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HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT VOL. 3 (ADVANCE REVIEW) |
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Reviews
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | KAZUNE KAWAHARA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 192 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 05/06/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/02/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | RACHEL BENTHAM |
Haruna is a tomboy who put all her energy into sports. When she goes into high school she decides it’s time for makeover and a boyfriend. But she doesn’t know how! So she does what any zany girl in a shojo might do – she hires herself a “love coach” in the form of cool and handsome guy Yoh. His only stipulation is that she doesn’t fall for him, but it’s already volume 3 and things are changing pretty quick and at least one of these two kids are about to break their cardinal rule! Her first attempt at love has ended in crushing rejection. Needing to bounce back, she turns to Yoh who is always there with a strong shoulder and encouraging words of support. She realizes she likes him. Knowing it’s against the rules she waffles between confessing or keeping quiet lest she lose the relationship that has come to mean so much to her. She’d rather be near him as a friend then lose him forever because she likes him as more than that. But it makes her act all weird and kooky around him and he’s not a fool, he picks up on it and asks her what’s the deal. He corners her and she blurts something out. Just what is a girl in love with the one guy she can’t be with supposed to do?! The answer seems to be to date him. Because that’s what happens next. And disaster is soon to follow. With each of them lacking experience and being kind of introverted unique sorts, the date doesn’t go at all like how Haruna thought it should. At least not the way all the magazines, books and comics told her an ideal date should be. She tries to make it up to Yoh and again things take a turn towards minor disaster. It’s offline for a “regular ideal date” but maybe it’s the right tune for these two odd birds to groove by. They have to figure out their own beat together if they want to keep moving forward as a couple. It’s just the state of a different kind of relationship. Where it will go from here is anyone’s guess but you’ll find yourself cheering them on for sure. It’s a neat teen romance that goes to a different beat. It has shades of My Fair Lady/Pygmalion to it with the whole school makeover thing, but not too much, just shades of it. It’s a fun, sweet shojo style to the art all throughout and Yoh looks particularly cool and handsome all the time.
IN SUMMARY:
It’s a sweet teen romance heavy on the sugar. |
