Manga Review: Marmalade Boy, Volume 8, by Wataru Yoshizumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5 (maybe 4)

Publisher: Tokyopop

Volumes: 8

Spoilers?: Yes.

Goodreads Synopsis:

And you thought your family was strange? Miki's world gets turned upside down when her parents swap spouses with another couple and all decide to live together under one roof. It only gets weirder when Miki falls in love with her new stepbrother Like a dysfunctional version of the Brady Bunch, Marmalade Boy will hook readers with its odd premise and wacky relationships.

What I'm Going To Miss:

• The characters, especially the couples together.
• The cliche shojo material (even if it is cliche, I still love it).

Review:

The last volume of Marmalade Boy, ahh… Sad. I’m gonna miss this series; even if the ratings aren’t that high, I still really enjoyed it. And now it’s all over. Again: sad.

This volume takes place a bit after the last one. Everyone is now in college, going on with their lives. Arimi and Ginta are happy, Meiko and Nachan are happily married, Suzu and Kei have gotten close, and Miki and Yuu are still apart. Miki is trying to go on with her life happily, but seeing something that Yuu gave her makes cry and decide to go see him. Only, he lies and says he has a girlfriend. After her confession, she starts to act normal whenever she talks to him, while Yuu misses her and avoids going home or talking to the family at all.

But he does go home to visit, and ends up telling Miki the truth. They both still love each other, and so as a last goodbye, they go on the vacation they’d planned however long ago. They have fun together, and at the end, they decide that they don’t care if they’re blood related. They love each other too much, and so they are going to get married.

When they get home, they talk to their parents, saying how they know that they’re related, and that they love each other anyway. We then get the full story of how their parents know each other, and that, of course, Yuu actually is his father’s son, and he and Miki aren’t related by blood. I was expecting this, but it was still a good scene.

It was a good end to a good series, and I am sad to see it go. I’ll miss all of the characters, but they all got rather happy, predictable endings (well, except for Miwa).

Manga Review: Marmalade Boy, Volume 7, by Wataru Yoshizumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Tokyopop

Volumes: 8

Goodreads Synopsis:

And you thought your family was strange? Miki's world gets turned upside down when her parents swap spouses with another couple and all decide to live together under one roof. It only gets weirder when Miki falls in love with her new stepbrother Like a dysfunctional version of the Brady Bunch, Marmalade Boy will hook readers with its odd premise and wacky relationships.

Review:

Ahhhhhhh, I only have one volume left! How is that possible?! I, like, just started it, and now I’m done with seven volumes and I only have one left and then what do I do? I mean, I guess I’ll read those other manga waiting for me… But I will have no more Marmalade Boy and I am not happy about that.

Le sigh, but anyway…

I was thinking, when I started this, that Meiko was only going to talk with Nachan, not that she was going to get back together with him, but it became apparent within, oh, two pages, that I was wrong. Although their reunion scene was very sweet and I really like Meiko and I like that Nachan makes her happy and loves her back, and I accept their relationship. I think I actually just want more Meiko and Ginta. Not them together, but their relationships with Nachan (or Miwa, I would have liked either one) and Arimi. I just want some more of their obvious loving and cute stuff. There haven’t been as many nice, intense, romantic scenes between Miki and Yuu. Although there have been a lot of cuddly stuff. Which makes sense, since this series was in Ribon, which is a magazine targeted to younger girls.

Anyway, after that: there’s a guest staying with Miki and Yuu’s family, whose only real point is to make Yuu wonder about his real dad again. There’s a scene between Meiko and Miwa, which I liked but made me feel bad for him. Oh, because along with Meiko and Nachan getting together again, they also got engaged, and Meiko’s parents aren’t too happy about it yet, but they’ll accept it soon enough, I’m sure.

The rest of the volume is taken up with some serious drama between Miki and Yuu. Yuu found old pictures of their parents together in college, when they weren’t told they knew each other in college, and so Yuu is sure, now, that his father is Jin, Miki’s dad. Which is obviously terrible because that means that him and Miki are actually related. So, of course, without telling anyone but Miwa what he’s found out, he breaks up with her. They are both devastated about it, Meiko is upset on Miki’s behalf, and Yuu decides that he has to go to a different university, far away, because he can’t live with Miki any longer if he can’t be with her. Which is all terrible and sweet at the same time.

At the end of the volume, Yuu has left for school, as he’s been accepted and they’ve graduated, and Miki is still trying to get over him. Miki gets a haircut that makes her look older and more mature, and is determined to start anew, fresh.

I don’t want it to be over, but I want to find out what happens much too badly to wait. I’m sure that it’s going to be that they are not actually related and Yuu has been anguished by this for too long for no reason, and that they are going to get back together.

Now, I am going to go read the last one and see what happens.

