xx me!, Band 8

わたしに××しなさい! / Watashi ni XX shinasai! #8

by Ema Tōyama, Antje Bockel (Translator)

Shigure's plan to get close to Yukina by helping her overcome her weakness gets off to a good start, but runs into trouble when Yukina meets into an old acquaintance-the preschool teacher who traumatized her in the first place. Can Shigure keep Yukina's old wounds from reopening? From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Comics Manga, Young Adult, High School, Manga Romance

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2012

About the author

Japanese Name: 遠山 えま

She made her debut in September 2003 in the monthly manga magazine Nakayoshi with her story, Tenshi no Tamago ("Angel's Egg", no relation to the anime movie of the same name). Gokkun! Pūcho is considered her best representative work. Tokyopop has licenced it under the title Pixie Pop. All of her works are published by Kodansha, and they are enjoyed mainly by preteen and teen girls. None of her series have yet become anime.

Reviews

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the complete series



Yukina's classmates avoid her for the cold look she gives everyone. And that suits her just fine: she loves to observe people as it gives her ideas for the novel she's been writing under the penname Yupina. Yupina's novel has become widely popular but there's one thing her readers are in want of: romance. As this is new terrain for Yukina, she decides she needs some first-hand experience. Coincidently, she finds out that her popular classmate Shigure isn't as nice as he lets on. Yukina decides that he will be the one to teach her romance through her missions of love or else she'll let the school see Shigure's true colours.

Missions of Love is an engrossing and addictive manga whilst also being problematic: people who like to crush things by pointing out all its social and moral impropriety will have a field day with this one. My personal main issue with it, though, is that it suffered from its length. I am very sure that this manga was dragged out after the first volumes proved to be such a success.

This manga starts off very strong in which Yukina and Shigure playing out a perfect high school enemies to lovers scenario. Both of them are strong characters and they're constantly trying to get the upper hand in their power struggle which is also filled with lots of chemistry and tension. At times they are perfectly mean to each other, at other times true feelings start to surface and they begin to care. Rivals are thrown in one after the other and while a lot of people might not like this, I believe it was rather necessary in this particular case as neither Yukina nor Shigure would be willing to confess how they really feel without some jealousy or sense of loss involved.

Tōyama has the tendency to make rival characters come across as creepy psychopaths, it's actually something I never liked about her works. Be that as it may, the first two rivals are Yukina's cousin Akira and Shigure's childhood friend Mami. They are both rather possessive and for the most part feel like meddlers. As the story progresses, though, both of them become more fleshed out and start to move away from their obsessions. This turns both of them into likeable characters who actually have really cute and warm sides to them. Mami in particular really grew on me once she stopped being the little psycho she was introduced as.

I would have much preferred this series to have wrapped up with just those characters and with only half the amount of volumes it actually amounted to. The story seems to progress naturally when suddenly the kindergarten teacher arc is introduced: Yukina's former teacher has left her with insecurities she still struggles with today. Although this was already mentioned early on in the series, the appearance of the teacher seemed to derail the plot. That whole arc feels random and cutting it out wouldn't change the outcome of the series one bit. It almost feels like Tōyama was trying to create new tensions, realised it wasn't going well and opted to drop it in favour of a different plotline. It was over and done with as fast and sudden as it came. I faintly remember even thinking of dropping the series at that stage during my first read.

However, while not as strong as the first volumes, Missions of Love catches itself again and makes a turn for the better - mostly in any case. Another rival character is introduced and it adds both pros and cons to the remainder of the story. Hisame is Shigure's younger brother (through marriage, non-blood related) and boy do they not see eye to eye. This adds some much-needed insight to Shigure's life and why he is the way he is. The problem is that Hisame is yet another psychotic little jerk who, unlike Akira and Mami, stays that way. Sure, he certainly does have a few nice moments and cute scenes, but ultimately, he's a creepy little shit.

