve known—who is in love with his home tutor. I found the tutor’s perspective especially poignant here, as he realizes how fragile a love like this can be when the younger person has so much changing left to do in their life.

I admit to feeling a little guilty that I liked these stories as much as I did, given their subject matter, but Tenzen’s approach is not salacious whatsoever. If you can get past the squick factor, these stories do offer some truly touching moments.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Boys' Love, Manga, Short Stories Tagged With: , ,

not simple by Natsume Ono: A

December 25, 2009 by 7 Comments

notsimpleFrom the back cover:
A story within a story,
A book within a book,
A tale about the search for family,
For an emotional home.

Ian, a young man with a fractured family history, travels from Australia to England to America in the hope of realizing his dreams and reuniting with his beloved sister. His story unfolds backwards through the framing narrative of Jim, a reporter driven to capture Ian’s experiences in a novel: not simple.

Review:
I normally reserve my comments about a comic’s art for somewhere near the end of my review, but since the fact that Natsume Ono’s style deviates from the manga norm is glaringly obvious, I thought I’d address it first. Her art is spare and kind of squiggly, true, and yet it’s absolutely perfect, adding to rather than detracting from the narrative. I honestly cannot imagine this heartbreaking story being illustrated in any other way; to pair it with pretty art would be too wrong for words, so don’t let the lack of same be a deterrent.

If you, like me, have ever thought, “Why don’t more stories have sad endings?” then not simple is the manga for you. That’s not even a spoiler, really, since the structure of the story reveals the fate of Ian, the hapless protagonist, practically immediately. The book begins with a conversation between Jim, a writer, and Ian, in which Jim announces, “You’re going to be my next novel.” From there, a prologue depicts the end of Ian’s story, in which he is a drifter looking to keep a rendezvous with a woman he met years earlier, before shifting back in time to chronologically cover his life from childhood until the moment he leaves for the meeting.

The hardships and misfortunes of Ian’s existence are beyond many, and just when you think it couldn’t get worse, it does. Growing up in Australia as the child of a drunken mother and absentee father, he’s extremely close to his sister, Kylie. When Kylie is sent to prison for robbery—her means for funding a new life with Ian by her side—he’s left alone at home, and after his parents divorce, ends up living in London with his mother. Upon her release, Kylie finds him there and they have the briefest of brief reunions before she sends him back to Melbourne to be with his dad and promises that they’ll meet again once he achieves his dream.

Years pass. Ian has always loved running, and his dream is to break a certain runner’s record. He and Jim originally met when Jim was assigned to interview him, and they reconnect when Ian’s peculiarly jubilant response to placing fourth in a race attracts the notice of Jim’s editor. Ian, having achieved his goal, now feels free to seek out his sister. His search is long and disappointing, hindered by a series of terribly unlucky near-misses and a set of relatives that don’t care much about Kylie or Ian, let alone helping them achieve a reunion.

If this sounds like just about the most depressing story around, that isn’t far off the mark. And yet, it never strays into implausible territory. Ian is a likable guy—a strangely pure and innocent person who is, simultaneously, somewhat of an enigma—but the stresses of his life begin to take their toll and the final time he shows up at Jim’s place, after an absence of two years, the change is palpable. For years, he’s been matter-of-fact about the horrible things that have happened to him, but finally is so worn down that he’s become haggard and yearns only for the warm personal relationships that have been denied him. Jim’s an interesting observer, as well, ignoring his own family about as strenuously as Ian searches for his. If there’s anything I could complain about with not simple, it’s that we don’t learn more about Jim’s particular circumstances.

Depressing or not, not simple is masterfully told and completely unforgettable. If I had to sum it up in one word it would be this: haunting.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Manga, Seinen Tagged With: , ,

Black-Winged Love by Tomoko Yamashita: A

December 24, 2009 by Leave a Comment

blackwingedloveAs in her excellent Dining Bar Akira, Tomoko Yamashita has created in Black-Winged Love a set of boys’ love stories focusing more on a universal aspect of human relationships rather than what goes on between guys in the bedroom. Each story relates in some way to the difficulties of communication, be it the crippling fear that keeps gay men from confessing their orientation or feelings to those they care about or the problem of convincing someone of your sincerity when sexual kinks keep getting in the way. By turns, these seven stories are amusing, disturbing, sexy, and heartbreaking.

