WOO! Yamamori Mika has yet again embarked on another Shoujo Quest, and let me tell you, it's looking up!
OVERALL (8):
It's early days so far, 9 chapters for what might become a behemoth (if it's going to be anything like Hirunaka no Ryuusei), but from what's been published so far, I think a lot of people will really enjoy this! Yamamori has laid some great foundations for a somewhat unpredictable manga, and when she fleshes things out a bit, I'm sure it'll be a hit...!
TL;DR? WATCH THIS SPACE.
For those who feel like a breakdown, here's the breakdown:
STORY (8):
The Story is somewhat typical and
...
follows what you could call the typical 'shoujo path to romance and happiness' in that your protagonist finds herself in a weird situation, adjusts, falls in love, finds obstacles and so on and so forth. Until the end, where she (I assume) finds a soul mate in the male lead. Even within the 9 chapters I've read so far, obstacles have been leapt over... and with sense of more to come lingering behind such leaps... This does make the story exciting though, it moves at a somewhat fast pace, but perhaps some things are just a bit too predictable? (I'll let you guess what I'm talking about when you read it.)
However(!), there are little twists to the story which makes you NOT want to shoot yourself. One thing I've noticed in particular is how there is little interaction held within school despite Fumi (the protagonist) to be a high school student! (Shock horror!) Sure, this isn't a huge twist, but let's call it change, and I think a little change to the age-old high school environment tradition to be good (there're only so many times you can hold a Sports Festival or Cultural Festival until it becomes boring). I'd list more, but that'd be a spoiler, which is just no fun; they're subtle though, but you get a refreshing read as a result!
All-in-all, the story's alright, but perhaps not as typical as most other shoujos, heck, maybe not even as typical as HnR (and I acknowledge there was an attempt at being original in terms of the story there). Not to mention there're some funny parts too which may ACTUALLY make you laugh!
ART (9):
Perhaps asking me to review Yamamori Mika's art isn't the best idea, considering I am hugely biased...?! I absolutely adore her art style, sure it's still 'girly' and 'sparkly' and stuff, but it's sleek, simply yet also detailed where detail's due. In terms of the characters, for me (and this may seem weird), the way Yamamori draws hair (and faces and... PEOPLE IN GENERAL) is perfection , and the gags are drawn well to boot. The effects and settings (the 'overlooked(?)' stuff) is pretty good, what you'd expect from a published manga to be honest, so all-round quality is pretty good.
ALL-IN-ALL: The art is wonderful!
CHARACTER (7):
Like the story: somewhat typical. However, also like the story: some entertaining twists! Like HnR (I'm trying really hard not to compare the two too much, I'm sorry!), the protagonist is somewhat exciting and intriguing, and I'd argue even more so given Fumi's background (dead parents? +10 for character depth. Not a transfer student? +10 non-cliché points.). Yet protagonist aside, the other characters lack a little depth (typical shoujo?); Akatsuki and Aioi seem alright so far, but why is Fumi's Dad so unreliable whenever Fumi needs him to sort his shit out? What a coincidence... (I smell plot device... In fact, he reeks of plot device...)
I also feel that clichés are being used, perhaps recycled from HnR (perhaps that's just what Yamamori's into (RE: Age gaps)?), but also just the whole 'servant-master' spiel... Though of course, it's an exciting relationship with some really exciting dynamics, but these kind of 'traditionally shoujo' relationships could hamper any kind of creativity perhaps? So far, the vibrant characters seem not to fall into this trap, but at the end of the day, what you're looking at is a servant-master relationship as well as the potential for a love... shape... with every male in the novel.
Though, perhaps I'm being too critical, it is early days and character development, like Rome, isn't built in a day. (So, watch this space?!)
ENJOYMENT (9):
Okay, so I've said the story and characters are a far cry from perfection, but that doesn't mean the enjoyment isn't there. Maybe the genre has a lot to do with it, maybe Yamamori is just really good at being a mangaka or maybe the gags do it for me... Either way, the manga is pretty entertaining and keeps you wanting more (or keeps me wanting more at least). Sure it's somewhat typical in areas, but the twists and turns that occur naturally in the genre as well as through Yamamori's writing is really makes the manga feel whole (so far). Should it continue on this path of straightforward plot with little development, then maybe the entertainment factor will decrease, but so far, it's a good read -and that's really the crux of a manga.
Overall, I think it's good. Maybe I'm criticising it too much for it adhering to its genre (something I shouldn't really complain about), but there are some really good points about this manga even factoring the cliché bits in! I feel like Yamamori has good writing ability, and this might just be another hit like HnR...!
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Oct 21, 2015
Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet
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WOO! Yamamori Mika has yet again embarked on another Shoujo Quest, and let me tell you, it's looking up!
OVERALL (8): It's early days so far, 9 chapters for what might become a behemoth (if it's going to be anything like Hirunaka no Ryuusei), but from what's been published so far, I think a lot of people will really enjoy this! Yamamori has laid some great foundations for a somewhat unpredictable manga, and when she fleshes things out a bit, I'm sure it'll be a hit...! TL;DR? WATCH THIS SPACE. For those who feel like a breakdown, here's the breakdown: STORY (8): The Story is somewhat typical and ... |
