Manwha Review: Orange Marmalade

SUMMARY

Baek Ma Ri has a secret she has worked her whole life to keep; she's a vampire. A peace treaty between vampires and humans has been in place for 300 years, but the fear of vampires is so deeply rooted in society they do everything they can to keep their identities a secret. Ma Ri herself has been deeply traumatized by the discrimination she has faced ever since she was a child. Now, she has finally settled into a new school and is determined to graduate without incident by self-isolating herself from her classmates. But as always, things don't quite go as planned, especially when she surprisingly piques the interest of the popular and distant Jung Jae Min.

TL;DR

This is actually a Korean webtoon by Seok Woo which means that it is structured differently to a manga and it is also in colour, which made a nice change! I made the mistake of thinking that each page was the size of a manga page and got thoroughly confused by the story which seemed to jump all over the place before realizing that each page is actually a lot longer, so keep scrolling!

I was very impressed by this manwha/webtoon (I think I'll call it a webtoon for here on out). The pace was fantastic, it didn't feel like some parts dragged on forever while some were skipped over. The characters themselves were brilliantly varied and flawed. Rather than simple straightforward flaws like jealousy and laziness, the flaws were much more complex and realistic, especially seen in Ma Ri's friend Soo Ri.

Additionally, this story isn't only about turbulent romance and friendships. There are much bigger things at stake. The balance in this story between romance, friendship, discrimination and bullying, and societal values is truly excellent. None are neglected to favour a particular storyline and this is what makes the webtoon stand out from other mangas and manwhas I've been reading lately. It's rare to not only sympathise with a character but also empathise with them too. I came away from reading this thinking "wow, I want to talk about this with someone". And I may need to reread it sometime soon to go over the finer details I may have missed the first time around. Anyone else do that?

And now, Jeeves, take the reader to the spoilers!

FULL SUMMARY

Ma Ri herself is a great protagonist, but if I was being picky, I'd say she is a little too nice. Obviously she tries to keep people at a distance for protection, but even then she has a "sacrificial lamb" "I'll do anything to save you in the end" thing going on which is less realistic and so commonly done in mangas. However, her non-discriminatory idealism, interesting reactions to situations, and true teenage girl in love behaviour goes a long with me. And once Jae Min stops the weirdness we see in the first few chapters (the circumstances continuously constructed to get Jae Min interested in Ma Ri are a bit of a stretch) and gets on with trying to win her over, he really wins me over too, especially as he becomes more and more complex as a love interest as the webtoon progresses. Their romance is also incredibly endearing and sweet, which, as a romance lover, is one of my main priorities for a good manga.

Pace is also a huge deal for me because a lot of shoujo manga has characters falling in love or making huge changes overnight, which is fine if you want a quick romance fix, but is not so great for really enjoying a storyline. I also loved how there was a balance of different storylines for Ma Ri. The usual tactic of artists is usually to focus on other characters briefly for additional storylines, but Ma Ri is the sole focus and has enough depth as a character that she can produce multiple storylines herself. There's her relationship with Jae Min, the developing friendships she has with her friends, mismatched values with Han Si Hoo, dealing with prejudice from acquaintances and society, responses to vampire/human events that happen outside her immediate world, her relationship with her constantly moving family, SO MANY PLOTLINES that all work together so that you aren't overwhelmed and add to Ma Ri's character.

I briefly mentioned character flaws above, and what immediately comes to mind is Woo Mi's reaction to seeing Si Hoo drink Chae Rin's blood. Although she knows that Ma Ri is a great person, it becomes hard to wipe that image from her mind and it starts to affect her relationship, more so when an apparent "attack" on a human becomes news and Ma Ri eventually is exposed. Rather than the usual "you're my friend no matter what" selfless trope, she begins to sink into a very human and realistic reaction: fear. I know I'd be terrified if I'd been in her place, considering I'm so incredibly squeamish. She can't help but let it affect her.

I loved how slowly they revealed Jae Min's hatred of vampires. It didn't even occur to me until they were dating that we didn't actually have any clue how he felt about them, and I thought it could go either way. Their relationship after her reveal seemed true to that of a teenager. Do I try and persuade them? Should I be mean because I'm hurt? Do I give them the cold shoulder? I'm pretty sure both of them did all three at one time or another.

