OhHaiDer :]
It is I again, here with another review (:
Upon the suggestion of a friend of mine, I will be reviewing Beauty Pop today~
Beauty Pop
Story & Art by: Kiyoko Arai
Publisher: Shoujo Beat
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis:(from back cover) Although a truly fired hairstylist, Kiri Koshiba has no interest in using her talent to pursue fame and fortune, unlike the three popular boys in the "Scissor Project" at school. Determined to become the best makeover team in Japan, they give showy makeover to handpicked girls. As much as Kiri tries to shy away from the spotlight, she finds herself responding to beauty's call...
Art Review: 5/5
The art is very cute, detailed, and well designed. In manga and anime, hair tends to all look the same, but Arai's attention to detail in the hair makes every hairstyle Kiri and Narumi execute so unique.
Story Review: I'm not usually one to read mangas about fashion, and beauty, and -epic pose- the quest to be the best hairstylist/designer/makeup artist/whatever, because those tend to fall into the josei genre, end up a bit boring in my opinion... However, this manga is very well done. Although the main events and twists of the story all revolve around hairstyling, the subcontext of love arises between and a love triangle unfolds between Kiri, Narumi and Ochiai. The extra subcharacters who add more tension to the plot keeps the reader flipping the pages. What amuses me so much is that in the manga, it's so dramatic, and yet if you even attempted to do half the things they do in the manga in real life, you'd look pretty ridiculous. The ending is cheesy however, *spoiler alert* (Highlight to see) Narumi and Kiri getting married was expected, I know you all saw it coming xD. *spoiler alert* To be quite honest, after reading this I got a bit more excited about hair, but then again, being fickle as I am, I lost that shine. -looks off into the distance- Overall, this manga was very cute and fun to read, I recommend you should, if you are a fan of shoujo manga.
9/10, because the ending was MEH.
OhHaiDer :]
First post! Yay! Introductions are in order I suppose. My name is Hilary, Akane in japanese, not giving out last names because as all internet goers know, that's a wrong move :3
Obviously, releasing a blog for reviewing manga means I like manga.
Oh I do~
My personal favorites are shoujo, slice of life, drama, and action, but I'll read just about anything n.n
So I think for a first manga, I'll do something a lot of people haven't read x]
I wanna try to review non-mainstream manga..
Be With Me
Story: Takuji Ichikawa
Art: Sai Kawashima
Script: Yoko Iino
Publisher: Shoujo Beat
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: (From back cover) When Takumi's wife suddenly returns from the grave, he can't believe his eyes. As he starts digging deeper and deeper into the mystery of her sudden reappearance, he discovers a secret that is somehow linked to the past...and the future. Is it possible to experience first love for a second time? Without question, the answer is yes!
Art review: 4/5
Sai's art in this one shot manga is cute and refreshing. The characters are simple and not over the top and one can easily imagine these characters in real life. Perhaps it is just style preference; I thought the heads on the adult characters were a bit on the small scale, despite that the characters are beautifully inked and look graceful and natural on the page.
Story Review: Be With You is a heartfelt one-shot manga about the death of a lover, mother and daughter, and the true rare chance to meet that person once again. The story has a bittersweet balance of sadness, love, and cuteness that can touch the reader's heart. The innocence implied by the metaphor Archive, or Archavie as mentioned by Yuji, is a sweet but saddening concept of death and heaven. The loving bond between Takashi and Mio is very strong, it makes the reader want to have a sweet love like theirs. Honestly, I've read this manga twice, I cried a tear the first time T^T I would have enjoyed this manga as a series, rather than a one-shot manga, but it is a good read nonetheless.
Given a rating, I would rate it at about 9/10, only because I would have preferred it to be more in depth.
Story Review: I'm not usually one to read mangas about fashion, and beauty, and -epic pose- the quest to be the best hairstylist/designer/makeup artist/whatever, because those tend to fall into the josei genre, end up a bit boring in my opinion... However, this manga is very well done. Although the main events and twists of the story all revolve around hairstyling, the subcontext of love arises between and a love triangle unfolds between Kiri, Narumi and Ochiai. The extra subcharacters who add more tension to the plot keeps the reader flipping the pages. What amuses me so much is that in the manga, it's so dramatic, and yet if you even attempted to do half the things they do in the manga in real life, you'd look pretty ridiculous. The ending is cheesy however, *spoiler alert* (Highlight to see) Narumi and Kiri getting married was expected, I know you all saw it coming xD. *spoiler alert* To be quite honest, after reading this I got a bit more excited about hair, but then again, being fickle as I am, I lost that shine. -looks off into the distance- Overall, this manga was very cute and fun to read, I recommend you should, if you are a fan of shoujo manga.