This review was originally posted on One Curvy Blogger

3.5 stars ~
Hana-Kimi, Vol. 1 is a book that has sat on my bookshelf untouched for longer than I care to admit. I find that I have to be in the right frame of mind to began a new manga series, mostly because I like my shojo romances totally opposite than my usual reads—cheesy, unrealistic with lots of fluff. It’s a guilty pleasure that I discovered in middle school, and I just can’t help snatching up a cute looking manga when it comes my way. Hana-Kimi, Vol. 1 did not disappoint in the cheese department and so I unsurprisingly became enamored with the story fairly quickly.

♥♥♥♥

Mizuki Ashiya moves from the U.S. to Japan to follow her dream of going to the same school with her high jumper idol, Izumi Sano. There’s just one small hitch in her plan: Sano goes to Osaka High Private School – an all boys school! Mizuki won’t let that detail stop her befriending her obsession idol; she cuts off all her hair and disguises herself as a boy! When she finally arrives, she learns that not only will she be going to school with her stalkee idol, she’ll be rooming with him too!

Okay, so it’s more than a little creepy for a girl to go to such drastic lengths to meet her “celebrity” crush, and typically, this sort of obsessive behavior would totally turn me off. But for some reason, it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this book at all. She’s just so upfront about her reason for going to so much trouble and freely admits that she came all this way to meet him, it’s hard not to enjoy that kind of straightforward honestly. Plus, it’s super hard not to fall in love with all the characters. Here’s why:
~ Mizuki Ashiya is super naive and not all that smart when it comes to boys or their feelings in regards to her. She sees the best in people she’s ridiculously slow to figure things out. This causes her to walk into some weird, wacky, but ultimately entertaining situations. But what she doesn’t have in worldly knowledge (or common sense for that matter), she makes up in enthusiasm, loyalty to her friends, and eagerness to lend a helping hand—even when they really don’t want it. And she’s so humble it’s almost a weakness.
~ At first, Izumi Sano seems like a cold, standoffish dude, but the more I learned about him, the more I realized that he’s a kind and caring friend. He appears aloof, but he’s actually just private and closed in about his feelings. He’ll go to any lengths to keep his friends out of trouble, but he’s just quiet about it. He also falls asleep in weird and unusual positions and reminds me a bit of Kiri Koshiba in Beauty Pop.
It took me a bit more time to truly fall for his character, but fall in love I did.
~ Shuichi Nakatsu is a character that I knew I would enjoy from his very first appearance in Hana-Kimi. He’s goofy, loud, enthusiastic, and positive. He’s a person who has a hard time hiding his feelings so he comes off as a guy with a flair for the dramatic. He makes for an entertaining read, because when you add in his infatuation for Mizuki and his inability to see personal boundaries around people he cares about, well… he’s a funny guy to have around. You guys know I love a goofball, so Nakatsu swiftly became a favorite of mine.
~ Minami Namba is the resident advisor (RA) for Dorm 2, the dorm building that Mizuki and her friends reside in. He’s nephew to Dr. Umeda and shares the pervy gene is known as a womanizer. He takes to Mizuki quickly, which causes some tension later on.
~ Yujiro is dorm 2’s canine companion whom quickly takes to Mizuki (he likes girls). Even though he’s considered Dorm 2’s “mascot” he’s mostly tended by Sano and Mizuki.

The quirky and fun characters of Hana-Kimi are what makes this series so much fun. I had a great time meeting them in this book, and as the series moves on, they grow more important to the plot.

Though I loved Hana-Kimi, it isn’t without flaws. There’s all those major plot holes that makes the book unrealistic (not including the entire plot). How the hell does Mizuki even get accepted into an all boy’s school with her parents in the dark about it being boys-only and without the school knowing? I don’t know how it works in Japan, but there are so many health forms, birth certificates, immunization records, etc. that go into enrolling for school these days, I’m not sure how she could possibly get past those.

This book was cheesy, unrealistic, and pretty pretty stereotypical when it comes to shojo romances, but I still wound up loving it. I can’t help myself—these kinds of manga are my guilty pleasure. I enjoyed Hana-Kimi, Vol. 1 so much that the very next day I went to the used bookstore and bought every book they had in the series. I recommend this book to those shojo romance fans that don’t mind fluff as long as they come with a healthy helping of awwwwhs and adorable characters!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

- 2016 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2016 New to You Reading Challenge
- 2016 Reading Bingo Challenge

All volumes

Hi invisible readers,

 

I apologize for failing to post #FridayReads last week. I just missed the date and I didn't have any particular reasons.

