Rating: Summary: A Weed among the Flowers...... Review: Boys over Flowers has become one of my favorite mangas. I have only read the first volume, but I am hoping the quality continues. The plot is interesting, the characters are interesting, nice drawing style, and overall it is very moving. The story starts out Tsukushi Makino is a middle class student attending a very, VERY private school for rich kids on her parents wishes. All she wants is to go through High School unnoticed. And it has been working out really well, until a fellow student named Kimoto is leaving Eitoku because of a group of boys called the 4 Flowers whom cause anyone who opposes them to be snubbed by the whole school. This stirs emotions in her and makes her sick at how others just dismiss it, and especially her on inactivity in the situation. But when her friend runs into and lands on top of the head of the group(Domyogi), she is finally ready to take a stand against this group of snobs. Soon, they have declared war on her, and she is fighting back just as hard, to the suprize of most people. She will not go down without a fight!!!!! Boys over Flowers works so well because it strikes a chord for all the people whom have been bullied and may have some fantasies of revenge or for those who have had hopes of getting a guy(or girl) out of their reach. Sometimes fighting back is the best route, and this book shows that. I would definitely reccomend this to anyone whom is looking for some quality manga. :D God Bless & *Enjoy* ~Amy
Rating: Summary: A Good Change... Review: Ever run into one of those heroines you'd REALLY like to shake up cause they're too wimpy? If you read a lot of manga, chances are you have. Well, my friend, this heroine breaks the mold. Don't get me wrong, we have to have a moment or two (geez, we can't all be perfect) and yes, this girl does that whole schtick for about a page or two...But after that, she kicks butt! Literally! The art is great, the character's great, and here's a hint...she doesn't end up with who you think she does. Highly reccommended! Happy reading!
Rating: Summary: weird! Review: I didn't like Hana Yori Dango for a lot of reasons. However, there were a lot of reasons that I did like it, and I still can't put it down.
Rating: Summary: How do I love thee... let me count the ways... Review: I have loved this series for years. It ranks as my numer one all time favorite anime and manga. I have waited TEN YEARS for it to come out in english! Finally, finally... someone was smart enough to pick up this fabulous, smart, funny, romantic series. Makino Tsushi has been forced by her parents to attend a snobby private high school controlled by a clique of boys known as the "F4." When, in protecting her friend, Tsukusi mouths off to the F4 leader, it becomes a battle for survival. She becomes the target of the whole school, and is hazed, abused and harrased daily. Makino is one of the strongest female leads in all manga. Her strength and hope will blow you away. She FIGHTS back, and in turn wins over the hearts of two of the F4 members (the love triangle is one of the best parts of the story). The story is multi-level and complex, and is very well written (impproves as it goes on and as Kamio-sama matures herself as a author). You actually cry for Tsukushi nad some of the things she goes through, and of course the romantic bits are very nice too ^_^v. If you're a fan of the Shoujo Romances that have been published in the past few years, this really is a must have. I've even known guys who've loved this story! Also, if your familiar with the "F4" craze that's strating to bleed into the states from Asia, this is the story that "Meteor Garden" is based on. All I can say is "get it." Then get the next one and the one after that ^_^. You won't be sorry.
Rating: Summary: WARNING: addictive Review: I was pretty skeptical when I started reading this manga, mostly because of the graphics: compared with other mangas, I felt they were rather poor, with very little scenic detail. I was also somewhat turned off by the "so 1992" vibe (the clothes, the hair), but this manga is twelve years old and was meant to be relatively realistic, so you can't blame the author. The graphics, however, improve in later volumes in a spectacular manner.
Despite this, once I'd finished the first volume, I found myself going back to the bookstore to buy the next two. I was a little ashamed of myself because, being in my early twenties, I thought I was beyond reading teen romance stories; and at the same time, I kept thinking "I don't care! I want to know what happens next!"
Plot and characters are this manga's strong points. Tsukushi Makino is a barely-middle-class student in a higher-than-upper-class highschool, the kind of school where girls buy Channel by the barrel and boys are all destined to inherit large companies. Although initially determined to get through highschool without getting herself noticed, Tsukushi can't help but stand up to a posse of boys called the F4, the richest, most handsome boys in the whole school, whose pastime is to pick on others. They are lead by the egocentric Tsukasa Domyoji. Thus, she becomes the target of the F4 and the entire school. However, unlike many shojo heroines, Tsukushi is not one to weep for chapters before taking passive-agressive measures. Instead, she fights back head on and isn't afraid to take drastic action.
Apart from having a heroine with moxie, Hanadan is a very interesting depiction of a phenomenon that is (or maybe was)unfortunately pretty common in Japan: ijime. It's not just bullying, it's mass-bullying, when the whole school is either against you, or passively watches on. I was shocked by the lengths Domyoji was willing to go to to break Tsukushi's spirit. There are some pretty harsh scenes in this volume.
Now, this is a shojo nevertheless, so expect romance galore, at least in following volumes. All the confusion and beating around the bush will probably get annoying at some point: Tsukushi is very mature when it comes to many things, but when it comes to love, she's as hopeless as all the other shojo heroines. Jeez, Tsukushi, pick one already! But this is also part of the fun of Hanadan, it keeps you on your toes and gives you an insane desire to know what happens next. I know I'm going out of my mind, after 10 volumes.
Sure, it's a cheap thrill, it's miles away from philosophy, but after the complexity of animes like Akira and Serial Experiment Lain, it's always fun to dive into the simple (and yet oh so complicated) world of Hana Yori Dango. Personally, I'm rooting for Domyoji!
Rating: Summary: I Love Tsukasa Review: If you like Hana Yori Dango, you'll love Meteor Garden. It is a chinese adaptation to Hana Yori Dango and it's done really well!!
Rating: Summary: FOUR STARS!!! Review: If you like Hana Yori Dango, you'll love Meteor Garden. It is a chinese adaptation to Hana Yori Dango and it's done really well!!
Rating: Summary: It's good... Review: Okay, First I did enjoy this book. I'm not a huge fan of this style of drawing, you know the early 90's late 80's, they have HORRID hair and have one of the strangest names for a group of guys I've ever seen. The Flowery Four or F4. Weird, ANy way the plot is good, not excellent but good. I want to get the 2nd book to see if the plot gets any better.
Rating: Summary: Better than shoujo! Review: This is a wonderful shoujo manga. Apart from having a great plot, it also has a strong female lead, not the submissive helpless girls you often see in shoujo manga. Boys over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango) is about a middle-class girl going to a posh private school and how she deals with the social biases she encounters there. Lots of romance, funny, just everything you could possibly want from a manga. BUY IT NOW!!!
Rating: Summary: I Love Tsukasa Review: This is an awesome manga, which really appeals to most teens today. Tsukushi is totally cool, kicking boy (...), and you just gotta love Tsukasa Domyoji's "dreads". A story following the life of Tsukushi Makino as she endures her teen years as a middle class, akward girl trying to fit in to a rich, elite highschool when she gets the red slip, a declaration of war from the F4, a handsome gang of wealthy dudes who practically run the school.Our heroine decides to fight back, standing up for hers and others rights. This manga will teach you a valuable lesson on life, never give up and stand up for what you beleive in. Go get them, Tsukushi!!
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