Skip Beat! (Part Five) - Anime

Seriously, this is the last part of the review. Like as not, anyone who's read this is going, "whew!" but I've loved gushing. I also have to tell you, I just watched the whole anime again and I'm about to reread the manga. So, I'm hooked. Good and hooked.

Bottom line: good addictive anime, if not as pretty as some, and with an incomplete ending. 25 total episodes.

This is the first time I've had a post that just focused on the anime instead talking about the manga with the anime as an afterthought. It's ironic because the story's basically the same as the manga. No, it is the same as the manga, which isn't always the case with anime, although there's usually at least a common thread. In animes, which frequently come to an end while the manga's still going strong, an interim end (one that frequently foreshadows the ending some long distance away) is devised so, in particular, the last few episodes of the anime tend to vary the most from the original manga. Unfortunately, this did not happen here, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Most of the anime I've purchased have been released in the US with dubbed dialogue and I've been almost universally pleased with the caliber of the English speaking voices involved (Tamaki [Vic Mignogna] and Kyoya [J. Michael Tatum] are particular favorites from Ouran High School Host Club). Skip Beat! (the anime) is not licensed in the US and is not dubbed but subtitled. I watched it anyway, became hooked, and found it on-line for purchasing from Japan, theoretically. Since I'm learning Japanese anyway (also another story), I'm buying some subtitled anime in Japanese now.

One advantage to hearing it in the original language is that it has a different feel to it. The Japanese actors seem less inhibited and tend to be more, er, exuberant in how they express themselves. True, this is an exuberant anime (and manga), but even so. I've found myself duly impressed with the Japanese talents in this anime, not only with the expressiveness of the voices, but the versatility shown by the voice actors, particularly the one playing Kyoko (Marina Inoue) who must not only fake a deeper male sounding voice, but voice the grudge Kyokos and a huge range of extreme emotions effectively. That she does so well enough one can readily determine her emotions (even in another language) says a great deal about her talent. Almost as versatile is Mamuru Mayano who does the voice of Sho, who must be, at turns, seductive and snotty and nearly as volatile and childish as Kyoko at times.

I'm also quite fond of Ren's (Katsuyuki Konishi) relatively mellow and mature voice, which doesn't require as much versatility, but does provide a fine contrast. Lory (Kouji Ishii) has a beautiful deep voice that is just a pleasure to listen to.

Since we're talking sound, I've also got to mention the music. There are two different opening themes and two different closing themes. I have to admit that I like all of them very much except for the second opening theme. I like them enough, in fact, I usually listen rather than skip them, even when I'm watching episode after episode. There's also a song done by Sho in Episode 18 that, though only pieces of the complete song play, I really really liked. I wouldn't have minded having the whole damn thing, but they never played it as a whole. I wonder if it had been made available in Japan.

For the most part, the artwork follows along with that of the manga and is along the same lines, but with a simplification that is occasionally irksome. Sadly, the one who suffers by this the most is Ren. Sho, though the defacto "villain," comes across well and still looks good in most of his fashionable and/or outlandish clothing. Damn good even. Kyoko does equally well. But Ren. Poor Ren. The issues in the manga I've noted are far more pronounced in the anime, with his face looking even more distorted simplified in thick lines and a nose that looks much like a predatory bird's. His fashionable wardrobe from the manga is inexplicably exchanged with far less appealing garb that hangs gracelessly on his large frame, which is a pity because that was one of the strengths of the manga artwork. Ren was largely lost in the translation, artwise.

However, the anime has a wonderful color palatte and a great deal of charm, taking advantage of the many manga sight gags along the way and being amazing true to the original manga. Given the caliber of the original manga, that's saying something.

In particular, I love the episodes involving the shooting of Fuwa Sho's music video where Kyoko is hired as an angel to kill him. The costuming is as glorious as the manga's (the same, actually, but losing nothing with the addition of color and movement) and the arguments and interaction of the two most versatile voices a joy, well worth watching over and over. And, as I mentioned, there's the really cool song. If Kyoko's faking the attitudes of an air-headed Sho fan wasn't amusing enough, Sho's reaction to one of Kyoko's many transformations into gorgeousness is more than worth the time. Not to mention their arguments over whether he should feel responsible that Kyoko went through her childhood without friends because of Sho's vindictive admirers. What fun.

It's fun. It's frenetic. It's compelling (even Ren though that's more due to the script and the voice acting than the animation). In fact, I loved it, though I would have loved it a good deal more if it had ended differently or, better yet, hadn't ended. I'd mentioned most animes make a point of bringing some sort of resolution to the story before fading out. It seems pretty clear to me that this anime was intended to included, at least, another one or two episodes, perhaps even another season because it came to an abrupt end just before a climactic part of a story arc. True, I know how it ends (since it's the same in the manga) but how incredibly frustrating! And with the manga now a good eighteen volumes beyond the end point of the anime, a second season with more adventures of this entertaining group would be welcomed at least by me. There's certainly plenty of material to work with (and we'd get to include Reino!).

Since it aired 2008 and 2009, the odds of a second season are probably slim to none, but a gal could dream. If not for the ending and the way Ren was animated, this would be one of my all-time favorite animes, even without being able to understand the language. Yet.