 

Personally, this week has been a little tough as I sought to restart my job hunting efforts. Let's just say that unemployment can take a toll on one's wellbeing.

 

However, this is why I enjoy this book blog. Even when I leave really negative reviews, the whole process of reading is highly external and escapist. By reading I am immersed in a reality that is not full of job ads and uncomfortable networking requests. Instead, I am transported to India (Life of Pi) to the musings of an optimist (The Silver Linings Playbook), to a young high schooler crushing on her favourite athelete (Hana-Kimi) and even, to the solemn reflections of a butler (The Remains of the Day). I appreciate that graduating has given me the opportunity to rediscover the pleasure of reading.

 

And in spite of the feelings provoked by the immersion in these new, fictional worlds, the whole process remains external. There is no such thing as failure when being a reader. Reading slumps, difficult passages, sudden neglect of books are not a reflection of the self; unlike, say bad grades at school or the anxiety of not getting call-backs. Whatever I read or say does not reflect who I am or my place in this all-to-injust society. Of course, someone may state that one's failures are not a reflection of who one is as a person but I think that the 'to-do-is-to-be" mindset is already too ingrained in cultures.

 

Onto reading itself. I am so grieved that I have misplaced my copy of the Great Gatsby.  :( Until, I find it I will focusing on reading other books such as What Do Women Want? Adventures in the Science of Female Desire, by Daniel Bergner. I have also finally finished my super secret series-- Hana-Kimi. Feel free to check out the review here.

 

In the meanwhile, you can expect the following upcoming reviews:

• Arise Magazine and New African Woman
• The Silver Linings Playbook (the movie)

 

I will probably also be writing an article about "good writing," and "writing bad reviews." I know that this Friday Reads was slightly different because I began with a reflection on why I enjoy reading for pleasure. 

 

That's it from me. xox, S.

Hello, my invisible readers!

 

I am finally unveiling my super-secret series, which was Hana-Kimi! Yaaaaaaay~ urgh! There was no particular reason for keeping it a secret, other than that secrets always beget mystery and mystery generates interests. Or not. You decide. This review may contain a few spoilers, such as pairings (also known as ships. Funny concept right?) or some plot lines. I do not want to follow the foot steps of Pat Peoples and just spoil away, hence the spoiler alert.

 

I found out about this series by browsing the shelves of Chapters and then, I , somehow acquired it.

 

Anyways, onto the review.

 

Summary:

Originally named, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e [English: For You in Full Blossom], Hana Kimi's premise goes as follows. Mizuki Ashiya is a young Japanese girl living in the States, who moves back to Japan in order to meet her idol-- high jumper, Izumi Sano. The only problem is that Sano attends an all-boys school-- a detail which Ashiya fails to mention to her parents, who allow her to transfer back. As such, she starts a new life by cutting her hair and posing as a young boy; hilarity ensues as readers follow her misadventures in boarding school.

 

What I liked:

It is a cute serie and the gender-bender premise is quite interesting. I found it entertaining and quite hilarious at times. I guess that I mostly enjoyed witnessing the first signs of love and the beginning of a relationship.

 

What I didn't like:

That said, I mostly did not like the series. And it isn't because I don't like shojo (I prefer josei, but I have read plenty of shojo in my time) or that I don't like manga (which is a laughable concept). So let's run through my problems.

 

Plot: The premise--as outlined in the summary-- is interesting and I guess, something I hadn't heard of yet. However, it was not strong enough to warrant 23 volumes, or over 140 chapters. Yes. A HUNDRED AND FORTY chapters. The story is told through mini-vignettes about different compromising situations that Ashiya finds herself in, which rarely advance the plot, develop characterization or, I don't know, are entertaining. It is as if to say, "oh look, at this cute situation that Ashiya and Sano found themselves in" or "Oh no, will Ashiya's identity be revealed." However, Sano finds out about Ashiya's true sex within the first volume and both start developing reciprocal romantic feelings within the first volumes. Therefore, why would we ever need, such a long series if there is nothing really happening? The only time, that the plot actually advances during the climax and denouement which coincides with the end of the series. In sum, the storyline drags on and drags on and drags on. 

