In this month’s column, Michelle weighs in on volume ten of the volleyball extravaganza, Crimson Hero and Melinda checks out the latest volume of Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden as well as the first volume of Honey Hunt, a new series by the creator of Hot Gimmick.
By Mitsuba Takanashi
Viz, 184 pp.
Rating: Teen
The six members of the Crimson Field High School girls’ volleyball team have come a long way and are now participating in the Newcomers’ Tournament, an important stepping stone to their ultimate goal, the Spring Tournament. They win their first two rounds handily, but are faced with a tough opponent for the third round. Meanwhile, Nobara and Yushin are still keeping their feelings for each other a secret.
Even though I am far from athletic myself, there is something about sports manga that I adore. Crimson Hero does particularly well at giving each teammate a moment to shine and in recent volumes, each of the supporting girls has improved her skills in some way or another. The matches are also a lot of fun and easy to follow. Frankly, I wish there were more of them.
I’m a little frustrated on the romance front, though. Nobara has liked Yushin for a long time, and was firm about this even when she realized that another boy, Haibuki, had feelings for her. Now, when Yushin has finally reciprocated, Nobara’s suddenly starting to be affected by Haibuki, thinking things like, “These days your smile messes with my heart.” I was really hoping this series wouldn’t go down this road; the fact that it seems poised to do so is disappointing.
Volume ten of Crimson Hero is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 8
By Yuu Watase
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: T+ (Older Teen)
In the wake of the previous volume’s tragedy, Takiko and her warriors are taken in by the Odo, a diverse tribe made up of members from several smaller clans who joined together to rebel against the Rowuns and who, unlike most, believe in the legend of the Priestess of Genbu. Hidden away in the Nassal Forest, a holy refuge with power to turn away the uninvited, the Odo help prepare a ceremony for Soren which allows Uruki to find some peace and to renew his commitment to the Celestial Warriors and, more importantly, to Takiko. Takiko, more determined than ever to save Teg and bring him (along with Hagus) into the fold, camps out at the edge of the forest, waiting for Hagus to decide take a chance on her. Meanwhile, Uruki is visited by the oracle Tai Yi-Jun, who reveals to him the true fate of the Priestess of Genbu–a fate Uruki will do anything to prevent.
After giving poor Takiko a taste of some real jealousy (which of course she strives valiantly to overcome), this story’s primary romance begins to really soar, only to be struck down by Tai Yi-Jun’s revelation to Uruki. The only unfortunate thing about this volume is Uruki’s decision to reject Takiko (just after having reassured her of how much he cares) for the purpose of supposedly keeping her safe from a destiny she knows nothing about and which is absolutely hers to choose. It’s always maddening when someone takes it upon his/herself to limit another person’s choices “for their own good” and this is not made less maddening by the persons involved being fictional. While this is the kind of plot device to be expected in a shojo fantasy, honestly, Watase could have done better. Fortunately, there are enough truly lovely moments (stone warrior Namame’s faithful protection of Takiko, for instance, especially in the face of her supposed “rival,” is utterly charming) to more than make up for it.
Overall, this is another strong volume in a very engaging series that balances romance and adventure more deftly than most.
Volume eight of Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden is available now.
–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi
By Miki Aihara
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen
Yura Onozuka is a mousy high school student whose father is a famous film score composer and whose mother is a famous actress, leaving Yura in an awkward position at school where the other students expect her to be more of a “celebrity” type. Constantly struggling to hide her loneliness and alienation in order to maintain the “perfect” image of her family as portrayed by the media, Yura’s situation is made worse when her mother announces that she is filing for divorce, revealing to Yura the real lie behind her family’s image. With her father out of the country and her mother preparing to sell their family home, Yura is thrust out into the world on her own with no emotional support or direction. It is only when she discovers that her only friend has been carrying on an affair with her mother that Yura decides to try to “beat” her mother at her own game: acting. Taken under the wing of her father’s manager and fighting her own timid nature, Yura throws herself into the entertainment world, determined to show her mother her true worth.
With its sensational plot and romantic intrigue, Honey Hunt is pure, trashy soap opera of the very best kind. It’s impossible not to get hopelessly sucked in to shy, lonely Yura’s ugly duckling story, especially when she’s got all of the entertainment industry’s sharks circling around her. Her down-to-earth nature makes her the perfect relatable heroine and after just one volume her story is already insanely addictive. Beginning from a moment in one of the early chapters when Yura finally cracks and proclaims to a yard full of reporters the truth about her family and her parents’ treatment of her, resistance is futile.
Of course, Yura’s journey is not the only draw. The story’s supporting characters are well drawn in every sense, and perfectly suited to the petty, shallow world Yura has entered into. Yukari Shiraki, Yura’s beautiful, cold mother, is poised and graceful as she deliberately poisons her daughter’s life with a casual spite that says more about her own insecurities than Yura’s supposed deficiencies. The two characters being set up as Yura’s love interests–a pair of rival twin brothers–are delightfully attractive while displaying their self-centered motives and fatal weaknesses for all to see. Even Yura’s manager, who benevolently welcomes her into his home, is obviously using Yura to advance his own ambitions. Yet running through each of them all is just enough humanity to make their stories compelling enough to keep up with Yura’s.
The volume ends with a cliffhanger revealing that someone is already trying to sabotage Yura’s career, or at least the success of the show she is working on. It’s the kind of soap-opera ending that keeps the reader desperately longing for the next volume. With its tabloid sensibility, attractive art, and absorbing characters, Honey Hunt aims to be the ultimate teenage fantasy and its first volume gets things off to a strong start!
Volume one of Honey Hunt is available now.
–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi
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