~ 少女 Shoujo (Stardom story) ~
If you like manga in which the main character is a cute heroine who has a quest to become an idol/singer/dancer/famous celebrity (a.k.a. Full Moon wo Sagashite)--get ready to be disappointed! Don't get me wrong, I also liked Full Moon, but I also like Skip Beat and the twist it provides on the small subsection of manga--the Stardom subsection, in which the main character is set on stardom (also Gravitation). The fact that the animator and author shares the same surname with yours truly has nothing to do with this critique, 約億です! (yakusoku desu = I promise)
Summary: Kyoko Mogami is a young high school dropout who follows her childhood friend and crush, Shotaro (a.k.a. Sho Fuwa), to live in Tokyo. She wants to support him in his endeavor to become an famous singer, but one day she finds him having an affair with his agent, making rude comments about using Kyoko as a slave. Well, like most mangas, Kyoko finds out and swears revenge on Shotaro by becoming the most famous idol in Japan and, therefore, ruining Shotaro's chances at being #1. However, there's also a mystery about another childhood friend, Corn (コルン), which might be Ren Tsuruga, the already #1 in Japan, and Shotaro's enemy?! What a weird love triangle!
Skip Beat PS2 Opening
"Blow Wind" by SMILY☆SPIKY
...video error...sorry...I'll put it up ASAP
"Blow Wind" by SMILY☆SPIKY
...video error...sorry...I'll put it up ASAP
BAD
Predictable--Since most of the characters have a single purpose (Ren is the foil to Shotaro, Shotaro is the bosy master, Kanae is the reluctant best friend of Kyoko, the heroine, who never gives up), the manga seems to be very straight-forward and repetitive after the first one hundred chapters. Though Nakamura-san also pleasantly distracts the reader by going off on personal stories, like Shotaro and Kyoko's childhood, Kanae's past, Maria's birthday tragedy, and the stalker guy from V-Ghoul, the manga seems to slow down towards the end of the current chapters (154). The surprises that Kyoko always stirs up have almost ceased completely.
However, as with any dramatic manga that is followed closely, this happens a lot. It is the reason why Inuyasha got tiring after the first one hundred episodes, and the Tenchi franchise could not get back it's initial fandom after Tenchi Muyo. If a series has been going for a long time, and 154 chapters is pretty long for a manga, especially one as romantic (?) as Skip Beat.
~Love Me uniform~
GOOD
Artwork--I am sorry, but I have never been one 
to like pointy chins that could puncture a lung and super-elongated bodies. Nakamura-san, you have a wonderful plot, but why the spider-like bodies? Everyone wears really cute clothes, and have such dynamic personalities, but the artwork doesn't match up. I love the way the hair is colored, and the designs of the clothes, but the body shapes are just too angular. At first, I didn't want to read it because it just looked so awkward. The girls are drawn better, in my opinion, it's the guys with the small face and protruding chin that get me. Like I said, it looks like their chins can puncture someone's chest.
to like pointy chins that could puncture a lung and super-elongated bodies. Nakamura-san, you have a wonderful plot, but why the spider-like bodies? Everyone wears really cute clothes, and have such dynamic personalities, but the artwork doesn't match up. I love the way the hair is colored, and the designs of the clothes, but the body shapes are just too angular. At first, I didn't want to read it because it just looked so awkward. The girls are drawn better, in my opinion, it's the guys with the small face and protruding chin that get me. Like I said, it looks like their chins can puncture someone's chest.Predictable--Since most of the characters have a single purpose (Ren is the foil to Shotaro, Shotaro is the bosy master, Kanae is the reluctant best friend of Kyoko, the heroine, who never gives up), the manga seems to be very straight-forward and repetitive after the first one hundred chapters. Though Nakamura-san also pleasantly distracts the reader by going off on personal stories, like Shotaro and Kyoko's childhood, Kanae's past, Maria's birthday tragedy, and the stalker guy from V-Ghoul, the manga seems to slow down towards the end of the current chapters (154). The surprises that Kyoko always stirs up have almost ceased completely.
However, as with any dramatic manga that is followed closely, this happens a lot. It is the reason why Inuyasha got tiring after the first one hundred episodes, and the Tenchi franchise could not get back it's initial fandom after Tenchi Muyo. If a series has been going for a long time, and 154 chapters is pretty long for a manga, especially one as romantic (?) as Skip Beat.