I also think that self-realization is incredibly hard and is usually taken for granted in mangas. You know, when it suddenly occurs to the character that what they did or thought was wrong? Usually it's out of the blue and they just realize it for themselves, but it takes a big person to do that and not all of us have that ability. For Jae Min, it's seeing his behaviour towards Ma Ri being done by other people right in front of his eyes. Just like Woo Mi, even though he knew Ma Ri wouldn't hurt a fly, it didn't manage to negate years worth of hatred towards vampires. Finally, when he sees her being viciously bullied and attacked when she did nothing to provoke it and does not reciprocate their attacks, he is able to sort his feelings out.

Although the part where he drinks the sachet of blood in front of his classmates is a bit weird. Something of a throwback to his weirdness in the beginning chapters, me thinks.

I didn't really have a problem with Soo Ri doing a 180 on how she feels about Ma Ri and vampires, and the fact that she never doubts her like Jae Min and Woo Mi do, because of Ma Ri's extreme act to save her. She saved her life, and yes she had vampire healing powers, but with all the blood I don't think it meant that she didn't feel the pain of being crushed under heavy pylons, or the pain of being healed again, and we know vampires can die and aren't immortal so there was a possibility she actually could have died. I think Soo Ri knew all this, and it clicked for her that Ma Ri's distant behaviour before the event was because she was deeply hurt by their prejudiced comments about vampires, and in spite of this saved her anyway.

Man I loved Orange Marmalade. They really need to make an anime from this. It's practically drawn and coloured in already!

Anyway, definitely one of my top recommendations!

Manga Review: Strobe Edge

 
I'm about to introduce you to the best romance manga you have ever read. Brace yourself.

*ALREADY FANGIRLING* Okay, calm down. Let's begin.

Strobe Edge is written and illustrated by the talented Sakisaka Io. It began serialization in 2007 and ended in 2010 with a total of 10 volumes. I've just found out there is a live action film adaptation which will be coming out in March 2015 and I am trying to control another fangirl reaction. The manga has been completely scanslated so you can read it in its entirety.

SUMMARY

Kinoshita Ninako is a sweet, kind and caring schoolgirl who is small and looks young but has a strong, honest personality. A chance encounter with a boy on a train has her starting to fall in love for the first time. However, not only is Ichinose Ren the most popular boy at school, he also already has a long-term girlfriend. After he rejects her kindly, she decides she still wants to be his friend and starts to bring out a more relaxed, happy side to Ren than his usual quiet and withdrawn demeanor.

However, Ren's unusual attitude towards Ninako sparks an interest in his friend Andou Takumi, who surprisingly finds himself falling in love with this kind-hearted special young woman. And Takumi, who has so often let Ren be the one to shine, decides he no longer wants to live in Ren's shadow.

TL;DR

This story centers primarily around love, and the love triangle between Ninako, Ren and Andou. There are side stories, but these also concern love, so if romance isn't your thing then this manga may not be for you, however good the story and however well it is drawn.

But if romance is for you, then you will struggle to find a manga to top this one. From the characters to the drawing to the plot, this manga has everything you could ask for. Realism, escapism, heart-warming characters, relationships, and scenes, it's got it all. Ninako is an extremely likable protagonist who cares greatly for the people around her. She is incredibly sweet and occasionally I felt like I just wanted to reach into the manga to pinch her cheeks.

Ren and Andou are also brilliant as love interests, and it's Ren that ultimately captures my heart. I say ultimately, but from the moment I was introduced to him I wondered where I could get one. The fact that these characters don't just materialize into the story, but have important back stories that influence how they currently live their lives is extremely compelling and it brings them to life.

The plot progresses really nicely so that it feels neither too rushed or too slow. As characters shift and change, you really believe them and the mangaka guides us through their emotions so nicely. Although the ending is rather predictable, as is the case with most shoujo manga, I really enjoyed the journey. I can't count how many times I've read this manga, so I give it 2 thumbs, 8 fingers, and 10 toes up.

