This week's manga
Muchu sa, Kimi ni (There is no other)
By Yama Wayama (KADOKAWA)
A debut collection by a relatively unknown mangaka has received over 130 reviews on Amazon, with over 90 percent of reviewers awarding it the highest five-star recommendation.
In an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, actress Kaho was also full of praise for "Muchu sa, Kimi ni" (There is no other), and many others seem to be hooked on this collection of short manga stories by Yama Wayama.
With such enthusiasm surrounding a release, it would be rather difficult to say it was anything but entertaining. But if your expectations are too high, you may come away disappointed.
I timidly venture to say it was mildly entertaining. It certainly exhibits a pleasantly unique sense of humor, but I think I would've more likely given it between three and four stars.
"Kawaii Hito" (Someone cute), the first short story in the book, is set at a boys' high school, at which Ema is playing a game of scavenger hunt during sports day.
The target Ema draws from the pile, however, is unexpected: someone cute. Ema notices his classmate Hayashi, grabs his hand and runs with him to the finishing line of a nearby track. "Am I cute?" Hayashi keeps asking Ema, who thinks Hayashi is just weird. At an unexpected moment, however, Ema actually finds that Hayashi can be "cute."
"Ushiro no Nikaido" (Nikaido behind me) tells the story of Nikaido, a persistently gloomy pupil. According to school rumors, anyone who befriends him will be cursed. Medaka, whose seat is in front of Nikaido, is scared stiff. Apparently, Nikaido was a cheerful kid in junior high school, who was so popular with girls it was as if he were a pop star. So, what was responsible for Nikaido's transformation? Medaka endeavors to solve the mystery and discover Nikaido's true face.
Surrealistic school-life comedy best describes this collection of manga stories, but "cuteness" is a recurring theme. Many of the stories have scenes in which a boy expresses feelings for another boy.
I had butterflies in my stomach while reading some of the stories. The emotions depicted are not those of romantic love, but something much more subtle and delicate.
I think this collection probably belongs to the "boy's love (BL)" genre, or manga with homosexual overtones mainly read by women, even though it may not appear to be the case. For those interested in such stories, this collection must be a treasure, without a doubt.
For someone like me, however, who isn't particularly interested in the genre, the stories were only moderately entertaining.
In my opinion, the cutest character in the book is the rather plain, bookish girl in the second story, "Tomodachi ni Natte Kuremasenka" ("Won't you become my friend?") who has conversations with Hayashi that seem to be misinterpreted.
Those interested in exploring themes of "cuteness" may like this collection. It may also change your understanding of "cuteness" in contemporary manga.
Ishida is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior writer whose areas of expertise include manga and anime.
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