Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 1, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and Sleeping Beauty's curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber...

THE AWAKENING

High schooler Tetsu Misato is hardworking, frugal, and easily scared, but he commits to a part-time job at the mansion on the hill—the one that’s rumored to be haunted. As he toils away, he notices a building separate from the estate, and the mysterious girl who lives within it: Shizu Karasawa. Tetsu slowly becomes enchanted by Shizu’s lonely smile, but by their second encounter, he quickly finds himself in over his head. There’s an unsettling feeling he can’t quite shake, but there’s love there, too.

Review:

In the first half of this volume, I was a little iffy, and wasn't even sure if I would read more. But by the end of the volume, I was intrigued and wanted the next one.

Tetsu starts working at this mansion where his father works, as a deal instead of going to school. He's doing his best, but he knows the rules about no one going to the house in the back. But then he stumbles upon Shizu on accident, and it starts up an interesting friendship. The Shizu we first see is fun and energetic. But later, Tetsu meets Shizu, and she's a completely different person.

We get some scenes from Shizu's point of view, so we get to see her interacting with the other people inside her. It's a very interesting dynamic, and it's done really well so far. It's a little unclear how it works exactly, but I believe that's intentional. I like the different personalities we've met so far, but it's hinted there's another. And then, when Shizu goes out with Tetsu, something else happens.

Each personality is very different, shown differently, and the atmosphere can completely change. Tetsu struggled with his own feelings on it, and he's not sure how to handle it or whether he wants to deal with it.

I'm so intrigued by this, and I really want to read more and see what happens next.