Manga Review: Kodocha: Sana's Stage, Volume 3, by Miho Obana

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5 (Maybe 4)

Publisher: TokyoPop

Volumes: 10

Amazon Synopsis:

12-year old Sana Kurata is used to getting what she wants – even in love. Ever since she hired her manager, a man 10 years her senior who she calls her "gigalo," she thought it was true love. When Rei shows his feelings for a woman his own age, Sana realizes that Rei’s feelings for her are anything but romantic. Sana has romantic problems at school, too, as now former-bully Hayama and mama’s boy Tsuyoshi are vying for her affections.

Review:

This volume starts where the last one left off, with Sana and Akito rushing off to find Tsuyoshi. They get to his house, only to find that he's moved away already and his father doesn't seem to care. Akito gets hurt in their interaction with his father, and when Sana tries to bandage him up, he gropes her. They then go to see Akito's father, who's still in the hospital, and find Tsuyoshi visiting him.

Sana and Akito, and Rei, help Tsuyoshi's family move into their new place, where Tsuyoshi is being brave and the man of the house, but later cries in front of them. (When he asks Sana, who was comforting him, to marry him, Akito gets a bit enraged.) (A bit after this, Tsuyoshi finds out about Aya's crush on him, and when she gives him a present, he immediately falls out of love for Sana and into it with Aya. It's a bit ridiculous (in a funny way) how easy he is.)

Rei takes them both home, and Akito asks about Sana's father. Rei immediately stops the car and warns Akito away from mentioning him, ever again. Turns out Sana and her mother get scary dangerous whenever he is mentioned, and Rei doesn't know why, but has decided not to bring it up. Sana, though, tells them that she doesn't have a father and leaves it at that.

Which bring us to the subject of this volume. Sana seems preoccupied for most of it, and we see that her and her mother have some agreement that they are now going to fulfill which is bothering her. Rei is worried, and bothers Mariko a little bit. Akito is worried and asks Sana, mentioning that sometimes it looks like she's acting happy and she can cry on his shoulder if she needs to (which, surprisingly, helps her) (most of this happens when they go on a school trip for three days, and Akito falls down a cliff when following Sana). We find out that Mariko found Sana left alone on a bench in the park when she was a baby, and were unable to find her parents. Their agreement was that they would both become somewhat well-known (Sana in acting, Mariko as a writer), and then Mariko would write a book about it, which she does.

When it all comes out and the book is released (which happens way too fast, like within days) there's a big commotion about it, and Sana is upset about it but doesn't say anything to her mother. She feels like Mariko doesn't want her anymore, which is obviously not true, but she won't say anything to Mariko, and everyone seems to realize is while Mariko ignores it.

Also within this book, Sana starts working with another actor, Naozumi, who freaks her out at first but she later finds out was at the same orphanage as her (or something?). He tells her he likes her, to which she doesn't know how to react, and Akito starts ignoring her and being mean again when he finds out about him. On opening night of the play Sana is in, they both meet and there's an obvious competitive air around them (which Naozumi starts, instead of Akito, surprise!). After the big blow-out of the book, though, Akito charges into her house (where she's been hiding for a few days) and drags her out with him, as Naozumi watches (because he was going to talk with her as well). The volume ends with Sana crying on Akito's shoulder.
Oh, and Akito starts taking karate classes, suggested by their principal, which will definitely be good for him. He gets frustrated, though, when he finds out that they're not learning any actual moves yet, but have only been cleaning and meditating.

I'm loving this series. It's cute, funny, the characters are so much fun; it's just fun in general. I'm looking forward to seeing where the whole book about Sana's past is going, as well as where the triangle (Naozumi-Sana-Akito) is going. Obviosly, I'm Team Akito. No doubt about that. Still, I'm looking forward to getting to know more about Naozumi. I'm just looking forward to the next book, really, and am hoping it won't be too hard to find.