And now for spoilers...

FULL REVIEW

This is by far the best manga I have read so far, because everything works together so brilliantly. The drawing is great, the plot is fantastic, the progress is believable and no one suddenly goes off the deep and acts out of character. The characters are believable and relatable, the love interests have interesting stories of their own, there is a side story so that you can see that there are other things in this world that matter and happen, not just to the protagonists. The length is great, and it doesn't end abruptly after the characters get together like so many mangas where you see all of the struggle and none of the reciprocal romance. There's just so much good in this manga! I'll try and think of some bad but there's hardly any to me.

I definitely added the speech bubble above... just so you know ^_^

Ninako is a fantastic character because she doesn't do stupid things, and oh what a relief it is. She doesn't follow the usual tropes that other protagonists fall into like dating a guy just because the one she likes is unavailable. "Date me and I'll make you forget all about him." How about no?

You can see that her desire to be Ren's friend is genuine. She doesn't want to weasel her way in to his life and his good books; by falling in love she has come to care about him. And you can see by how she treats her other friends that she is a really good person. Her friends don't feel like convenient characters to show she isn't an outcast, she is just as considerate of them as she is with Ren. She's also considerate on Andou as well, even though she finds that more difficult because he is actively pursuing her. But isn't that a natural reaction when someone you like and treat as a friend declares they're in love with you and won't give up!

Of course this manga does deal with many familiar romance conventions: the love triangle, the popular idol of the school as the love interest, awkward working situations etc etc, and they don't occur in completely new and unusual ways that I've never seen before, but when I read them I feel that they are in a way treated differently as I get a different feel for them.

For example, love interests are sometimes dating other people at the start of a manga but Ren and Mayuka's relationship is different. It's long term, which is slightly unusual, and is based not only on attraction but emotional need. Ren has always felt isolated, and Mayuka opened herself up to him, spent time with him, actually wanted him to be around. Mayuka was dealing with her parents' separation which had rocked her world and she not only needed a sounding board but also something that promised to be constant, and Ren did just that. And so they fell in love. And we are led to believe that they genuinely loved each other and they even say so, which definitely gives them some depth.

Mayuka's relationship with Ren is also fantastic as a comparison to Ninako's. While Ninako's is platonic despite her feelings, we can see how Ninako changes Ren more than Mayuka was able to. While Mayuka provided companionship and the feeling of being wanted, she began to put her work first despite the fact her relationship was important to her.  Ninako on the other hand brings Ren completely out the darkness of isolation, which had been started by Andou years earlier. She enables him to open up to others around him and his classmates begin to see him as more friendly than they realized. And she also represents his equal in terms of a partner. Whatever Ren puts into the relationship she can match with emotions, feelings, attention etc, unlike Mayuka.

SQUEEEEEE! This is one of my favourite drawings of Ren. Isn't he beautiful? I was a goner almost at the beginning, and my friend Sakiko and I would sigh endlessly over him. He's beautiful. Okay. I shall try to limit my discussion of his looks to just this.

Which isn't hard because there is so much more I can say about him. I need to go back and reread exactly why he felt isolated from such a young age, perhaps it was from his parents ignoring him? Anyway, at school, long before he attended the same one as Ninako, he was an isolated fellow without friends because his classmates would misunderstand him or be jealous of his looks and smarts. Then Andou comes along and we see the drawing where Ren feels like he is going to be buried by darkness and isolation around him, and then Andou figuratively reaches out the hand of friendship. It's not a big deal to Andou who is friends with everyone, but it's huge to Ren.

I really like this aspect to the story, it creates an incredibly interesting relationship between Ren and Andou. Yes, they end up competing for the girl but they have a strange relationship whereby they are close, but not close at all. Some of it is due to the incident with Andou's ex-girlfriend, but it's also because they are polar opposites - the social butterfly Andou and the quiet loner Ren. Even so, Andou feels like he lives in Ren's shadow somewhat, whereas Ren believes he lives in Andous. This could be seen as negative, living in someone's shadow, but they don't let jealousy pervade their relationship (at least till Ninako comes along). In fact it can be seen as a complimentary, because they clearly hold each other in high esteem to believe they cast a shadow. It's great that these boys' relationship is thoroughly explored throughout the manga as well. Without it, it just wouldn't have been as good.

