It’s a sweet high school romance with a charming lead, but a few pacing stumbles and an unsatisfying cliffhanger leave this introduction a little lacking.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Karuho Shiina
Translation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say
Sawako Kuronuma is the perfect heroine…for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanor, she’s often mistaken for Sadako, the haunting character from Ringu. Unbeknownst to but a few, behind her scary façade, is a very misunderstood teenager. Shy and pure of heart, she just wants to make friends. But when Kazehaya, the most popular boy in class, befriends her, she’s sure to make more than just that–she’s about to make some enemies too!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Sawako Kuronuma has had the misfortune of not only looking like a villain from a horror movie but also having a first name that is only one letter off from a famous one – Sadako. Her intense shyness doesn’t help matters, either, especially now that she’s in a class in high school without any of her friends from junior high. There are even rumors going around that she can curse people, which means that the faculty’s afraid of her, too! She often admires the most popular and outgoing boy in the class, named Kazehaya, who is always kind to her and doesn’t seem to fear her like the rest of the class. When he arranges a test of courage in the woods for the class, Sawako plays the role of the ghost and is thrilled when her classmates are (enjoyably) terrified. Some students mistakenly assume that Kazehaya and Sawako are dating, and though she’s afraid of damaging the popular boy’s reputation, he doesn’t seem to mind and asks Sawako if he can see her over the summer vacation.
Originally, the story would have ended here. Published as a one-shot story in Japan, it was only later picked up to be a full series (which the author’s notes at the end of each chapter explain). The conclusion to “chapter 0,” as it is titled in the book, is open-ended, but strongly implies that Sawako and Kazehaya will become a couple. So when the official first chapter comes along, the author must do a bit of retooling on the story to turn it back into one that focuses on whether or not the two leads will ever get together. It feels like backpedaling, and returns their relationship to the status quo: they both like each other, but do not think that their feelings are reciprocated. The friendship that they develop as a result of these incorrect beliefs is innocent and sweet, but it makes me fear that the author is going to drag out the story for many, many more volumes before ever reaching the point where Sawako and Kazehaya become a couple.
As I said, though, Sawako’s growing friendship, not only with Kazehaya but also with Yano and Yoshida, is a rewarding thing to see. Her child-like joy at being brought into a circle of friends and accepted for her true personality is touching, and both Yano and Yoshida develop into likable characters during their somewhat limited screen time. Kazehaya is a different story. There are clearly layers to his personality, but as of the end of this volume, we’ve seen very little beyond the apparently perfect and incredibly nice aspects of him–and this is despite the heavy interaction that he and Sawako have, be it him encouraging her to be more outgoing or simply the two of them playing with his new puppy. Sawako’s social awkwardness can also get a little overwhelming at times, especially when we’re told that she had friends in junior high. Still, it’s a refreshing change to have romantic leads in a shoujo series who are genuinely nice people that enjoy each other’s company, without any ulterior motives. The other main sour note in the volume is the supposed cliffhanger of the last page where Sawako is accused of spreading rumors about Yano and Yoshida. It’s such an obvious lie that I can only hope that the two girls have enough common sense to see through it immediately in the next volume.
In Summary:
Kimi ni Todoke was a fan favorite before it was brought to the US, and the reasons for that are clear: the art is pleasant, and the story is a subdued, more realistic version of the ever-popular “ugly duckling” stereotype. It’s a feel-good series so far, one that’s innocent and focuses more on the friendship of its romantic leads than their romantic development. But that’s the very thing that drags it down: their constant blushing and internal monologues about how the other person doesn’t actually like them are quite frustrating, especially when we were so close to resolution at the end of the first installment. If the series can avoid dragging out the romantic “will they or won’t they” for too long, then I’ll expect it to become a series not to be missed by shoujo fans.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: August 4th, 2009
MSRP: $8.99
