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Type: Manga
Author: Kiyohiko Azuma
Books: 4Genre: Comedy, slice of life
Age Rating: 14+
Review:
Comic strips of life in highschool from the viewpoint of 6 girls with unique personalities. Main characters involve Chiyo the 10-year-old genius, Sakaki who secretly loves cats, Tomo the wild one, Yomi with the short temper, and Osaka the ditz.
Along with some teachers and a flying, stuffed cat, this is one manga you won't want to miss! It is one of the (if not the most) hilarious mangas I have read thus far! Having only 4 books in the series, it is a pretty fast read, and a complete volume with the entire series is now available, which I now have because I just loved this story so much. The manga is presented in a different way than others, taking on a more comic-strip style. Each mini-section has it's own title, and four panels to read. Some of the sections relate to one another and are continuations of previous segments, but most can be read alone, which is a fun option.
What's nice about this short series is that it appeals to both genders; my younger brother read them and thought they were hilarious as well. We instantly found quirks from all the characters that we could identify and connect with. Each girl possessed an exaggerated trait, such as Kagura's obsessive love of sports, and each is given time in the strips so it never feels like one character is more important than the others. The art was a bit simple, and, as Nathan pointed out, all the characters looked alike except for their hairstyles. Nevertheless, their personalities were big enough to make up for everything, and I was never confused as to which character was which.
I gave this manga a 14+ rating because the girls talk about each other's breasts a lot (especially in reference to Sakaki). Some of the teachers display immature behavior, which is not entirely realistic, and therefore can be a bit overplayed. Most of the characters might be seen as over-the-top, but it is important to remember that this manga is a work of fiction and not a true, realistic look of what high school life is like. The series on its own is meant to be comical and enjoyable in a quirky way. While there are some serious undertones in some chapters, one gets the sense that the author (who is a male and therefore not an expert on teenage female behavior) had a lot of laughs creating this. A lovely, laugh-out-loud-until-you-cry read!
For more on Kiyohiko Azuma, click here.
Comic strips of life in highschool from the viewpoint of 6 girls with unique personalities. Main characters involve Chiyo the 10-year-old genius, Sakaki who secretly loves cats, Tomo the wild one, Yomi with the short temper, and Osaka the ditz.
Along with some teachers and a flying, stuffed cat, this is one manga you won't want to miss! It is one of the (if not the most) hilarious mangas I have read thus far! Having only 4 books in the series, it is a pretty fast read, and a complete volume with the entire series is now available, which I now have because I just loved this story so much. The manga is presented in a different way than others, taking on a more comic-strip style. Each mini-section has it's own title, and four panels to read. Some of the sections relate to one another and are continuations of previous segments, but most can be read alone, which is a fun option.
What's nice about this short series is that it appeals to both genders; my younger brother read them and thought they were hilarious as well. We instantly found quirks from all the characters that we could identify and connect with. Each girl possessed an exaggerated trait, such as Kagura's obsessive love of sports, and each is given time in the strips so it never feels like one character is more important than the others. The art was a bit simple, and, as Nathan pointed out, all the characters looked alike except for their hairstyles. Nevertheless, their personalities were big enough to make up for everything, and I was never confused as to which character was which.
I gave this manga a 14+ rating because the girls talk about each other's breasts a lot (especially in reference to Sakaki). Some of the teachers display immature behavior, which is not entirely realistic, and therefore can be a bit overplayed. Most of the characters might be seen as over-the-top, but it is important to remember that this manga is a work of fiction and not a true, realistic look of what high school life is like. The series on its own is meant to be comical and enjoyable in a quirky way. While there are some serious undertones in some chapters, one gets the sense that the author (who is a male and therefore not an expert on teenage female behavior) had a lot of laughs creating this. A lovely, laugh-out-loud-until-you-cry read!
For more on Kiyohiko Azuma, click here.
Mature Content:
- Sexual References- The girls talk about each other's breasts, especially Sakaki's
- One teacher, Kimura, is a pervert. He likes to see the girls in shorts and talks about how cute the young girls are. None of the girls like him
- At the end of one chapter, Miss Kurosawa tells the girls some "adult information" but the reader is never told what this information is
- Homosexuality- Kaori (or Kaorin) idolizes Sakaki, and gets excited about talking to her and being near her. It is never actually said that she is gay, but the way she acts may imply it
- Drugs- The teachers drink alcohol and get drunk and talk about hangovers.
- Profanity- Use of "damn," and "ass"
Tomo: You were really good at that one song!
Yomi: Eh? Which one?
Tomo: *singing* Oh I'm the king of the swingers, oh, the Jungle V.I.P!
Yomi: I have never sang that song!
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