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Skip Beat (Part Four) - Artwork

There is no way this post is going to do the artwork justice, for several reasons, not the least of which is that words just don't do art justice. If it did, I doubt I'd be such an otaku.

Despite my genetic lack of any artistic talent, I do appreciate artwork and, in my reviews, I'll criticize it. Not because any/all of these people can't draw circles around me - duh, they can - but because the artwork is intrinsic to the caliber of the manga. In some cases, like Vampire Knight and Bride of the Water God, the artwork is the draw with the story and what-all otherwise either nothing special or even a drawback. In other cases, relatively ineffective artwork detracts from a manga that might otherwise be more appealing. In some cases, it's a factor one why some manga or another just didn't work for me.

What I've discovered, as I've assayed many different mangakus' work and series, is that there are many styles and many of them are far more appealing that others from a prettiness standpoint. However, what really determines the best drawings isn't beauty but effectiveness. Which isn't to say there aren't beautiful drawings in most if not all of my "favorite" mangas - I can only think of one that might not have any "gorgeous" pictures - but that I find myself drawn to many of the "non-gorgeous" drawings as much or more for a number of reasons. Sometimes the artist excels at expressing emotion or motion (like Shinobi Life). Sometimes it's because they're hilarious. Sometimes something appeals to me without my being able to pin it down.

I like the artwork of Yoshiki Nakamura (author of Skip Beat! and Tokyo Crazy Paradise) for all these reasons and more. It's not perfect and sometimes the things that are wrong with it are irksome, but what she does, she does incredibly well.

First, the bad, or at least, what strikes me not so good. Nakamura main characters are somewhat out of proportion, with the exaggerated legs and necks I remember from sewing patterns as a child. This is pronounced even for regular-height individuals but becomes downright frightening with Tsuraga Ren.

At a whopping 6'5", he would already look freakishly tall next to most Japanese (actually, most people). Add in the wide shoulders and the undersized triangular face Nakamura gives her "handsome" male characters (that is occasionally less wide than the neck!) and the effect is more pronounced. Admittedly, some exaggeration can be excused with the biz and the fact that Ren's a model as well as an actor. Even so, the face thing, in particular, can become unappealing. And then there's this freakish thing with the eyes in profile (which is generally more pronounced with the female characters.

But, if the extremes are sometimes so over-the-top it's unattractive, it is the exception and not the rule. Her characters are, on the whole, gorgeous as befitting show biz personnel. And, as I mentioned in the main article, the clothing is beyond gorgeous from the outlandish visual kei outfits for Sho and Vie Ghoul to the fashionable ensembles worn by the redoubtable Ren. Financially strapped Kyoko and Moko also wear a number of delightful and flattering outfits, and their costumes are frequently fabulous. She also knows how to accessorize with charming details and rings and jewelry and keeps track of those details so that, for example, Sho has the same number of piercings in the first few chapters (3/1) but that changes later (Act 103) and is consistent then on (3/3).

My hat's off just to come up with so many beautiful clothes, usually perfectly suited to the people they're on - and that's not even including Lory's cosplay cavalcade. I've seen outrageous and fancy clothes in many other mangas, but never so many that were so universally attractive. And Nakamura knows how to draw her characters so they wear those pen and ink clothes with attitude and style. It feels like they're real people who really know who to dress and to show off their outfits. I'm not showing you lots of pictures because you can go to the character posts and see like a dozen. And that's not even scratching the surface.

And all of that pales in comparison to how well Nakamura expresses emotion. That is what makes her mangas absolutely engrossing, what sucks you in.
Now, don't get me wrong, Kyoko, in particular, has emotions that are over the top. I mean, how hilarious is a shock so extreme it turns a light on inside your mouth? But it works because Kyoko is so genuine and because everything she feels, from her extreme rage, sorrow and fear to the gentler emotions are perfectly reflected on her face. It's fascinating. Lory's the same. Ren only shows emotion around Kyoko, but that's appealing, too. Nakamura does the extremes as you see here, but subtle variations on the theme on everyone's face, in everyone's eyes like they really were windows into the soul.

And, aside from all that, over and above the emotional pulls, the charm, the beauty, the cleverness of her many characters, Nakamura is hilarious. And she uses the "super deformed" mode very much to her advantage (and finally gives her poor skinny-faced male characters some jaw).

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Skip Beat (Part Three) - Characters II

In many of the manga I've read, the focus is really on a small subset of characters, perhaps two or three (if there is a concerted antagonist) but with side characters having very limited life of their own outside their interaction with the primary characters. They are often incomplete and insubstantial even if they provide humor or charm or story movement. I do not think it a coincidence that exceptions to that trend, where there are a large cast of personable characters to work from, tend to be very successful (Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club come to mind). Skip Beat! is not an exception. As much as I find some things compelling and/or appealing in our three primary players, I absolutely believe that much of the charm for this manga lies in the faceted and riotous cast of secondary characters who manage to have complex and complete personalities despite having little visibility outside their interaction with the big three.

That, in an of itself, is a marvel.

