manga: Kimi ni Todoke
Title: Kimi ni Todoke
Author: Shiina Karuho
No. of Vols: 4 of 11+
Publisher: Viz
High school student Kuronuma Sawako happens to have the unfortunate circumstance of looking so much like Sadako from the Ring horror movies that people are afraid of her and go out of their way to avoid her. Because of this, and her introverted and extremely odd personality, she has a lot of trouble making friends and has essentially been alone her whole life. But, when an incredibly popular boy named Kazehaya Shota is nice to her, her whole life starts to change. Why does Kazehaya seem so interested in her? Does he have a crush on her? Will Sawako ever be able to make good friends?
This is a manga with an extremely good ensemble cast of characters, and a great sense of humor. Sawako is likable as a main character, she has a good dynamic going on with her main "future" love interest, Kazehaya, without it being frustrating even though it is nowhere near settled. I don't think I will mind watching this inevitable relationship being drug out over multiple volumes before it's finally acknowledged, because the two have such a good rapport. They are interesting to read about simply as friends. And we all hope they'll figure it out someday, but I'm in no hurry to see it finalized.
The friends that Sawako makes in the first volume, Yano and Yoshida, seem like throwaway characters at first, but in later volumes they blossom into extremely interesting characters of their own. I like seeing the adventures they go on as well as Sawako and Kazehaya's. Kazehaya's friend, Ryu, adds an interesting angle to the story as well. I am very interested in seeing what is going to happen with Ryu in future volumes. Also, I have to add a comment here about the weird and vaguely creepy baseball coach, Pin: his character, who is supposed to be really annoying, is used extremely effectively (and amusingly) through out these first four volumes.
Another one of the things I like about this manga is that while Sawako is very humble and demure and unassuming, she also does not back down from a challenge and she doesn't let people manipulate her into compromising her feelings. I have a lot of respect for a character who doesn't capitulate to bullying, even if the bullying is so subtle that even Sawako doesn't recognize it for what it is.
Yano and Yoshida as well are a great support team for Sawako. It is nice seeing that a shoujo heroine of essentially a teen romance series can in fact have good, trustworthy, caring friends. In addition to supporting Sawako, they provide an amusing peanut gallery commentary in the background for the things going on between Sawako and Kazehaya. Other people have been introduced as new potential friends for Sawako named Hirano and Endo (both girls), and I am looking forward to seeing what the author plans on doing with them in future volumes as well.
I also can't help but comment on the similarities between this manga and The Wallflower/Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge. Both have heroines with strange personalities who look like and act Sadako from Ring. Both make use of a goofy and vaguely ugly chibi-form for the normal depiction of the main character, but on very rare occasions she gives a true smile and transforms (briefly) into an extremely beautiful lady. These transformations happen very infrequently and occur for but a brief instant. That is mostly where the similarities lie, and otherwise the plots and setups are completely different, and as well, Sawako in particular does not revel in being strange and gothy, where as Sunako (from The Wallflower) does.
This is a series that is definitely worth a try if you like shoujo, or romance, or high school comedy, or even just teen drama. The characters make it all worth it. I also hear there is a tv series for it, although I don't know if it's currently licensed in Region 1 or not.