Skip Beat 26

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2012 – 29+ volumes

It would be hard to top the excellent Valentine’s Day story we’ve had in the volumes before this. Skip Beat has its work cut out for it. Luckily, after 26 volumes of some of the most awesome shoujo manga I’ve ever read, I know it’s up to the task.

This volume is a little underwhelming, though, since it’s mostly exposition for the next storyline. But it’s exposition that will pay off in a big way later. As part of a Love Me assignment, Kyoko is paired up with Ren, who has to remain in character for a difficult role in an upcoming movie. Ren and Kyoko are, in real life, walking around as a pair of super-goth and very intimidating siblings. Better still, in character, the two are supposed to dote on one another.

This is about as great as it sounds. Lory is the instigator, of course, and even with only a couple chapters of in-character story at the end of the volume, we’ve already been treated to a hotel room with one bed and a round of clothes shopping, not to mention Ren’s inner commentary about how astoundingly difficult this all is.

As much as it sounds like a regular shoujo manga set-up (and it is), it’s Skip Beat’s sense of humor that makes all this far better than it should be. There is a little romance, of course, but most of the pleasure here comes from the fact that Kyoko is absolutely flabbergasted by all this. She’s dressed in a short leather skirt and plunging neckline, has to be mean, and has to fawn all over “big brother” Ren. She’s… a bit unsure of her acting ability in all this.

In a strange scene towards the end of the book, she is interpreting what appears to be Ren’s frustrations as exasperation with the fact she is not acting little sister Setsuka properly. The story is told from Kyoko’s point of view at this point, and it appears to be correct in context. But just before this, Ren is having trouble keeping his inner “kind of the night” in check, and I was reading his frustrations as more… anger at the fact that Kyoko has to dress and act this way at all. It’s a little strange. But from either point of view, it’s very funny stuff.

Oh, Skip Beat. I can’t even imagine all the great places this story is going to go. I can’t wait until the next volume.

Skip Beat 25

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2011 – 28+ volumes

This book was so good that I went back and re-read the series from the beginning in two days. Skip Beat is a force to be reckoned with.

But really, this one is probably the best volume yet. And it’s going to be hard for me to talk about, because I really don’t want to spoil it. But the volume opens with a confrontation with Sho, and ends with Ren getting jealous and taking action. Kyoko is, of course, in the middle. Misunderstandings get sorted out. New misunderstandings are created.

Only Skip Beat can take what is usually a sweet, but noteworthy moment in any shoujo series and make it happen twice in one volume, and somehow humiliate all parties involved both times. And really, it’s Nakamura’s ability to completely shame her characters, to make fun of them relentlessly and exploit their quirks, that makes Skip Beat so much fun to read.

There’s still plenty of funny mixed in here, but both events are… almost no laughing matter. And even with all the humor mixed in with the drama and romance and ridiculous rage, the volume still ends on a really sweet, positive note that almost makes you think “welllllll… maybe Kyoko is starting to come around.”

Because seriously, Ren is too cool a guy to keep humiliating again and again like this. Of course, that’s part of the fun. But still.

And if my hints aren’t vague enough for you, here’s a concrete plot point: Kyoko finally explains what her Valentine’s Day intentions towards Ren are. It’s, unusually, a little more than you could hope for in this series.

But every single page of this volume was delightful. I can’t stress how much fun this series is every single time. I have yet to be disappointed by anything, really.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Skip Beat 24

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2011 – 28+ volumes

I read this months ago, but it drifted to the bottom of my review pile. Every time I pick it up, I re-read it instead of writing about it. I can’t help but love and adore Skip Beat, and this is one of the best volumes. It’s one of my absolute favorite current series.

What makes this one of the best volumes? Well, the Valentine Wars. In a series where the heroine sets out to hate (in the most hilarious way possible) every guy who may have a crush on her, it’s hard not to revel in a Valentine’s Day storyline.

