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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You is one of several new VIZ titles I've been looking forward to reading this summer (other series on my list are Children of the Sea and Ôoku: The Inner Chamber). I have quite a few friends who're big fans, so I'm happy to have a chance to check it out. Kimi ni Todoke introduces us to Sawako Kuronuma, a painfully shy high school student who wants nothing more than to be friends with her classmates. Trouble is, Sawako gives off creepy vibes and has no social skills whatsoever, so if she's having a good day the other students edge away slowly instead of just running. This is shown in an over-the-top way, of course, but the manga-ka, Karuho Shiina, has really nailed one of the paradoxical dynamics in this sort of situation: Sawako's classmates freely call her "Sadako" (the name of the female lead in The Ring), whisper about her, avoid her, and tell tall tales about her ("you'll be cursed if you look into her eyes for three seconds!"), all while seeming to truly believe that she speaks to ghosts and can curse them at will. Believing someone can hurt you and then treating them badly makes no logical sense, but it's an all-too-believable dynamic. Despite this treatment, Sawako is determined to befriend the people around her, even if this means watching them recoil from her attempt at a cheerful "good morning!" every single day. It's not quite true to say that her gloomy exterior hides a sunny personality, but Sawako is almost uncomfortably earnest, unfailingly good-natured and helpful, and a true believer in the idea that everyone in the world is a friend waiting to happen. She's drawn in a few distinct ways depending on the scene: sometimes she's creepy and plain; sometimes she appears in a cute, stylized way for the readers' benefit; and sometimes, when another character really looks at her and sees her real personality, she's beautiful. Throughout the book, there are several of those latter moments. First they happen with Kazehaya, a popular and boy who sees something in Sawako that charms him and makes him begin reaching out to her. Later, some of their other classmates follow his lead, giving the book two parallel progressions as Sawako begins to change and, more significantly, as her classmates' perception of her begins to change. Sawako herself attributes all of this to Kazehaya's encouragement and kind nature, while he tries to get her to see that she's the one beginning to build connections. Kazehaya is a great character in his own right. He should be too good to be true, with his huge smile and the friendliness that radiates from every pore, but Shiina keeps him from coming across as either saccharine or as potentially two-faced. His efforts to reach out to Sawako and her heartfelt delight as she begins to make a connection with someone else for the first time are a real treat. It's equally adorable watching them start to fall for each other, even though there's never a moment when they both realize that's what's going on. It's also unsurprising that other characters notice how much attention he's paying to her. Here, too, Shiina presents a realistic balance of reactions from the people around them: while some assume that there must be something to Sawako if Kazehaya likes being around her, others don't take it nearly so well. These very convincing undertones are one of the things I like best about the series so far. As a side note, I was glad to see that the Japanese title has been retained. I know this is a bit of a sticky decision for publishers, since the flip side is that casual new readers may not be as quick to pick up a book with a Japanese-only title (the translated subtitle isn't visible on the spine, only the front cover), so I can only conclude that there's enough of an existing audience ready and waiting for it to appear under a familiar name that keeping it seemed like a viable choice. And that strikes me (despite my lack of marketing savvy) as a good sign. Volume 1 of Kimi ni Todoke includes two pages of translation/cultural notes and a sheet of stickers (!). 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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