Koukou Debut, aka Highschool Debut, I would recommend to any reader, as it's enjoyable, heartfelt and a laugh-out-loud.
Unlike what other reviews have been saying, in my opinion it's not, "cute, loud girl meet hot emo boy". I do think that Haruna (main character) is very outspoken and naive, but it makes her enjoyable as a character. I wouldn't say that she's ditzy, but she is eccentric and more importantly, eager and motivated.
The first reason I'll give to why I enjoy this manga, is because it makes me
...
wish and hope. Sometimes it makes me a little lonely, truthfully, but living with the aspiration that Haruna has in the manga would make life enjoyable, as her life is. I may be taking this point and the characters a little too seriously, but the way the author had written the book and the things she made the characters think and say portrays the author's emotions and perspective as well, and it's something I would agree on.
Now, supposed "emo boy" (Yoh) in my perspective is NOT emo. I definately think he's introvert and a bit, but he sort of reflects someone who hasn't been enlightened in their life, not saying that depressed or anything. His character is intensely "Yoh", and he doesn't break away from that almost at all, including when he begins to soften up. I like how it's more of a subtle change and continues to fit him, but when I reread the manga (which I have many times) though it doesn't seem out of context.
When I think of being in the position of Haruna myself, I can't imagine how it's be to upkeep someone like him, because he seems very difficult, and because I (or many people) aren't as bold as her, the things Haruna may do or say sometimes to make him laugh or smile never cross my mind. I think that if a lot of people were in Haruna's position it'd sort of be like his ex-girlfriend, not exactly knowing how to please or keep in intrested. That, I'm not sure whether to critisize or not, because I guess that's a point which makes him difficult, but it also makes his character a bit impossible, so I'm not sure on that...
Hef, well anyways, I don't see him very much as the "boyfriend" type, and sometimes I obsess over the other male characters more than Yoh, but maybe altering him to make him a bit more enjoyable or interesting may either ruin the story, his seriousness or his character... I do like how the other characters are nicely intertwined with the story and each character gets a good amount of face-time, so despite how out of focus Yoh could be at times, but because it happens so little, I wouldn't complain over it. I'm simply... taking note of it.
My most favorite character would be Asaoka, I love how the author (Kazune Kawahara) plays his personality and character. Asaoka is intruiging and sweet, and his role in the book gives me very giddy feelings! If I were to write about him though, it'd mostly be about how much I love him, and I'd be a bit repeatitive, so in summary he's clever, funny, exasperating, and etc. I guess you could critique him on your own.
I don't have too much to say about the artwork aswell, for I enjoy the story nonetheless and the artwork was wonderful in comparison to most shoujos, though I must add that sometimes the hands looked a little funky.
My negatives about Koukou Debut, which I don't have many (only two) would be all in one dilema. The part where that one girl with glasses interferes bothers me a bit, though I must say that I love how instead of leaving the cold texts and "don't call me" stuff unsettled and unconcluded, Yoh and Haruna actually wonder about the strangeness of it and look into it at the end of the chapter (I'm so glad, I would've been totally upset, because if such a thing were to be left alone it be a bad memory and it's be part of their relationship forever and maybe it'd be brought up at times of made them feel uncomfortable or saddened of how easily one another had abandoned their love). Yeah, I'm tkaing this a bit seriously. Anyways! The parts which I didn't like was how Yoh had smiled to much with the girl. It's not exactly a negative about the story, but personally, it bothered me (as it did Haruna). The actual thing that bothered me, the second one, was of Haruna's sudden weight gain and loss. It was very unnatural for the transformation to happen so quickly, which I'm not bothered by how she large, the fact doesn't bother me, just the weirdness of the time lapse (though I know it's a manga and absurd things can happen, but it just seemed so flawless before...). I'm being knit-picky though, just because I loved it totally and completely overall, so it was insignificant compared to the rest.
I really would reccomed this manga to anyone, and this Shoujo is the only shoujo I read and like/love, as I don't really care for them, but Koukou debut has made me cry several times. I know that later on I won't be too proud of this review and how I've made it too personalized, but I guess these are just my general feelings on it. 10/10, one of the best stories I've actually ever read. I really hoped that Kazune Kawahara's one shot sequel "Enren Debut" would have made it, but sadly it didn't, check out the first and only chapter of it if you like. I wish to buy the series for myself if I ever get the chance, and thanks for reading if you actually made it to the end of this review.
Apr 25, 2011
Koukou Debut
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Koukou Debut, aka Highschool Debut, I would recommend to any reader, as it's enjoyable, heartfelt and a laugh-out-loud.
Unlike what other reviews have been saying, in my opinion it's not, "cute, loud girl meet hot emo boy". I do think that Haruna (main character) is very outspoken and naive, but it makes her enjoyable as a character. I wouldn't say that she's ditzy, but she is eccentric and more importantly, eager and motivated. The first reason I'll give to why I enjoy this manga, is because it makes me ... |
