Takaya Natsuki - Hoshi wa Utau, vol. 01-03 (Chi. trans.)

[oyceter]

I read volume one of this in the summer and promptly forgot it. Shiina Sakuya loves the stars and star-gazing and draws strength from them. She's the president of her school's tiny star-gazing club, which consists of her and her two best friends, demon-with-perfect-lady-exterior Honjo Hijiri and goofball Murakami Yuri. Given their frequent spats, I am sure the two will end up with each other. Sakuya seems to be a perfect shoujo heroine, like Fruits Basket's Tohru: she's perky and always smiling even though she lives with her deadbeat cousin Kanade. But much like Tohru, there's more to the story than that.

On her eighteenth birthday, Sakuya meets a mysterious boy, Chihiro, who gives her a present and eats with her and Kanade. But it turns out that neither Sakuya or Kanade know him, and soon after, he transfers to Sakuya's school.

As noted, volume one is not very notable; like most series, a great deal of it is set up. I could not for the life of me figure out why Sakuya was obsessed with Chihiro when she hardly knew him. My assumption was that he was actually some star in human form and figured the series would follow the Fruits Basket formula, with cheerful girl gradually poking more into cute guy's past traumas.

Instead, volumes two and three deepen the mystery of Sakuya. It's hard avoiding the FB comparison when it looks like this series will also examine issues like child abuse, emotional abuse, and very hurt teenagers, but so far, I like it a lot. Sakuya has quickly become her own character, not another Tohru, and oh, I feel for her so. Takaya's paneling and art is as excellent as always, and it makes some of the revelations about Sakuya even more painful.

I'm hoping that future volumes will continue development of the secondary characters—I'm particularly interested in Hijiri, who's model-student-perfect on the outside but has a ruthlessness that reminds me a great deal of Shigure. Mostly, though, I'm really hoping we get more of Sakuya and that Chihiro's angst (I am certain he has angst) will not overshadow it.

Definitely recommended so far, although it takes a little time for things to get really good.

Comments

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

I'm really hoping this one gets licensed in English. ^_^

[larryhammer]

Ditto. I've been reading it in scans, though I paused at about the end of volume 3* to let some chapters build up. I'm pleasantly surprised that I have absolutely no idea what's going on and going to happen, in a way that gives me a Saki Hiwatari feeling.

* BTW, what are the chapters-by-volume, anyway? 7 per?

---L.

[oyceter]

I vaguely recall only 4ish chapters per volume, although I have to go home and check.

I have no idea what's going to happen either, now that my very early theory about Chihiro being an alien is probably so not true (by the way, I love how Takaya uses the alien thing as an analogy like she did with the onigiri in Fruits basket).

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

The numbering is a little inconsistent--vol. 1 has five chapters, and vol. 2-3 each have six.

[larryhammer]

Ah -- thankee.

---L.

[oyceter]

ME TOO! Although I am guessing it will be picked up eventually, given the end of Furuba.

[larryhammer]

And the way Takaya's older and *cough* less accomplished stories are getting licensed.

---L.

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

Although if it had been licensed with them, it'd be public knowledge by now. ^^ I imagine Tokyopop's probably interested, though.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Ooh. I have the first three vols, but am determined to read some of my backlog of completed series before getting into any new ones. I knew nothing about it other than it's by the author of Fruits Basket, though. It sounds like it'll be interesting.

[oyceter]

So far, it is very good! I'm impressed, given that it's only three volumes and most series take time to get very good. And I think Takaya's paneling is just getting better and better.