Manga Review: Let's Dance a Waltz, Volume 3, by Natsumi Ando

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: August 2015

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2.

Add on Goodreads 

Amazon Synopsis:

When Hime Makimura was young, her mother told her that she could be like a princess someday. Now that Hime is in middle school, overweight and unpopular, life is a cruel disappointment. Tango Minami is a popular high school boy who hides his job as a ballroom dance instructor to maintain his image. But when Tango's mom urges Tango to take Hime as a student, everything gets turned upside down! Will Tango's classmate find out about his embarrassing job? And will Hime find the self-confidence needed to be like a princess on the ballroom floor?

Review:

This is the conclusion to the series. So we get to see what Tango has been hiding, who his old partner was, and Sumire’s feelings are finally revealed.

While I did like the backstory here, and it made a lot of sense given Tango’s stigma of people knowing he dances and Sumire’s feelings for Tango, it was just okay to me. I did like Yusei, though, and was happy with how his feelings for Sumire were realized. He was a sweet guy. And the ending for Tango and Hime was sweet, and I was glad for how they worked out.

But mostly this series was very meh. I didn’t love the characters too much, and Hime’s reactions at the end were a little too over-the-top for me; she ran away too soon. But I did like that Tango didn’t fall for her instantly, at least. I don’t know. It was just okay in the end.

Manga Review: Let's Dance a Waltz, Volume 2, by Natsumi Ando

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: June 2015

Volumes: 3

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Add on Goodreads 

RightStuf Synopsis:

It's time for the competition to begin! Yusei and Hime have a special routine prepared, designed to bring Tango back to the world of Dancesport. Can the two of them reignite the passion Tango once had for ballroom dance, or will Hime fail to stroke the flames of Tango's competitive fire?

Review:

I was a little unsure of the last volume, and I still agree with the people who are against the way Hime changed to tiny bodied. But I’m reading it, and it’s not so bad, for what it’s doing.

I like Hime. A lot. She’s honest with herself, and pretty honest with other people, as well. She’s optimistic, very bright and happy. She likes Tango, and she’s pretty open about that. I think it’s cute, and appreciate that.

Tango is also doing better, being honest about what he likes, with himself and his classmates. I like Yusei, he seems like a good guy, and good friend for Tango. Sumire, I’m intrigued by, but I can tell there’s more going on with her. Drama is coming.

The dancing is still great. I love the clothes and the way Hime lights up when she’s dancing. I’m just a fan in general of dancing, though.

I believe there’s only like one more book left, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this series ends. I’m not loving it, but I don’t mind it so far.

Manga Review: Let's Dance a Waltz, Volume 1, by Natsumi Ando

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: April 7, 2015

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: Not really.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

DESTINED TO DANCE

Homely and shy, Himé is burdened by the name her mother gave her, “Princess.” Wanting nothing more than to be unnoticed and live a modest life, Himé gets a jolt of inspiration when she tries a dance class where she meets Tango. Her teacher/dance partner, Tango happens to also be her classmate at school. Unfortunately, Tango is desperate to keep his ballroom dancing a secret, believing it will ruin his cool image if anyone at school finds out. Will Tango quit teaching Himé in order to keep his secret or will he be the partner Himé believes he’s destined to be?

Review:

I’m not sure what to think of this series.

Ando has made good and bad series before, and I’m trying to be a continued supporter of her work, but I’d been warned about this one.

Hime is sensitive about her body, and the way people think of her. No one notices her, and when they do, it’s for a bad reason. But she gets pushed into dancing, and she loves it. She starts dancing with Tango, and she loves it. Tango, however, doesn’t want anyone to know.

I am intrigued by the characters. Hime seems all right, but I’m surprised by my interest in Tango. He’s a bit of a jerk right now, but I feel like he could be a really nice guy, if he wanted to. His dancer friends seem nice, too.

I have two main problems with this, though. Firstly, Tango’s fright of people knowing he dances. I don’t understand why that is such an embarrassing thing, or why people make fun of him for doing it. Dancing is amazing, and people shouldn’t be ashamed about something they’re good at and enjoy doing.

Then, there’s the body shape trope. Hime is not small, and people don’t like her because of it. She’s insecure about it. And at the end of the book, after two weeks of dance practice, she’s miraculously tiny-waisted. I’m disappointed in this, that she has to be small to be pretty, and that it happened so fast. It would make sense for her to get in shape after working out and dancing, but not that fast. That’s ridiculous.