To make matters worse, Ren’s birthday is also on February 13th, so there’s a Ren storyline wrapped up in here. Of course, with Valentine’s Day as the theme, Ren is inevitably involved (sadly, he doesn’t get to give her a present, because that’s not how Japan works. In fact, I don’t think he could give her a present on White Day, which is Valentine’s Day for girls, unless Kyoko gave him something on V-day).

But Valentine’s Day isn’t just Ren. Because this is a super-evil shoujo manga, and that would be too easy. Ren is merely the handsome boyfriend candidate. The good one. There’s also Sho, the asshole that dumped Kyoko back in volume one, and Reino, another huge jerk from somewhere ten volumes ago. Both of these are bad men. Both are also trying as hard as they can to court Kyoko, mostly out of spite.

I love that expensive flowers and chocolates, homemade stuff, and other Valentines-related hoops, are jumped through all in the name of spite in this series. God is this good stuff.

Also a nice touch: The chocolates that Kyoko makes for Reino say “you go to hell” and have the word “hate” inscribed on them, as well as crying dog faces. This is why no comic is better than Skip Beat.

Also great: When Ren is in a full-blown rage, he hides it with a beatific, sparkling gentlemanly smile.

If I keep going, I’m just going to keep listing the funniest scenes in the book. Suffice to say, there’s humor as well as romantic stuff to look forward to, since not only is Ren on the cusp of not getting a Valentine’s gift, there’s also Reino showing up to accept one, and Sho acting childish, and all sorts of adorable/hateful romance to enjoy in a way that only Skip Beat can provide.

I LOVE THIS. Truthfully, I finally reviewed this volume because I told myself I couldn’t read the new one until I did. I love this series to pieces.

Skip Beat 23

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2011 – 28+ volumes

I like this series so much! It really is one of my favorites. This volume is a few months old at this point, but whenever I pick it up to review it, I re-read it and run out of time to write it up, because I’m sad like that. The next volume just came out though, and I’ve read this volume enough times that I can’t put it off anymore.

But I still read it again today.

It’s just so mean-spirited in an extremely happy way. I’m not quite sure how to describe it aside from that. People make fun of Kyoko, both to her face and in their thoughts, almost constantly, but Kyoko also isn’t the kind of person to take bullying lying down, or to change her habits because people think she’s silly. I love that she blatantly ignores things she doesn’t want to hear. I love that she can barely contain these depressing, truly frightening personae that make up her personality and basically brushes off her disturbing behavior whenever asked. And yet, for all that, she’s still basically a happy teenage girl that’s overly polite to one another and just wants to be an actress. That Skip Beat can pull all this off is what makes it so special.

This volume contains one of the most disturbing bullying scenes I’ve ever seen in a manga. It’s truly uncomfortable stuff, and Kyoko is at the head of it. Chiori continues to let her feelings of resentment towards Kyoko fester and manifest themselves in minor bullying incidents, but things come to a head when she pushes Kyoko down the stairs and injures her hand. Instead of telling the director about Chiori’s actions, Kyoko decides to take a much more disturbing path for her revenge. She humiliates Chiori while on the set of their drama, in character, in front of all the other actors and crew. She then blackmails her into savagely bullying one of the other actresses in her place. All while in character. Chiori gets very ugly in this scene. But none of it looks out of place in the drama they’re shooting.

It’s a really chilling, eerie scene. Unfortunately, most of the savage nature, and the lesson about bullying, is taken back at the end (because I don’t think shoujo manga are allowed to say that worse bullying is the solution to a situation where you’re being pushed around). But all the same, it was a horrible scene. And also satisfying in some ways, because Kyoko rarely lashes out at people like that, and it’s satisfying to see that she can give as well as she gets.

This Chiori storyline hasn’t been one of my favorites in the series though, aside from this bullying scene (I hate admitting I really enjoyed that, but I promise, in the context of the series, it’s really good). The next storyline promises to be a real winner, though.

