Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!!, Volume 7, by Bisco Hatori

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 7.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisherfolk and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

The Art Squad has always felt like home to its members, but as their chief’s final year winds down, doubts being to assail them all. Tomu worries he has no talent, Ruka decides to quit the club early to live up to family expectations, Izumi’s amnesia finally starts to get to him, and Maasa plans to give up zombies in order to find a man. Now it’s up to Ranmaru, the newest and most neurotic club member, to save the spirit of Art Squad!

Review:

I really liked where this series went in the previous volume, and for most of this volume. Ranmaru took a drastic turn for the better, finally gained some confidence and some courage. He pushed Goda to get back into his real passion, and along the way several of the other characters finally discovered what they wanted to do.

It was all going so well into a really sweet conclusion, even if some of the romances weren't quite perfect.

I had mixed feelings about where the main romance was going already, and then a curve-ball gets thrown in at the last second. I don't want to spoil how it ends, but I don't appreciate how the main romance concluded. I don't care for that pairing, and honestly don't feel it was necessary. I was perfectly happy with them having a normal relationship, not a romantic one. Basically every other part of the story was great and concluded in a sweet and fun way, and I like how it all wrapped up, even with the jump forward in time. Just that one part that leaves me a little wicked out.

Aside from that, this was a really fun series, and I liked the theme of it, and the characters. I do wish we got a little more with the side characters. And I really hope we get to see whatever Bisco Hatori releases next.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!!, Volume 6, by Bisco Hatori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2019

Volumes: 7.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ranmaru spends his whole life not fitting in, until the oddballs of the Art Squad adopt him as one of their own.

Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisherfolk and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

It’s winter break, and the Art Squad is helping a local children’s center put on a holiday puppet show! No classes means the squad can spend loads of time preparing, but all that togetherness is torture for poor heartsore Ranmaru. But just when he thinks he’s accepted that Ruka only has eyes for Goda, he finds out she’s agreed to an arranged marriage after college!

Review:

Ranmaru and Soh are both working hard to better themselves and for their crushes.

Poor Soh is after a guy who doesn't really intend to have a relationship, who's rather unattainable.

Ranmaru likes Ruka, but he believes that she likes Goda. Discovering that she's agreed to an arranged marriage after college gives him new determination, though. It's an interesting theme in both relationships, really. Ruka and Izumi have both resigned themselves to their fates. They've decided to stop fighting it, and take what little they can have for themselves. Ruka fought for school, and she's made herself accept whatever her family wants for her after that.

The real surprise in this volume, though, comes when Ranmaru discovers Goda's secret. It spurs a whole new side of Ranmaru, who starts persisting and even annoying Goda till he wears him down. And it's a surprisingly touching reason, too, what Goda did that had an impact on so many, and his reaction to it.

For a final plot line to the series, I really appreciate this being it. I'm really excited to see how it all wraps up, and am wondering how it's going to happen for them all.

Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!!, Volume 5, by Bisco Hatori

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2018

Volumes: 7.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisherfolk and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

Love is in the air at Shichikoku University, until it plummets to the ground to be trampled into the dirt by uncaring feet! Ranmaru, Ruka and Soh are all suffering from various levels of unrequited interests, and all three deal with their painful affections in different ways. Will any of their strategies succeed, or will they just get further tangled in the tortuous net of love?

Review:

So the theatre group does a lot this volume. They help make fans for a boy band, they help make costumes for halloween, and they help on a set for a play Soh is in. Maasa helps a girl find out how to really represent herself, though that ends unhappily for Maasa, who's oblivious to the one guy who actually pays attention to her.

During all this, Ranmaru is struggling with his feelings of insecurity around Goda, because he wants to be like him, and because of his feelings for Ruka. Ruka is dealing with some family stuff at the same time, and Goda is acting indifferent to her. There's a lot of unrequited feelings going around right now.

This is a fun series, and the releases are much too far apart. I forget how much I miss Hatori's humor and characters between each book, because it's such a fun ride when I pick them up.

Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!!, Volume 4, by Bisco Hatori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2017

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ranmaru spends his whole life not fitting in, until the oddballs of the Art Squad adopt him as one of their own.

Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisher folk, and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

Ryoji Goda is everything Ranmaru wishes he could be—self-assured, competent and cool. But when the Art Squad works the final film camp of the summer, Ranmaru gets to see a whole new side to his idol—disappointing son! Goda’s dad seems to criticize everything his son does, and they fight constantly. Finally Ranmaru and Goda have something in common! But the pressure of paternal disapproval pushes Goda to do something shocking that might change the Art Squad forever…

Review:

We get to meet Ranmaru's family at the start of this volume. They're odd, in different ways than him, but understandably so. They set him up and follow him, and then leave rather abruptly. And yet it still makes Ranmaru freak out. After that, we get to meet Goda's father, who has a very different life style and yet is extremely similar. During this, we get to see how well Goda can direct. And, he cuts his hair for a shoot.

In the second half of the volume, we get to know Izumi a bit more. He's forgetful, but everyone loves him. After finding out his back story, I think I love him more than I did before. I love seeing how everyone freaks out about it, though. I like seeing how Soh interacts with him, and how she pushes herself a little to be out there more.

I still love all of the antics and theatre club stories and craziness. But now that we're getting to know each of the characters a bit more, I'm getting more pulled into the story. I really like this crazy bunch.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!!, Volume 3, by Bisco Hatori

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ranmaru spends his whole life not fitting in, until the oddballs of the Art Squad adopt him as one of their own.
 

Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisherfolk and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

Review:

This is a pretty light-hearted series.

In this volume, we meet a bratty, struggling kid actor, and we see that Goda doesn't understand kids. We get to know Tomu a little better, and we get to see where Ruka comes from, what her family pressures are. There's also a chapter where the group puts together a haunted house, and see that they've gone too far and how they can pull back and change things to create a better audience reaction.

This is not as good as her previous series thus far, I will admit that. But it's still got her humor, and it very much feels like she's getting back into the groove of things. I am definitely still reading.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!!, Volume 2, by Bisco Hatori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 5, 2016

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisher folk, and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It's given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he's in college, he's hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

When the Art Squad is assigned to dress a set, Ranmaru is shocked at how seriously Goda takes the job. Every action figure and empty soda can is placed with utmost care to tell the story of the character who lives there, every sock and towel artfully be-grunged with coffee grounds and fuller's earth to support the narrative. Ranmaru has always been detail oriented, but isn't this taking things to the extreme? He's about to learn that attention to detail can do more than just set the scene...!

Review:

There’s no way that I’m not going to love this series. Zero percent chance of that ever happening, seriously.

In this volume, we get to know a couple of the other characters a little better. We see that Maasa wants a boyfriend, why, but that it’s not quite as important to her as other things. And that her main problem is her fascination with gory stuff. Soh, Ranmaru’s cousin, is under a lot of pressure to be perfect from her classmates, only to find out that she has about as much self-confidence as Ranmaru. And finally Izumi, whom everyone loves, but no one really understands when they get to know him. He’s aloof and never thinks of himself. He’s a nice guy.

I also enjoyed seeing how Ranmaru is ignoring his feelings for Ruka, but how they’re affecting him anyway. I love the gang of characters here, and look forward to getting to know the other more as well. The humor works great for me, the setting with all the behind the scenes plays and sets is really interesting to me, and I’m just having a lot of fun with this series.

Always looking forward to more.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!!, Volume 1, by Bisco Hatori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Volumes: 3+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisher folk, and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

It’s two months into Ranmaru’s college career, and if he’s learned one thing, it’s that he’s really uncomfortable around other people. But when he stumbles into a zombie mob attack, he’s forced out of his comfort zone in the most dramatic way possible! Of course it’s just a movie shoot, but when he wakes up from his ignoble faint, he’s been whisked away behind the scenes with the Art Squad! Could this group of weirdoes be what Ranmaru’s been looking for all his life?!

Review:

There was absolutely no way that I wasn’t going to pick this book up. And given my utter love for Ouran, there was no way that I wasn’t going to love it.

So it’s no surprise that I do.

Despite the author’s attempts, the set-up is quite similar to Ouran. It's still a club setting, with the main character getting pulled into it by accident, only now they're in college. But the cast of characters are rather different. Our main one, in particular. The artwork is nice, too, now that Hatori has grown so much.

Ranmaru has huge self-esteem issues. From growing up and causing problems and being blamed for everything, he believes everything is his fault. He’s terrified of everything. When he stumbles into the drama clubs set, he’s terrified of backlash, but is somehow pulled into helping them out. And surprisingly, they find out that he has a talent for fixing things and crafting.

There’s the leader of the group, a powerful leader who takes charge and manipulates. There’s a pretty boy, a previous thug, a horror fanatic, and a pretty girl who does the costumes. I do like all the costumes and the work they all put into the makeup and sets and everything behind the scenes for the films. 

Seriously, I’m already in love with this series. I want more, right now.         

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!