Sidenote: in the side panels of the book, there’s a lot of talk from the author. Some of it is choppy, like the dialogue gets every once in a while, which bothers me, but I can look past it. The author has been talking a lot about the extra stuff coming out with Marmalade Boy, though, which just depresses me. All of these video games and movies and TV shows and plushies and all kinds of goodies, and, for one, they are probably hard to find now because of how long ago they were released, but they’re also not released in America. Which just sucks.

Manga Review: Marmalade Boy, Volume 6, by Wataru Yoshizumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Tokyopop

Volumes: 8

Goodreads Synopsis:

And you thought your family was strange? Miki's world gets turned upside down when her parents swap spouses with another couple and all decide to live together under one roof. It only gets weirder when Miki falls in love with her new stepbrother Like a dysfunctional version of the Brady Bunch, Marmalade Boy will hook readers with its odd premise and wacky relationships.

Review:

There are only two volumes left! That’s insane! How did this happen!?

A small part of me wants to slow down, take my time, because I don’t want this series to end, but a bigger part of me wants to hurry through them because I want to find out what happens, ohmygod. That bigger part if, of course, winning, and so I am going to be starting the next volume as soon as this review is done being written.

A lot of this volume focuses on the drama between Miki and Yuu. Miki starts getting kind of closer to the guy she fell on, who turns out to be – surprise! – her co-worker, and his name is Kei Tsuchiya. Her friends stop by the ice cream shop and Yuu is sure that the guy likes her. And then, when she falls and Kei holds her up, Suzu sees it. And when Kei finds out that Miki has a boyfriend, he lies and keeps her bracelet, and then lies to Yuu about it. And then Suzu makes Yuu and Meiko go to a museum together, and gets a picture of that! And so the two get it in their heads that the other is falling for someone else, and they have a big fight about it. Yuu goes on vacation by himself, but then it turns out that it was a different one than they had planned, and they makeup over the phone but they are unable to go on that one before the break is over, so they plan to do it on the next one.

Miki also finds some stuff out about Kei and helps him straighten out his life, but I didn’t really care. I mean, yea that’s nice and everything, but Kei is not a main character, and he’s not a character that I have very strong feelings about, either, and it didn’t even take all that much space of the book.

During this, Ginta is getting jealous of some guy that he thought was with Arimi, only to find out that her fanboys already have girlfriends and she looks at them as more like brothers. And there are some really cute, sweet moments between the two as they start going out.

Also, Meiko gets an award for the book that she wrote, that Miwa encouraged her to write. This is really awesome of her, and she’s still one of my favorite characters in this series. Not a lot of time focuses on her, but we know that she’s maybe starting to like Miwa, but she’s still upset over Nachan. The volume ends when Meiko decides she needs to go visit Nachan, have a talk with him, I’m sure to get some closure now that she’s had time to think about what happened, and Miki tells her that she’ll go with her.

So, some of the focus will be on Meiko in the next volume. Lookin’ forward to that. And whatever else is going to happen. I hope there are some more cute scenes with Miki and Yuu, and even with Ginta and Arimi, although their storyline is probably pretty much over.

Manga Review: Marmalade Boy, Volume 5, by Wataru Yoshizumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Tokyopop

Volumes: 8

Amazon (because, for some reason, the synopsis on Goodreads is in Spanish?) Synopsis:

Miki Koishikawa's ordinary life as a high school sophomore is turned upside down when her parents suddenly announce that they are getting divorced in order to swap partners with a couple they met in Hawaii. They seek her approval of the shocking change, and at a dinner where Miki meets the other couple as well as their son Yuu, who is about her age, she reluctantly agrees to the arrangement. Yuu, while at first a jerk who takes every opportunity to make fun of Miki, turns out to be fun and attractive, and Miki finds herself falling for him. Little by little, she accepts her new family arrangement, and opens up to Yuu as they become friends.

Review:

This series is great. It does several cliché things, but I don’t really mind them. Sometimes the translations are a little rough, but it doesn’t bother me too much. Because I’m enjoying the ride, the journey, that the story is taking me on, that I’m going on with these characters.

The volume starts where the last left off, with Yuu, Miwa, and Miki talking with Miwa’s dad, who is only Miwa’s dad. Who is also a bit of a womanizer, but that’s beside the point. The point is that Yuu has suspicions that he is someone else’s kid, but he is not Miwa’s fathers’. Afterward, Yuu and Miki part ways with Miwa, and the two have a talk. There’s a very cheesy moment between the two, where Miki convinces him that it doesn’t really matter, because he is a part of their family, no matter if it’s blood related or not. My biggest problem with this is that I want to know who his father is. I want him to confront his mother and find out who his real father is, if it actually isn’t Youji.

This scene is also where the two proclaim their love for each other and kiss, and end up getting sick from being out in the bad weather. In the next chapter, they each tell Ginta and Arimi, who are accepting even while a bit upset. They also go out with their parents, as it has apparently been a year since their parents married, which is insane since that was only, like, two volumes ago. Meiko agrees to go on a coffee date with Miwa, and then there is another cute moment between Miki and Yuu.