It’s Valentine’s day. I’ve read enough Valentine’s day stories to last me a lifetime, but this one is different. So many of the characters in this series are frighteningly against the holiday. Others, like the director of LME, are frighteningly for it. The scary guy from Vie Ghoul is back. Also, it’s Ren’s birthday, and if there’s anything I want to see worse than Kyoko giving Ren any sort of present, I don’t know what it is.

So, yes. Skip Beat is one of the most fun shoujo series I think I’ve ever read. It’s quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites, and I am ridiculously excited whenever a new volume arrives. Hopefully I can write up 24 before volume 25 arrives, but I may have to read it several times before that happens.

Skip Beat 22

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2010 – 26+ volumes

This volume forgoes romance, instead focusing on Kyoko’s acting and a rivalry with other girls on the set of her new drama, specifically a girl who really has it out for Kyoko.

Last time, Kyoko has a hard time on the set of her new drama since she isn’t really “feeling” her mean girl character, which causes the other teen girl actresses to snub her and the director to give her a talking to. So she goes to Ren, and comes back with a kick-ass bully persona that I almost think she should hold on to, since for some reason she doesn’t really command respect as she is (though she has it in her to turn that situation around, always, it would be much easier for her if she simply just… exuded power, as this persona does). The grudge gets out to play, and all the actresses that were making fun of her more-or-less grovel at her feet by the end of the day. And then Kyoko makes friends with them and they eat hot udon noodles outside in the cold winter.

She really is one of the best shoujo heroines ever. I love her so much. She’s kind, but also quite mean-spirited and all about promoting herself in a positive way. She’s very serious about what she does, and works hard at it, rather than being innately talented. I forgive her unrealistic rise in fame, since it would be boring to slog through three years of obscurity, but it really does show how she works hard to get what she wants.

One of the actresses really, really hates Kyoko and is insanely jealous of her current popularity. There’s some pretty mean-spirited stuff coming from her, and Kyoko/Bully Kyoko has a harder time fighting back since this girl has a “nice girl” image. It gets downright vicious at the end of the volume, and there’s a nasty cliffhanger, but I have no doubt the two will be friends by the end of the story.

I really, really wish this came out faster, or something. I know we’re mostly caught up with Japan (or were, which is why the releases slowed down, I think), but even if we suddenly got four volumes in a row, something tells me that not much would happen story-wise, and I would still be insanely desperate for the next volume. I don’t know what it is, this series is just a lot of hilarious, spiteful fun. I love it to pieces, and it’s still one of my current favorites.

Skip Beat 21

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2010 – 25+ volumes

After the last volume, full of all sorts of fun and girly stuff, the momentum slows way down this time, and the plot switches over to a story where Kyoko has a lot of problems. She starts shooting her new drama, but things get off on the wrong foot when she shows up late for the first reading, then things go even more south when she can’t act the part of a normal high school girl and hates being told to act the bully parts like Mio, since the character Natsu isn’t anywhere near that evil. Plus, the other actresses on set bully Kyoko, but this doesn’t really seem to get to her as much as the acting stuff.

Ren is consulted at several points, and there’s a great scene where he elaborates in a fantastic way on the present he gave Kyoko last volume, but for the most part, this is all about Kyoko semi-failing, not a common theme in Skip Beat.

Well, it sort of is, because you have to have a lot of this sort of story in order for Kyoko to triumph and bounce back. Which I suspect will happen next volume. But she is brought pretty low in this volume, and I think that it’s nice that Kyoko doesn’t succeed immediately every time. She also has to sit on failure for the entire volume here, and while it makes for some depressing reading, it does do wonders to make Kyoko seem like less of an innately gifted princess, since she’s working hard to fix her problems here.

I also liked that Natsu wasn’t a role that Kyoko liked, or was even good at. Mio wasn’t what she wanted to do either, but she was good at Mio. Not so much Natsu. Again, I’m sure that’ll change next volume, but it was still nice to see here.

