Wednesday Whimsy
By: Caelrona
Hiya all! I can’t believe it is already March! I mean it feels like it should still be February to me. But I suppose that it may just be me who feels that way. Anyway, I’ve been reading quite a bit this past week; most of it from my manga collection, but it still totally counts and it got me thinking. I’ve done a lot of blogs about anime, and I’ve mentioned manga a few times but I’ve never really gone into any detail, so I thought that today I would share with you some excellent manga to read. I’ve been reading mostly shojo manga and while I certainly do like other kinds, I thought I’d stick with this genre for this particular blog. I guess maybe this blog should be Shojo Manga You Ought To Read. Off we go!
Hana Kimi
Hana Kimi, or known originally as Hanazakri no Kimitachi (For You In Full Blossom) in Japan, is a shojo manga series written by Hisaya Nakajo. Hana Kimi was serialized in Japan in Hakusensha’s semi-monthly shojo magazine, Hana to Yume. The manga series comes to a close with 23 volumes, and has spawned a whopping 4 live-action television shows. It is published by Hakusensha originally, and by Viz Media in English.
Hana Kimi centers on Mizuki Ashiya, a Japanese girl from America. One day she sees a track and field competition on television and begins to idolize one of the high jump competitors, Izumi Sano. As her attachment to him grows, she comes up with the idea to transfer to Japan to attend the same school as he does. The only snag with her plan; Sano attends an all-bows high school and Mizuki must disguise herself as a boy to enter!
Hana Kimi is a really adorable manga. I haven’t finished the series yet, I’m on Chapter 62 so far, but what I have read of it I absolutely love. Mizuki is such a ditzy sweetheart that it would be impossible not to adore her. Sano, while cold at first, begins to warm and eventually you come to love him too. It’s a pretty girly read; but then it is a shojo manga, so you what else do you expect?
Absolute Boyfriend
Absolute Boyfriend, or Zettai Kareshi, is a shojo manga series by Yuu Watase. It was first serialized in Shojo Comic, however it was also serialized in the Viz Media magazine Shojo Beat. This manga series is absolutely tiny, coming to a close with only 6 books. However it also spawned 2 live-action television shows with plans for a third. It was published by Shogakukan originally, and by Viz Media, Chuang Yi, and Madman Entertainment in English.
Absolute Boyfriend centers on Riiko Izawa, a young girl who is very unlucky in love. One day a strangely dressed salesman gives her a business card for a website that sells ‘love figures’, or android lovers that not only look real, but act and feel real as well. On the spur of the moment and because she doesn’t really understand the implications, Riiko orders one for a 3-day free trial. When she doesn’t return him before the deadline she has to find a way to pay the one million dollar debt she now owes, while dealing with her new feelings and emotions for her robotic boyfriend.
Absolute Boyfriend is a cute manga. I definitely wouldn’t let kids read it, but it is still cute. Riiko is so ditzy, but she grows up throughout the very-short manga. Night, her android boyfriend, is so heartbreakingly sweet; and his rival (her best friend) Soshi is really sweet too. For such a short manga, it is really heart breaking. The end is totally wrenching. I have no idea how they packed that much emotion into only 6 volumes, but they did.
Wild Ones
Wild Ones, or Arakura, is a shojo manga series by Kiyo Fujiwara. It was serialized in Hana to Yume, and later serialized in Shojo Beat in America. It is fairly short, having only 10 volumes in the series. It was first published by Hakusensha, and then later by Viz Media in English.
Wild Ones centers on young Sachie Wakamura, who just lost her mother. Her estranged grandfather has shown up to take care of her. The only problem is that Grandpa is the head of a yakuza gang. Sachie tries to continue living her normal life; but she can’t run far since Rakuto, a handsome and popular boy from school, is part of her grandfather’s gang and her new protector! Soon, Sachie finds herself falling for her bodyguard. But she’s the granddaughter of Rakuto’s boss, so he can never show his feelings. Sachie must find a way to fit her new family into her life while keeping them secret from everyone at school; all while attempting to size her chance at love.
Wild Ones is one of my favorite shojo manga series. The characters in this manga are just crazy. All of the yakuza gang members are ridiculous. They add so much humor to any scene they are in. Rakuto and Sachie are a great pairing, and the way the manga ends is really sweet.
Well, there we have it; some of my favorite shojo manga. I really like all three of these manga series; I guess I can’t be about gore and zombies all the time, right? I was going to do another manga; ‘Ai Ore!’ because I’ve been reading it recently and it is freakin’ adorable, but since I’ve only read the first 2 volumes (mind, they are like twice the size of most manga books, but still) I figured I’d save it for when I’ve read some more of it. So maybe I’ll do a Shojo Manga 2 post sometime later!
Until next time,
Caelrona – signing off! ❤
All Geek To Me 