|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane I'm a bit late writing a review for volume 18 of Skip Beat!--it's been out for a couple of months--but before I read it I wanted to make sure I was caught up on the volumes that have come out since my last review. And just as well that I did, since this series doesn't slow down for a minute! Kyoko's drama, Dark Moon, is getting excellent ratings, but in this volume she's been given a new Love Me Section job: serving as personal assistant to Koo Hizuri, a Japanese actor who's been living and working in Hollywood--and who, not-so-coincidentally, played the same role in Tsukigomori (the original drama being remade as Dark Moon) that Ren is now recreating. Nothing in Skip Beat! happens by chance, however, and within a few pages it's made clear that Koo is allowing Kyoko's agency's president to use him to antagonize Kyoko and bring Ren to her defense. The reasons behind this plot aren't spelled out in this volume, although all the pieces to this puzzle are strewn throughout the book; Kyoko herself certainly hasn't put it all together, but readers are supposed to have a pretty good idea of what's actually going on. And even without knowing what's happening, Kyoko doesn't leap through anyone's hoops. Whether she's fighting back or cooperating (and that sometimes varies from panel to panel), she's a complete wild card. I enjoyed Kyoko's developing relationship with Koo quite a bit more than I expected I would, given how much time he spends pushing her buttons (sometimes unwittingly) and figuring her out. He also winds up teaching her a fair bit about both the art and business of acting, although what she picks up on aren't always the lessons he intended. There's a lot packed into this volume, between the scheming and the flashbacks and the hints, and Nakamura layers it all together pretty skillfully. And this is a small thing, but I was glad to see Kyoko going back to her lighter hair color. I usually don't have a preference for what characters do to their hair, but that made me irrationally happy. Kyoko's relationship with Sho is put on the back burner in this volume, but her other relationships are moving in interesting directions, so I'm once again looking forward to seeing where things go next. Vol. 18 of Skip Beat! includes a page of cultural and translation notes. 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
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
