Manga Review: Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vols 1-3 Collection, by Masami Tsuda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Tokyopop

Publish Date: 2008

Volumes: 21

Spoilers?: Not really.

Buy it here: Amazon.

Next Volume.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The first three volumes of the hit series collected in one heart-racing collection! Yukino Miyazawa has it all--perfect grades, looks, the admiration of her peers. She's the number-one student at her school...or at least she was until she was shown up by the new boy, Soichiro Arima. He one-ups her in every department, and the worst thing about it is that he's sincere! With her ego in jeopardy, Yukino will do whatever it takes to regain the spotlight, but falling in love was never part of the plan.

Quotes:

• "'People who are judgmental are really just insecure.’” (Volume 1)
• "'When you realize the truth and face up to reality, the problem’s already half solved!’” (Volume 2)
• "'...being afraid of getting hurt makes you selfish. You’re protecting your own feelings instead of considering the feelings of the one you love. But isn’t love the opposite of that?’” (Volume 2)

Review:

I was really surprised by this volume. The series has caught my eye several times, but I’ve never got around devoting to collecting it, but my local bookstore had this omnibus in, so I went ahead and got it. I figured it would be cute, funny, but I didn’t have particularly high expectations, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

First off, I really liked the characters. Yukino is self-centered, full of herself, works hard to be the top student so people will praise her. Arima, on the other hand, also tries hard to be the top student, to be perfect, but because he doesn’t want to be like his parents. Yukino thinks that they’re competing, only to find out that Arima likes her. She doesn’t know how to handle this at first, before admitting to herself that she likes him back.

Firstly, I was really surprised with how fast the two moved, although I really liked that. It usually takes the main couple forever to get together, but they’d confessed and were going out by the second volume, and then kissed by the third. It usually takes ten to twenty volumes for any other shojo series, so I liked that. And while the two moved rather fast, they’re both still very innocent and chaste and shy. It’s really cute. This is definitely not a smutty series, and I really don’t know where this series is going to go, since I know it’s twenty-plus volumes.

I also really want to get my hands on the next volume soon. I liked the characters, I liked their growth and their relationships with their families (and would like to get to know their parents better, because I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far). I want to meet their actual friends, or for them to make friends. Plus there’s a possible bully on the horizon (and a rival for Yukino, I think), and I really want to see where that goes. 

I don’t know when I’ll be getting any more volumes, but I hope sometime in the near-ish future.