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. 5 by Kyousuke Motomi
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… While trying to uncover who the fake Daisy is, Kurosaki gets injured protecting Teru from an attack! The near-fatal incident leaves Teru shaken, and she vows to stay close to Kurosaki. But is proximity just going to hurt them both with the truth still veiled?(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.
I'm waffling a bit on this series. It seems to be getting increasingly sillier. Or perhaps messier is the more appropriate term. The only thing that is messier than this volume is my review of it. Forgive me for a rambling, string of consciousness review. :-)
I'm particularly frustrated with Teru. She seems so weak. Sure, she banters back and forth with Kurosaki and mock complains that he's treating her like a slave, but for the most part, she's a real downer. She is riddled with guilt because Kurosaki got hurt trying to help her. And that she is putting her friends in danger as well. Victim's guilt I suppose. She thinks things are her fault when they most certainly are not. On the other hand, I did love how she strategically talked about the Fake Daisy at school, so as to put people on notice that she was investigating - mostly to protect her friends.
What keeps me reading Dengeki Daisy? One word: Kurosaki. Be still my heart. He is the perfect combination of rudeness, sweetness, strength, guilt, gentleness, messiness, and romance. The love he feels for Teru is overwhelming. There are scenes where he and Teru look at each other with such emotion that I have to stop reading and just stare at the drawings. Motomi is a master at expressing emotion. Perhaps the best mangaka I've read yet in that aspect.
The plot of this volume is all over the place. Mostly, Teru, Kurosaki, and the other cast of characters are investigating the fake Daisy. They suspect it might be a former teacher at the school, but they're not sure. One of Teru's "friends" (frenemy) is trying to help - or is she? She was having an affair with this disgraced teacher. Beyond the main plot, there's still all the complications from the fact that Teru knows Kurosaki is Daisy but doesn't want him to know that she knows. They are surprisingly not awkward together. Sort of. I'm curious to see where there relationship goes.
I think I would like to read/see this Kurosaki! I love when an illustration really embodies the whole "picture is worth a thousand words" thing and makes me just take an extra minute to stare at everything that's being communicated:)
ReplyDeleteI can see why Teru is frustrated but at the same time can see her acting that way especially with the grieving that she is doing. Kurosaki definitely sounds much more interesting. This is definitely on my list of manga to try to read if I can find it anywhere.
ReplyDeleteHmm I need to start participating. LOVE manga. And I love Dengeki Daisy! I'm on volume 3 but I got 4, 5, and 6 for Christmas. Yay!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great manga review!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this series and I totally agree with you about Teru character. Love Kurosaki!