Oh Andou. It's odd but all the way through the manga I was completely in line with Ninako's feelings for him. When she was first getting to know him and didn't quite know what to expect with him, I felt that too. When she did her best to protect him and his feelings I felt like I wanted to protect them too. But also the fact that she refused to date him to get over Ren and, as even Andou says near the end, she never came to think of him as anything more than a friend, I felt that too. I also felt heartbroken for Andou when he admitted to himself that Ninako never really "looked" at him (considered him) once, as her feelings were always tied to Ren. It was clearly both something he admired in her, because she was steadfast and unwavering unlike his ex-girlfriend, and hated because it did mean she always looked at Ren instead of him.

The bit where the ex-girlfriend comes down the stairs and promises she's going to chase after him seriously now instead of supporting his new love is a bit convenient. Luckily it's not like she literally appeared out of nowhere at that moment, she had been a part of the plot before, but yeah... convenient so that Andou doesn't become a loose end. In fact I wouldn't have minded if the ex-girlfriend had been left out altogether and that incident between her, Andou and Ren was introduced to us in some other way. Either that or she needed to have been more of a threat to Ren and Ninako than she was. There was a lot of promise for her to be a real threat, but it kind of seemed to tail off.

There we go! Some constructive criticism instead of just I love it I love it I love it!

I have a few favourite moments which I can try and recall. Again, it's been a while. I love the small moment when Ren is listening to music on his headphones and Ninako ends up listening to the other ear bud. I thought it was immensely clever how Ninako's face slowly fades in Ren's mind when Mayuka breaks down in front of him and tells him how much she needs him. I also love when Ren smells the air, realizing it's "half winter half fall," then Ninako does exactly the same out loud behind him.

They are so on the same page. GET MARRIED AND HAVE BABIES ALREADY!

Ahem.

I am now reading Ao Haru Ride, another manga by the same mangaka. The drawing is just as great, the plot, the progress etc etc and I'm so excited about it, although it has not been completely scanslated yet so I am waiting for that. However, as good as it is, it hasn't quite replaced Strobe Edge as my absolutely favourite shoujo manga of all time. It's definitely up there with the best! But I don't think I'll ever find one as good as this.

If you do know of a manga that would compare, please let me know. I'm desperate for some more good ones!

In conclusion, I highly absolutely recommend this manga. I love it to pieces and have read it over many times. I hope you enjoy it as much as me, otherwise I really built this up to be something for nothing ^_^ I hope Sakisaka Io brings out more mangas like this, and that they are scanslated. This was truly a pleasure to read.

Manga Review: Heroine Shikkaku

Heroine Shikkaku, there is so much to say about this manga. So I'm going to split my review into two parts. A short summary, a spoiler-free TL;DR and then a spoiler-laden full review and discussion.


SUMMARY

Matsuzaki Hatori sees life as a story book in this comedic shoujo manga by Koda Momoko. Of course, she sees herself as the heroine of the story; there are the supporting characters, like her best friend Nakajima; and then there's Terasaka Rita, her childhood friend and the hero to her heroine. Hatori is so sure she is Rita's heroine that she doesn't even bother to confess her long-held feelings. Rita is constantly in and out of short relationships, and she is happy to wait until he is ready for a long-term relationship and realizes she has been the one constant thing in his life.

However, something happens, and the future she has been so sure of is suddenly put into jeopardy. Will she end up with Rita? Or will her love remain unrequited?


TL;DR

There is a lot of good and bad in this manga, but more good than bad and so overall I think that it is worth a read. Hatori is one of the most interesting female leads I have seen in a long time. She continuously surprised me with her behaviour and the things she said, which was a really nice change to the simpering or stoic romantic leads I usually see. If you're not offended by a little swearing, then you'll definitely enjoy the refreshing change this manga brings.

The story itself is full of the usual romance cliches of unrequited love, miscommunication, rivals, jealousy and so on, but I definitely feel like this manga sets itself apart from others I've read with similar themes. I've read so many that some have merged together, but not Heroine Shikkaku.