No discussion of Skip Beat! characters could possibly be complete without talking about Takarada Lory (aka Rory and Loly given the Japanese sound is between an l and an r), the exuberant and extravagant president of the LME talent agency where both Tsuraga Ren and Mogami Kyoko work.

He combines a sharp business mind (as evidenced by LME's blatant success and his personal power in the showbiz world) with an otherworldly perception, a ruthless streak that manages not to conflict with his soft sentimental heart and general kindness. And then there's that dreamy face and body like a Greek god which shows to advantage in every outlandish thing he wears. But that's not all. His ridiculous wealth (yes, it's over the top for humor reasons) allows him to indulge his very very whimsical tastes. Everything's a production for Lory so, not only is he always dressed in extreme cosplay (costume play), but he might very well bring showgirls to make an entrance or take a dignified party of masqueraders if, today, he's Phantom of the Opera. Or ride a camel. Or "drive"a pirate ship with wheels in lieu of his absurd hummer limo. I'm only including his first three costumes here:

In addition, we have an Egyptian pharaoh, Phantom of the Opera, a Chinese Emperor, a glittery Liberace-esque tuxedo (and requisite white stallion), and . . . . He'll swim with his snake or get up early (3:30) to watch reruns of a sordid love drama (he already has on DVD) or stay up all night torn by what actions he should take in a love sim game (and threaten the software company if he thinks getting them together isn't possible). He'll weep unashamedly at a tearjerker and laugh harder than anyone at a comedy. He'll go to ridiculous lengths to turn a seven-year-old's party into a fairy tale extravaganza just because he loves extravaganzas (and the little girl). He's a hardcore romantic and as fanciful and carefree as a child. Life is an endless series of adventures to Lory.

He'll also save a fifteen year old delinquent who's lost his way or give a girl who has no idea who she is a place to dwell as she finds herself. He'll profit from it in the end, but that's not why he does it. And that's why I can't help but love Lory.

Yukihito Yashiro is Ren's manager and right-hand man who knows him better than anyone except Lory and, in some subjects, Kyoko, but doesn't know much about Ren's history. Keeping track of Ren's unreasonable schedule (as top actor and top model), his biggest challenge getting Ren to eat regularly. Ren's quite capable of organizing his own schedule.

As an observer, he is amazed (disgusted) at Ren's dazzling charm that sends the women swooning given Ren's flattery is largely artificial, so Yashiro's as surprised as anyone when Ren reacts to Kyoko with genuine emotions: longing, anger, jealousy. Yashiro's the first to pick up on Ren's feelings for Kyoko and becomes an active campaigner for the relationship. He seems genuinely fond of both of them and clearly admires their abilities, beauties (Kyoko perhaps before anyone, even Ren) and personalities. Admittedly, any life he leads outside this interaction is all but ignored, but his open-hearted outlook and quiet dedication have their own charm. And certainly plenty of humor as, through Kyoko, he learns Ren's most sparkling smile is really a cover for ire.

Yukihito has an odd quirk in that he kills electronics if he handles them too long and must don gloves before using his cellphone. He even uses his ability to threaten Ren once (though the attempt fails as do most of his matchmaking plans). He's inordinately curious, which means much of his life is frustrating as both Ren and Kyoko tend to play their cards (particularly the emotional ones Yashiro's most interested in) very close to the chest. Apparently, he has a gift for freezing out hordes of rabid fans that makes Kyoko speculate that he might actually be an alien. Poor Yashiro.

Kotonami Kanae ("Moko") is not as easy (at least for me) to like in that she's largely self-absorbed. A gifted actress with an ability to flip through and memorize a script in seconds, she lacks the true depth and originality that Kyoko has, though she's more accomplished at acting and (arguably) prettier. Her saving grace is that she acknowledges this lack and, though begrudgingly, learns to respect and eventually like Kyoko.

Admittedly, her down-to-the-core cynicism is somewhat understandable since she's buried under debt to support a large family of boisterous ne'er-do-wells. And, though she's brash and abrasive (and not particularly likeable to begin with), it's hard to argue that she's not a good friend for Kyoko, taking time to listen when Kyoko needs her without judging. If her acting advice is often at odds with our eccentric heroine's own abilities and style, her honest answers often spur Kyoko's unusual thought processes to a solution. Against her will, Moko can't keep herself from being a good friend to those she honestly respects and likes. And that makes the hot temper and self-absorption a good deal easier to swallow.

Seven-year-old Takarada Maria is as eccentric in her way (and intent on doing things her own way) as her flamboyant grandfather (Lory). Cynical and distrustful of adults early on, she is scarred by her mother's death on her birthday (flying home to celebrate Maria's birthday at Maria's request) and her father's neglect as he works almost entirely overseas. She responds immediately to something in Kyoko, perhaps Kyoko's honesty, perhaps Kyoko's own cynicism. Kyoko understands her and reaches her in a way no one else was able to. As a result, Maria is an unflinching supporter. And she shares an interest in the occult with Kyoko (voodoo).