And as depressing as this was, Kyoko herself stayed strangely positive, not seeing failure, but only looking for a chance to improve. All the retakes and ill opinions make her seek out advice from Ren, and make her really think about how to fix things. I also like that she’s absolutely immune to bullying. It’s not so much that she doesn’t care about the opinions of those around her, it’s just that she seems to know that they’re wrong.

Still awesome stuff, and still one of the most addictive shoujo series I’m reading. Even at its most depressing, this is still high on my list of positive, pick-me-up reads.

Skip Beat 20

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2010 – 24+ volumes

I read this volume twice today, along with a ton of other comics, so I feel like I’ve numbed myself to it a bit and am not going to be able to do it justice.  Take my word for it, though.  This volume was just as heart-crushingly adorable as all the others that have come before it.  Maybe more so, because we get to see Kyoko and Maria acting adorable together and they, along with Lory, throwing a big happy “thank you”/holiday/birthday party.  Good stuff, and still chock full of the little hilarious asides that make the series amazing.

But yes, that’s basically what happens.  After making Maria sad and putting her foot in her mouth about Maria’s birthday (the day her mother died), Kyoko suggests they throw a party to thank all the people in their lives for that year.  Maria agrees, and the two of them go all-out preparing the party.  Lory is forbidden from helping because he is a guest, so the two receive funding and help from a mysterious “Daddy Long-Legs.”  Funny stuff.

The best parts are the… war that Moko wages with herself when trying to acquire the perfect gift for Kyoko.  She doesn’t have any problem finding a gift, and in fact, doesn’t intend to give a gift until she spots the perfect item.  It is perfectly suited to Kyoko’s tastes.  Thus, Moko must embarass herself in order to buy it.  This mental tug-of-war is rather expertly depicted.  It comes across pretty clearly how Kyoko’s joy is what keeps the blinding rage at bay in Moko’s mind.

Also, there’s Ren.  Of course, Ren is invited by both Kyoko and Maria, but he’s of course most excited about Kyoko.  A childhood memory also means he gets to act all smooth and nice at the end of the party, a real prince.  Ren always steals the show, though.  I do hope this leads to something more concrete between them, although the significance of his gift is downplayed when Kyoko gets hit with a series of good things all in a row.

There’s also some interesting family dynamics shown in the Lory/Maria family.  We get to meet an awesome uncle, and someone else, too.  I was hoping for both to be a little more extreme, being related to Lory and all, but I did like Uncle Tora all the same.  And it made for such a sugary sweet story that I can’t bring myself to really find faults with the gentlemen.

Skip Beat still has it.  It’s one of my absolute favorite shoujo series of all time.  I could literally read it forever and never get tired of it.  Although… again, twenty volumes in,  I don’t think it’s wrong of me to wish for a little bit more between Ren and Kyoko.  I mean, she still has absolutely no idea he has a gigantic crush on her and is also her childhood fairy prince.  I mean, he’d only have to tell her that to win her over forever.  And man, is he ever cute and little boy-ish around her.

See, only Skip Beat can make me say embarrassing things like that.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Skip Beat 19

Yoshiki Nakamura – Viz – 2009 – 23+ volumes

Oh, Skip Beat.  It’s been far too long since the last volume.  I’m still completely addicted, so it’s just sad that the bimonthly volumes had to stop as we approach the current Japanese volume.

As much as I am still completely in love with this series, I was a little disappointed in this volume.  I was expecting a bit more to be revealed about Ren’s past and family.  While we did learn quite a bit, mostly about how he got into acting… all the important stuff is still missng.  More important, this was a better time than any for Ren to let his secret slip to Kyoko.  I suppose that can still happen, but seeing as how they’ve already discussed Kuon and Koo, it feels like the opportunity has passed.  The reasons for keeping his identity as secret as possible are given, but… it just feels wrong to keep it from poor Kyoko.