My favorite in the amusing category is “It’s My Chocolate,” which is the story of a closeted gay man, Minori, who still lives at home because he feels a responsibility to help look after his many younger siblings. He’s gotten used to self-denial in order to keep the peace at home and feels that coming out to them would be impossible. The dam finally breaks and he blurts out all of his grievances in a heartfelt and thoroughly undignified manner, resulting in a wonderfully low-key response from his mother.

“A Villain’s Teeth” is an extremely interesting story with some disturbing elements, though they thankfully don’t dominate. The tale begins with daughter of a yakuza boss informing his long-time devotee, Yuikawa, that her father is dying of cancer. She’s convinced Yuikawa is in love with her father and encourages him to seize this final opportunity to let him know his feelings. Because of his laid-back demeanor, she can’t quite understand why Yuikawa has chosen the life of a thug, resulting in a marvelous panel in which Yuikawa replies, “Young lady, I am a thug.” His claim is proven a few pages later when he violently deals with an underling who’d thought to involve him in a plot against the ailing boss. It’s rather disconcerting to see graphic violence so casually perpetrated in a BL story, but definitely sets this story apart.

The title story offers the most complicated and fascinating relationship in the volume. “Black-Winged Love” involves a masochist named Futakami who has declared his love to a hot-headed coworker named Nakazu. Knowing Futakami’s special quirk, Nakazu doesn’t take the confession seriously and whenever he gets angry about it, Futakami starts swooning. In another’s hands, this situation might be played for comedy, but Yamashita approaches the problem seriously, getting inside Futakami’s head to show that he genuinely loves Nakazu, but that his fetishes—like a pair of black wings shielding his heart—keep getting in the way. I always love stories in which the obstacle keeping two people apart comes from within, and Futakami’s anguish at his own inability to express what he really feels is positively heartbreaking.

Artistically, Yamashita’s style continues to remind me of est em. Her men all look like men, with no weepy uke types in sight, though a few of them do greatly resemble characters in Dining Bar Akira. Most stories have no sexual content whatsoever, but when such moments do occur, they’re understated and brief. One special feature I really like is the gallery of deleted scenes that appears at the end of the book, including an epilogue of sorts to one of the stories.

The two BL works by Tomoko Yamashita currently available in English are some of the best the genre has to offer. I hope we see more of her other creations—including this josei title—in the near future!

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Boys' Love, Manga, Short Stories Tagged With: ,

Happy Cafe 1 by Kou Matsuzuki: B

December 22, 2009 by 7 Comments

happycafe1From the back cover:
Meet Uru: she’s a little short, a bit disorganized, often is mistaken for an elementary school kid, and lives by herself after her mother gets remarried. When she decides to pay the bills by working part-time at the Happy Cafe, she meets Ichiro and Shindo, two of the most unsociable guys she’s ever had to contend with! And to make matters worse, it turns out that Uru is not exactly meant for the waitress world, as she’s a HUGE klutz. But as this hilarious shojo tale unfolds, true happiness—and even true love—might be lurking just around the corner…

Review:
I must admit that the back cover synopsis of this series had me worried. “Oh God,” I groaned, “Not another klutz.” Antic shenanigans were what I expected, but Happy Cafe surprised me by delivering instead a laid-back slice-of-life comedy with a dash of romantic potential.

The story begins when sixteen-year-old Uru Takamura answers a want ad for Cafe Bonheur, a coffee shop that also serves tasty desserts. There, she meets surly manager Shindo and his coworker Ichiro, whose hunger-triggered narcolepsy is a running gag. Originally willing to work only on a temporary basis, Uru breaks more than her fair share of dishes but has a way with customers that prompts Shindo to offer her a permanent job. Gradually, we learn that Uru is living on her own because she fears she’s intruding on the happiness of her newly remarried mother. With encouragement from an unexpectedly sympathetic Shindo, who detects her loneliness, she achieves a more honest and open relationship with her parents (neither of whom are villainous, hooray!), even though she ultimately decides to continue living apart from them.