 

The Characters: Can we talk two seconds about the characters? Of course, some mangakas create round and dynamic characters, or even static and dynamic characters-- such as, Kimi wa Pet or Nana. Yet, there are some mangakas who create relatively flat and static characters. Ashiya, Shuichi Nakatsu, Sano are all flat, static and somewhat stock characters. Ashiya is the cutesy, ditzy protagonist who remains loveable in the eyes of the public and other characters of the book-- a stock character common in mangas. Other examples include: Sakura from Card Captor Sakura, Tohru from Fruits Basket, Ryoko from B.O.D.Y. Meanwhile, Sano is a Prince Charming, the ultimate protector of the ditzy, cute protagonist--as seenwith Ryu from B. O. D. Y or Yuki Sohma of Fruits Basket. So, far, this is not a problem.

 

What is problematic are the power relations in the couple. For example, there is one chapter where Ashiya, to put it bluntly, gets sexually assaulted and if, Sano had not magically saved her, she would have been raped. Yet, the next chapter, they act like that was no problem and in fact, Nakajo focuses instead on the 'kiss' that Sano gives to Ashiya afterwards. Because, Ashiya is so unaware of the danger she puts herself in, she always needs Sano to protect her; without his protection, she runs the risk of not only getting physically hurt but also, having her secret revealed. Therefore, Sano and Ashiya's relationship becomes simultaneously one of idol- fan and protector- protectee. Sano embodies perfection while Ashiya remains flawed and this trend permeates throughout the series. On top of which, Ashiya doesn't seem to have any ambitions further than being with her idol (yeah, she wanted to be a dog trainer but really? really?).  That relationship is  waaaaaaaaay too imbalanced and always in Sano's favour.

 

The Fake Love Triangle: The final thing that really frustrated me is the 'fake' love triangle between Nakatsu, Ashiya and Sano. Mind you, the following will contain spoilers. Take a few seconds to observe the covers of volumes in the series; notice, how there are also three people, Nakatsu, Ashiya and Sano. You would, perhaps believe that there is a love triangle between the three. But no. There never was one. While Nakatsu was in love with Ashiya, her and Sano were already pretty much on the same wavelength in terms of feelings, it was only a question of them discussing it openly. In other words, Sano and Ashiya were a 'couple' from the get-go and Nakatsu was intensely third wheeling. In fact, it is quite revealing that when Nakatsu declared his love for Ashiya, she never gave him a response-- despite the fact, that Nakatsu risked outing himself as gay in order to build a relationship with her.
Compared to other mangas, such as, Peach Girl where there is an actual love triangle, this 'triangle' is quite disappointing.

 

Rating:

I am giving this series a rating of 1.5 stars because according to my "On Rating Books" scale, I felt that I didn't like the series and it was incredibly underwhelming. In my opinion, the series was long and shallow; it actually took considerable effort for me to finish it.

 

I would recommend this book to... 
no one. I don't really feel comfortable recommending this series. Maybe, if you are looking to quickly read a few chapters for entertainment, you will enjoy it. There were several positive reviews on Goodreads and the nets. Nonetheless, I would recommend readingthe following series instead:

• Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda.
• Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya

 

For something lighter:

• Marmelade Boy by  Wataru Yoshizumi
  
• Mint Na Bokura by Wataru Yoshizumi (it is a short, entertaining gender bender).

 

That's it from me. Sorry for my inability to stop from accidentally publishing unfinished reviews (oops?) xox, S.

Over the weekend I wanted to watch a good dorama, and on an impulse, I downloaded "Hana Kimi". And I loved it! It is so funny, and it has so many familiar faces. Seeing that the series is so good (I am barely in episode 2), I decided that it was time to start reading the manga.

There are some things similar, and other completely different. So far my favorite character is Nakatsu, who is nervous because he likes Ashiya, who is supposed to be a boy. Ikuta Toma portrays him wonderfully. But again, everyone did a wonderful job.

I think that I may not have like it very much if I did not watch the dorama beforehand. Sano is the typical cold guy who changes because of the MC. The MC is the typical nice, cute, enthusiastic girl who does what she does because of love (yeah, whatever). And although there are some Japanese boys who resemble a girl, it is highly unlikely that no one would notice she is a girl (are the legal documents not necessary in this school?). But it is a very entertaining manga nevertheless.