 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | MIWA UEDA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 180 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 10/14/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 10/07/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | RACHEL BENTHAM |
It’s another ten soap opera hit from the author of Peach Girl! Twin sisters Hana and Ageha couldn’t be more opposite. Ageha is as shy wallflower while Hana is the star of the school! But when a boy enters the picture, everything changes and sibling rivalry never became so much fun! If you love drama like the O.C., then Papillon is for you! It has more melodrama than 90210 and the histrionics are just around the corner so it beats out Degrassi by a long shot. Things get nasty quick when the tables turn in the manga. Ageha is envious of her sister. Ageha is a simple country girl at heart. She was sent to her grandparents to be raised out in the boonies. But we don’t know why. Meanwhile her twin sister was fawned over and adored by her parents. Again, still no reason why these identical twins were separated. It’s weird. But when Ageha’s childhood friend Ryusei maybe shows an interest in her, her heart goes pitty pat and she takes advice from a mysterious and very good looking guy to try to go for it. Her sister is quick to find out and pretty soon she’s stolen Ryusei right out from under Ageha’s nose! With a sister like that… It only gets worse in some ways for Ageha. She’s ready to fling herself off the nearest rooftop when she’s stopped again by the mysterious dark haired hottie. He pulls her back form the brink (almost literally) and becomes her personal cheerleader. He roots for her to go for it and compete against her sister and take her boy back! It turns out this mystery man is the school guidance counselor! Hayato is everything Ryusei ought to be. Sure Ryusei is nice but he seems to have feelings for Ageha but immediately falls for Hana’s transparent manipulations. Either go for the girl you like or get out of the picture! Speaking of pictures, a special photo to Ageha gets passed around and she learns her only friend is in fact a traitor! She’s doubly heartbroken but chooses to take some of Hayato’s advice. Pretty soon she’s gone through a makeover, has made some better friends and gets up the courage to ask Ryusei out. Sadly though her sister is hot on her heels and at least two steps ahead. After all, Hana is willing to play dirty, which good girl Ageha is not. But there’s a fire in Ageha and it could be that she’s getting ready to bust out of her cocoon and become the butterfly she’s destined to be! This is awesome romantic melodrama. It’s teen soap super frothy and so much fun! If Gossip Girl or Popular is your thing than don’t hesitate to pick up this gem of a story. My only concern is that I don’t think Ryusei is worthy of Ageha. In fact, I vote for Hayato! It’s the taboo relationship everyone will be cheering to happen I bet! The art style is great and the artist has done away with the funky lips that always distracted me in Peach Girl manga series. In Papillon the art style is more refined and Hayato is done super sexy. The other characters like Hana, Ageha and Ryusei get that windblown shojo style drama fans love so much! Plus the manga has a preview of the next volume in Japanese and translation notes.
IN SUMMARY:
Fans of Popular, Gossip Girl, 90210 will get addicted to the teen soap manga Papillon! |
