I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 2 years 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. 22 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! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!
Is there such a thing as being too good? With Ren's help, Kyoko finally gets into her new character. But when she shows up on set and wows the crew with her new spin on the old bully role, it sends some of her costars over the edge Kyoko's used to dealing with her own demons, but can she stand up to someone else's?(courtesy of the back cover and 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.
Kyoko is bound and determined to create a better Natsu. She goes to Ren to beg for his advice in how to walk more like a model. I didn't get at first how this helped her become Natsu, but understand better now. Ren didn't help her with the mental part of the role. However, part of Natsu's character is a regal stance. And carrying herself as a noble model makes it easier for Kyoko to pull off the role emotionally as well.
Chiori's goal to get Kyoko to create a version of Natsu that disagrees with the director's vision backfires massively. Kyoko shows up to work the next day an entirely different person. She is Natsu from the moment she walks on set. When the other actors bully her, she ones up them with a new level of passive aggressive meanness. So much so that they just can't help but look up to her as their leader. It's not what the director envisioned, but even he admits that Kyoko's Natsu is superior to his creation. I loved seeing the transformation of Kyoko. It's hard to tell it's her from the drawings. Amazing what styling and makeup can do.
At the end of the volume, we learn a little more about Chiori. She was a child actress who played an iconic role in a movie. Chiori was only six years old at the time, but she played an intense role with complete professionalism. She was so well known for the role that it became hard for her to get other roles. It's what Kyoko fears will happen to her because of Mio. And now Chiori is unknown and bitter as a young adult actress. So bitter and jealous that she goes further in her attempt to sabotage Kyoko. As the volume ends, we see Chiori push Kyoko down a flight of stairs!
I'm so happy you are enjoying this! I love Skip Beat! I love her transformations from one character to the next, it's just amazing! Natsu is one of my favourite roles for Kyoko! I can't wait to see what other character's she'll play in the future!
ReplyDelete-Kate
Ooh, cat fight! You usually see boys fight over a girl, but not two girls fighting over careers. I'm sure Kyoko is smart enough to pick up on Chiori's plans and defeat her.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, she pushes someone down a flight of stairs? That's a heck of a way to end a volume! I'd definitely want to have the next one on hand so I could see what happened. I'll be on the lookout for your manga review next Monday!
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