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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane Life's not easy when you're living in the shadow of your famous parents. Can shy Yura, the daughter of an award-winning composer and a world-renowned actress, find the courage to step out on her own now that her super-celebrity parents are getting divorced? The media is abuzz when word gets out that Yura's mega-famous parents are splitting up. Already accustomed to the daily pressure of being the child of celebrities, Yura's frustration explodes in a rant against her parents--and her heated words end up being broadcasted live on national TV! When a powerful talent scout hears her impassioned declaration, he offers to represent her. The door to showbiz is now flung open for this timid wallflower--will she try to become an actress in her own right? I'll say up front that I was carrying some baggage from Hot Gimmick when I opened Honey Hunt, Miki Aihara's new series. Hot Gimmick has the dubious distinction of being the only complete series I've purchased solely out of morbid fascination; the premise and execution made me twitchy and I loathed all of the characters pretty much equally, but I wanted to see how the trainwreck ended badly enough that I kept shelling out for each new volume. (Not so with the novel--I checked it out from the library, read two pages on the spot, and returned it.) Not for nothing is it called the "Manga of Deep Feminist Shame" on LiveJournal (and possibly throughout the blogosphere). So, with that being my entire previous exposure to Aihara's work, you can see how I was a little tentative with this new story. On the other hand, she's obviously capable of pulling people in even if they don't like the kind of story she's telling; I'm hardly the only person I know who had serious issues with Hot Gimmick and yet stuck with it to the bitter end. First impression from volume 1 of Honey Hunt? It has a much less skeevy premise, although there isn't a healthy relationship in sight, and its heroine, Yura, is shy but not a doormat. Those are two big steps up, and I can deal with Everyone Having Issues, because hey, that's where the drama comes from. The back cover copy provides a good summary of the overall plot, although it doesn't mention the prospective love interest (whose interest in Yura is...unusual, but potentially interesting). In terms of the presentation, Honey Hunt has a particularly smooth script; it's nice to see Liz Forbes adapting again, after I enjoyed her work on Suppli. At this point I don't particularly trust Aihara to give me a story that won't make me cringe, but I'm willing to be proven wrong. Taking it on its own merits (insofar as I can do that), Honey Hunt seems to be off to a decent start. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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