I’m surprised I’m still enjoying this manga as much as I am, because I would have expected that as it loses its shiny!newest! feel, I would be getting a little bored of it. But I’m not. I think that’s because the author, Kazune Kawahara, keeps the teen relationship realistic while plugging in lots of funny stuff and keeping the events moving. Plus, Haruna is just so enthusiastic a personality, she’s a blast to read about. As volume 6 opens, she’s […]

Everyone’s getting over their hurt feelings and getting on with their lives. You can’t stay in a state of emotional intensity for long; it’s too tiring. Picking up the pieces, though, may require some work. Nana’s still torn between her deep love for Ren and her jealousy of his band Trapnest’s success in this volume. Well, jealousy isn’t quite the right word; she doesn’t want to be them, she wants her own achievement instead. It’s more a rivalry. Plus, she […]

Kiri and the Scissors Project are competing in the All-Japan Beauty Tournament in this installment, but instead of worrying about them almost not making it past the first round of competition, everyone’s more concerned about Kiri and Narumi accidentally kissing. Well, bumping lips, anyway. As the characters are drawn reacting in exaggerated fashion, even for manga, the scene shows how this series by Kiyoko Arai has changed its focus. Instead of being about how makeovers change lives, now it’s all […]

Transfer student Leona is both beautiful and good at sports. She manipulates her way into sitting next to Haruna, who can’t figure out why Leona keeps following her around and staring at her. As expected, it turns out they have history together, although Haruna’s too busy living in the present, planning a snowboarding trip with Yoh, to care about the past in High School Debut volume 5. Although drawn by Kazune Kawahara to be lovely, Leona’s expressions are frequently harsh, […]

It’s been too long since I’ve checked in with this terrific series by Ai Yazawa. I last talked about volume 8 at the beginning of the summer, and there’s been four more installments since then. I think I hesitate because it’s such a powerful, involving ride. It’s not forgettable entertainment to pick up on a whim; it deserves time and attention. This chapter, in particular, is huge — over 280 pages in the book, 50 of which are a bonus […]

I hate getting behind on series. Books start stacking up, and then, instead of looking forward to reading them, I glance their way and see little piles of guilt. I’d much rather anticipate spending some time getting lost in the adventures of the friends inside. On the positive side, having several in a row to catch up on means a much longer voyage into a different world. And I do so enjoy the teen romantic comedy of Lovely Complex by […]

Yoh and Haruna are finally dating in volume 4, but neither one of them is very good at it, having had little practice. Haruna’s competitive nature makes this very funny, since once she gets an idea in her head, she’s determined to do it to the best of her ability. Take, for example, Christmas, a romantic holiday to spend with your sweetie. Haruna wants to be the Best Girlfriend Ever, only she doesn’t realize that that’s determined only by what’s […]