The only negative thing I can talk about without giving away spoilers is the general admission that as the manga progresses, it gets more and more typical of the shoujo romance genre and loses some of its individuality and realism. Also, behaviours and reactions of the characters become a bit wishy washy or extreme, and the ending comes about rather abruptly. I have read some reviews and comments of this manga, and people seem split down the middle with how happy they felt about who Hatori ends up with (because you know with this kind of manga she is going to end up with someone).

Anyway, if you haven't read the manga yet and want to without knowing what happens, STOP HERE! From here on in, spoilers galore.

FULL REVIEW

The best way to give a review of the story and plot is to review the characters, because this story is so character driven.

As I said, I love Hatori for how different she is from the usual female lead of a shoujo manga. She is portrayed as an attractive and confident heroine, but sometimes her confidence will border on serious arrogance. She has a lot of familiar flaws which are presented really uniquely, for example she is drawn into bad-mouthing the unpopular Adachi, her love rival, when other girls take offense to her dating the popular Rita. However, when she looks in the bathroom mirror and sees how ugly her "reflection" is as she insults Adachi, she realizes what a terrible thing she is doing and stops.

She also has her vulnerable moments where I really feel for her, like when she finally confesses to Rita with the tiniest hope that he may return her feelings, even though he has made it clear he has never considered her in a romantic way.

I also love how the mangaka, Koda Momoko, has drawn Hatori. Most of the time she is drawn as a very cute and feminine girl. And then during moments when Hatori is completely taken aback, shocked, or horrified, she is drawn like so:

It is really refreshing to see a shoujo manga where the mangaka has not been afraid to take a pretty character and draw her like, well, the above. And it's also refreshing to see a female lead whose character flaws aren't explained away into acceptability. Her friends don't make excuses for her, and when she tries at one point to be more like the pure kind-hearted Adachi it backfires and she just ends up seeming incredibly strange. This is just how she is. An imperfect heroine.

However, there is also, unfortunately, a few things that I take issue with when it comes to Hatori. She is in love with Rita for five years, and fights for him when he starts to date Adachi. However, when she is forced to give up on Rita and Hiromitsu Kousuke (an arrogant playboy) comes into the picture, she becomes so wishy washy when it comes to her feelings. I understand that she is trying to convince herself that she now likes Hiromitsu and not Rita to get over her feelings for the latter, but the way she insists so quickly that she loves him and no longer cares for her past love completely irks me. Compared to some other mangas I know and admire which deal with the same situation, her feelings for her new boyfriend seemed so superficial I never truly believed she had come to love Hiromitsu even towards the end. Which is a shame because I get the feeling that the mangaka was trying to show that a part of her did love Hiromitsu. Ao Haru Ride has the same kind of situation but it is dealt much more realistically and the heroine's feelings always come across as genuine.

Rita, the male lead, is a great character. It was a nice twist to see a love interest who, when confronted with the heroine's feelings, flatly rejects them because he genuinely doesn't think of her that way. The usual trend is for the male lead to suddenly consider the change in the relationship and ultimately realize that he has loved his childhood friend all along, but Rita doesn't do this. His girlfriend Adachi is an incredibly lovely girl, genuine, honest, and kind, and he can recognize he has a good thing with her.

When romantic feelings for Hatori start to grow, they are new feelings, not feelings from long ago unrealized until later. The mangaka sets up the events for the change in feeling well too. Rita has issues with abandonment and Adachi's willingness to leave on a three month long trip without telling him or considering him until all the plans are made start to stir these issues in their relationship. Additionally, Hatori purposefully doesn't see Rita over a summer break in order to make him miss her presence, and then she shows him her calendar of their time spent apart where everyday is marked with how she has missed Rita. It not only makes him realize she has always been a constant presence in his life, it shows him that she genuinely always wants to be with him and being away from him is a struggle, unlike Adachi who functions very well away from him.

