Nakahara Aya - Love Com, vol. 02-06 (Eng. trans.)
Mon, Mar. 16th, 2009 12:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterI have missed blogging about manga so much! More than that; I miss reading manga. Grad school means less time for tachiyomi-ing, and the local library here doesn't have nearly as much manga as my old library did. Less random manga = sad Oyce.
I was rather fond of this after reading the first volume, but never quite had the time to read more until now. Thankfully, I did not completely forget everything as is the norm, since I watched the movie during winter vacation.
Even though this is very standard high-school shoujo, I like that Nakahara doesn't seem set on doing 20 volumes of "Will they or won't they?" Or, she does, but in a way that the relationship actually progresses and Risa goes through quite a few different emotional stages.
Spoilers
I feel like it's been some time since I've read high-school shoujo, so my impressions may be totally off. But I felt like the progression so far from Risa realizing she likes Otani to her saying something to the awkward maybe-maybe-not stage to being turned down and having to get over that isn't one that's usually in manga. And even though it's not the development of a romantic relationship (the other thing I like seeing that isn't often in manga), I like that Risa's feelings aren't static and that the situation has been changing every few volumes.
Also, much as I like Otani, I wanted to whack him over the head for doing that "I sort of like her but sort of don't" thing, in which he is nice to her in a way that seems like it is promising something, but still won't give her an answer! Booo!
And because the "maybe maybe not" goes on for so long, it makes Risa's defection to Maity more believable. (Even though I am still squicked by the way Maity flirts with her! Yeah, yeah, it's to make Otani jealous, whatever. Still squicky!)
I was also pleasantly surprised to find that Otani doesn't ever entertain getting back together with his ex; I hate it when shoujo heroes do that. It makes me like them so much less.
There's still the normal school festival stuff and the change of the seasons and whatnot, but (as I'm sure most of you have figured out) I am very fond of high-school shoujo when it's done well, largely because the rhythm of the school year brings back fairly happy memories of high school in Taiwan. I kind of miss that period of life, when worrying about what your class was going to do for the festival was the entire world. (Of course, I totally don't miss not earning my own money or being emotionally stupid or negotiating relationships! But that's why high-school shoujo is great! I can reminisce happily while the characters go through all the pain.)
Anyway, not amazing or ground-breaking, but this is a nice, solid high-school shoujo series. It's very relaxing.
I was rather fond of this after reading the first volume, but never quite had the time to read more until now. Thankfully, I did not completely forget everything as is the norm, since I watched the movie during winter vacation.
Even though this is very standard high-school shoujo, I like that Nakahara doesn't seem set on doing 20 volumes of "Will they or won't they?" Or, she does, but in a way that the relationship actually progresses and Risa goes through quite a few different emotional stages.
Spoilers
I feel like it's been some time since I've read high-school shoujo, so my impressions may be totally off. But I felt like the progression so far from Risa realizing she likes Otani to her saying something to the awkward maybe-maybe-not stage to being turned down and having to get over that isn't one that's usually in manga. And even though it's not the development of a romantic relationship (the other thing I like seeing that isn't often in manga), I like that Risa's feelings aren't static and that the situation has been changing every few volumes.
Also, much as I like Otani, I wanted to whack him over the head for doing that "I sort of like her but sort of don't" thing, in which he is nice to her in a way that seems like it is promising something, but still won't give her an answer! Booo!
And because the "maybe maybe not" goes on for so long, it makes Risa's defection to Maity more believable. (Even though I am still squicked by the way Maity flirts with her! Yeah, yeah, it's to make Otani jealous, whatever. Still squicky!)
I was also pleasantly surprised to find that Otani doesn't ever entertain getting back together with his ex; I hate it when shoujo heroes do that. It makes me like them so much less.
There's still the normal school festival stuff and the change of the seasons and whatnot, but (as I'm sure most of you have figured out) I am very fond of high-school shoujo when it's done well, largely because the rhythm of the school year brings back fairly happy memories of high school in Taiwan. I kind of miss that period of life, when worrying about what your class was going to do for the festival was the entire world. (Of course, I totally don't miss not earning my own money or being emotionally stupid or negotiating relationships! But that's why high-school shoujo is great! I can reminisce happily while the characters go through all the pain.)
Anyway, not amazing or ground-breaking, but this is a nice, solid high-school shoujo series. It's very relaxing.