Manga Mondays Meme (81): Dengeki Daisy vol. 4 by Kyousuke Motomi

New Manga Mondays Meme!

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 18 months ago. It's always been a personal feature, but now I'm going to try turning it into a meme. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme would be a good way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Dengeki Daisy vol. 4 by Kyousuke Motomi

Summary

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left her. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help… Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks? Discovering DAISY's true identity not only shocks Teru but makes things more confusing for her as well. Meanwhile, someone pretending to be DAISY threatens to spread a computer virus at school! But who's the true target of this attack? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

At the end of volume 3, Teru discovers that Kurosaki - her jerky boss/friend/love interest - is really the kind, sensitive Daisy. What a shock for her! She finally realizes what the reader already knows. But Kurosaki doesn't know that she knows. And Teru doesn't want him to find out. She's worried that their relationship will change or that Kurosaki will disappear altogether. This naturally makes for a lot of awkward situations. Suddenly, Teru is at a loss of what to say to Daisy or to Kurosaki. Will she look suspicious? Will she say the wrong thing to the wrong person? I wouldn't say that the awkwardness makes the book funny. Rather, it makes the volume uncomfortable in a somewhat cute way.

Teru and Kurosaki continue to banter back and forth. I love how Teru seems like a vulnerable, weak girl but when Kurosaki makes fun of her or criticizes her, she doesn't wither up like a flower. Instead, she has a retort ready for every jerky comment. Sometimes it's silly things like "go bald," but other times, she does a great and funny job of standing up to him.

Dengeki Daisy is a contemporary fiction manga, but it's not realistic. I love how the characters in this volume say that this or that could only happen in shojo manga, not "here." And Dengeki Daisy is an excellent reflection of things that can only happen in shojo manga. The emotions are over-exaggerated, the characters stereotypical, and the dangers far too contrived. But it's great mind candy.

Motomi continues to do some of the best couples drawings I've seen in manga. I love the emotion that is expressed when Kurosaki touches Teru. Unfortunately, any contact comes mostly from drawings at the beginning of chapters in this volume. There isn't much actual connection. Another interesting thing about this manga is that it is very dialogue heavy - probably more than any other series I've read. It takes longer to read and feels more like an actual book than a comic.

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