Peach Girl, Vol. 5

ピーチガール [Peach Girl] #5

by Miwa Ueda

Sae, the world’s worst "best friend," is back with a vengeance. Now that Momo and Toji are finally happy together, Sae will do whatever it takes to break them up, and her latest scheme is her nastiest ever. For Momo’s birthday Toji made plans for he and Momo to have a special night alone. But if Sae get’s her way, she’ll be the one kissing Toji, not Momo!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, Comics Manga, Shojo

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 1999

About the author

上田美和 in Japanese

Miwa Ueda become mangaka in 1985 with Momoiro Biyaku (Peach Colored Elixer). The pinnacle of her career was in 1999, when she won the award for best shōjo manga's publisher Kodansha with Peach Girl.

View the author's Japanese page here

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yuck. Attempted date rape is not an acceptable way to win someone's affections. Who does that? This was such a disgusting plot device that I couldn't abide by it. I've only got a few volumes left until Momo picks Kiley. This series had delusional thoughts about romance but the art is great. Blegh

[Noel نوال · Rating 2 out of 5]

***This volume needs a trigger warning for suggested rape.***

The characters in this manga are so gullible/unbelievably dumb to get tricked in the most unbelievable situations (I'm in no way talking about the victim and their suggested assault). It's like reading a manga at a middle grade level for how characters behave and interact, but with adult content and subject matter. How have all of these characters survived this far in their literary lives truly?
Sae needs to be kicked out of everyone's lives already.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sae is no longer "flat," and with her return to the third dimension, she's back to her old ways. Surprise! Despite some initial resistance, Momo and Toji continue to be complete chumps when it comes to Sae. They take her traps at face value again and again, despite this having a bad effect on their relationship every single time. Sae's semi-boyfriend "Gigolo" is a chump, too, making it somewhat hard to sympathize with any of them. Gigolo is new to the Sae sphere so maybe he'd get a pass, if he hadn't agreed to go along with a specific plot of hers toward the end of this volume. There are some content warnings there when it comes to issues of sexual consent.

[Ariane · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the HELL? How is rape okay and presented in such a dumb way?! I love Kairi but... Oh it isn’t that bad if she doesn’t remember it?! How is that ok???? This book has major issues!!!! I loved the anime because he presented the whole issue differently!! But like what the actual fuck man!

[Francine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty impactful things are happening in this volume. Spoiler: they aren't handled well/are swepped aside in subsequent volumes.

I wish that Goro were more than a convenient plot device. He's not believable at all, way too gullible for a rich/succesful adult and too easily written out of the story when his money and penis aren't convenient to the author anymore.

[jules ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 4 out of 5]

momo just can't win huh? is she even the main character in her own manga? 🤷🏻‍♀️ i guess the only way to get rid of sae is to kill her 👍🏼

[Ángela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que no existen palabras en este mundo para expresar lo muchísimo, pero de verdad, muchísimo que odio a Sae. En este tomo sus acciones directamente me han dado ASCO y creo que se ha pasado 3 pueblos incluso para tratarse de ella. Ojalá, por el bien de mi salud mental, nunca me tenga que volver a encontrar con un personaje tan falto de ética y humanidad. Espero que después de esto lo mínimo que hagan sea expulsarla del instituto, llevarla a los juzgados y no volver a dirigirle la palabra por el resto de sus vidas.
Y dicho esto, lo demás me ha gustado mucho :)

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warning for suggested SA

Yikes, didn’t think Sae could stoop any lower than this. This was rough—I’m so tired for Momo. She doesn’t deserve any of this.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning! The age recommendation for this series is 13+ but with this volume especially it should be for a mature 16+.
Volume 4 was pretty chill compared to the rest of the series and volume 5 definitely makes up for that. Goro is the hot male model of a popular teen magazine, and he only has eyes for Sae; especially after she lands a gig with the same magazine. However, Sae just isn't satisfied despite having it all since Momo could care less. Momo and Toji are just so happy and in love and that really steams Sae. She decides to win Toji once and for all by drugging Momo and having Goro cart her off to a hotel; meanwhile Sae totes a long wig and slides into Toji's room with the lights off. He realizes it's her after shedding her shirt and a few kisses and then is on the quest to find Momo! Our poor Peach Girl however wakes up from her drug-induced snooze to find herself naked in Goro's bed! Oh yeah, and Kiley popped up for like 3 panels just to stay relevant I guess?
This starts one of the most ridiculous arcs of the series as I remember (I do forget this icky portion of the series every reread of it though...) as the girls go to rather stupid and out of control revenge plot. After these next two volumes, I remember it smoothing over however.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

sae is back on her bullshit again!!!! except she's even SHARPER now

I mean... attempted rape? WHOA. Toji almost fell for it! As for Momo... weeeelll... I won't be giving spoilers for the next volume(s).

On another note: oh how I miss Kairi :(

[Valentina Markasović · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amount of Sae's girlboss gaslighting is off the charts

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

As expected, the story wasn't nearly as interesting now that Toji knows what Sae is up too and some of the drama created to keep up that storyline felt outrageously forced.

Also, I miss Kiley

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

(stejná recenze u všech dílů)

Moc pěkná kresba, která se s každým volumkem zlepšovala. Jen se mi zdálo, že se někde v polovině změnily boty a trochu školní uniforma. Ale to je jen takový malý detail.

