My sister found this manga in Barnes & Nobles one day. She said she tried it but decided she wasn't interested. She never really was a big manga fan. Anyway, I decided to disregard it. I wanted something Shounen, I though(of course, now it's the total opposite). I have this document on Google Docs of all the manga I want to check out, and it's at the bottom, where the very first mangas I decided I was interested in gathered. I never really planned on it. The plot sounded boring. Now I'm here to tell you,
man was I wrong!
Plot: [From Mangareader.net]
Tsubasa and Arisa are twin sisters who have not seen each other for three years due to their parents divorce. They have communicated through letters, but finally decide to meet each other again. Arisa, the more gentle of the twins, suggests that Tsubasa take her place at school for a day, just for fun. However, there are things about Arisa and her school that she has not mentioned to Tsubasa--dangerous things.
Now, this manga is fantastic! I love the story! It seems to be a simple manga. At first I figured Arisa did some inappropriate things(which is why I decided not to read it). Wrong! The school has this mysterious thing called "King's Time" and no one knows who the king is! In fact, the first king was Arisa! After Arisa tries to commit suicide and ends up in a coma, Tsubasa decides to masquerade as her twin sister because Arisa was talking weird(talking about her secret and the secret of the class). She wants to know the secrets! This story, which is drawn well and really knows how to keep a reader going(even though I really want to watch the last two episodes of Hana Yori Dango)! I highly suggest it!
Now, for character reviews:
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| Tsubasa is the blonde |
Tsubasa lived with her father after her parents divorced. She's a tough girl who is always getting into fights(usually over trivial things, like recycling a milk container). Really, I find it hard not to like her. The strong heroine's are the best one! If the main character of a manga is a wimp, it tends to take away from the story. She always needs rescuing, in that case. Tsubasa does her best to be strong, though it's hard since she has to hide herself as Arisa. Really, her devotion to her sister is great! *mumbling to self* Though I can't believe she thought Midori-kun was most important to Arisa...it's obviously going to be Tsubasa, dummy...
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| Arisa moments before she jumped from the window |
Not much is known about Arisa. She seems to have kept her life a secret from Tsubasa, and it makes it hard. It's almost like a mystery manga! She never really hinted at anything with her true life when it came to her letters to Tsubasa. It makes it really hard!
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| Manabe after he hits Tsubasa |
Manabe starts off thinking Arisa is the king. So, he attacks Tsubasa(who is disguised as Arisa). The problem? Tsubasa also suspects him! It takes a bit for them to realize he isn't king, though. He's really a nice person, and he's great when it comes to hacking computers! Even so, he seems not to trust Tsubasa completely, and he does stop for Shizuka that puts Tsubasa in danger(though he goes and saves her in the end *insert heart eyes*)
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| Takeru |
Takeru is Tsubasa's friend from middle school(her only friends are guys). He's extremely friendly. At first, when I saw him, I though "OOH! I'm a Takeru+Tsubasa fan!" (yes, I decided that quick) but by chapter 21 he had been erased in that shipping and replaced with Manabe(it was before that, but I didn't take note of it until then).
[Insert image of Midori here]
They had no image that didn't spoil! I don't want anyone to go all angry at me because I revealed a key piece in plot development!
Anyway, he's really nice. I really liked him in the beginning. And then things went sour...
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| Shizuka |
Shizuka is Manabe's childhood friend. He made a promise to her that he would always be her ally, so she uses that against him. She's not a bad person, though. I was upset when she went to the orphanage. Even so, because of her wish for King to destroy what is most important to Arisa. Tsubasa thought it was Midori, so she went searching for him. Instead it was her, and she ended up getting hurt.
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| Kudou |
Kudou repeatedly calls himself the King. Even so, he is not. Don't be deceived! He's just a boy who fell madly in love with Arisa! He met her on a chat room, and even though his parents abandoned him because of his heart condition he found a reason to live in Arisa. It's really amazing. *insert teary eyes* I thought "I can't hate him!" at first, but then I decided "Forget about it! I hate him!" and then I was back, and then I switched again. *sigh* I can't decide...
Well, that's about it. I know I chose not to review Mariko, but really I wasn't sure about her since I thought she was the king at first. She ended up not lasting long in the manga at all, so I ignored her. If you feel like I should review her, comment and I will edit this post to review her. But as I have mentioned before, I need to finish the last two episodes of Hana Yori Dango! I need to add more reviews to my live-action/drama review blog!
-Zeki