Manga Review: I Am Here!, Omnibus 1 & 2, by Ema Toyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: (Omn. 1) November 2010; (Omn. 2) July 2011

Volumes: 5 single volumes or 2 omnibus

Spoilers?: No.

Buy Omnibus 1 here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Buy Omnibus 2 here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Re-readable?: Yes.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A SUNFLOWER IN THE SHADE

Invisible to her classmates, Hikage Sumino is an eighth grader with no self-esteem. Her only friends are the visitors to her Internet blog. One day, the most popular boy in the grade suddenly talks to her. Encouraged by this twist of fate, Hikage determines to transform her life.

Includes special extras after the story!

This is a bundle of the first 2 volumes and also contains half of volume 3.

Review:

This little series was very adorable. I am a big fan.

I really like Hikage. She’s quiet and shy and invisible and doesn’t know how to open up, even if she wants to. But she has a blog, where she posts often, with pictures she’s taken, and talks about her daily life and struggle with shyness.

You guys, I understand Hikage. I get it. I get it so much. I really feel for her. It’s part of what made this series so enjoyable for me, how much I feel for her. But she’s also a much better person than I am, particularly with how she reacted to the girl who bullied her. (I mean, I would have smacked a bitch, but not Hikage.) She gets scared, but she also learns how to stay strong, and stick up for what she believes. I admire that about her, especially given her little experience.

On Hikage’s blog, she has two people who comment with her, Black Rabbit and Mega Pig. They encourage her to be open with the people around her, take the step to talk to them. Which is part of how she starts to make friends with her classmates, and get closer to Hinata, a popular boy in her class who’s had his eye on her.

Hinata is adorable. He is a seriously sweet boy, and I really like him. He really has just the cutest, sweetest smile. When he smiles, I want to smile. And the way he and Hikage are so similar, and how obviously well they go together, is just fantastic. I love it.

Then there’s Teru, Hinata’s best friend. He’s a little harsh at times, but for good reasons. I really liked him. There were also a few classmates that Hikage grew closer to, but we didn’t really get to know them. Maybe if there had been more space, we would have; I would have liked to. Especially with Arisa, who seemed like a sweet, up-beat girl.

I’m not going to ruin any of how it worked out, or who the identity of the commenters on Hikage’s blog turned out to be, but I was pretty happy with it. I guessed it beforehand, and I was kind of hoping it was a little more surprising, but I was still happy with how it turned out. Also, there was a short story at the end featuring one of the commenters, and I just loved it. It was adorable and funny, and super sweet.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It was sweet, heart-felt, funny, cute and adorable. I really loved it. And it has definitely made me want to continue Toyama’s other current series, Missions of Love, which I am behind on.