About:
In the play of life, all Hikaru Takabayashi wanted was to be part of the scenery, but fate had other ideas. When the 15-year-old introvert transfer to an all-girls academy, her new roomate turns out to be the super-popular TV idol Izumi Kido! As if living with a celebrity wasn't bad enough, Hikaru discovers that there's more to Izumi than her "good girl" image---she's a he! Now Hikaru's the unwilling star player in a madcap tale of deception, abduction, humiliation and blackmail---the usual romantic stuff.
My Review:
I've read gender-bender manga before but never like this. Normally it's the girl you pretends otherwise, not the guy. Yeah there are certain chapters or one-shot of guys dressing like girls for a school play or competition but not where they do it in their everyday lives. I was very intrigued by this manga when I first saw it. I'm so glad I picked it up. It's very unpredictable and has its funny quirks. It's not cute and funny like Hana-Kimi though. Warning you about that right now. Yes, it has some funny scenes but this isn't that type of manga. It's a little more serious. I kind of like that.
In this volume, Hikaru transfer to an elite private school hoping to just fly under the radar. She just wants the time to fly. Unfortunately that doesn't happen. First, her roommate is the idol Izumi Kido. Second, Hikaru finds out that she is a he. Third, she is blackmailed pretty badly by Izumi to keep his secret. There is absolutely no way that Hikaru is going to get what she wants.
Hikaru is an introvert who seems to be traumatized from something in her past that made her that way. Hopefully we get more details later in the series. But anyway, she doesn't care about popularity or getting ahead by being near Izumi. All she really wants is to go through life with minimum problems. I kind if relate to Hikaru. I'm a heavy introvert who just doesn't want to be pulled into drama. I've also had bad experiences with bullies that made me this way partly. So, I kind of feel for her. I really hope to see her grow and change. Though Hikaru also looks out for Izumi and it isn't because of the blackmail which I liked a lot. I look forward to seeing more of Hikaru. Izumi is kind of a jerk. Of course he's such a sweetheart when he's a girl but when he's just himself, watch out. It seems he has his reasons but they are yet to be revealed. I'm surprised about how far he went to blackmail Hikaru. It sure made things interesting though. Truthfully, I don't have much to say about Izumi besides the fact that he's pretty mysterious and a jerk at times. I'm definitely curious about him. Though the winner for most mysterious character is probably Izumi's right hand man, Yasukuni. He does whatever he can for Izumi and will stop at nothing to keep his secret safe. We don't know too much about him or his background. Like Izumi, he seems sweet but can be vicious. I have to say that this manga has an interesting cast that I look forward to seeing again. I want to see more sides of them so much.
The art isn't bad at all. This is for the people who love the late 90's early 2000's art style. If you like the more current art style then you might not enjoy this type of style. I have a friend who refuses to watch the earlier anime because of the art which I think sucks since they're missing out on so much amazing anime. So if you aren't into the artwork then I guess you shouldn't try this manga. Though I think the plot is great. I love gender-bender manga. Plus, we have the new twist of a guy pretending to be a female model! I mean how great is that? I am so pumped up to read the next volume that you have no idea.
Overall, I really enjoyed this volume. It was so great and a refreshing change from cliches. There were some things that were predictable but I enjoyed everything else that it didn't matter. It had some interesting little twists that always kept me interested. This is a high recommend for those that are fans of gender-benders or at least Hana-Kimi. Again, it's not as funny. This manga is slightly more serious but the plot is great along with the characters. I think this manga is totally worth the read.
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