Manga Review: Become You, Volume 1, by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 1+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

A new high school drama from the Eisner-nominated creator of orange!

Ashie Taiyou is a high school musician with dreams of stardom, but when his bandmates quit on him, it feels like his dreams are slipping away. In an act of desperation, Taiyou strong-arms his sullen classmate Hikari into forming a band with him. Can the two boys turn their dreams into reality? Creator Ichigo Takano–of orange and Dreamin’ Sun fame–collaborated with band Kobukuro around the song Kimi ni Nare in Japan, creating this manga as part of a multimedia expression of hope for a brighter future.

Review:

Taiyou wants to play music, but his friends want to focus on school. When he discovers that Hikaru used to play, he tries convincing him to join in.

Hikaru has a clearly bad history, which is why he's so resistant. Taiyou has a very bright outlook, though, and keeps trying; he's also not afraid to try by himself, if it comes to it.

I don't mind either of the characters in this volume, though I didn't really grow attached to either of them. Then Taiyou has a girl friend that shows up, and she's sweet and supportive. There was no real romance hinted at here, though. Honestly, when I saw the book, I thought it might be leaning more in yaoi or shonen-ai territory. Maybe just a basic bromance or friendship story, though, is also possible.

This was a sweet volume, but it didn't really stand out to me. Honestly, I really liked orange, but then I didn't stick with her other series. I'm a bit iffy on this one.

Manga Review: Orange: Future by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: Very light.

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

Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this long-awaited sequel to the critical and commercial hit, orange: future contains two stories that continue from where the series ended.

Review:

This is the conclusion to the Orange series, a tag-along volume.

It goes back and forth in time line, and back and forth in each version of their lives. Much like when the series started, we get to see the version where Kakeru lived in the future, where they all meet up again as they're all grown. And we also get to see how the original versions went on after Kakeru passed. How Naho and Suwa grew closer and started dating. The small moments that led up to it, the time that they mourned and Naho had to heal. How they moved on, kept going, even as they kept Kakeru in mind and never forgot.

This was a really sweet final volume. We got to fill in some of the pieces, and catch up with both sides of the story. It was really nice.

Manga Review: Dreamin' Sun, Volume 4, by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: November 2017.

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

CRUSHED!

Zen’s finally confessed his feelings to Shimana! Unfortunately, while she wants to help him pursue his dreams, she doesn’t feel the same way about him. Shimana’s got her own unreturned feelings to deal with, because she’s crushing on the landlord, who treats her just like a child. Determined to get closer, Shimana gets a hold of his high school yearbook–and makes some surprising discoveries.

Review:

I was pretty much ready to be done with this series. And then it had to go and keep being interesting, ugh.

We discover some secrets regarding Taiga in this volume. He's been keeping a lot from the kids, and is very stubborn about not telling them anything. Only to discover that Ken thinks he should be honest, and Asahi already knows everything.

A main theme in this series seems to be ambitions and dreams, and going after them. We see that at the beginning of the volume with Ken, and again at the end as they push to discover Taiga's.

My favorite character in this series is still Zen. He's adorable, and so sweet, and he's there for Shimana even as she likes someone else. Shimana is really the main part of this series that bothers me. She's so focused on herself, and so dramatic. The way she blows up over little things and blurts things out and runs away drives me crazy. She makes me roll my eyes so many times, and she's the main reason that I'm hesitant to keep reading more. But then it has to get deep with Taiga, and interesting with the side characters. There was some surprising depth in this volume, and I liked it. There was also a side story of Taiga, Ken, and Rei when they were in high school, and it was adorable.

I really like Zen and Ken. If this series focused more on them, I would be hooked. As it is, I do and I don't want to keep going.

Manga Review: Dreamin' Sun, Volume 3, by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: September 2017

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From New York Times manga bestselling author Takano Ichigo.

Shimana Kameko lives in a home where she feels she doesn t belong. Her mother is dead, her father has remarried, and her six-month-old baby brother takes up everyone s attention. Kameko skips school and runs away to a nearby park where she literally stumbles over a mysterious man in a kimono.

The stranger, Fujiwara Taiga, offers Kameko a place to stay on three conditions. The first condition is that Kameko tell him why she ran away from home. The second is that she fetch the stranger s lost apartment key (he is locked out!). The third condition is ... to have a dream. Kameko meets the conditions, moves in, and begins a journey of romance and self-discovery.

