Cyber_3
11-05-2003, 10:23 AM
This is a single volume but at 192 pages for $9.99, it's a great deal for shojo lovers. I really Tomoko Taniguchi's work, mainly because it's light and fun. Don't get me wrong, I like serious stories and these stories have some depth, it's just that they're cute, you laugh, you learn something, and you end up feeling all warm and fuzzy when you're done. I've never been able to stay in a bad mood after reading her work, especially not this title, since I enjoyed it very much.
This is what they say about it:
"Mako has dreams of being swept off her feet by a handsome prince. She wants to forget about her high school trials and tribulations…but mostly she just wants someone to love her and call her princess. "
Format: Graphic Novel
Type: English
Length: 192 pgs
Age Rating: 3Up
Imprint: CPM Manga
Orientation: right to left
Genre: Comedy,Romance
Street Date: 10/01/03
Price: $9.99
Size: 5"x 7.375"
Cover:here (https://secure.centralparkmedia.com/dbimages/CMX_61601MMa.jpg)
Here's what I say about it:
First, let's tackle the english adaptation. I really liked it, but as I re-read it this morning, I found the tense or person the words were associated with seemed off in a few cases. In general, the writing was excellent and the jokes came through easily, including a couple of puns which they had a little explanation for. All the sfx and action words were overlaid (except when they were too small and interefered with the art) and the font and type size were approrpiate and nicely varied....... Of course, I really like Taniguichi's art. She's has such a pretty style that seems somehow more natural and not "to the nines" like CLAMP when they get cute. Her chibi-faces in this one were also really well done /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif .
So, content - may contain some spoilers.......
Makoto admire's her older sister's husband and their relationship and wants to get a boyfriend just like her brother-in-law. And the guy's great, so who wouldn't? /images/graemlins/wink.gif But when you set your sights and standards so high, it's hard to see what's right in front of you. Here we have the classic case of neighbour boy liking her, her being oblivious and her best friend liking neighbour boy. But that's the B-plot. The A-plot is that her brother-in-law has a younger brother that now comes to live with them, but he's moody and stays out late with his friends.
Yep, kind of a typical setup, but not your typical denoument. Turns out, the younger brother (Ryu) is not a hoodlum but likes to ride motorcycles/motorcross so that's why he's always getting hurt, but he's also a nice guy at heart. Yo (neighbour boy) finally gives up what he never had and best friend girl starts looking attractive to him. However, we don't get everything solved in this book, just the hope that things will work out in the future. The end is sort of an epilogue where Makoto (main character) and Ryu go out on his motorcycle to a "pick up trash" event. This was very out of the oridinary for most manga I've read and I enjoyed what seemed closer to my "every day life". Taniguchi somehow seems to be able to write a story where everyday life has elements of both Eastern and Western culture more than anyone else, and I think that's a big part of its appeal to North American readers.
I won't get too far into the story though since it's only one volume and I don't want to completely ruin it for y'all /images/graemlins/wink.gif. The funniest part to me though was when Ryu moved into Shoko's (older sister) old room and they turned out the light to see that she had put her now-husband's name on the ceiling in glow-in-the-dark stars - LOL! Man, what a cute/funny idea! Wish my Mom had let me put up those stars when I was 16! Hee hee!
I highly recommend this, especially since you get the more-instant gratification of a one-shot. Heh. Did anyone else pick this up? Did you like it?
Cyber_3 - more reviews to come soon
Oh, side note:
I'm a little puzzled that I saw on the CPM site they have this included in the description for the title:
Recommended by the Friends of Lulu - "Starry-eyed romance"
Who is Lulu and why aren't her friends sharing their manga with her? /images/graemlins/wink.gif
This is what they say about it:
"Mako has dreams of being swept off her feet by a handsome prince. She wants to forget about her high school trials and tribulations…but mostly she just wants someone to love her and call her princess. "
Format: Graphic Novel
Type: English
Length: 192 pgs
Age Rating: 3Up
Imprint: CPM Manga
Orientation: right to left
Genre: Comedy,Romance
Street Date: 10/01/03
Price: $9.99
Size: 5"x 7.375"
Cover:here (https://secure.centralparkmedia.com/dbimages/CMX_61601MMa.jpg)
Here's what I say about it:
First, let's tackle the english adaptation. I really liked it, but as I re-read it this morning, I found the tense or person the words were associated with seemed off in a few cases. In general, the writing was excellent and the jokes came through easily, including a couple of puns which they had a little explanation for. All the sfx and action words were overlaid (except when they were too small and interefered with the art) and the font and type size were approrpiate and nicely varied....... Of course, I really like Taniguichi's art. She's has such a pretty style that seems somehow more natural and not "to the nines" like CLAMP when they get cute. Her chibi-faces in this one were also really well done /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif .
So, content - may contain some spoilers.......
Makoto admire's her older sister's husband and their relationship and wants to get a boyfriend just like her brother-in-law. And the guy's great, so who wouldn't? /images/graemlins/wink.gif But when you set your sights and standards so high, it's hard to see what's right in front of you. Here we have the classic case of neighbour boy liking her, her being oblivious and her best friend liking neighbour boy. But that's the B-plot. The A-plot is that her brother-in-law has a younger brother that now comes to live with them, but he's moody and stays out late with his friends.
Yep, kind of a typical setup, but not your typical denoument. Turns out, the younger brother (Ryu) is not a hoodlum but likes to ride motorcycles/motorcross so that's why he's always getting hurt, but he's also a nice guy at heart. Yo (neighbour boy) finally gives up what he never had and best friend girl starts looking attractive to him. However, we don't get everything solved in this book, just the hope that things will work out in the future. The end is sort of an epilogue where Makoto (main character) and Ryu go out on his motorcycle to a "pick up trash" event. This was very out of the oridinary for most manga I've read and I enjoyed what seemed closer to my "every day life". Taniguchi somehow seems to be able to write a story where everyday life has elements of both Eastern and Western culture more than anyone else, and I think that's a big part of its appeal to North American readers.
I won't get too far into the story though since it's only one volume and I don't want to completely ruin it for y'all /images/graemlins/wink.gif. The funniest part to me though was when Ryu moved into Shoko's (older sister) old room and they turned out the light to see that she had put her now-husband's name on the ceiling in glow-in-the-dark stars - LOL! Man, what a cute/funny idea! Wish my Mom had let me put up those stars when I was 16! Hee hee!
I highly recommend this, especially since you get the more-instant gratification of a one-shot. Heh. Did anyone else pick this up? Did you like it?
Cyber_3 - more reviews to come soon
Oh, side note:
I'm a little puzzled that I saw on the CPM site they have this included in the description for the title:
Recommended by the Friends of Lulu - "Starry-eyed romance"
Who is Lulu and why aren't her friends sharing their manga with her? /images/graemlins/wink.gif