Plot/Story
A shoujo story about a girl who hates a man and seeks vengeance against him- while swearing off love- and meaning it? Not your typical girly manga. Kyoko kicks butt. The perseverance common in shoujo is displayed at it’s best with this one. She’s like the energizer bunny. Kyoko takes the sour lemons life hands her and makes unique, tangy lemonade. She’s bitter- severely bitter but she knows it and wants to gain back the feelings she’s lost. While, of course, kicking the jerk’s butt who tossed her aside at the same time. You know, as a side benefit. She drags supporting characters along with her, and within her triumph, leads them to their own. Who wouldn’t love this plot?
Characters
Everyone is familiar, yet incredibly different than anything we’ve seen before. Kyoko’s got gumption and it’s evident in everything she does. She’s also bright, talented and a character who can stand alone in her own right. A shoujo heroine without the neediness- definitely not the norm. It’s as if the typical shoujo heroine could have been Kyoko before she saw what scum the guy she was wasting her affections on was. The expected and beyond is met again with the male lead. We get the feeling every other mysterious, handsome lead previously done in a shoujo was just a rough draft for Tsuraga-Ren. I love that he’s the main character actively striving to help Kyoko reach her goals. He’s got personality. A temper, emotional hang ups, a soft side and all that delightfully packaged into a neat little box and kept hidden behind a discreetly polite mask. That only our heroine can crack. Even if the set up is trite (this is arguable), nothing about the way this has been done is. Because neither falls helplessly into the other’s arms and life makes them work through their various challenges before either can even fathom reaching the goal. It’s realistic in a way most shoujo couldn’t even begin to be. It’s why we relate so well to these characters, main and supporting alike. Even the main antagonist has grown and changed throughout the story, as all real people do. And all the supporting characters who have challenged our leads have experienced change- all for the better, and thanks greatly to Kyoko.
Drawing Style
Nakamura-sesnsei’s drawing style is very distinctive. Hers was one of the first manga I read and it jarred me when I came back to her particular brand of artistry after viewing other works. I remember blinking a few times and it seemed I had to readjust my brain. After that, it was as if other artists were the ones who were mundane and typical and banal. Few artists take a chance on their own brand of drawing like she does. Sometimes three or four artists’ works will mesh together in my head except for very small distinctions. It’s very easy to tell a Nakamura work. It’s unique and interesting and expressive. Not to everyone’s tastes, but certainly very memorable. Some of the scenes are positively delicious to view over and over again. No reading necessary. The depth of emotion, the detail of expression, the pure artistry of these emotionally charged moments makes me catch my breath. Half the time, the art tells as much, sometimes more of the story than the speech bubbles.
Enjoyment
Absolute. Except, you know, when I’m itching for another chapter. I adore this series. It’s the ultimate shoujo. Because while it follows the general lines of its genre, it encompasses and showcases all that is best about it. Emotional growth, development of character and the possibilities a true love- realized or not- can bring.
Overall
When I have a friend interested in starting manga, I always give them the best example of the genre. I point them in the direction of Skip Beat.