This doesn't exactly make Hatori a great role model for young women by suggesting that her life completely revolves around him and that spending time away from him is absolutely miserable. But I understand the premise that it is supposed to prove to the boy with abandonment issues that there is one girl he can put his trust in to not leave him and who will always keep him in her consideration.

I really like Rita as the male lead. I like how he eventually struggles between fighting for Hatori and supporting her happiness as she dates another guy. I wish we had seen a little more angst as he worked out his feelings for Adachi and Hatori, and I wish he was a little more stern with his childhood friend, especially in her more ridiculous moments, but I think that if there is someone who can handle Hatori, it's him.

Poor old Hiromistu Kousuke. He wasn't quite given the roundness of character that the other characters had. Of them all, he is probably the most typical shoujo character in the manga: confident playboy meets erratic heroine; likes that she is different than the other girls he plays with; pursues her and leaves behind all his other flings; becomes more serious and does his best to be patient as her heart struggles to leave her past love behind; ultimately loses out on the girl and does so graciously.

To be fair to him, his outro in the manga was pretty great. He refuses to side with Hatori who is yet again being mean and unfair towards a girl she is jealous of, which causes him to call off their relationship because she demands unwavering support even when what she is doing and saying is wrong. Good for you boy!

Because there is a lot of good in Hatori, it is understandable when he decides he wants them to start over and they have one last brief shot at the relationship before she realizes she can't do it and really loves Rita after all. I wish he had been a little more upset when it ultimately doesn't work out, but all the way through the mangaka gives us small signs that while he definitely cares about Hatori, he also seems to enjoy the relationship mostly because she amuses him in a life he otherwise finds kind of dull. Therefore his gracious parting with her doesn't seem too far-fetched.

I think there was so much more that could have been done with his character, and I'm left with the feeling that he was maybe only a step above being a simple convenience character for providing another obstacle between Rita and Hatori.

Adachi.... oh Adachi.

Yes, these pictures are both of Adachi. I guess it makes a lot of sense that they look so different because her personality does a complete about-face. Adachi with the short bob is a girl that I liked a lot. As I said she is genuinely nice, kind, and caring of others. She insists that she wouldn't resent Hatori if Rita should begin to like her instead because that would be his choice. I definitely understand this point of view, but I wish that it stemmed from an inner strength instead of a lack of confidence. Other than this, I don't have much to complain about the early Adachi.

But the later Adachi? HOLY CRAP WHAT HAPPENED? So a popular boy breaks up with an unpopular girl and this turns her into a slutty glutton for punishment? What? That's not even the slightest bit realistic. I have the feeling the mangaka wanted to shock the reader with this change, but I feel like it was completely out of place and unnecessary. It did nothing at all to add to or further the plot. I think it's supposed to provide a scenario to make Rita confront his guilt over dumping her, but Adachi hadn't been mentioned for so many chapters I had pretty much forgotten about her, as I'm sure had the other main characters.

This part of the manga was honestly bizarre. I thought that Adachi would eventually grow stronger and happier with herself after the set back of a heartbreak, but instead she became even more pathetic. SADNESS!

Anyway, to conclude. I'm not sure whether it comes across that I have equal love and ire for this manga, but that's really what I feel. I think that Heroine Shikkaku had a lot of potential, and some of it was realized, and some of it wasn't. I still think it's worth reading though, because its good points are really strong. The pace was a little strange, but not wholly unbelievable. The way the manga has been drawn is definitely appealing, and the story started off really strong. I'm interested to check out what else the mangaka has written to see if they were able to capitalize on their strengths.

This could be any girl. Imagine being a heroine of a love story. Hatori also believed that one day she would get married to her childhood friend, Rita. But that's not how the world works! This is a hilarious comedy that honestly paints a painful unrequited love story of this young girl! - See more at: http://www.mangahere.co/manga/heroine_shikkaku/#sthash.LW0lfFmB.dpuf

This could be any girl. Imagine being a heroine of a love story. Hatori also believed that one day she would get married to her childhood friend, Rita. But that's not how the world works! This is a hilarious comedy that honestly paints a painful unrequited love story of this young girl! - See more at: http://www.mangahere.co/manga/heroine_shikkaku/#sthash.LW0lfFmB.dpuf