All of that, along with Ichiro awesomely feigning a sleep-talking episode in order to inform Uru of Shindo’s angsty past, happens in the first chapter. It’s good, but it does feel rushed, with certain confidences happening just a little too quickly. Subsequent chapters focus on Uru and the guys getting to know each other better while dealing with things like rude customers and runaway models who spontaneously acquire the guts to refuse an arranged marriage after talking to Uru for, like, three minutes. Most of the action is confined to the café, but the discovery that Uru and Shindo are actually next-door neighbors helps move some of their interactions out into the world.

The relationship between Uru and Shindo is the main draw here. Outwardly unfriendly, Shindo is actually more awkward than unkind, and Uru eventually realizes that when he seems most annoyed with her it’s because he’s flustered rather than angry. He clearly appreciates her sunny qualities, and also gives her advice from time to time, his own past giving him an idea of the things she’s going through. Ichiro’s also an important part of the mix, keeping tabs on the progress between his coworkers and offering up amusing observations. We never get too deep into anyone’s head, but I still like all three characters, enough to be annoyed at the prospect that the café owner might soon be introduced and mess up the balance.

On first glance, I dismissed the art style as “generic shoujo,” but the more I read, the more it grew on me. Uru is your typical flat-chested tomboyish heroine while the guys are standard bishounen types, but Matsuzuki’s style works well for this kind of story; the arsenal of expressions she imparts unto Shindo is particularly impressive. In some ways, the visual impression strikes me as similar to Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket. That may be because both series ran in Hana to Yume.

If you’re looking for a simple, feel-good tale, Happy Cafe would definitely suffice. It may not be extremely profound or original, but like the best comfort food, I can see myself going back for multiple helpings.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With:

Itazura Na Kiss 1 by Kaoru Tada: B+

December 22, 2009 by Leave a Comment

itazura1Kotoko Aihara has loved the brilliant and handsome Naoki Irie from afar ever since she saw him give a speech at their high school entrance ceremony two years ago. Because their school groups students by academic performance, however, the not-so-bright Kotoko has never had the opportunity to actually talk to Naoki. Even though she realizes it’s probably a lost cause, she resolves that she won’t let high school end without letting him know her feelings, and the series opens with her attempt to hand him a love letter, which he coldly refuses.

Kotoko resolves to forget him, but this is made impossible when the Aihara home is destroyed in an earthquake and she and her father must move in with his friend’s family. Of course, this turns out to be the Irie family, and Kotoko is thrust into continued proximity with Naoki while his mother pampers her, his little brother despises her, and all of the parents conspire to unite their families by a marriage between their eldest children. Kotoko and Naoki try to keep their living arrangements a secret from their schoolmates, but the truth eventually comes out, injecting a barrage of rumors and gossip into their academic routine.

While there are some things about Itazura Na Kiss that would be called cliché today—the klutzy underachiever protagonist, the two leads forced to live together—the series gets a pass since it began its serialization in 1991. More than contemporary shoujo, what it really reminds me of is Rumiko Takahashi’s (seinen) romantic comedy Maison Ikkoku, which also takes place over a long period of time as the two leads engage in a courtship dance to the amusement of meddling onlookers. While the antics of these onlookers (especially Kin-chan, a classmate obsessed with the idea of marrying Kotoko) aren’t always funny, they do at least help keep the overall tone light and reinforce the ensemble feel of the story.

Too often in shoujo, when a dense girl manages to win over the male genius of her dreams, it’s because he finds her ineptitude and/or helplessness endearing. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen here. (Well, at least not yet.) Instead, Naoki continues to be cool and superior, critical of Kotoko’s failures but occasionally doling out tidbits of encouragement. When he begins to warm towards her, it’s not in a condescending way, but rather with a sense of wonder at the trouble she has introduced into his life, which, in turn, is causing him to experience unfamiliar mental states like anxiety and uncertainty. It’s clear that he has been coasting without ambition, bored without a challenge, and that Kotoko, whatever her flaws, is livening up his world considerably.

Kotoko, meanwhile, also grows from association with Naoki. With his help, for example, she manages to place in the top 100 for midterm exams despite being grouped in the lowest class academically, thus proving that she isn’t hopelessly stupid. Also, after she blithely declares a desire to attend college, it’s Naoki that causes her to question why she’d want to do that, when studying is such torment for her. Perhaps together they’ll be able to point each other in the direction that’s right for them.

