<b>Review of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun #1 by Sarah</b>
Chiyo Sakura (diminutive in stature but not in aspirations or heart) has been nurturing a crush on fellow highschooler Umetarou Nozaki (tall, handsome and reserved in a cool kind of a way). But when she finally summons up the courage to confess her feelings, she is dumbfounded to be given his autograph. What she actually says to him is, “I’ve always been your fan.” How was she to know that Nozaki is a (published!) mangaka in his spare time? (He writes under a pseudonym.) Of course he assumes that she’s been reading and enjoying his work and responds as every author would: with his autograph. Invited back to Nozaki’s home, Chiyo blushingly assumes that this could be the prelude to a romantic tête-à-tête but instead finds herself becoming his assistant on the next chapter of his manga.
Mangaka Izumi Tsubaki’s earlier shoujo series <em>Oresama Teacher</em> and <em>Sweet Relax</em> (Viz Media) established her as a mangaka with a gift for comedy. The underlying joke in <em>Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun</em> is that our hero is so wrapped up in observing his classmates’ behaviour as source material for his manga that he is oblivious – charmingly but utterly oblivious – to his loyal assistant Chiyo’s feelings for him.
Or... is he?
Along the way, Izumi Tsubaki has a great deal of fun teasing us, the readers, in creating characters who seem as if they will act as typical manga stereotypes: Mikoshiba (‘Mikorin&rsquo
the bishounen who sets girls’ hearts fluttering but constantly embarrasses himself with his gallant posturing; craftily manipulative Seo who, in spite of her ‘bad’ personality has the voice of an angel; tall and charismatic Kashima, the ‘Prince’ of the drama club (she’s a girl) – and then subverting the stereotypes. And then there are the manga editors! (Don’t even mention the editor with the tanuki obsession...) This leads to some endearing, irritating, and frequently hilarious interactions. This mangaka utilizes the compactness of the 4-koma format to the full – and it’s all credit to her that her people become much more than vehicles for delivering the punchlines in every fourth panel. Stories run for a whole chapter (or Issue) and even though the fun comes from seeing how the characters interact, it’s hard not to feel for Chiyo and quietly root for Nozaki-kun to begin to see her as something other than a useful assistant.
Leighann Harvey has produced yet another fluent translation here that deftly conveys the light-hearted wit of the original. The attractive Yen Press edition also gives us helpful Translator’s Notes (mysteriously in the middle, not at the end, but perhaps that’s because the manga continues right on to the inside covers). The mangaka herself gives us a whole page about how a manga is put together which is not 100% serious but entertaining to read. If you enjoyed watching the TV series, you’ll have fun revisiting the material in its original form and getting to know this lively bunch of characters all over again.
<strong>In Summary</strong>
Attractive character designs and a quiet but wicked sense of humour make this a fun read – but there’s real insight below the surface which makes it much more than just a collection of 4-koma gags. Recommended.
<b>Final score: 8 out of 10</b>
Chiyo Sakura (diminutive in stature but not in aspirations or heart) has been nurturing a crush on fellow highschooler Umetarou Nozaki (tall, handsome and reserved in a cool kind of a way). But when she finally summons up the courage to confess her feelings, she is dumbfounded to be given his autograph. What she actually says to him is, “I’ve always been your fan.” How was she to know that Nozaki is a (published!) mangaka in his spare time? (He writes under a pseudonym.) Of course he assumes that she’s been reading and enjoying his work and responds as every author would: with his autograph. Invited back to Nozaki’s home, Chiyo blushingly assumes that this could be the prelude to a romantic tête-à-tête but instead finds herself becoming his assistant on the next chapter of his manga.
Mangaka Izumi Tsubaki’s earlier shoujo series <em>Oresama Teacher</em> and <em>Sweet Relax</em> (Viz Media) established her as a mangaka with a gift for comedy. The underlying joke in <em>Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun</em> is that our hero is so wrapped up in observing his classmates’ behaviour as source material for his manga that he is oblivious – charmingly but utterly oblivious – to his loyal assistant Chiyo’s feelings for him.
Or... is he?
Along the way, Izumi Tsubaki has a great deal of fun teasing us, the readers, in creating characters who seem as if they will act as typical manga stereotypes: Mikoshiba (‘Mikorin&rsquo
the bishounen who sets girls’ hearts fluttering but constantly embarrasses himself with his gallant posturing; craftily manipulative Seo who, in spite of her ‘bad’ personality has the voice of an angel; tall and charismatic Kashima, the ‘Prince’ of the drama club (she’s a girl) – and then subverting the stereotypes. And then there are the manga editors! (Don’t even mention the editor with the tanuki obsession...) This leads to some endearing, irritating, and frequently hilarious interactions. This mangaka utilizes the compactness of the 4-koma format to the full – and it’s all credit to her that her people become much more than vehicles for delivering the punchlines in every fourth panel. Stories run for a whole chapter (or Issue) and even though the fun comes from seeing how the characters interact, it’s hard not to feel for Chiyo and quietly root for Nozaki-kun to begin to see her as something other than a useful assistant.Leighann Harvey has produced yet another fluent translation here that deftly conveys the light-hearted wit of the original. The attractive Yen Press edition also gives us helpful Translator’s Notes (mysteriously in the middle, not at the end, but perhaps that’s because the manga continues right on to the inside covers). The mangaka herself gives us a whole page about how a manga is put together which is not 100% serious but entertaining to read. If you enjoyed watching the TV series, you’ll have fun revisiting the material in its original form and getting to know this lively bunch of characters all over again.
<strong>In Summary</strong>
Attractive character designs and a quiet but wicked sense of humour make this a fun read – but there’s real insight below the surface which makes it much more than just a collection of 4-koma gags. Recommended.
<b>Final score: 8 out of 10</b>