Next, we see that, perhaps, Ginta is growing some feelings about Arimi. I’m not surprised, and am looking forward to seeing what happens with him next. Later in the volume, we find out that Arimi has a fan club at her school, with several older boys falling all over her, and Ginta seems to, maybe, be getting a little jealous, but is currently denying it.

Meanwhile, Yuu gets work in a commercial from Miki’s mother, which is quite comical, but his co-worker is a pretty girl named Suzu. Miki is worried, and even when Yuu starts tutoring her and she claims to like him, he’s not bothered. She’s a middle school girl, but seems to think that Yuu and Meiko should be together. She doesn’t seem to be too forceful, but isn’t very impressed with Miki, and is sure to cause trouble later.

Then, Miki decides to get a job after her and Yuu make vacation plans together. The volume ends with her and some unknown guy startling her and the two falling on the ground together. It’s not in as precarious a position as it could be, but she drops her bracelet and, surprised, runs off, leaving him alone. This is surely going to cause problems with Yuu, and even though it’s very cliché, I am undoubtedly looking forward to reading it.

I am looking forward to the drama and sweet moments between Miki and Yuu, and seeing what happens next with Meiko and Ginta. Also, for when Miki and Yuu tell their parents about their relationship, as that hasn’t happened yet. This series is just getting better the more I read of it, and it’s a bit upsetting that I only have three volumes left, but I’m excited to read them.

Manga Review: Marmalade Boy, Volume 4, by Wataru Yoshizumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Tokyopop

Volumes: 8

Spoilers?: Yes.

Goodreads Synopsis:

And you thought your family was strange? Miki's world gets turned upside down when her parents swap spouses with another couple and all decide to live together under one roof. It only gets weirder when Miki falls in love with her new stepbrother Like a dysfunctional version of the Brady Bunch, Marmalade Boy will hook readers with its odd premise and wacky relationships.

Review:

I am really enjoying this series. It just seems to get better every volume. It’s complete shojo, and for a junkie like me, it’s fantastic. I am so glad that I was able to get them all at one time, because it would be hard to find all the volumes, and I would be so disappointed to have to stop at any point.

The last volume stopped with Yuu planning to do something with Miwa. And this one starts with everyone at school gossiping about how they might be having a secret love affair with each other. This is mostly because they’ve been hanging out together a lot lately, and neither of them were really all that close with another male before that. Meiko is intrigued for her own amusement, and Miki is outraged. Miki is not happy about this rumor at all, or the possibility it might be true, and so strikes up a competition with Miwa. He realizes what she’s thinking and does it just to mess with her, and ends up winning. From there, there’s some hanging out, some shopping, and we find out that Miwa has an interest in Meiko.

And then Yuu and Miki’s parents decide that they are going away for the weekend, on a trip that they are sure one of them told the two about. This is something that I find really fun to watch: their parents. They’re still getting used to living together and are just having fun together, and it’s obvious they’re enjoying it, and this isn’t the first time they thought someone else had informed the kids of something.

After a moment, the kids agree and they arrive. The family plays some tennis together, and then Yuu starts acting a little weird. When Miki tries to follow him, she gets lost and then in some trouble, and later when she talks to Yuu, he freaks out a little bit.

In the next chapter, the group goes to the movies together, courtesy of Miwa. Of course, they end up separated, with Miwa and Meiko together, and Yuu and Miki together. Miki and Yuu end up holding hands and going on a walk, including stopping by an arcade. While Miwa kind of forces Meiko into hanging out with him, getting something to eat, and then walking her home and kissing her on the cheek, which makes her all flustered.

Later, Meiko and Miki follow the boys, and find out that Miwa’s father is some famous architect, which frazzles Miki, because she didn’t know that he was interested in that stuff. Miki and Yuu have a bit of a fight, their classes go on a trip, they run into Arimi and Rokutanda, we see Ginta some more… We find out that Arimi has given up on Yuu and is trying to get over him.

In the last chapter, we find out that – dun dun dun! – Yuu is not his father’s son. This is absurd, and distracts Miki from everything. Miwa starts going after Meiko more seriously (and I wasn’t bought on Miwa’s long hair until I saw him with short hair). Miki disappoints Ginta by not going to his big tennis match because she decides she’s going to join Yuu and Miwa to talk with Miwa’s father. Where we find out that Miwa’s father is not Yuu’s father, because he didn’t have that kind of relationship with Yuu’s mother. So, if he isn’t his father’s son, he’s the son of someone else.

Drama is happening, you guys. I wasn’t all that thrilled with this plot twist, but I’m hoping that it turns out alright, that something not-too stereotypical happens. I like Miki and Yuu and hope something happens with them soon. I feel a bit bad about Ginta, and wonder if something’s going to happen with him. I really like Meiko’s character and just want to know what’s going to happen with her next, and I don’t mind her and Miwa together.
I am looking forward to starting the next volume.