Artistically, Itazura Na Kiss shows its vintage, with delicate lines, terrifically poofy hair for some of the fellows, and some comedic character designs for members of the supporting cast like Kin-chan and his lackeys. I’m hard-pressed to explain how exactly it manages to look older than other shoujo on the market; it just does. DMP’s production is excellent, however, and somehow, despite its page count, the book doesn’t feel excessively bulky.

Overall, I am quite charmed by this first taste of a shoujo classic and can’t wait for volume two!

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With:

Millennium Prime Minister 2 by Eiki Eiki: C

December 21, 2009 by Leave a Comment

millenniumprime2The tenor of Millennium Prime Minister is best summed up by a line on the back cover that reads, “A confused love triangle is messing up the politics of Japan!”

High school student Minori Nagashima is living with Japan’s young Prime Minister, Kanata Okazaki, who wants her to be his bride. Everyone’s in a tizzy because Sai, Kanata’s 18-year-old senior aide who happens to be in love with his boss, is missing. A menacing foe of Kanata’s gets wind of Sai’s absence, and after a tense confrontation, Kanata returns home drunk and attempts to force himself on Minori. Rather than be outraged like any reasonable person, Minori realizes that she has fallen in love with Kanata and later pledges to become the family he so desperately craves. He’s only controlling because he’s lonely, you see.

Meanwhile, Sai is staying with a reporter buddy and being the crappiest houseguest imaginable. This includes bursting into whiny tears when the eggs his host prepares are not to his liking. Upon finally returning to the minister’s residence, he overhears Minori’s promise and loses it. Because Kanata is everything to him, Sai plans to stay by his side forever and can’t understand why he’s not sufficient to quell Kanata’s loneliness. Kanata gets a taste of his own medicine when Sai uses force to make his feelings clear.

Eiki Eiki’s art continues to be expressive and the pace of the story ensures a quick read. Unfortunately, the ridiculous elements overshadow these positive qualities. I grant this series some slack because it’s a comedy, but that doesn’t excuse the unconvincing central romance or the characters who act like idiots. I have a smidgen of sympathy for Sai and his plight, but his bratty behavior makes it difficult to truly like him. Similarly, though I don’t hate Millennium Prime Minister, I definitely can’t recommend it.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With:

Fairy Tail 8-9 by Hiro Mashima: B

December 20, 2009 by Leave a Comment

fairytail8The battle between Fairy Tail and rival guild Phantom Lord rages on. Two of Phantom Lord’s elite group, Element 4, have been defeated, but Gray must finish off his opponent (Juvia, a lovelorn lady possessed of rain magic) while a wounded Erza summons the strength to achieve a victory of her own. Though they’ve foiled part of Phantom Lord’s plans, however, Lucy still ends up getting kidnapped by Gajeel, the Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord.

After some encouragement from Erza, Natsu heads to Lucy’s rescue and several chapters of fighting between he and Gajeel ensue. Unfortunately, I didn’t find these very fun to read, since there seemed to be more speedlines than usual and sometimes the action was confusing. Also, there was an unnecessary pervy spectator who kept commenting on Lucy’s undies whenever the latest explosion of battle happened to toss her about.

While this is going on, the headquarters of both Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord are destroyed, at which point the Fairy Tail guildmaster, Makarov, recovers his powers and proceeds to be a great badass. A subsequent investigation by the Magic Council finds Fairy Tail innocent in the affair, but Lucy feels responsible (it was, after all, her wealthy father who hired Phantom Lord to retrieve her in the first place), so she heads home. I really like how this chapter plays out; I was all set for a tiresome and angsty, “Oh no, it’s my fault. You’ll all be better off without me” story where her friends have to show up and convince her that she’s worthy. Instead, Lucy goes home simply to tell her dad that if he pulls anything like that again, he’ll have made an enemy of her and Fairy Tail, which is like her second family and, so far, much better than her first one.

fairytail9Upon her return, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Erza officially become a team and handle a couple of episodic missions without straying too far from home. I really like that most of the focus these two volumes has been on Fairy Tail itself, which has presented many opportunities to introduce or flesh out other members of the guild. The latest character to merit that treatment is ladies’ man Loke, who has a rather surprising backstory and needs Lucy’s help in order to continue to survive. Help that she, I might add, very competently provides (although it is managed a little too easily, I thought). Even though Mashima continues to use Lucy’s appearance for fanservice, he is, at least, allowing her to grow in confidence and general usefulness as the story progresses. At first, it was inconceivable that she could be an equal member of a team with powerhouses like Natsu, Gray, and Erza, but now it doesn’t seem so unlikely at all.

