Kawahara Kazune - High School Debut, vol. 01 (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

I've actually read this before, but I forgot to write it up.

Nagashima Haruna's a bit of a tomboy; she dedicated herself to softball all through middle school, and now that she's in high school, she wants to dedicate herself to her other favorite thing, shoujo manga, by falling in love. Unfortinately, she has absolutely no idea how to do it. But she does have a lot of energy and enthusiasm! Eventually, she decides that she needs a coach, like in softball, and she manages to get hot classmate Komiyama Yoh to help her out. She just has to promise him that she won't fall for him.

Everyone knows where this is going, but it's how the manga does it that's the pleasure. Haruna's incredibly likeable; she's nearly immune to insults and generally cheerful and happy. Yoh is grumpy with a soft marshmallow center, and his Tragic Past is being thought of as cold by the people he likes. I just love Haruna and how completely enthusiastic she is, even as she goes from wearing evening clothes for a daytime date to going back to ratty old sweats since she has nothing in between. Even Yoh melts a teeny bit when confronted by her puppy-dog energy.

Fun and happy.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The most coherent thought I have when it comes to this manga is an intense need to squish on it and love it to death.

I am particularly fond of how the mangka will taunt us with the threat of a detour into Annoying Shoujo Tropes Land, and then completely ignore the trope and cackle.

[larryhammer]

I especially appreciate this when it comes to Haruna being an athlete.

---L.

[octopedingenue]

Yes! She is so forthrightly in love with the physical and social aspects of sports! And Yoh is/was an athlete too! They're not such a crazy match, they have JOCK ENTHUSIASM to bond them! Whiiiich makes their wacky notaromance even more energetic.