Manga Review: Kiss Him, Not Me!, Volume 1, by Junko

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 13, 2015

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hi there! My name is Serinuma Kae.I’m the kind of girl who loves checking out boys and fantasizing about them getting friendly (and more) with each other—I’m what you might call a fujoshi.

One day, my beloved (yes, he’s an anime character) died, and the shock of it all was more than I could have ever prepared for! My grief over his passing resulted in some ridiculous weight-loss!

And you won’t believe what happened next! Soon after my change, the four most divinely gorgeous boys in my school asked me out on dates! I accepted them all, and you’d think I’d be happy with my sudden popularity, but the truth is, my heart only yearns for a prince to be next to his prince. Ahh, yes, boys, I’d much prefer that you turn your affections elsewhere and KISS HIM, NOT ME!

Review:

"Who decided the prince should be with the princess?"

First of all, I was a little wary of this book when I heard about the weight thing. That is an issue that’s not okay to handle badly, or too blasé like Let’s Dance a Waltz did. But in this book, it took a more comedic route, and it wasn’t ignored. Which, at least for me, made it okay (or at least standable).

Especially since, while the boys weren’t flirting with her when she was bigger, at least she wasn’t being bullied over it. It was just part of who she was then. No big deal. Much like her otaku side, it’s just part of her.

As soon as Serinuma gets smaller waisted, three boys in particular start clinging to her, plus one who’s just her friend. She doesn’t know how to handle it, especially since she just wants them to fall in love with each other, not her. But she agrees to go on a date with them all at once. Then some of them agree to help her practice soccer and study.

I like how open Serinuma is. She doesn’t hide her otaku side, even when told she should. She doesn’t decide on one of them, she gives them all a shot when she can’t decide. When she finds out how out of shape she is, she still keeps practicing like crazy for soccer. She doesn’t hide who she is, and only makes the boys like her even more.

I think I’ve already got a favorite, or two, out of the boys, but I’m still not sure who’s going to get closer to her. They’re all fighting pretty hard at this point. And I like the humor, the heroine, and the characterization so far. I’m looking forward to reading more.