Putting aside Hisame's creepy ways, the latter volumes mainly deal with the characters' inner feelings which is particularly important in regard to Yukina. She is a tricky character in the sense that a lot of her behaviour seems odd. I can easily see her coming across as a character who is impossibly oblivious to love when it's standing right in front of her. You could read this manga and ask yourself time and again, why is she being so dense? In that same sense, you might wonder how she can share intimate moments with multiple characters without understanding why it's wrong or why it would bother others. While it's never actually spelt out, it is highly implied that there is more to it than just poor characterisation. I don't know much about the different sexual identities, so I won't go ahead labelling Yukina as something I know nothing of, but it's clear that while Yukina feels sexual attraction, she struggles with the concept of love. She is genuinely trying to understand what's inside her heart and beats herself up over not succeeding. She loves different people around her but she doesn't seem to understand the differences between the love one has for friends, family members and the romantic type.

People who have only read the first few volumes and criticise this manga over Yukina blackmailing Shigure into playing love games, this problem does actually get addressed in the latter volumes. Although Yukina is generally speaking a confident girl, there is something about her that prevents her from reading certain social cues, and I suspect it's the same that prevents her from understanding the different kinds of love. Yukina is often seen doing things that either stand out or just makes others around her feel awkward. She herself doesn't feel any of this awkwardness and it's usually done out of complete innocence. Once again, I am no expert, but there is definitely a complexity behind why Yukina is the way she is and a lot of this manga's ultimate question is whether or not Shigure can love and accept her for who she is.

Missions of Love does have a couple more things sprinkled throughout that rub me the wrong way: I can't get my head around when Yukina, Shigure and Akira get intimate at the same time, I wish there would have been more closure to what became of Mami and Akira (I can't say I care what became of Hisame) and what is it with Yukina's breasts?! I love Tōyama's art but can we take a moment to look at how material hangs over breasts - Yukina seems to have rather large ones but it doesn't mean her clothes should stick to her.

Drawing 101:



Here I'm just nitpicking but Yukina's breasts are definitely drawn like the former.

Missions of Love has it's issues - no doubt there. But it's nicely drawn and really brings out what you'd expect from an enemies to lovers plot. For the most of it, it's an enjoyable read and one that you don't put down easily. I'd definitely recommend it to romance lovers who can turn a blind eye to the issues that come with Yukina and Shigure's story.

[Lesedelfin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nach dem letzten Band, in dem gefühlsmäßige Spielchen mir das Lesen richtig erschwert haben und ich stellenweise nur den Kopf schütteln konnte, setzt Ema Toyama im achten "xx me!" Band erneut einen drauf. Gemäß dem Motto, dass alles noch kurioser werden kann.

Yukina als Hauptperson in diesen Mangas zu begleiten, war bisher immer ein kleines Auf und Ab. Sie hat ihre Schwächen und will endlich verstehen, was Liebe wirklich bedeutet, wofür sie ziemlich verrückte Dinge anstellt. Ihr Cousin Akira würde alles für sie tun, aber sie selbst hat nur ihren Mitschüler Shigure im Blick. Nach dem dessen beste Freundin Mami ebenfalls das Spielfeld betreten hat, wurde aus dem Liebesdreieck ein Viereck, obwohl es mir schwer fällt das Wort Liebe ernst zu nehmen. Drama und überreizte Reaktionen prägen diese Reihe mittlerweile und obwohl ich es, wenn ich mich versuche in Yukina hineinzuversetzen, nachvollziehen kann, ist es schwer das gelesene für selbstverständlich zu nehmen. Mangas sind scheinbar so und Gefühle werden oft überspitzt.

In Band acht überschlagen sich die Ereignisse mit der Ankunft eines neuen Charakters: Kirishima. Er war Yukinas Kindergärtner und löst in dem Moment, wo sie ihn durch Zufall wiedersieht, etwas in ihr aus. Sie fängt an zu zittern und auch ihr Cousin ist auf 180, als er die beiden zusammen sieht. In Yukinas Gefühlschaos hat sich wieder ein weiteres eingenistet, das sie nun versuchen will zu ergründen. Sie ist sich sicher, dass Gefühl der Liebe bald wirklich verstehen zu können.
Aber nicht nur Akira gerät bei Kirishimas Anblick in Rage, auch Shigures Emotionen geraten außer Kontrolle und präsentieren dem Leser einen Shigure, der den Vorhang fast fallen lässt. Zu Beginn der Reihe hatte ich meine Probleme mit ihm, aber in diesem Band mag ich ihn sogar.

