Candy Candy Review
Ah, I don't think I can sleep if I don't get this out of my system.
Anyway, Candy Candy is the first shoujo manga I read. It's also the third manga I read after Doraemon and Dragon Ball. It remains as my favorite shoujo manga, and it probably will remain like that for the rest of my life. I read lots shoujo, and I think nothing came close to this masterpiece.
While the power of nostalgia is one of the huge factors of why I like Candy Candy, the more I read it, the more I can see its strength. It's just an incredibly well written manga.
What makes Candy Candy different from contemporary shoujo is that it doesn't focus on just the heroine's love life. Candy Candy features the story of Candy's journey in life, starting from kids to adolescent to transition to adulthood.
Unique to Candy Candy is that there are 3 men that came into her life. Unlike other manga, each of them appears in different stages of her life. (Yes, there's no annoying love triangle.) Among these 3, Terry and Albert are featured heavily throughout the manga. Both symbolized a completely different kind of romance...which I'm going to bring to my next point---
Terry symbolized an adolescent romance. It's very romantic. It has a lot more sexual tension that any other pairings in the series. Terry is the only character that kissed Candy on the lips, and the only character that makes Candy feels shy in front of a man.
The lost of Terry in the series sparks majority of rage amongst fans. I have to admit I cried when reading that part. It was extremely sad. I'm sure many have a hard time accepting that Terry will not end up with Candy despite how much they love each other.
Compared to that, Albert represents platonic love. Albert has always been there whenever Candy is in despair. He is almost equivalent to Candy's pillar support, the closest to what Candy calls a family. Before knowing Albert's true identity, Candy even considered him like a brother.
Obviously, CandyxTerry is much more well received than CandyxAlbert. Even if the ending hints the latter rather than the former. While I find this interesting, it's also quite maddening.
I consider Albert's affection to Candy as pure love---the most genuine form of love out there. It's true that both Terry and Albert love Candy, but Albert has never tie Candy to himself, and always think for her best interest as opposed to his own.
Some says that love is selfish. It's true that the lack of Albert making a move to Candy made it feels unromantic. However, I think many confused the word "love" and "romantic" together. You can still be romantic and not loving, and be loving but not romantic.
I find it rather silly to consider the amount of romantic moments constitute of what make a couple endearing.
In any case, I consider the ending a perfect end to the series. It's very open-ended, and leaves many to imagination. However, I think it's best to leave it like that. I like Candy and Albert "platonic" relationship, and if they do go further than that, it's best to leave it to fanfiction.
Overall rating: A
Anyway, Candy Candy is the first shoujo manga I read. It's also the third manga I read after Doraemon and Dragon Ball. It remains as my favorite shoujo manga, and it probably will remain like that for the rest of my life. I read lots shoujo, and I think nothing came close to this masterpiece.
While the power of nostalgia is one of the huge factors of why I like Candy Candy, the more I read it, the more I can see its strength. It's just an incredibly well written manga.
What makes Candy Candy different from contemporary shoujo is that it doesn't focus on just the heroine's love life. Candy Candy features the story of Candy's journey in life, starting from kids to adolescent to transition to adulthood.
Unique to Candy Candy is that there are 3 men that came into her life. Unlike other manga, each of them appears in different stages of her life. (Yes, there's no annoying love triangle.) Among these 3, Terry and Albert are featured heavily throughout the manga. Both symbolized a completely different kind of romance...which I'm going to bring to my next point---
Terry symbolized an adolescent romance. It's very romantic. It has a lot more sexual tension that any other pairings in the series. Terry is the only character that kissed Candy on the lips, and the only character that makes Candy feels shy in front of a man.
The lost of Terry in the series sparks majority of rage amongst fans. I have to admit I cried when reading that part. It was extremely sad. I'm sure many have a hard time accepting that Terry will not end up with Candy despite how much they love each other.
Compared to that, Albert represents platonic love. Albert has always been there whenever Candy is in despair. He is almost equivalent to Candy's pillar support, the closest to what Candy calls a family. Before knowing Albert's true identity, Candy even considered him like a brother.
Obviously, CandyxTerry is much more well received than CandyxAlbert. Even if the ending hints the latter rather than the former. While I find this interesting, it's also quite maddening.
I consider Albert's affection to Candy as pure love---the most genuine form of love out there. It's true that both Terry and Albert love Candy, but Albert has never tie Candy to himself, and always think for her best interest as opposed to his own.
Some says that love is selfish. It's true that the lack of Albert making a move to Candy made it feels unromantic. However, I think many confused the word "love" and "romantic" together. You can still be romantic and not loving, and be loving but not romantic.
I find it rather silly to consider the amount of romantic moments constitute of what make a couple endearing.
In any case, I consider the ending a perfect end to the series. It's very open-ended, and leaves many to imagination. However, I think it's best to leave it like that. I like Candy and Albert "platonic" relationship, and if they do go further than that, it's best to leave it to fanfiction.
Overall rating: A