Like much of Kyoko's nurturing, it happens without her conscious thought. Maria trusts her to an unprecedented level. Maria also has an obsessive crush on Ren (which he does nothing to discourage) which has little impact on anything except to make her lust after Kyoko's meticulously crafted curse dolls and to torpedo any applicant to the agency who is really only trying to get close to Ren.

Reino is the Sho look-alike lead singer of "Vie Ghoul" (or as Kyoko calls them, "Beagle"). The "other" badder bad guy intended (I think) to make even Sho Fuwa look a little more human, I think he steals the show. Why?

It's not because he's really a nice guy. He's clearly as selfish as Sho while being pretty much amoral. Unabashedly and unapologetically so, which is part of why I like him anyway. Is he a bad guy? Ain't no doubt. He's threatened Sho's position at the top of the charts for no better reason than his own pleasure and deliberately terrorizes Kyoko. Would he have raped her? I can't discount the possibility, but I think he'd intended more of a seduction via fascination. And you know how I hate rapists. However, it came to naught and for all his evil talk, he was never rough in his handling of her. And his interest in her as a person was genuine, if twisted.

He's psychic, you see, and becomes fascinated by Kyoko as soon as he "sees" her many spirit Kyoko's when she rages at Sho. He's awed by the power and strength of her aura and spirit and becomes intent on turning her rage and hatred his way if only to take over her mind. So, yeah, bad guy. But he appreciates Kyoko spirit and that gives him at least something over Sho. Plus, while being serious and pointedly gothic, he also provides a great deal of comedy (particularly on Valentine's Day), if only in everyone else' reaction to him. And I like that, as soon as Kyoko decides not to fear him, he has no real power over her (except for a little mischief he uses on Valentine's Day) . And, yeah, I like that Ren can send him scrambling away with just the power of his own dark side.

He's not a nice guy, but he makes a great villain. Plus he has purple eyes. Who wouldn't love that?

Are there half a dozen other great characters in here? Yep, but I'm all out of post so, if you want to meet Sawara or Soko or Ogata or any of the other charmers, you'll just have to read the manga or watch the anime.

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Skip Beat! (Part Two)- Characters I

Review is here. I just hope I can fit all this into one post (I can't). As it is, when I'm through with my current crop of manga reviews, I'm going to start a character expose because characters are my favorite part of a manga.

First and foremost is the undisputed star of the show: the many faces of Mogami Kyoko.












Diverse little something, isn't she?

It's easy, in many ways, for me to identify with Kyoko. Dismissed and belittled by an exacting and cold mother, this bright, imaginative, whimsical child grew up desperate for approval and love. When her mother refused her love, she worked hard, even at a young age, to be useful to Sho's parents (Sho was her childhood friend and his parents took her in when her mother discarded her), who ran a prestigious inn. In doing so, she learned many useful and unusual skills as Sho's parents groomed her to marry the rather lackadaisical Sho and take over the inn one day. I think it's really cool, actually, that she finds homes for those skills in her acting work.

Kyoko loved Sho selflessly and absolutely, but, in all fairness to Sho, it really had little to do with him. Consumed with romance and fantasy, Kyoko saw him as a fairy tale prince and it was the image of him (which I doubt he did much to pursue) that she really loved. His big crime lay in (a) carelessly taking advantage of her adoration to serve his own ends and (b) never quite seeing past his ego to what a remarkable person Kyoko was. The whole thing is classic and entirely believable psychology.

But under that hard-working, self-sacrificing inexacting persona was an indomitable soul that, somehow, believed she deserved more than she'd had, that believed, someday, her years of sacrifice and neglect would be repaid with good fortune, love and adulation. When her beautiful and talented "prince" makes it clear that he thinks little to nothing of her and certainly has no intention of shackling himself with someone so dull and ordinary, she snaps. Goaded by his dismissive attitude, she becomes determined to meet him on a level playing field: the entertainment field (instead of crawling off to lick her wounds as would a more mundane individual).

Undaunted by her lack of skills, knowledge or interest in entertainment (not to mention her youth [16] and lack of high school education), Kyoko leaps in, certain that all one needs for superstardom is a willingness to work hard and perseverance. Damn if she doesn't nearly pull it off on guts alone. Fortunately, though, she happens to have imagination, a deep-seated ability, a willingness to learn, considerable intelligence, an ability to take criticism, and talent. What she lacks is any interest in making people love her or to love others, which doesn't quite mesh with becoming big as a superstar.

The president of a big agency is struck by her (partially due to her talent exposition of making a rose from a daikon radish - I am not making that up) and he inducts her into the "new" group: Love Me Section - to help talent people get where they need to be emotionally. It is an uphill battle. Along with her rather overblown hatred for Sho, her hair-trigger temper and a deep-seated determination never to love again, she is also prone to fits of abject despair and fear and is still fighting a self-image that she's neither talented, smart or beautiful. She also tends toward extreme delusions, considering everything she hasn't had as wonderful in the extreme, like close female friends, being a rich young lady (aka princess) and make-up as the wonderdrug to transform the plain (such as herself) into the beautiful (which, given her adaptable features and expressive face, turns out to be the truth in her case).

