Jul 7, 2013
I have to admit, when I first looked at the description of Skip Beat, I thought that this manga, like others, would be full of shoujo moments, such as the bishounens, compulsory love triangle, and most importantly, the heroine contemplating how to show her affections for the male lead. Yet, Skip Beat portrays its characters and the plot in a way that's rather revolutionary and inspiring.
Kyoko Mogami, the protagonist of Skip Beat, surpasses my expectations. Sure, I did not like her portrayal at the beginning of the manga as a girl engulfed in a one-sided love, but she soon recovers from that and begins
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her quest to become an actress. Kyoko's emotions have a wide range, from menacing to absolutely charming. She's very mature in one way, but becomes a child anew when listening to stories about princesses and ladies. It is very enjoyable to see how she has a lot of talent, yet remains grounded. Readers with all types of personalities will definitely be able to connect with her on an emotional level, even if they haven't done the same things as Kyoko has.
Ren Tsuruga is often known as the "cold-hearted ladies' man". He is very frank when talking with others, especially about his profession. Yet, Nakahara-sensei could have developed his character a little more. Later in the series, he goes through a lot of inner turmoil, but readers cannot connect with him because they can barely understand Ren's emotions. As expected of a shoujo male lead, he is very talented, from fighting to acting, but is not as well-rounded as I had hoped for.
Yashiro, Ren's manager, and Lory Takarada, the president of Kyoko's and Ren's agency, have an uncanny knack for being able to sort out Kyoko's and Ren's problems. As Ren's manager, Yashiro is able to pinpoint the feelings that Ren has, from hatred to liking to jealousy. Takarada, on the other hand, does the same, but he guides the characters gently with his pearls of wisdom. Both characters are there for comedic relief as well as their viewpoint of the whole situation.
The story is more creative than most, as the way acting is taken so seriously taken gives the impression that acting is an art, not just a simple task. Not many shoujo leads are motivated by revenge and don't know how to love, like Kyoko. Sho Fuwa's narcissism is something that would be expected, yet, he brings a new type of understanding to the whole concept of loving oneself. In the incipient stages of the series, everything seems like fun and games, but later on, the manga explores some dark themes that may be disturbing to one yet captivating to another.
In the beginning, I was kind of disappointed with the art. Ren and Sho have extremely long, triangular faces, and there's barely any distinction between them and other male characters their age in the series. I wish that Ren would have some human proportions, because even though this is a manga (and not real) I would have liked to see Ren as more of a normal person. Kyoko is very expressive throughout the series and I'm glad to see that, opposed to the impassive faces of Ren and others.
So far, I have definitely enjoyed this manga! I love to reread the character-defining moments in the series, as they motivate me. Skip Beat is such an insightful yet enjoyable manga that anyone would like to read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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