Warning: My manga "reviews" often contain spoilers. I find it hard to adequately discuss a volume of manga without talking about it in more detail than some might like.
Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani are a variation on the classic odd couple. The tallest girl in school and the shortest guy always end up together. They're unintentional friends - they always end up in the same situations, keeping each other company. They're also an unintentional comedy act. Each is full of one-liners and when they're together, they put on a show for all to see. Their chemistry, comedic timing, and the sheer amount of time they're together, reasonably leads everyone to assume they're a couple. But they are each obsessing over a different classmate. Risa and Otani work together to acchieve mutual goals - Otani will help Risa get her crush Suzuki and Risa will help Otani get his crush Chiharu. But everything seems to go wrong, despite their best efforts. They still end up together. It seems like everyone other than them realizes that they're perfect for each other.
Love*Com, which stands for Lovely Complex, not Love.Com is a cute manga. I was turned off at first by the overuse of slang. The characters sound like stereotypical valley girls and surfer dudes. I wish I could read the original Japanese to understand how the slang should sound. It also took some time to get used to Risa and Otani's sense of humor. They came off rather shallow at first, both obsessing over their heights and their crushes. I suppose they remain rather shallow throughout the book, but I got used to them. Like most manga I've read, I became more comfortable with the characters and the style of the dialogue as the volume went on and by the end, I was drawn into the story.
This is a manga that I may continue reading. I don't feel any great need to see what happens after this - I foresee their little act getting old - but it's cute enough that I'd probably enjoy another volume or two.
I've been wondering about this series for a while, and it sounds cute and entertaining. :) Maybe I'll read it sometime...thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI must confess that this cover doesn't appeal to me the way the Emma covers did.
ReplyDeleteIt does get very repetitive, but i did enjoy the entire series. Risa and Otani are from Osaka, and they tried to reflect that in their language when they localized this manga.
ReplyDeleteI loved the anime for this! Risa is SO funny, and since I have a height "problem" it is even funnier.
ReplyDeleteNot too many book blogs review manga, so I was glad to come across someone who does. I'll be returning for more recommendations. :)
I love Lovely complex and have read it 2 times.I even watched the live action and the anime.I Shoujo manga.
ReplyDeleteOh gawd this manga is HILARIOUS! I have all books in the series. I agree though there are way to many "you're short; you're tall" jokes, but both of them together have great chemistry. :D
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