And, while her emotions are at the utmost extremes, this applies to the positive ones as well. She manages to be mostly open, friendly, optimistic, patient, caring and thoughtful. She works with abandon and is a perfectionist. If she is too readily sent into depression for a perceived fault in herself or perhaps too willing to be scolded, she is not above criticizing and even lecturing others (as Ren and Sho discover). She can be quite blunt with people she trusts and doesn't lie well, an interesting characteristic in an actress. She also has some supernatural abilities thanks to her spirit Kyoko-grudges, an impressive hand-made voodoo dolls collection, and an unshakable and solemn belief in fairies and magic.

Her resentment of Sho kind of leaks over to Tsuraga Ren, the star (model/actor) of the agency she joins (and Sho's perceived rival for top male hottie in Japan). Discovering early on that she is motivated, not by interest in the artistic crafts, but in revenge, Ren criticizes that kind of motivation in no uncertain terms. If that frustrates her (at least in part because it's true), she's quickly impressed by his own skills and devotion to his craft. She starts out resenting and then admiring his abilities, before learning to respect and like him as a person as they both reluctantly open up more and more. Eventually, they're the only ones that don't know they're friends (and more). Then, it's just her.

From the beginning, she's come so far, grown so much, healed so drastically, and yet there's still room for more growth, particularly in her need to release her anger and resentment toward Sho (partially because much of it is anger at herself for her self-deception and partially because he's really not worth it). Truthfully, she couldn't get a better vengeance than just dismissing him from her heart and finding happiness in life. Damn, I hope that happens. Sho will be so pissed.

Playing opposite our charming emotionally extreme chameleon, is the redoubtable Tsuraga Ren.
I love Ren. Just twenty, he's Kyoko's senior in years but far more senior in experience. He is patient, calm and unflappable (mostly). Ridiculously tall, graceful, and dapper, he is considerate and soft spoken. He is known for his courtesy and gentleness and uses his dazzling (gentlemanly) smile to make corny lines seem natural or confuse a victim before a sharp rebuke. Too bad that smile's all fake. Beyond that overt but distant charm, there is an enduring core of decency, a quiet patience for anyone who's trying their best, an innate consideration. Don't be fooled. He's not all sunshine.

If Ren is most exacting with himself, he is not much less so with the lack of professionalism of others (and Kyoko, who shares this attitude, is not the only one to discover this the hard way). Ren scolds and lectures Kyoko frequently on show business do's and don'ts, professionalism, and acting in general. He can only be forgiven because she has no hesitation doing the same (on his eating habits, taking care of of himself, and how he handles people). He is quite frequently manipulative, both to serve the other's interests or to serve his own. Kyoko's not the only one to find themselves manipulated by Ren via acting in a scene. He has considerable pride, sometimes more than he should, but he is also hardworking, methodical and devoted to what he does. He has taken the trouble to hone his craft and it shows.

Beyond the professional and his rationalism, however, there is more, however: fear of failure, fear of losing control, hints of some severely dark and violent chapters in his past. The wall he places around himself is to keep from getting close to anyone, becoming emotional (for real), having anyone too precious.

Enter Kyoko, brash and vengeful, ignorant and bull-headed. He's affronted with her sneering disinterest in show business (while wanting to enter), then at her unhealthy motive of revenge for success. His unusual antipathy toward her is a hint that she affects him in ways he refuses to acknowledge from the very beginning. When he discovers she's the trusting sorrowful girl from a precious memory ten years before, his reaction is to put more distance between them which he does with a few cutting remarks. Not that it helps. Fate is against him. As circumstances throw them together, he shows some kindness (of the simple human kind) only to have it thrust away distrustfully. In the course of events he is impressed with her guts and, when it's his turn to need care, he is equally won over with her dedication, practicality, and budding talents, as well as the fact she is starting to pursue acting for herself now, instead of as a weapon. Soon, in the most natural way, he becomes her inspiration in acting, her mentor and her most ardent defender and facilitator.

Kyoko isn't the only one who's locked her heart away nor the only one trying to deny attraction, affection and eventually passion. By the time Ren appreciates the depths of his feelings, the opportunity to prevent falling (if he ever had it) is long gone. Ren might discover the truth about his feelings before Kyoko does, but he's even more hampered by the understanding that her fears could drive her away if he's not very very careful (despite the overexuberant encouragement/teasing from his manager). And Kyoko's really really dense and frequently puts the least flattering interpretation on everything he says.

On top of these handicaps, Ren's got the spectre of Kyoko's ex-prince as a rival at least for attention, if not affection. But really, how far is hatred from love (far, Ren, really, calm down)? The jealousy is a new thing for Ren (especially as Kyoko's fame increases and more and more people become intrigued by the charm Ren would kind of like to be his little secret). His jealousy and his uncertainty regarding his own place in her heart become two of the few triggers that can make him lose his cool.

Do I love Ren? Yeah, I do. With a lesser man, one who put himself first, his patience would never have withstood so much. Kyoko is completely blind to her growing effect on men unless she's affected too (as she readily is by Ren's genuine "heavenly" smile so brilliant it destroys her grudge Kyoko's) - which means, oddly enough, only by Ren. And that includes Sho. So she treats Ren with reserve and formality but is thoughtlessly friendly with everyone else. Well, she is affected in a weird way by Reino, but that's a different subject. In the end, Ren is the one she always turns to and will ruthlessly defend. Good thing, because he needs her if he's ever going to conquer his own demons.

