Billionaire Girl

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I must say, the title was what first caught my eye.

However, the story isn't just all about stock trading (as the synopsis might imply) and the unique plotline is one which is a hidden gem amongst all those typical harem/starry-eyed romance out there.

The idea of such a fragile girl capable of earning such astronomical amounts of money does seem a tad unrealistic, but its what makes this manga different and special.

Overall: Nice art, unique storyline, and looks quite promising though I do need to read the coming chapters to judge properly.

First off: this is my first time reviewing, yeah yeah.

I'll start off with a summary of what I think: it's not a typical, all-too-frickin-familiar romance. Although it starts with the "I'm just your average student guy" thing, it doesn't really fit into the stereotypical seinen (monstrous sex on whim), shojo (lovey-dovey knight in shining armor with feelings flying ), josei (drama and sex), or shojo (whoops, slipped on a banana peel and touched your boob). To be more exact, it's a refreshing seinen with a more comprehensive story and feel than most.

The story itself isn't exactly something out there. While it's not entirely drab ... and plain, it doesn't really have what one might call an "interesting concept". However, this is easily excusable in the face of romance, so the fact that it does not throw in annoying plot devices and deus ex machina makes me feel all bubbly inside. Also, another thing that makes me grin with admiration is that it is NOT episodic. You know: event x, climax, everything back to the way it was, ha ha! No, it is a seamless story such that development is exactly that rather than punctuated equilibrium.

I'm sorry, but bias will always creep into reviews. Although the art is not something incredibly unique, I must agree with myself when I say that the art is to be reckoned with. The people don't all look the same, the detail is pretty well whetted, and the choice of scene and point-of-view for panels is aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. Also, there isn't an overload of those cutesy face caricatures that are plastered all over shojo. In short: yeah, I like the art. It has an adult and mature feel to it that fits the setting of college students. Warning: Fujioka isn't some super hot babe or overly cute girl. If you're into that kind of thing, just click any random romance manga.

Well, there are only 5 chapters out as of now, so I can't really make a long standing claim. Upon what I know so far, the character feels a lot more realistic than most manga I've read, and that makes me a happy guy. The main character, Takato Kei, almost feels as though he avoids archetypes entirely. He is a dry and somewhat reliable and serious guy that doesn't do or say anything in particular that screams what he will be like for the entire manga. Fujioka Yukari, on the other hand, is an obsessive day trader who doesn't seem to get outside much, and thus her personality is naïvete accompanied by a tad of cynicism and melancholy as result of the prior. All of this feels very plausible and realistic to me, and once again, I am impress. On top of all this, I find the two a good match despite differences and are individually quite likable; that is, they haven't done anything that warrants a facepalm, yet. Overall, I really like the characters as they are now, and I look forward to how they develop when more chapters are released.

Let me tell you a little bit about me (it's only a little, okay?): I'm a cynic who likes seriousness and has a soft-spot for realism and romance. Well gee wilikers, I'd say this manga is a perfect fit, wouldn't you? If you don't take anything seriously and you like those little "monster-of-the-week" kind of stories, better pass on this one. I'd suggest Girls Saurus DX for those peeps. As for me, I unduly enjoy this manga more than once and I think you will too. Unless you're one of the people I mentioned above.

The characters express emotions and such in a more complex manner than "Oh no, my girl/guy is in trouble! I better help!" and "Ohh, he/she's kinda cute!" Loneliness, lack of identity, insecurity, and grudging chagrin are a few. I find it sad that I am impressed to find such things in a manga because I believe every manga should. In any case, I've read a handful of mangas and not many capture these ideas and feelings quite the way Billionaire Girl does.

A couple of the characters aren't so clear cut as to what their motives and personalities are, which makes me intrigued and more interested to learn more of. This is in contrast to most other times in which a character will act the same way throughout ("Oh, that's typical of sidekick-kun.") I'm VERY grateful Takato doesn't have that guy-friend-to-the-rescue that we see way too often, but instead two or three friends with interesting input and juxtapositioning, so much so that I'd not mind reading a seperate manga about just the side characters.

Another thing I feel I must mention is the sequence of events as they happen feel on tempo and not too slice-of-lifey to where the character doesn't have time to his or herself. The deliberate omission of Fujioka's daily life feels realistic in that we are following Takato, and not that we are hand-picked "pivotal" moments in each others' lives, so far as to say I'm not entirely sure what will impact the future in this manga, which is a good thing. Too often do we see obvious plot devices in the making introduced unsubtly such that we can predict its role later.

Overall, while it is not 100% perfect, it comes pretty damn close in my opinion. Definitely one I will remember and keep my eyes peeled for any updates. I suggest you get started as well. It's only five chapters anyway.

Billionaire Girl is a short story by Isuna Hasekura, the author of Spice & Wolf. So going into this series I expected a nice little romance with characters at least 1/100th as compelling as Holo and Lawrence. Unfortunately compelling is a word that couldn't be associated with any aspect of this manga whatsoever.

What started off somewhat promising quickly deteriorated into mediocrity and then the characters just became annoying which left little remaining to enjoy. There are definitely a few positives to take from this series and despite what I've said it is by no stretch awful or unbearable. If you want a short series for ... a yearly MAL challenge or have decided to invest in Stocks following the fall of the market due to Corona then you might get something small out of this series. Even then you're unlikely to find anything much in this extremely brief look at stocks and the life of a rich girl who doesn't know anything of the world outside her job.

The single biggest problem with Billionaire Girl would have to be the fact that while several plot lines and issues revealed themselves none of them were actually dealt with. This manga is a whole bunch of nothing happening for 17 chapters. You'll find hundreds of other romance series where a thick headed main character struggles to realise they're in love so you may as well skip this one.

As a side note, if you're surprised by the high scores others gave this series make sure to check when their reviews were written, you'll notice all the high scores came 9 years ago when this manga first started publishing and long before it finished.