I really want to like this, and I really want to support Kodansha’s shojo series, and I love dance books. I’m going to read a couple more, but I’m a little iffy at this point.

Manga Review: Arisa, Volume 12, by Natsumi Ando

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: January 2014

Volumes: 12

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Tsubasa thinks that her pretty and popular twin sister, Arisa, has the perfect life. Everyone at school loves Arisa—unlike the hot-tempered Tsubasa, whose nickname is “the Demon Princess.” But when Arisa attempts suicide, Tsubasa learns that her seemingly perfect sister has been keeping some dark secrets. Now Tsubasa is going undercover at school—disguised as Arisa—in search of the truth. But will Arisa’s secrets shatter Tsubasa’s life, too?

Review:

I took a very long break from this series, but I have finally finished it. I really, really enjoyed Ando’s Kitchen Princess series, and really wanted to like this one, but it was just… a bit overdone and dramatic.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike this series. I enjoyed most of the characters, and the art is really pretty. I would have enjoyed a bit more romance for Tsubasa, but overall I really appreciated the sister aspect. That’s something that I think was really well done, and I liked that it was given the main focus. Overall, this story was about the two sisters, and how Tsubasa was there for her twin at all times, even when Arisa didn’t deserve it. The ending for them as sisters, too, worked, and made me happy for them.

The idea behind the King plot line I liked, and the reasons we were given for Arisa starting it, also worked. There was some depth given, or at least attempted. It was mostly the Midori part that didn’t work for me.

Midori went through some bad things, and that’s why he is the way he is—those things make sense to me. But how overdone his emotions for it all were, and then the way that it all turned around in the end to make him seem like a victim, just didn’t work for me. Having him be the victim in a moment of horror twisted around, just seemed like a cheap ploy to have people not hate him.

Arisa’s feelings for him didn’t work for me. The fact that no one actually ended up hurt in the end, didn’t work for me. In the end, the only parts I liked were the sisters relationship, and Tsubasa and her friends (from her original school). The rest of it was just cheesy and unrealistic. 

Overall, I’m a little disappointed with this series. I wanted more from it. But, still, I look forward to reading her next series to be released.

Wishlist Thursday[103]: Let's Dance a Waltz by Natsumi Ando & Your Lie in April by Naoshi Arakawa

I’ve got two new Kodansha Comics titles for this month:

Let’s Dance a Waltz 1 by Natsumi Ando

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: April 7, 2015

Volumes: 3

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

RightStuf Synopsis:

Homely and shy, Hime is burdened by the name her mother gave her, "Princess." Wanting nothing more than to be unnoticed and live a modest life, Hime gets a jolt of inspiration when she tries a dance class where she meets Tango. Her teacher/dance partner, Tango happens to also be her classmate at school. Unfortunately, Tango is desperate to keep his ballroom dancing a secret, believing it will ruin his cool image if anyone at school finds out. Will Tango quit teaching Hime in order to keep his secret, or will he be the partner Hime believes he's destined to be?
Story and art by Natsumi Ando.

Why?:

This is by the same author as Arisa and Kitchen Princess, so of course I will be picking it up. Her artwork is pretty, and I truly enjoyed Kitchen Princess. This looks like it will be more in the realm of that one, so sounds promising. Plus, a closer look at the cover makes the characters look even better. I’m looking forward to picking it up.

&

Your Lie in April 1 by Naoshi Arakawa

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Volumes: 10+

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

RightStuf Synopsis:

Kosei Arima was a piano prodigy until his cruel taskmaster of a mother died suddenly, changing his life forever. Driven by his pain to abandon piano, Kosei now lives in a monotonous, colorless world. Having resigned himself to a bland life, he is surprised when he meets Kaori Miyazono, a violinist with an unorthodox style. Can she bring Kosei back to music, and back to life?
Story and art by Naoshi Arakawa.

Why?:

The artwork looks very pretty, and the synopsis sounds good. I’m not too sure what the genre for it is, if it’s shojo or shonen, and I kind of forgot about it. But recently I’ve heard good things, and it keeps popping up online. I will be picking it up, and I am intrigued.

What about you? What are you looking forward to?