Which brings us to our Fuwa Sho, the self-absorbed pretty boy who managed to open Pandora's, er Kyoko's, box. Unintentionally.

Fuwa Sho is the sort of self-absorbed, self-important bastard that people love to hate, well, on the surface. OK, he is a thoughtless inconsiderate narcissist clear through and, if that was all he was, he probably wouldn't be worth a second thought. But, since we're talking about Nakamura, we're fortunate that's not the extent of what he is. Because what else he is (and isn't) makes him far more interesting.

It's important to note that, though he was her friend and grew up all but living with Kyoko, his childhood was vastly different than her own. The only child of well-to-do inn proprietors (their family owns several inns whereas he grew up at the most prestigious), he had all the privileges of the heir while Kyoko carried most of the responsibilities. (In Japanese inns, the "frontman" is the proprietess while her husband works in the background; with Kyoko's desperate need to get acceptance from Sho's parents, she learned key skills of both which meant Sho learned neither.) My guess would be his parents were a bit soft on Sho, what with Kyoko willingly taking up the slack, leaving him to pursue his own interests of being a fairly-well-to-do and charismatic kid who loved music. Music, as in the kind that gets rabid fans, er, girls.

With adulation from every side but no responsibilities, it's hardly surprising he grew up to be selfish and egotistical. He would find it natural, in fact, to feel like the adulation was deserved, that he, in fact, deserved to be taken care of, adored, admired, supported. Did he know Kyoko always expected him to be her prince, to love her and marry her some day? I don't see how he could have missed it and probably didn't even start out adverse to the idea. But, as his fanbase grew and his belief in himself leap-frogged higher and higher (not to mention realizing his parents had their own plan for him to marry Kyoko and tie him to their business), he undoubtedly decided he deserved something better and more glamorous than the quiet "plain" Kyoko. He, in fact, deserved the best.

That didn't mean he caviled at taking anything she offered on his behalf. So, when he took off at 14/15 to seek his fortune in the visual kei music industry, he naturally asked her to go with him so he'd have someone to take care of him as he got started. I doubted he thought about the impact on her (missing out on high school and working herself to near death on his behalf) or had any malicious intent. Just as he was blind the bullying and being ostracized she'd experienced in school because of her relationship with Sho. She could always, in his mind, go back to his parents (even if she'd think such an idea was unthinkable). When he didn't need her any more, he tried to nudge her out on her own (likely considering he was doing her a favor).

It was bad luck she overheard his opinion of her so baldly or saw him sidle up to his manager. But, yeah, Sho still counts as a selfish bastard. He is, in the manga, a talented singer/songwriter (and snappy dresser) who takes the work he does seriously if nothing else. It's one reason he has no hesitation in thinking so much of himself.

But, I think it's worth bearing in mind a few things. First, though Kyoko and Sho ostensibly lived together, he never laid a finger on her, never even, as she said, "put his arm around her." Now, imagine you're a young personable man living alone with a girl who knows you well, who always says the things you want to hear and who adores you. Even if you think she's plain, surely you'd be a bit tempted to take advantage. But he didn't so he's nowhere near the asshole he could have been.

Secondly, it's also pretty clear from her flashbacks, that he never pretended to be what she wanted. With her imagination, his encouragement just wasn't required. He probably thought (with some justification) that her expectations were her problems and, since she was doing everything voluntarily, he could hardly be blamed for her sacrifices. Sho just took the path of least resistance. When faced with an unpleasant revelation or potential consequence, he chose to worry about it later or hope it would resolve itself without his effort. Hardly laudable, he was passive, thoughtless and self-centered rather than nefarious. He probably thought she'd go crawling back to his parents (who disowned him previously), take over the inn, marry a dull reliable man and run the inn. Everyone lives happily ever after.

Because Sho, if he'd missed her suffering, her sacrifices, her loneliness, also missed her strengths. She was blind (until her revelation) to his failings and he was clueless as to how remarkable she was. When he taunts her with entering show business, he truly believes she couldn't even make it past the front door, let alone challenge him.

When she does, first in a chicken suit (which only serves to make him look better) and then as a hiree for his own promotional video, he doesn't recognize her at first. Then, when he does, he taunts her: do your worst. She nearly does. She certainly upstages him (and his costume is really cool) and disarms him with acting (tears) that leave him feeling helpless. He certainly had no idea she would be so beautiful or so talented. Or that she would be chatting on her cellphone to what he considers his archrival, Tsuraga Ren, when she was done. And Sho still thinks she's "his."

When fate steps in and throws an upstart band (with a psychic lead singer) in Sho's path and in Kyoko's, he finds himself feeling insecure (briefly) and even playing the hero to protect Kyoko from the rather pointed and nefarious interest of the psychic lead singer (for which Kyoko pointedly doesn't thank him). It's an interesting role and gives us some insight into the fact that he does care about her in some way, even if he's not entirely clear on how that is.