Zajímalo by mě, co měly naznačovat ty kresby na konci každé kapitoly. Momo na nich vypadala jako modelka, díky tomu vkusnému a draze vypadajícímu oblečení. Zprvu jsem si myslela, že to mají být nápovědy o tom, co se bude dít dál, ale vyšlo najevo, že s příběhem nijak nesouvisí. Což ze začátku vůbec nebylo jasná, takže mě to několik volumek hrozně mátlo.

Hlavní hrdinku Momo jsem ze začátku měla poměrně ráda, ale postupně se moje sympatie k ní pomalu mizely. Avšak mizely jen po krátkou dobu a můj vztah k ní byl stále mírně pozitivní. Obdivovala jsem ji za některá z jejich rozhodnutích a za to, jak zvládala nátlak od okolí. Někdy od čtvrtiny příběhu jsem ji najednou nechápala, dokonce jsem se nemohla dobrat k tomu, abych jí odpustila její činy, přestože tam byla zmínka o tom, že jí samotné přijde její chování divné.

Sae jsem nesnášela. Ze začátku to měla podle mě autorka v úmyslu, pak její chování začala omlouvat a my jsme jí měli odpustit. Pořád ale dělala špatné věci, díky kterým jsem ji nesnášela čím dál více. Úplně na konci se sice najednou chovala hrozně hezky, a dokonce pomáhala hlavní hrdince a ostatním. Dokonce i když udělala pár dobrých skutků, tak jsem jí nemohla odpustit, jelikož mi to nepřišlo uvěřitelné, aby se takhle zčistajasna změnila.

Příběh mě stále docela bavil i přesto, že tam byli krávoviny, které mě hrozně štvaly. A nepochopila jsem Momino přecházení od jednoho kluka ke druhému, protože to bylo kvůli prkotinám. Jako když se to stalo poprvé dalo se to poměrně dobře pochopit, ke všemu když to bylo i na delší dobu.

Žádnému z kluků jsem nefandila, neboť mi ani jeden nepřišel sympatický či aspoň dostačující. I když jsem asi měla radši Tojiho, jelikož to byla Momina první láska a zároveň mi to aspoň připadalo trochu opravdové.

Nečekala jsem, že tu budou i nějaké temné věci, které mě přinutí cítit znechucení nad lidstvem ( je ale fakt, že u mě to jde celkem snadno :D). Ale nevím, jestli je to plus či mínus, protože mi to nepřišlo moc uvěřitelné. Stejně jako to počáteční šikanování Momo. Ze začátku jak ji všichni nemají rádi, ale pak se najednou objeví holky, které řeknou, že za vše vždy může Sae, začnou se k ní všichni chovat hrozně mile a k Sae ošklivě. A to při tom od začátku věděli, kdo je k tomu podněcuje.

Obálky se mi nelíbí. Musím ale přiznat, že některé trochu dobře vypadají. Stále nechápu, proč tam Momo vypadá jako modelka. Myslím kvůli tomu oblečení a pózám.

Hodnotím 62% Jazyk: Aj

[♡Kayla♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

The bitch is back!!! I think all of us readers could see that Sae would be returning, and that she'd be up to her old tricks. However, I know that I for one, never could've predicted just how twisted her plans would become! I won't spoil what she tried to do to Toji, and even worse, what she tried (and maybe succeeded in doing?? Let's hope not!) to poor Momo. I had pretty much forgotten about this part of the story, but got a very strong reminder when they were in the mall. All I have to say is, Sae can never be redeemed or forgiven this time!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much to add. It's a series I continue to enjoy, I'll be interested to see how it all wraps up. Momo continues to progress from book to book and Sae gets a bit more complicated--and a bit more evil for some reason. Not too cheeky but probably better for High Schoolers instead of Middle Schoolers.

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't also I will murder sae. Like she will be killed. Imagine assaulting a guy and then having your both friend rape his girlfriend. She deserves to be killed by the electric chair or through botched execution by those needs that paralyze you so you can't breathe and 5hen feel like fire is in your veins

[Viktoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely hate Sae how can someone be that fucked up? And that Goro dude ain't much better. This situation is so fucked up from so many angles. This needs trigger warning for sexual assault. I actually don't know what to rate it.

[Jesica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y hablando de triángulos amorosos..!!
Me gusta el toallero.. :P

[Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sae....These hands rated E for Everyone......
re-reading for nostalgia

[MargReadsManga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Sae has gone WAY too far in this volume!

[Meli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pero es que Momo está feliz y siempre se le quitan eso, Sae pero si ya tenías todo.

[mochabei · Rating 3 out of 5]

sae bffr

[Pretty0dd · Rating 3 out of 5]

tw viol et age gap wtf

[Jenny ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg 😲

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drama assolutamente non necessario, eppure lo sto adorando e non riesco a smettere di leggerlo.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly rough volume.

[Alicja Przydryga · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️Sae ostatecznie otrzymuje odemnie tytuł najokropniejszej bohaterki ever.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Immediate no. Vile. He better not have done anything to her. Also all of those fan letters about copycats were really dumbing down the insidious nature of Sae’s behaviour.

[Ali Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sae is so awful!