Original.Tough.Adaptable.Keen.Unique

Skip Beat- Yoshiki Nakamura
-Viz, $8.99

Ok, I know I've written about Skip Beat before, but... this time it's different (OK, I really haven't... ). I'm gonna review the entire series today. So you guys are in for a treat. Hopefully. As of last Friday, I own all 11 volumes currently out. I'll start out with a quick overview of the series. Kyoko Mogami is a woman on a mission. A mission for REVENGE! [/eerie sounds] Okay, it's not that serious. But don't doubt the undertones. Kyoko was at one time dating Sho Fuwa (when they were middle schoolers). She was head-over-heels in love with him. But he used her up like a battery. And then just tossed her away when he got his big break (he's an idol). Even though she supported him throughout the time when he was a no one, he still "casted her away when he became famous" [/back of volume 1]. Also stated on the back cover, "Kyoko won't suffer in silence-- She's going to get her sweet revenge by beat Sho in show biz!" Basically put, Kyoko's gonna beat Sho at his own game. She's gonna be a better actor, at a rival agency, than him.

And that's the plot (her extracting her revenge). For the first 2 volumes, at least. She obsesses over getting her revenge so much so, that her "inner demons" (literally) come out. The story is never really about that lame girl, you know, the ones you always see in Shoujo manga. This is a story about a girl who gets past all that he-dumped-me shizz-whiz. And goes on to getting her just rewards by bringing him down. Very quickly, she learns that she can't be very successful if she only works up to bring Sho down.

Throughout Skip Beat, Yoshiki Nakamura wastes no time, getting to a good story. Right after we get past all the Sho-dumps-Kyoko drama, this story gets real good. One of the first dilemmas we see very quickly are problems between the agency and Kyoko's attitude (which is vengeful). After she gets cast and all that, I guess Nakamura goes into auto-drive and writes a bunch of really great short stories about Kyoko while she works as a low-level talento doing some real nitty-gritty jobs (as nitty-gritty as an acting job gets). Then we get to a real story arc. I won't really spoil it for you guys, but all I can say is that, when I read Skip Beat, I forget I'm reading a Shoujo manga. It's so serious, yet, very light-hearted and extremely funny. You'll totally laugh right out of your chair when reading this series.

On a quick note, the artwork is pretty decent. Nothing really extravagant, but Nakamura can really draw, when it comes to those emotional scenes. And she also does this really cute chibi thing, where she just draws this big head and... yeah, you get it. Whatever the art lacks (which isn't much), story definitely makes up for it. This isn't any marginal shoujo, it's completely unique and takes the position of a girl who sees past all the angst and truly blossoms. This series is definitely worth a try. Drop by your local bookstore, and pick up all the volumes. And I'm not asking. I'm telling.