Even cacti need to be careful what they wish for…
Creative Staff
Story/Art: SangEun Lee
Translation/Adaptation: Natalie Baan
What They Say
Summer vacation is finally here, and for Hee-So that means idyllic days filled with phone calls to Won-Jun, dreaming about Won-Jun, going out on steamy dates with Won-Jun, and smooching with Won-Jun! But leave it to Beatrice to throw a wrench into things! When Hee-So’s spunky, spiky cactus friend transforms into his handsome boy self off-schedule and stays that way, not even a bucket of chicken can get him back into his plant pot! While Hee-So’s plans for romance have suddenly been waylaid by this development, will it prove to be a golden opportunity for Beatrice to make a romantic move of his own?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Summer break has arrived and Hee-So has big plans for all the time she wants to spend with Won-Jun as well as her other friends- but a snag arises because Beatrice has been seriously out of sorts and looking ill. Hee-So has is committed to trying to help however she can but when Won-Jun calls Beatrice manages to persuade Hee-So that it is OK for her to go out on a date.
But it seems that there are going to be complications all around when a call from Sae-Bom’s housekeeper interrupts the young couple’s time together and Hee-So learns that someone else in her circle is fairly seriously ill. While Hee-So tries to act more mature than she is and watch over Sae-Bom she hears some things out of the young girl that reignite the flames of jealousy in her heart and she just manages to keep herself together and cool headed- until a panicked call from her house reveals Beatrice is in trouble.
And boy is Beatrice in trouble as he suddenly finds himself in his human form despite the lack of a full moon. Even worse as the days go on and he doesn’t revert the tension builds as Beatrice finds that this form is causing all sorts of problems. Out of a sense of concern Hee-So starts dodging her friends and making excuses for why she can’t hang out which grate a bit on Beatrice as he listens to her make p lies and excuses. Things get worse though when a combination of his starting to understand the feelings that come with his human form as well as a strain that Hee-So’s attitude toward him as he currently is causes an overflow and he does the unthinkable- Beatrice runs away!
Not content it seems with the various elements stirred up in the previous volume the author decides to double down and take away the most constant thing in Hee-So’s life, the sounding board she has with Beatrice. The sudden change in her old friend sends Hee-So into a spin as she tries to do everything she can think of to cope with the matter, though many of these attempts don’t always work well. In doing so Hee-So may be reaching a boiling point for some readers as her continued selfishness is on full display but it is also tempered a bit in that she is capable of introspection and is starting to use it a bit more often.
It is in these moments that the author reveals what may be the steps this young woman looks to be on as she is perched on a path that may lead her away from some of her more self centered ways and toward being a far more considerate adult. It is clear though that the path isn’t going to be easy though and that there will be a good deal of pain along the way. The author’s careful balance of Hee-So’s personality flaws and strengths leave a character who, even when the audience probably is yelling at when she does some fairly cold things, still wants to see succeed as she isn’t a bad person as such but just a young person learning to become a better one.
In Summary
“When it rains it pours” is practically the theme of this volume as the troubles that surround the cast seem to mimic the torrential weather found as a backdrop to good deal of the events. When a sudden change overcomes Beatrice the careful balancing act (such as it is) of Hee-So’s life is thrown off course and she may suddenly have to do even more introspection of herself than she has been. But with events at their peak will it be a case of “too little, too late” that costs Hee-So her oldest and dearest friend?
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: June 21st, 2011
MSRP: $11.99