Ich kann nicht wirklich verstehen, wieso ein Kindergärtner plötzlich für soviel Furore sorgt, denn der Altersunterschied ist schließlich nicht gerade klein. Sein Lächeln wirkt freundlich und er ist um Yukina besorgt, aber wie ist er wirklich?

Ema Toyama entfacht den Gefühlssturm noch mehr und bringt Gedanken und Gefühle ans Licht, die vielleicht schwer zu verstehen sind, dafür aber wieder neue Anreize für die Geschichte bringen. Ich kann mich mit dieser Gefühlswelt nicht wirklich anfreunden und finde einiges seltsam und manches Mal wurden meine Nerven überstrapaziert, aber dennoch bin ich weiterhin angetan von dem Grundkonzept. Als Leser weiß man einfach nicht wohin die Reise geht und dieses Liebesviereck (oder fünfeck?) will noch entwirrt werden. Soviele Entscheidungen, die noch getroffen werden müssen, halten den Lesereiz jedenfalls aufrecht.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Read #231

Introducing a teacher who’s not on the up-and-up really makes the other characters seem better by comparison...but they are still all immature and selfish in their own ways.

[Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like it is started to drag a bit...

[D E N Z]

Honestly the reintroduction of the teacher is kinda weird...... but other than that the development of Yukina and Shigure is ayt.

[David Doel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish they wouldn't put the word bullets at the edge of the frame!

A new character and a new side story. Continues in the next volume.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

An encounter with Yukina's preschool teacher leads Shigure to some unpleasant self-reflection.
The tone of the series has changed quite a bit!

[Judyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4/5

All of the previous relationships are continuing to build. Akira and Mami are still unknowingly forming a budding romance, and I’m in total favor of them. Mami and Yukina are also forming a real friendship, including when Yukina forcefully goes to Mami for advice. Yukina and Shigure are still steamily building a relationship, with lots of kissing and holding (but not including lip-on-lip kissing), as well as Shigure pushing Yukina to try not wearing her glasses.

And then we meet a new character, someone from Yukina’s past, who unintentionally scarred her. He’s also causing some new feelings for Yukina, that she doesn’t quite know how to handle. The guy is similar to Shigure in a bad way, and I don’t really like him. He’s up to some bad things.

I love the smutty part of this series, but the humor works great, too. I’m hugely attached to the characters. There are problems a’ comin’, and I’m excited.

[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]

[Rubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this one was less about missions and more about Yukina confronting her trauma. She realizes what her teacher said about her as a kid hurt so much because she liked him. Now she wants to find lut what he really meant amd it was adorable to see how far Akira and Shigure went to try to protect her. Even Mami was less annoying and concerned for Yukina, or Akira actually. There does seem something off about that teacher tho.....its not normal for him to touch students, threaten middle school kids or want ex students around so much. Something is up, but I guess I'll have to read to read it again to refresh my memory lol
Also....Shigure leaving his mark....super hot stuff 🙊😹

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh. I'm so proud of you, Ema Tōyama: the plot actually progressed! The fact that Yukina's first love was the sensei was a pretty unexpected twist (I'm glad the mangaka still had something up her sleeve that could keep the story going). While Shigure fortunately developed in terms of characterization, I really think he should be more honest with his feelings.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vielleicht weißt Yukina, was Liebe ist, aber sie hat es vergessen. Vielleicht war sie in ihren Erzieher im Kindergarten verliebt... Aber der Erzieher ist... wie kann ich es sagen, ein bisschen verdächtig?!

[Reina Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG the teacher! What's his deal? What does he really want? ugh.

Yupina's 'phone novel' bit at the end though <3

[Amy Gideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can anyone have a first love in preschool? Plot wise this doesn't make sense and I find it hard to buy in to the premise of her trauma.

[Infinite Scythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow moving.

[Maychell Orqueza]

nice

[Karina Rari · Rating 5 out of 5]

hach ich fands wieder mal wundervoll

[Célia ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note : 3 ⭐.
Commentaire : ∅

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy these, and the way that Yukina refuses to react the way the way shoujo tropes would dictate.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a bit weird, I still likes this a lot!