To date, we haven't seen that he wants her so much as he wants to control her, to be the most important person in her life. Perhaps he wants her romantically (though it's not entirely clear) and he hopes that if he can keep the hate alive he can take her back at a time of his choosing. I don't think Sho has a chance of that, personally. Sho and Kyoko squabble like siblings when they're together and, less and less, Sho has an influence on her life, even if Sho doesn't know that. Plus, though he's sidled up to a multitude of girls in Kyoko's presence, she hasn't felt so much as an iota of jealousy (something he can't say himself). And his little Valentine's day stunt probably didn't get him the reaction he really wanted.

Sho, though not a total villain, is overdue for losing out on something he covets. And I can't wait to see his face when (not if) Kyoko and Ren get together and find happiness.

Yes, yes, I know I'm going to need another post at least to gush about characters. Hell, I haven't even touched on LORY yet.

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Skip Beat! - Gotta Have 'Em All (Part One)

Skip Beat! by Yoshiki Nakamura is easily the best manga I never thought I'd like. The premise held no interest for me even though amazon.com was adamant I'd want to read it. Actually, they seemed pretty damned confident that I'd want to own every volume. Bastards. They were right.

Having read it several times now, I can tell you several aspects about it that usually irritate me no end in a manga. But I love Skip Beat! I have every volume and can't wait for the ones still to come. I've even watched the anime in Japanese (subbed in English) several times despite the premature ending. And I'll do it again.

Actually, it takes a while to read Skip Beat!, not just because it's one of the longer series or because it has lots to read on most pages (though those are both true). I savor it. The characters are so vivid and real for me that I stop and imagine scenes, listen and feel along with the characters. And, yes, even go back and reread scenes I particularly love.

Ironically, even when I first read it, (scanlation on line), I didn't think I really liked it and kind of skipped ahead because one character (Ren Tsuraga) kind of intrigued me, but he didn't really get involved until a couple of dozen chapters in. When I got hooked, however, it pushed me through the rest. I liked the characters so much I went back and read it from the beginning. Then realized those "dull" learning-the-craft-of-acting chapters are as much why I love the manga as anything else. So I read it end to end. This has so much going for it, that I likely won't fit it all into one post. I'll try to make sure it's less than 24 however.

Anime? Yes Volumes of manga: 28 (24 Eng) Status: Ongoing

My rating: Gotta have 'em all

Age range: I wouldn't have a problem letting any teenager read this, but we all know I'm progressive. .

Taboos and "warnings": I can't think of anything that would cause me the slightest palpitation here.

Premise: Kyoko's childhood friend/long time imagined prince/true love (Sho Fuwa) decides to throw away the shackles of his parents' resort and move to Tokyo to become a singing superstar right after middle school. He asks Kyoko to go with him and she doesn't even hesitate as she has basically centered her life around Sho since her mother discarded her. Working three jobs, she supports Sho so he can focus on his career which comes through for him with amazing speed, say a year or so after they get there. His most ardent fan (and prone to flights of fancy - more on this later), Kyoko ignores the signs as he spends less and less time at their apartment and treats her with more and more contempt when he does. When she shows up to deliver food for him, she finds him complaining to (and flirting with) his manager about the little no-name whiner and how she's outlived her usefulness now that he can support himself and hire a maid to take care of him. There's more to it. Believe me, it wasn't Sho's best moment. Her faithful undemanding heart breaks open to reveal a mass of resentment and anger (characterized by interesting "grudge Kyokos"/spirits) that she'd been treated so. She vows revenge which Sho dismisses easily with a scoffing recommendation to try to beat him in show business and a sneer about how unlikely that is for a plain untalented nobody like herself. So, she vows to do just that.

What works: I hate revenge stories. They're usually misguided and self-indulgent and petty. We see a little of that in this story, but not like I expected. At first glance, it would seem that that's what the story's all about. However, very early on, it's pretty clear that that's not the case. What it's about is an emotionally neglected girl being drastically disillusioned by the person she thought she knew and loved best. She's spent her whole life trying to live for other people (her mother, Sho and Sho's parents) rather than herself and has no idea who she is, what she wants, or what she's capable of. Although, ostensibly, her goal is to bring Sho Fuwa to shame, her revenge ends up being the means of finding what she really wants and needs rather than the end she thinks it is. The real story is her discovery of herself, her building of herself from the ground up and that's pretty interesting.
Her character is key to the story, so I'm going to discuss it a bit here though I intend to do a post just talking about some of the fantastic characterizations in this manga. It's important to understand that Kyoko is not the doormat she appears in the first chapter or so here. Nor is she the blatantly militant anti-male monster she sometimes looks like for very brief moments, mostly when Sho's involved. Her temper (particularly if Sho's involved) is hair-trigger since her internal revolution, but she is quite capable of accepting advice and criticism objectively. She understands parts of herself extremely well. If her self-image is not stellar, she is determination incarnate, has a great deal of pride in her work, and will not allow anyone (ever again) to treat her as worthless which is damn healthy if you ask me. However, the author does not make the mistake of making her all healthy all at once. She's still loaded up with baggage and challenges and scars, while still being incredibly capable, imaginative and intelligent. She apparently always was capable, imaginative and intelligent - she just needed an opportunity to use it.