Review:

I really want to like this series, and it has its good moments. But man, the way it uses these cliché plot lines... it's just not good.

We get to see Zen run after Shimana here, and I really like Zen. He's honestly my favorite part of this series, and I'm almost reading just to see more of him. He's adorable and quirky and awkward, and I'm all for it.

Anyway, he goes after Shimana. And Shimana is just being dumb in the first place, and should be able to get herself home, not to mention get over herself.

After that, we get some confessions, we meet Zen's older brother and get to see how Zen wants to help him and push him back into what he wants to do. It's a sweet plot line, and I'm interested to see how that all pans out.

On the other hand, we also have Shimana falling for their landlord, and I. Just. Ugh. I just hate that, honestly. He's not much older than them, and that usually doesn't even bother me. But here it's just so cliché, and so obvious that Shimana is only falling for whoever is there and paying attention to her. I just don't like her, I think, and I don't like how these basic storylines are being used. This plot in particular has me very close to giving in.

I'm going to give it at least one more volume, and we'll see. But I don't know if Zen is going to be enough to keep me here.

Manga Review: Dreamin' Sun, Volume 2, by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: July 2017

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Home Is Where the Heart Is

When Shimana fails to work up the courage to ask Asashi out on a date, she decides it's time to get a makeover as part of her self-improvement plan. But when she calls Asashi to come check out her new look, she's too preoccupied with his own crush to pick up the phone. Is her transformation all for nothing? And what are those weird heart palpitations Zen's getting every time he looks at Shimana? It's a full house of unrequited love and self-discovery in volume 2 of this slice-of-life romance!

Review:

In this volume, there's a makeover, a couple love confessions, and in the end, Shimana throws a fit and runs away.

This series is very... cheesy? It could be that I just don't like Shimana very much. She's a bit dramatic, and in this volume she makes a big deal over getting a makeover to impress Asahi. At times, her actions get on my nerves a bit. She also gets jealous when her possible friends from school start fawning over her roommates. She's just not really my kind of character.

But on the other hand, Zen is great. He's embarrassed easily, and awkward, and quite adorable. There's also the maturity of some decisions made in this series. The plot isn't very slow, which is nice, but it's not rushed or anything. I like that there are two important love confessions in this volume, plus another character admitting his feelings.

This series is iffy for me at the moment. I really like some points, and others bother me a little. The plot seems a little childish and cheesy sometimes, but then at other times it's smart and mature. It's up and down for me, but I'm going to give it a few more tries, I think, because I want to like it more.

Manga Review: Dreamin' Sun, Volume 1, by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: May 2017

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

While loitering in the park, Shimana Kameko, who intended to run away from home and skipped school, meets a suspicious man in a kimono. This man, who had been locked out of his house, offers Shimana a place to stay. However, he requests she fulfill three conditions in exchange for her tenancy?!

Review:

I really enjoyed Orange, so I was eager to pick this one up. I'm a little unsure now, though.

This felt very much like an older shojo series, with a teenage girl who ends up living with a group of boys. I haven't read a series like that in a while, but Shimana is not the best protagonist.

Shimana runs away from home, because her father has a new kid with his new wife and she doesn't feel like she fits in anymore. It honestly feels like she's throwing a fit. In her angst, she stumbles upon an older guy, who's hungover and locked out of his house. She gets roped into getting the key from one of her classmates, along with a few other conditions in order to live there with them for cheap.

Mostly, Shimana is whiny. She's an angsty, whiny teenager. Meh. She ends up living with Asahi, who's a smart, cute guy from her school, and Zen, who is more of a loud dork. I'm actually a fan of both of them so far; I'm leaning toward Zen, but Asahi is a good guy, too.

We also meet Miku, an older woman who's slightly crazy, but I think will be a good influence on Shimana. There's some hints of a deeper meaning behind their landlord's job and his connection to Shimana, but I'm not too worried.

This was an interesting first volume, and it got better by the end. The art style looked like an earlier kind from Orange. I'll probably keep reading.

