Monkey High 7
August 1, 2009
Shouko Akira – Viz – 2009 – 8+ volumes
Oh, Monkey High. I do enjoy this series immensely, but that’s because when it’s good, it’s really good. But the rest of it’s kind of average. That’s not so much the case in this volume (I liked all the chapters in this volume), but it does continue to lean heavily on common shoujo plot devices. Macharu and Haruna win a trip to a thinly-disguised Disneyland, and most of the second half of the volume deals with entrance exams and the two of them considering what will happen when they split up for college. It gets away with it because Haruna and Macharu really are wonderful characters, and I still like that they have a huge group of friends that hangs out with them regularly (though they don’t play a huge role in this volume).
More specifically, this volume deals with the sexual tension between Macharu and Haruna. Things almost escalate several times, but there are, of course, doubts and very shoujo manga-ish interruptions. Haruna makes a distinction between physical and emotional love, which I liked, and the question of sex is pondered at length, and several different sources, including friends, (sort of) teachers, and parents weigh in. College is also discussed at length, but mostly to show that Macharu is serious and driven and whatnot. It wasn’t as interesting, but again, Haruna and Macharu make up for a lot of what’s not there, and not only are both fairly interesting and sympathetic characters, they have a truly nice relationship that I enjoy reading about.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