He makes up for it by trying to gently coerce Kyoko into saying his first name with no honorifics and failing miserably.  He’s a scary guy when he’s wound up, so I can’t blame Kyoko for not delivering the super-cute moment that Yashiro imagines.

While there weren’t really any cute Ren moments, we do get to see his mask slip a little.  One of my favorite moments was when the viewer only gets to see the back of his head, and while Koo rambles about Kyoko, Lory seems to be staring at Ren and then starts smirking and laughing creepily, prompting Ren to change the subject.  I assume that means that Ren was smiling goofily or something.  We do, in fact, get to see his goofy smile of gratitude towards the end of the volume when Koo does something incredibly good for Kyoko.  Aww.

This storyline wasn’t nearly as good as the last, even considering how eccentric and awesome Koo turned out to be.  I think that’s mostly because I was expecting more from it, and that could just be me, but I suppose with this out of the way, things will turn back to Ren and Kyoko.  That’ll be just fantastic.

Skip Beat 18

Man, this series just gets to be a girlier and girlier read with every new volume.  I wasn’t sure I’d like this new plot as much as the previous Dark Moon storyline given the unprecedented romantic bounty we were handed there, but things really take a turn for the strange in this volume, and it’s hard not to get swept up.

Also, Lory is battling some sort of dating sim addiction through the entire volume whenever any character checks in with him, and that was just an awesome tangent.

It becomes clear fairly quickly that Koo, as horribly as he treats Kyoko at first, is only doing it in hopes that she will complain to Ren and Ren will get angry and confront him.  The reason for that is just one part of a few different, very interesting story threads coming together.  Corn literally and figuratively has a part to play, and there are two scenes dealing with him that made me die a little inside in the way that only really excellent shoujo can.  We even very nearly get to see Corn’s face, and I was fooled for a minute, but it was just Kyoko acting.  Curse her.

For my own reference, the best scene in the volume was a three-way awkward face-off between Kyoko (who was playing a character), Ren, and Koo.  Koo’s actually a really awesome guy once he stops trying to be a jerk.  He turns out to be a teacher and sort of a father figure for Kyoko, who doesn’t really know all that much about parental affection.

Also in this volume: we start to see Sho keep his promise to Kyoko.  Awesome.

Yeah, I’m just going to gush in an embarassing way if I continue talking about this volume.  Skip Beat’s one of the funniest and most addictive shoujo series I’m reading right now.  Hands down.  I love it more and more with every volume, and it’s not just any series that can keep me singing its praises this far into the series.

Skip Beat 17

Ahh.  I am rarely more satisfied than I am when I get a volume of Skip Beat with a lot of Ren in it.  Let’s hope the story never diverges from this path.

Reino is still hanging around, which should be no surprise.  Sho gave him a beating, but… apparently he loves to pick apples.  Kyoko takes preventive measures (including equipping weapons in a Fujiko-like fashion, I’m always happy to see Fujiko), but Ren assures her that these things are not necessary as long as he’s around.  And he blushes.  Being an actor, Ren rarely shows emotion, so even a blush is killer.  A true daydream face is hidden, and a joke is made out of it by Yashiro, who teases Ren about “minimal progress.”

But Reino seems to know all about Ren, and some scary stuff is eluded to both by him and by a sort of disturbing role he takes for a movie.  Was Ren really some sort of punk teenager?  I’m not sure if I like that or not.  I… I think I do.

Things I do like:  apparently Reino’s cellphone ring is some sort of Buddhist chant.  That’s just an awesome detail to include.

Moko shows up briefly in the end, expecting to cheer Kyoko up after a crushing blow dealt by Sho Fuwa’s increasing popularity.  Very little can get Kyoko down when Moko is around though.  I love the relationship between those two.  It’s just so… mutually beneficial.

What else… something is said about the success of Dark Moon, Kyoko gets a few more jobs, and she gets one more job straight from Lory to the Love-Me Section.  Apparently she is in charge of a very mean man.  I’m not sure where that’s going.

I love you, Skip Beat!