Manga Review: Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Volume 12, by Maki Minami

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Volumes: 12

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 11.

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VIZ Media Synopsis:

Hime has the chance of a lifetime—to live and work with her heroine Sakura Aoyama. Sure, she’ll still be in the role of Shiro, but she’ll be breathing the same air as her idol every day! But Senri knows what his mom is really like, and he’s worried that his new friend will fall under her spell. Can Senri save Shiro from the same heartbreak he suffered as a kid without destroying Hime’s dream?

Review:

Hime is on her last job as Shiro, working with Kudo and his mother, whom has been her idol through this entire thing.  Sakura, Kudo’s mom, takes acting to a whole new level; when she’s playing a character, she is that character, and she sucks everyone else into it as well.  It’s what messed Kudo up in the first place, and he finds himself protective of Shiro, not wanting him to get dragged into it.  Hime understands why, but she still finds Sakura’s acting skills amazing.

Being the last volume, several storylines had to get wrapped up.  There’s the relationship between Kudo and Sakura, which I thought was given a rather nice closure for him, without being too much.  There’s Hime’s relationship with her mother, which was also sweet without being over the top.  Mizuki’s feelings for Hime was concluded in the previous volume, for the most part.  And then there’s Hime and Kudo.

I will admit that the ending is a bit rushed.  The series could have gone on at least one more volume, if not two.  I liked how Kudo figured it out, and even though I would have liked more attention on it, the subtle way their relationship continued worked.  While I couldn’t have imagined their relationship going in any other way, and I understand the reference to the way the series started and to Kudo’s parents, the way the story jumped ahead for the final scene was too fast.

I have loved this series immensely from the first volume.  It’s crazy and hilarious but also super sweet and heartwarming, and the character development was so good.  The ending could have been extended a bit more, but this was still a fantastic series, and I am really excited for her next one.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Volume 11, by Maki Minami

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2, 2015

Volumes: 12.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hime finally got the hang of her character on Cruel Octalia, and the fans really took notice! But now people are complaining that they’ve never seen Shiro. Hime feels ready for her alter ego to go public, but is she ready for the big reveal her producer has planned…live on stage with AQUA?!

Review:

God, this series just kills me. Right in the heart. Every time.

Senri and Hime are changing. Senri is learning how to make friends, how to be around people, even if he’s still not too sure who he is. Hime is getting better at her acting, her voice, in person. She’s getting better, taking all the critique, and finally getting popular. Which is when her manager decides to throw a curveball at her.

But she’s also realizing what her real feelings regarding Senri are. And oh it just crushes me. It’s also amazing seeing her and Senri get closer while she’s actually Hime. It’s just so sweet! It just warms me up inside.

I have no idea how on earth this series is going to get wrapped up in one more volume. That’s way too fast and I’m not ready for it to be over. But I’m also super excited. The cliffhanger at the end of this volume is sure to bring in some terrible things, but I’m so, so looking forward to it. I can’t wait.

Manga Review: Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Volume 10, by Maki Minami

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 7, 2015

Volumes: 12.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 9. 11.
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VIZ Media Synopsis:

Hime is really excited about her new role in the hot anime series Cruel Octalia. But the fan response (including from her friends!) is just lukewarm. Hime knows she needs to do more research into the character, but recent events have made her too confused to go to the best source of help—Senri Kudo!

Review:

This series kind of amazes me. It’s crazy and hilarious, and I absolutely love the humor. But it’s also so well placed and deliberate, balanced so well with the serious. And there is real depth here. We have real characters and growth, depth, a past that has formed them, reasons behind their actions. Well done serious statement panels. I just love it beyond belief, and I can’t even believe it myself.

We got more and more of Senri in this volume, and I love it. Only this time, Shiro is trying to push him away, because she knows that he can’t find out she’s a girl. This hurts Senri a lot, because he’s already hurt by past friends, but it’s also kind of sweet at times, and they’re just so adorable. And then we get to see them at school, where Shiro is Hime, and Senri doesn’t like Hime. And that’s also adorable, but it’s also going to blow Hime’s cover as Shiro. Senri is going to catch on, especially with all her slip-ups. But at the same time, Senri is trying to make friends, and learn how to get along with people for real again, with no acting. It’s painful, and it’s sweet, and he’s so cute.

There’s some Mizuki here, but I’m all for Senri, so I don’t even care. Hime is getting better at voice acting, and I really do appreciate the time taken for that, that she’s given focus and determined to become better, that she does actually work on it and succeed.

These volumes go by so fast, because I just eat them up as soon as I get them. And there’s only two volumes left! Thank god another series of hers has already been licensed. I can’t wait for the next one.

Manga Review: Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Volume 9, by Maki Minami

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2015

Volumes: 12

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Add on Goodreads.

RightStuf Synopsis:

Senri Kudo's unusual upbringing may have prepared him for being an amazing actor, but it also left him ill-equipped to have normal relationships with kids his own age. Can Senri act his way into being a good friend, or will "getting into character" get him into even more trouble with his peers?
Story and art by Maki Minami.

Review:

We get the conclusion of what’s going on in Kudo’s head in this volume. His past concludes sadly, and then we get back to the present, and now we understand why he’s so rude and standoffish. The poor thing just doesn’t know who he is.

I feel so many things for Kudo, and I just love him so much. And then Hime/Shiro pushes him a little more, surprises him in her innocence and overabundance of optimism. And he really doesn’t understand the things he’s feeling, given that he thinks Shiro is just a guy friend. But he’s so sweet anyway.

There’s some underhanded fighting between Kudo and Mizuki, and it’s so great. Then Mizuki has to show Shiro that she’s actually a girl, and needs to be careful not to let other people know that, including Kudo.

Shiro is so completely oblivious, and Kudo does not understand at all, and I love it. This series is just adorable and hilarious and I completely love it. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.