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.
Skip Beat vol. 2 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous enough Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz.
After failing her audition, Kyoko has just about given up on her revenge - until Sho shows up at the gas station where she works and doesn't even recognize her! With her desire for vengeance rekindled Kyoko goes back to the talent agency and gets assigned to the new "Love Me Section." There, she can earn points for good behavior, and if she earns enough, the agency will back her debut! The only problem is that she has to do whatever they tell her to! Will her first assignment be her last?(courtesy of Amazon and the back cover)
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 1, Kyoko's dreams of joining LME talent agency were dashed because she was too focused on revenge and couldn't accept the idea of love. Kyoko hasn't given up. Unlike the average manga female character, Kyoko hasn't decided that her negative attitude is a bad idea and reformed into a cheerful, sweet character. Nope. Kyoko is as focused on revenge as ever. She won't accept no from LME.
Luckily, LME likes persistence. They create a Love Me Section - for people who must work to be loved by others. Kyoko will get points for helping others in the agency. When she has enough points, she can become an LME Talent. Points aren't easy to come by. Kyoko either doesn't do a good enough job or does too good a job. Everything seems to backfire. But she refuses to give up.
At one point, Kyoko becomes the personal slave of mega movie star Ruri. Ruri looks like a princess, but she's really a spoiled brat. She treats Kyoko like dirt...and somehow this turns into an opportunity for Kyoko.
Kyoko is definitely a dark character. She is shown having her angelic and devilish sides fighting each other. The devilish side keeps winning. But there's still a big difference between her and someone like Ruri. While Kyoko may be motivated by anger and revenge, she never acts cruelly towards other people or believes that she is better than anyone else. She certainly wants to be cruel to Sho, but her success is how she will accomplish that, rather than outright meanness.
I'm getting a little more familiar with Skip Beat and am liking what I'm reading. I hope to get to know Ren and Sho better in the next few volumes. I'm liking Ren better, because he seems like a good-hearted guy. I want to see more layers to Sho. All in all, great volume!
I LOVE SKIP BEAT!
ReplyDeleteI really need to read SKIP BEAT! I've read many great reviews!
ReplyDeleteHmm I should check out the anime too!
Have a great reading week!
I hated this manga for the first couple volumes, but it's so worth it in the end. It's one of my favorites now!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a fan of this manga in the beginning but it got better as it went along I thought.
ReplyDeleteI actually kinda like that Kyoko hasn't transformed into the ordinary shojo heroine yet. I like to see the female characters of these romances have additional layers to their personalities. Most often than not, the male characters get the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteThis is one series I have been wanting to read. I'm glad your enjoying it:)
ReplyDeleteWhat's so different about this manga that it's taking time to familiarize yourself with it? Or is it that way with every new manga series you start? I love this feature, I learn something new every week:)
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know you were reviewing Skip Beat already! I love this manga SO much. You'll see that Kyoko is a super nice girl, but she becomes evil if you cross her the wrong way. That's just how she is, and other characters will cross her later in the series. She finds ways to trip them up, but only because they're messing with her. Love that girl.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't even call her a dark character--just someone who isn't perfect. But, it's highly entertaining when she's has a rival. It's more like she enjoys rivalry, which is a huge concept in Japanese culture. It doesn't even always mean the person is your enemy.
Very nice review, and I hope you keep reading this one. You'll see how epic it gets (in volume 13).
YAY!! I'm so glad you're reading this! Skip Beat is one of my all time favourites, it's amazing! Ren all the way! <3
ReplyDelete