Although it has its ups and downs, Fairy Tail continues to offer a fun escapist story that works on a few levels; if you aren’t thrilled by the requisite shounen battles, then perhaps Lucy’s impassioned speech about finally finding acceptance will be more your cup of tea. Or maybe it’ll be the giant cow-man. Who knows?

Review copy for volume nine provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Manga, Shounen Tagged With: ,

High School Debut 13 by Kazune Kawahara: A-

December 19, 2009 by 1 Comment

VIZ sent this (the series finale!) over a month early! What a great Christmas present!

hsd13From the back cover:
Yoh faces a difficult choice: should he go to university all the way in Tokyo or stay near Haruna? Haruna wants to support Yoh’s decision no matter what, but will her high school romance end with his graduation?

Review:
Is it considered bad form to write a review consisting entirely of hearts and sniffles? That’s what the adorable concluding volume of High School Debut tempts me to do.

On the surface, it’s really not much different than an average volume of the series. We begin with Haruna realizing that asking Yoh not to go away to the college of his choice was a selfish act, and zealously trying to convince him that she’s really okay with a long-distance relationship. A chapter in which their friends try to cheer them up by arranging for a ski trip is followed by one in which Haruna meets Yoh’s mom (spazzery ensues, as one might expect) and finally the chapter in which Yoh graduates and heads off to Tokyo.

Grafted onto this framework, however, are some very touching moments between the main couple. It’s easy for Yoh to see that Haruna is putting up a brave front for his benefit, and there’s a really nice moment where he just hugs her and says, “That’s enough,” at which point she promptly breaks into tears. Because he’s worried that she’s going to continue to hide her feelings from him, he next goes around to all of his friends and hers and asks them to take care of Haruna and let him know if she appears to be sad. Aww.

One of the strengths of High School Debut has always been that it doesn’t neglect the feelings of the male half of the relationship, and Yoh’s own sadness, worry, and insecurity about the upcoming separation are given equal consideration. One of my favorite scenes occurs as Yoh and Haruna are on the bus on the way back from the ski trip. He reveals that his vision of the future involves an oblivious Haruna being hoodwinked into dating some other guy. Haruna, meanwhile, spews a detailed, pages-long happy fantasy about how her first visit to Tokyo will play out, leaving Yoh hilariously overwhelmed.

The final chapter is sweet indeed. I shan’t spoil it, except to say that Haruna is Haruna right to the very end. I’m sad to see this series end, but I’m glad that it has done so before it ran out of steam. I’m sure it’s one I’ll often turn to for a comfort reread in days to come.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Beast Master 1 by Kyousuke Motomi: B+

December 18, 2009 by 4 Comments

beastmaster1From the back cover:
Leo Aoi looks like a crazy animal with wild eyes—and no one at his new high school will go near him! He does seem to have a special connection with animals, though, which intrigues overzealous animal lover Yuiko Kubozuka. In reality, Leo isn’t as frightening as he appears, but Yuiko finds out that he goes berserk whenever he sees blood! Will Yuiko be able to get through to Leo during these violent fits? Or will Leo’s ferocious side eventually devour her?

Review:
I initially didn’t expect much from Beast Master but, like other reviewers before me, I found it to be surprisingly adorable.

It’s the story of an enthusiastic animal lover named Yuiko Kubozuka whose attempts to hug and squeeze various furry friends all end in disaster. One rainy day, after her attentions have driven her pet cat up a tree, a bloodstained boy with wild eyes rescues the kitty then runs off. As always happens in shoujo manga, the boy, named Leo Aoi, turns up as a transfer student in her class the next day. The other students are all frightened of him, save Yuiko, and when some thugs arrive to seek retribution for a fight in which Leo thrashed several of their compatriots, it’s Yuiko who explains his circumstances and, with her natural ability to get along with anyone, handily converts the main thug, referred to simply as “Boss,” into a recurring ally and resource. She’s less successful in deflecting the violent intentions of another gang, though, and Leo ends up going into a berserker mode and nearly biting a classmate until Yuiko soothes him.

