Beauty Pop 2 by Kiyoko Arai: B-

From the back cover:
Kiri’s identity as the mysterious “X” who does makeovers behind the scenes is now public knowledge as she competes against hairstylist Narumi in a one-on-one Scissors Project challenge. The hairstylist who loses will receive a haircut by the winner—and must endure whatever that haircut might be…

Review:
This volume introduces a couple of over-the-top annoying characters: Kiri’s flamboyant former neighbor, Iori, and her mom, with whom Iori has evidently been in contact all these years. I don’t like either of them, nor am I fond of Narumi’s angry rants, so found many scenes in this volume to be tiresome. Iori seems to be a master with scents and pheromones, so I reckon that Ochiai (who gets more like Kyoya with each volume) is going to try to recruit him to the Scissors Project before long.

I did like, though, the outcome of Kiri’s challenge against Narumi and another similar situation near the end where the Scissors Project boys have undertaken the task of making an over-forty bride look young and cute while Kiri gives a makeover to the dowdy professor who’s going to be marrying her. It’s the first time we’ve seen a guy get a new look, so that is fun.

I’m kind of concerned that I don’t really like any of the characters after two volumes. Kiri is okay, but the rest of them do absolutely nothing for me. I’m pretty sure I’ve liked at least someone by this point in other series I’ve read. In fact, I think the best character so far is Kiri’s cat, Shampoo. I really am a sucker for cute animal types. Karupin in The Prince of Tennis, Kero in Cardcaptor Sakura, Yoyo in The Palette of 12 Secret Colors and now Shampoo. I adore them all. If only any of the humans were as lovable.