Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 5, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: July 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and this Sleeping Beauty’s curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber… Satoshi’s father has worked for the rich family in the house on the hill his entire life, so when the teenager needs a part-time job to put himself through school, looking after the mansion’s gardens is a natural fit. Satoshi’s ready to work hard, and he quickly endears himself to the staff. But there’s one ironclad rule even he must obey: Don’t go near the cottage behind the house. When he sees a beautiful, pale girl in one of the windows, Satoshi assumes she is being kept prisoner, and their secret meetings quickly turn romantic, but Satoshi has no idea just how terrible this Sleeping Beauty’s curse really is…

Review:

Tetsu takes Shizu to his grandfather's place, where they work and sleep in the same room, but Tetsu's family isn't far behind.

That seems like it should be the biggest plot here, but it's not really. Tetsu's family finally discusses what's been going on—they find out how hard Tetsu has been working, and why. His sisters finally say their piece about it, and their father and grandfather realize what's been going on. It's an important step between them. And in that same realm, Shizu and her mother get to talk—though that's a little overshadowed by a surprise with one of Shizu's ghosts.

We get a little history in this volume. We find out that Shizu's mom and Tetsu's mom were close friends, and then we see what the relationship between Shizu's parents is really like. It's honestly a little unsettling, his unhealthy feelings for her.

This is the start of the conclusion. It looks like it'll be sweet and a little sad. I'm looking forward to seeing how it wraps up, though.

Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 4, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and this Sleeping Beauty's curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber...

THE MOVING FORWARD

Shizu's grand scheme to get Tetsu to play soccer one last time was a big success, and has become a catalyst for change for everyone involved. One of the biggest changes comes from Chihiro, who works up the courage to tell Tetsu his biggest secret. Will this revelation tear the friends apart?

Review:

After the stadium thing, Shizu has grown somewhat okay with leaving the house now. And she's formed an acquaintance-ship with Chihiro. This opens to the bromance between Chihiro and Tetsu—we get Chihiro's backstory, and a secret about him, and then we get to see what kind of friendship they really have, as they both come to realize they are actually friends.

Shizu gets to go to a festival in a yukata for the first time, just as her father shows up and ruins everything.

We finally get into the deeper plot in the last half of the book, as Shizu's father shows and we see what drastic measures he's willing to take to hide his daughter, and what her mother is willing to let him do because of her own fears and insecurities.

The end of the volume feels like there's not much left, but we still have two volumes. I'm excited to see where this goes next, now that Tetsu is taking a stand.

Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 3, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and this Sleeping Beauty's curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber...

THE SUFFERING

As Shizu begins to venture outside more and more, her days are filled with new experiences. When she shows an interest in going to school, Tetsu and the spirits dwelling within Shizu think up a foolproof plan to get her there. But when the two teens arrive on campus, they bump into Tetsu's old soccer team. Suddenly, his carefully curated life begins to unravel and Shizu may be the only one who can save him.

Review:

This volume is very about Tetsu. His past is finally catching up to him, now that he's nearing graduation, and Shizu is starting to notice. Shizu is struggling with all of her inner voices while trying to find her own, especially regarding her feelings for Tetsu and how she can help him. Tetsu has pushed away all of his friends and hobbies, and it's affected his friends and family in ways he wasn't seeing. It turns out, he needed the good-hearted childishness of Kanato to push him along.

It's a little messy, with the revelation in the middle. All of these feelings are also culminating inside Shizu. But the end result is super sweet, and it's nice to see all of his old team mates showing Tetsu how much they care.

The ending was another rather big revelation. I'm intrigued to see where it goes next, in their relationship.

Having so many people in Tetsu's life meet Shizu is also interesting, and I'm wondering what will happen with that. Her predicament is a little hard to explain, especially when Tetsu calls Shizu by each personality that takes over—that is sure to get confusing to someone else at some point.

Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 2, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and this Sleeping Beauty’s curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber…

THE UNINVITED

Despite being a scaredy-cat and crybaby, high schooler Tetsu finds himself working at the eerie estate on the hill, where Shizu–the only child of the Karasawa family–is secreted away. However, his friendship with Shizu quickly turns to fear when several spirits of the dead appear before him, borrowing her appearance. As he struggles to find the humanity in her supernatural condition, Tetsu must also face a question at once terrifying and heartbreaking: What if the true Shizu never returns?

Review:

The volume starts off a little rocky, since Tetsu has decided he's only working for Shizu's family, not there to be her friend. But that rather quickly falls through, because Tetsu can't help but want to jump in to help Shizu, especially when her other sides take over.

He gets to meet her final spirit, and this one is a bit of a party girl, but a nice one. Though she's much more free-spirited and carefree than Tetsu would like, especially with Shizu's body.

There's another instance where a ghost possesses Shizu in this volume, this time a little girl. We also get some small progress on Tetsu's life, his past and what he's doing/hiding. We're getting to understand him a little more, as he's beginning to learn more about Shizu. We also get some ominous news from Shizu's family.

This series is progressing really well so far, very well-rounded and steady. I'm really enjoying it, and the more we find out, the more intrigued I am by it. I'm excited for the next one.

Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 1, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and Sleeping Beauty's curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber...

THE AWAKENING

High schooler Tetsu Misato is hardworking, frugal, and easily scared, but he commits to a part-time job at the mansion on the hill—the one that’s rumored to be haunted. As he toils away, he notices a building separate from the estate, and the mysterious girl who lives within it: Shizu Karasawa. Tetsu slowly becomes enchanted by Shizu’s lonely smile, but by their second encounter, he quickly finds himself in over his head. There’s an unsettling feeling he can’t quite shake, but there’s love there, too.

Review:

In the first half of this volume, I was a little iffy, and wasn't even sure if I would read more. But by the end of the volume, I was intrigued and wanted the next one.

Tetsu starts working at this mansion where his father works, as a deal instead of going to school. He's doing his best, but he knows the rules about no one going to the house in the back. But then he stumbles upon Shizu on accident, and it starts up an interesting friendship. The Shizu we first see is fun and energetic. But later, Tetsu meets Shizu, and she's a completely different person.

We get some scenes from Shizu's point of view, so we get to see her interacting with the other people inside her. It's a very interesting dynamic, and it's done really well so far. It's a little unclear how it works exactly, but I believe that's intentional. I like the different personalities we've met so far, but it's hinted there's another. And then, when Shizu goes out with Tetsu, something else happens.

Each personality is very different, shown differently, and the atmosphere can completely change. Tetsu struggled with his own feelings on it, and he's not sure how to handle it or whether he wants to deal with it.

I'm so intrigued by this, and I really want to read more and see what happens next.