The means: show business. Right up there with revenge on subjects I have no interest in. I don't watch celebrities, don't find the majority of them even vaguely interesting and have never been the kind to be interested in backstage this or that. I can't even tell you this is anything like real show business in Japan or anywhere else. But I found it riveting. Part of that is undoubtedly the characters. But part of that is because being actors (good actors) in this manga means finding out the character and becoming it, studying and learning and extrapolating what someone like that in this situation would do. And, boys and girls, that the same thing I do when making characters for novels. What started out as sections I'd intended to just flip past became mesmerizing, fascinating in ways I never expected.

Why? Because it was so clever. The key to Kyoko's acting is that she doesn't think like anyone else. Oh, she's logical alright, but her mind moves so quickly and in such unusual ways that no one ever knows what she'll do. Time after time, even those that expect the most from her are shocked at the direction she takes, yet she makes it work because it's clever. It's right. I can count on one hand the number of mangas who have impressed me with the cleverness of their plot devices. Possibly one finger.

But wait, there's more. On top of the cleverness and the character development of our main character, there's a whole cavalcade of fascinating, appealing, nuanced, charming and even unsavory characters, all with depths and layers and surprising aspects. No one's perfect, not even the ridiculously tall and imposing Ren. No one is without appealing aspects, including the self-absorbed Sho. And these characters grow and learn and change and adapt and develop and nurture as we go along. It's a character smorgasbord with one mouth-watering course after another.


Normally, slow-moving romances, like the one between Ren and Kyoko (177 chapters without so much as one liplock or acknowledgement between them what they feel) drive me insane. I'm a serious romantic and I hate being dragged along interminably. But the reason behind the foot-dragging is sound: Kyoko is scared to death to love anyone again, and Ren is moving very gingerly and very carefully because losing what he has is unthinkable, no matter how much more he wants. Frustrating now and then, but the pace allows for real growth between the two characters, both in how they deal with each other, how they rely on each other, how they respect and care for each other in ways that have little to do with romance and yet everything to do with it. (Frequently, mangas with an interminable romance have pretty stagnant relationships in general, with all that affection developed up front with the original feelings and nothing changing in the interim).

Oh, and I forgot to mention an important aspect of this sometimes heart-wrenching, soul-stirring, thought-provoking manga. It's freakin' hilarious. I'm laughing every fifteen minutes (except in heavy scenes) and sometimes more. And I've read this now half a dozen times.
The artwork is a subject all by itself and merits it's own post, which I will link here when I've written it. There were aspects I loved and aspects I really didn't love, but it was fascinating and definitely contributed on the plus side. I have now decided that, if Ms. Nakamura ever gives up the manga business (Heaven forbid!) she could be a damn fine fashion designer. More on that in the artwork post.

Favorite character: Ain't no way to pick just one. I loved 'em all, even most of the bad guys. Ren or Kyoko might edge out the rest, but there are several just as likeable. More when I write the character post.

Quotes: I wrote down several but they were all part of conversations that would have filled five or six posts in order to make sense. It isn't a manga of one-liners or clever lines that were as effective out of context. But I love the dialog any way.

What I didn't like: There are a few places where it drags. The culmination scene where Ren nails Katsuki in his "acting test" dragged a bit as did some of the interactions on the Box R set (whose characters didn't really speak to me). Still, for something 28+ volumes long to read as painlessly as this? Really, it's remarkable it doesn't drag more.

A couple aspects of the artwork, particularly Ren's too-small face, irked me a bit, but there are also times where he looks stunning so it just goes to show you. He faired less well in the anime, I think.

There are a handful of characters I didn't ever really warm up to like Moko-san and the former Akita Tendou, but given the cavalcade of players, that's pretty impressive as well. Really, what's not to like?

Actually, my biggest complaint is that there are odd volumes (2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14 and 18) which appear to be out of print. You can buy them for >$20/each (or less if you really scout around like I did - I do have them all) but it ain't easy. Since more in the series are still coming out, Viz Media--and you want people to get the whole series, right?--how 'bout making it so they can?

Update: Apparently, Viz Media is going to 3-in-1 volumes for Skip Beat! with them starting to come out next spring, which might be why some single volumes are falling in and out of print. On the one hand, that's a bummer between now and then, so some of the hard to find volumes can really be a pain to acquire if you don't want to wait (try Anime Wild - I've had good luck finding hard-to-find Skip Beat! volumes there). On the other, that's a pretty economical way to build a library of 30 volumes. Amazon is selling the 3 -in-1's for $10.14, only $0.15-1.15 less than the current single volumes. That means you can build your Skip Beat! library for ~$100 instead of ~$300 like I did. As long as you're willing to wait for them to come out over time. If you get caught up in the story, that might be challenging.

Note: There are 24 volumes "available" in English, 29 available on-line as scanalations. There's also a 25 episode anime that's worth it's own post as well. Which I'll link here when it's done.

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