Shiro’s face goes public!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Maki Minami
Translation/Adaptation: John Werry
What They Say
Hime Kino’s dream is to one day do voice acting like her hero Sakura Aoyama from the Lovely ♥ Blazers anime, and getting accepted to the prestigious Holly Academy’s voice actor department is the first step in the right direction! But Hime’s gruff voice has earned her the scorn of teachers and students alike. Hime will not let that stand unchallenged. She’ll show everyone that she is too a voice acting princess, whether they like it or not!!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Senri dominated the previous volume, and as if to make up for it, AQUA takes the spotlight (quite literally) in this volume. Yamada finally thinks the time is right for fans to get a look at Shiro and arranges for her big reveal to take place with the idol duo. I found it really odd for Yamada to be so secretive about the AQUA music video; it’s one thing to keep the general public from knowing, but to keep Hime out of the loop when she’s actually in the video seems totally unnecessary.
At any rate, she’s back in close quarters with AQUA, and those wanting more of Shuma will get it in Chapter 60. Granted, most of the chapter deals with his objection to Hime’s fraternization with Mizuki, but we do get to spend time in Shuma’s head. The one conversation between Shiro and Shuma about “[covering] someone’s mistake” is a dead giveaway for what happens during the concert, but it does the trick of allowing our heroine to finally win over Shuma.
Then the focus shifts to Hime’s love life. Having made huge strides in her career, Hime now faces matters of the heart. For a girl nicknamed “Gorilla Princess” who spends her time impersonating a boy, she suddenly gets a lot of attention from the opposite sex in Chapter 61. Instead of the struggling newbie in the recording booth, Hime’s now the confused high school girl sorting out her feelings. Oh, and by the way, her hair gets longer, as if to highlight her femininity. Anyone who’s wanted to see a more girly Hime should be fairly satisfied with this installment
Extras include embedded author’s remarks and two bonus mini-manga.
In Summary
Voice acting takes a backseat to high school romantic angst. Hime’s alter ego reaches a new level of success, but the real focus of this volume is her personal relationships with Senri, Mizuki, and even Shuma. She may be a professional in the voice acting world, but she’s provides plenty of shojo fluster as she deals with first dates and confessions.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: June 2nd, 2015
MSRP: $9.99