~Love Me uniform~GOOD
Lovable Characters--Except for the "beagle" stalker guy, who's just creepy, every other character is zany and lovable in their own way. The heroine thirsts for revenge against a chauvinistic bastard--WAY TO GO! Shotaro, even if he's really annoying, gets some sympathy when V-Ghoul is stealing all of his songs before he can debut them. Ren has this bad history that he doesn't want to divulge, which makes you want to love him even more. Kanae comes froma very big, poor family, so she is the role model for a lot of "normal" people, and a very talented actress. Lory-san, the president of LME, is eccentric and funny, while his granddaughter, Maria, is so cute, but so grown-up.
Personally, I love the way Nakamura-san develops each character, providing a back story to why they act the way they act, and what they are thinking and feeling. Yeah, the characters become predictable, but I find myself laughing and yelling at Kyoko, mostly saying "No, don't do it, Shotaro's just being a jerk!" But, she nice when I would be more like Kanae and not forgive. This strong connection between the reader and the characters provides a relationship that makes one follow the plot even though it might be repetitive and predictable.
Cute, but not too Cute--Since the main characters are all around high school/college age, the somewhat cute plot is tainted by Kyoko's thirst for revenge, and the allusions to mature themes like stalking, beauty, and sex (which are somewhat connected to each other...I guess). Shotaro is a womanizer, let's face it, and the fact that he likes to "hang out" with chesty woman says something more than he likes them for their looks.
This gives the story a more realistic setting, though the dress of the characters are just too cute to exist in the real world (or too scary, in the latest chapter's case where Cain Heel is wearing a complete Yakuza get-up). With a nice helping of demonis revenge spirits, a singer from V-Ghoul who can sense spirits and read people's pasts, and a womanizer like Shotaro, it gets a little crazy and interesting.
Nice Role Models--I'm sick and tired of mangas who always make the woman subversive and ditsy. In Skip Beat, Kyoko has the gung-ho no nonsense attitude, and she rarely is portrayed at "girly." The Love Me uniform is a pair of overalls! Albeit hot pink ones...but still! Kanae is very mature and responsible, though can get very angry and anti-social, and Maria, though so young, is a model lady who enjoys seeing other people happy (but has this weird voodoo doll hobby?) You gotta give a thumb's up to the girls in this manga, Kyoko deserves to kick Shotaro in the balls.
Thank you for reading!
どうもありがとうございました！
~Stay tuned for more fun~
Personally, I love the way Nakamura-san develops each character, providing a back story to why they act the way they act, and what they are thinking and feeling. Yeah, the characters become predictable, but I find myself laughing and yelling at Kyoko, mostly saying "No, don't do it, Shotaro's just being a jerk!" But, she nice when I would be more like Kanae and not forgive. This strong connection between the reader and the characters provides a relationship that makes one follow the plot even though it might be repetitive and predictable.
Cute, but not too Cute--Since the main characters are all around high school/college age, the somewhat cute plot is tainted by Kyoko's thirst for revenge, and the allusions to mature themes like stalking, beauty, and sex (which are somewhat connected to each other...I guess). Shotaro is a womanizer, let's face it, and the fact that he likes to "hang out" with chesty woman says something more than he likes them for their looks.This gives the story a more realistic setting, though the dress of the characters are just too cute to exist in the real world (or too scary, in the latest chapter's case where Cain Heel is wearing a complete Yakuza get-up). With a nice helping of demonis revenge spirits, a singer from V-Ghoul who can sense spirits and read people's pasts, and a womanizer like Shotaro, it gets a little crazy and interesting.
Nice Role Models--I'm sick and tired of mangas who always make the woman subversive and ditsy. In Skip Beat, Kyoko has the gung-ho no nonsense attitude, and she rarely is portrayed at "girly." The Love Me uniform is a pair of overalls! Albeit hot pink ones...but still! Kanae is very mature and responsible, though can get very angry and anti-social, and Maria, though so young, is a model lady who enjoys seeing other people happy (but has this weird voodoo doll hobby?) You gotta give a thumb's up to the girls in this manga, Kyoko deserves to kick Shotaro in the balls.
Thank you for reading!どうもありがとうございました！
~Stay tuned for more fun~