Manga Review: orange: The Complete Collection Part 2 by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: May 2016

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An Epic Love Story Across Time

Naho immediately feels a connection to the new boy who has transferred to her class. Kakeru is calm, kind, and seems to like Naho as well. But their relationship gets thrown for a loop when Naho receives a letter from the future. The letter explains that Kakeru will die unless Naho does exactly as the letter says. But changing fate is no easy task. When the letter starts to get things wrong, Naho worries that she will still lose Kakeru forever. Luckily, Naho has her friends to back her up. Not only do they want to see Naho and Kakeru get together, they also have time-traveling letters of their own...

Orange: The Complete Collection 2 also includes a bonus story, Haruiro Astronaut. This five chapter story is about a pair of twins who discover that they can't share everything in life--or at least not an alien that suddenly becomes a part of it.

Review:

This series is both sweet and heartbreaking, at times. We know how this ends in one realm, in one possibility, and at times we see how it follows the same path. It's hard to see all of the missed opportunities, to know how it ends when you're too scared, and how it goes when, even knowing that, it's hard to do something different. I can understand the hesitation, and yet it's still hard to see her follow the past.

When things start going different, when the letters aren't following what's happening in real time, it's uplifting. It's nice to see when Naho and Kakeru are finally honest and open with each other, and it actually goes in a good direction. It's also nice to see their friends growing and supporting each other.

After the main story ends, there are a few extra short stories, featuring non-related characters, and they were cute and fun.

I really enjoyed this short series, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Takano.

Manga Review: orange: The Complete Collection Part 1 by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: January 2016

Volumes: 5 Singles/2 Omnibus

Spoilers?: Some

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf. (Also available on Crunchyroll.)

Part 2.
Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Everyone has regrets in life. So who wouldn't take the chance to change the past if given the opportunity? When sixteen-year-old Takamiya Naho receives a mysterious letter, claiming to be from her twenty-seven-year-old self, her life is suddenly thrown into flux. The letter informs her that a new transfer student by the name of Naruse Kakeru will be joining her class, and to keep her eye on him. What is Naho to make of the letter's contents and its cryptic warning?

Review:

As the new school year begins, Naho receives an odd letter from her future self. She doesn’t know if she should believe it at first, but as what it says starts to come true, she decides to listen to its advice, to right some of her future regrets. It’s all leading up to save her new friends death, but Naho doesn’t know if it’ll work, and how much she can change how quickly.

I can’t believe how good this book was. Following her own advice, Naho begins changing, taking chances she normally wouldn’t have, and mostly for the better. It’s forcing her to have more fun, more experiences, and have more courage with her crush. Her tight group of friends are all growing up, and trying to be there for Kakeru, a new boy in class who’s being eaten up by his own regrets.

I love how much Naho changes. How she grows as she pushes herself, and so how much changes as she takes the courage to go after Kakeru, even a little bit. Their relationship is sweet and still getting stronger, but there’s also all the friendships. Naho has two girl friends and two other guy friends, and they’ve all known each other a long time. Their friendship is strong, and they’re there for each other when they need to be. There is a big romance here, but the friendships take just as much attention, which I appreciate.

This volume was surprisingly well-done, sweet and slow and important. I like that we get to see how their future selves are doing, what they’re finding out, and how they’ve turned out with all the regrets. I like that as the present changes so much, the younger kids future is clearly changing in the present, but that it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s for the better or the worse. The original future wasn’t terrible, even if they did want to change things, and they did miss their friend. It’s just different now, not necessarily worse or better.

I was really impressed with this book, and I can’t wait for the next one, to see how the series wraps up.

Wishlist Thursday[142]: orange: The Complete Collection by Ichigo Takano

orange: The Complete Collection Part 1 by Ichigo Takano

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: January 26, 2016

Volumes: 5 Single / 2 Omnibus

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Everyone has regrets in life. So who wouldn't take the chance to change the past if given the opportunity? When sixteen-year-old Takamiya Naho receives a mysterious letter, claiming to be from her twenty-seven-year-old self, her life is suddenly thrown into flux. The letter informs her that a new transfer student by the name of Naruse Kakeru will be joining her class, and to keep her eye on him. What is Naho to make of the letter's contents and its cryptic warning?

Why?:

This sounds like an interesting omnibus collection. I’d never heard of it, and still haven’t heard much about it, but it looks pretty and sounds like something I’d enjoy. Possibly a light shojo-ish series. And since it’s collected in nice bigger volumes, I might be picking it up.