Manga Review: Ani-Imo, Volume 1, by Haruko Kurumatani

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: November 18, 2014

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

See?In this body, I can do whatever I like to "my sister."
Youta has always had a soft spot for his twin sister, Hikaru. Soft spoken and docile, she's everything a doting big brother could hope for! But when a freak accident results in the siblings swapping bodies, Youta discovers that his "innocent" little sister is anything but!
Now trapped in Hikaru's body, Youta becomes the object of his "little sister's" advances--advances she now has the testosterone fueled power to back up! Will Youta ever get his body back in this uproarious forbidden love comedy?

Review:

I was intrigued when I first heard of this book, then wary, then intrigued again. I wasn’t too sure what to expect—the incest made me wary, and the art looked iffy, but it sounded interesting enough. And now I’m glad I picked it up.

I don’t think I fully understood what the description meant until I started the book, because I was surprised by what I found.

Youta is loud and exaggerates and dotes on his twin sister. Hikaru is quiet and a loner and everyone thinks she’s creepy and never knows what she wants. Youta understands her perfectly, which is why they’re so close.

And then they switch bodies, and it turns out they’re not even related by blood. Youta freaks out, because he doesn’t know how to handle being in his sisters body, and he’s so sensitive and inexperienced that he doesn’t want to even change clothes. Hikaru, on the other hand, has openly confessed to him that she’s in love with him, and is perfectly happy to be in his body.

I think since their roles are reversed—with the sister being the one hitting on her brother—that I didn’t mind the scenario so much. Plus, they aren’t related by blood.

I also think it’s funny that with their stereotypical roles reversed—with the brother exaggerated and embarrassed and the sister quiet and the instigator—that when they switch bodies, they’re in the sex normally put with those roles. But you never forget that they’re in the wrong body—it’s mentioned a lot without being pushy or overdone. I appreciated that. It's almost a parody of the normal.

The artwork is pretty, and the characters are rather well done, with some surprises thrown in. The humor is good, and the exaggeration isn't over the top. There is a color page at the front, and it is very pretty. Hikaru is in love and emotional, and I felt for her a few times. Youta just plain doesn’t know what to do.

At this point, I’m really glad that I picked this volume up, and am looking forward to reading more.