Otomen Vol. #16 Manga Review

Creative Staff
Story: Aya Kanno
Art: Aya Kanno
Translation/Adaptation: JN Productions

What They Say
Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things–sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to Ryo Miyakozuka, the girl that he’s falling for?

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Otomen continues with its focus on Yamato and his crush on Ryo. The prevailing theme is “Love is a battle!” and it comes to a head at Ginyuri’s school festival. No Ideal Woman Contest this year (“… cut because of last year’s issues.” –Juta), but in its place is the Drama Club’s unscripted version of the folktale Princess Kaguya.

For those who enjoy zany theatrical fairytale productions so prevalent in shojo manga, Princess Kaguya: Big Proposal Plan will be a treat. Thanks to the ridiculous director (Kanno-sensei admits in the author’s notes that the story becomes absurd because of him), Yamato, Asuka, and their friends wind up as the suitors battling for the hand of Kaguya, played by Ryo. Most of it is silly jokes, but Ryo/Asuka fans will be gratified when Asuka expresses his true feelings for Ryo on stage. (Plus, they look fantastic in period costume!)

After the play, the story immediately transitions to what appears to be the final arc of the series: the wrath of the biggest anti-otomen of all – Asuka’s mom! I’m actually surprised she didn’t catch on sooner (I expected that to happen after Asuka reconciled with his dad). But now that Mama Masamune knows what her son has been doing behind her back, be prepared for a lot of crazy eyes. Interestingly, she doesn’t go for the direct approach. Instead, she stealthily picks apart Asuka’s world in a way only a woman of her wealth and power can. (As they say in manga, rich people are scary.) Things are heading toward an inevitable mother/son confrontation, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next volume.

Extras include five pages introducing Kanno-sensei’s assistants, embedded author’s notes, and translation notes.

In Summary
Kanno-sensei wraps up the spotlight on Yamato with a school play turned battleground for Ryo’s affections! In the midst of the usual comic silliness is a moving and surprisingly candid declaration of Asuka’s feelings for Ryo. Unfortunately for Asuka, it also blows his uber-masculine cover. The horrified look on his mom’s face is priceless, and the way her anti-otomen wrath unleashes makes me eager to see how it will all end.

Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+

Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: August 6th, 2013
MSRP: $9.99

Sakura Eries

http://sqeries.wordpress.com/

In addition to writing reviews here, I’ve authored a number of short works, including several stories in Cricket magazine. I also have novel-length projects in the works. Find links to my works at my blog: sqeries.wordpress.com.

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