What follows from there is a series of chapters in which Yuiko is threatened and Leo’s bloodlust is triggered. Simultaneously, she uses her social skills to introduce him to others and show that he’s not really a bad guy, despite what his appearance may indicate. What makes this different than other series in which “heroine requires rescue” is a common theme is that sometimes Yuiko is able to take down the suspicious person herself, even if that person is actually Leo’s guardian, Toki. Sometimes, unfortunately, she’s a liiiiitle stupid, like when she decides that she’s capable of calming a violent stray dog despite much evidence to the contrary and a sincere warning from Leo. I found this lapse in reasoning especially disappointing, because up until then Yuiko had seemed competent and quick-thinking.

Leo himself is completely endearing, much more like a kitten than a wild beast and transparently overjoyed to have met a kind person who isn’t afraid of him. His plight actually reminds me a lot of Sawako from Kimi ni Todoke: he looks frightening until he smiles, at which point he’s utterly transformed. In fact, Leo in chibi mode bears a striking resemblance to Sawako in the same state; is this a case of long-lost manga siblings?! My very favorite moment in the volume comes in a rooftop scene when Leo, wanting to cheer up a depressed Yuiko, puts his arms around her so that birds will land on her like she’s always wanted. It’s very, very sweet.

Overall, Beast Master is adorable and, though it employs a few shoujo clichés, unique. It’s not quite a romance yet, but I have no doubt that the second and final volume will take care of that!

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: , ,

Crimson Hero 12 by Mitsuba Takanashi: B

December 17, 2009 by 3 Comments

crimsonhero12From the back cover:
With one of their ace players injured, Nobara and the Crimson Field girls must fight harder than ever. Their challenge is the Newcomers’ Tournament, and their performance in this venue will determine just how far the team can go. But Nobara’s distracted when she learns that one of her not-so-secret admirers seeks to crush Yushin and destroy the boys’ team!

Review:
The girls’ team has done fairly well in the Newcomers’ Tournament, but losing Tomo to injury means they’ve got to hurriedly train a stand-in just to have the minimum number of members required to play. Meanwhile, when Nobara is injured during one of those “locked in the gym storage room” scenes followed by a “creepy stalker tries to corrupt me but I’m protected by my virtuous true love” rescue, this puts them at enough of a disadvantage that they end up finishing in 13th place, though they’re not entirely out of the running as far as their dream of reaching the Spring Tournament goes.

Despite the fact that the finals round of a tournament is underway, most of the volume actually centers on the love triangle of the series. Haibuki’s solicitude after Nobara’s incident with the stalkery guy makes her feel even more guilty for not telling him about her proto-relationship with Yushin, and she begins to think it wouldn’t be so bad if he knew. Yushin decides to handle things himself and, after the boys win their tournament and Haibuki both compliments Yushin on his captainship and the team on their general awesomeness, Yushin judges that the time is right.

I’ve never really liked Haibuki much, but the way he reacts to this news makes me want to smack him. I mean, nobody would react well to finding out they’ve been duped for months, but he plays the role of the wounded party to the hilt, moving out of the dorm in a huff and considering an offer to transfer to another school. I would’ve been more sympathetic, perhaps, if Takanashi-sensei hadn’t depicted him so woodenly during crucial scenes; an opportunity to really make us feel the horrible pain of betrayal was squandered there. Still, even had she done a better job, I still would’ve ended up hating him for immediately ringing up Tomo, whom he knows still has feelings for him. Don’t mess with her heart, you ass! I could get behind the storytelling decision to transition Haibuki into more of a villainous role, but I have a feeling we’re supposed to believe his actions are the result of profound heartbreak and not simply self-pity.

Crimson Hero may not be the best Shojo Beat has to offer, but I do still like it enough to want to follow the story, even if I can’t really get invested in the romantic plotline. I think I’d like it more if it were simply about Nobara and Yushin trying to strike a balance between loving each other and simultaneously pursuing their goals of volleyball greatness. If I’m lucky, Haibuki really will transfer out and leave the two of them alone, but I don’t think that’s very likely.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »