Teppen!

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Before dying, Kobato's mom told her she had a brother. The only clues she has to go on is that he is in show business and has a burn scar on his body from childhood. Being the orphan she now is, she goes to Japan in search of her idol brother. By sheer luck (luckiest girl in the world) she gets scouted by an agency to be a model, only problem is that the agency only hires guys and are under the impression she is one. Torn between keeping a secret and needing to find her brother she decides to go with it. After all,what ... better way to find her brother than to promote your face on screen?

This manga would have scored higher had the story not gotten sidetracked. The story was short and sweet but had a lot of holes that needed patching. Like for example; How does a sixteen year old girl leave the country without her parents consent? I found it inconsistent that her mom was in London but then Kobato said she would have to go back to America? Doesn't a minor need someones signature to be in show business? And lastly the one that nicked at me the most: If you're trying to find someone who doesn't know you exist and you don't tell anyone can they still find you? (see, tree in the woods analogy works) So wouldn't her pretending to be a guy and getting fame be moot?

Oh well, maybe she was thinking ahead or I'm way over-thinking it.

I mean sure, it all worked out (that is by no means a spoiler). Another thing I find interesting, and not just with this manga but other gender benders and I'm wondering if it's the norm in real life too.. are boys inclined to dress like girls, a little, just because they look girly?

The characters develop steadily and are actually pleasant to read about. The story itself is a regular gender bender but the situations surrounding her brother are what make it different from the rest. Having said that, I find it hilariously frustrating that it ended so...vague, where Kobato is concerned.

The art was nice and solid, they had great fashion sense and everyone is good looking. Sure some characters look the same but that's show business for you.

All in all, so what if the recap in every other chapter is unnecessary and I feel confuzzled (confused+puzzled) while reading it, at least the pictures are pretty.

Teppen! is about a girl Kobato who came to Japan to look for her brother, whom she only found out about recently due to her mother's death. While walking around Japan, she meets Takeru and there the story begins. Takeru mistook him for a participant of an audition that was being hosted nearby, therefore he was dragged there and amazingly, he was accepted. He then becomes a trainee then Takeru's partner in the business.

I'd just like to say that I was led to think that the story would be more about her looking for her brother than her love story with Takeru. Although, I ... should add that for some time,she had a suspicion that Takeru was her brother. Aside from that, she didn't really make an effort to find him although she always mentioned that it was her goal and her reason to be staying in Japan.

The art was your typical shoujo manga art. Not saying it was bad, but it's really typical. I can't see differences between its art and others mangaka's art but most of them are like that anyway..

The plot wasn't all that great either. It's always a parent dying, either telling you to look for your dad, mom, long lost brother or sister. Very typical, again. Another typical thing is liking someone who you suspect later is your sibling. So, no originality points there.

Although to me, it was very cliche and really nothing special, I still think it's a short and sweet read.

How disappointing! (>.