Wild Act, Volume 5

WILD☆ACT #5

by Rie Takada

Meet 15-year-old Yuniko Sakuraba, who is fixated on the late actor Akira Nanae-so much so that she's taken to burglary to collect items that once belonged to him. But Yuniko is not obsessed and twisted; she's actually cheerful and vibrant, soon drawing the attention of 17-year-old star Ryu Eba. Eventually, the two fall in love. In Volume 2, Yuniko meets her mother, actress Maiko Sakura, for the first time-but her mother suffers from amnesia and doesn't remember her. Yuniko is told by fellow student and aspiring paparazzo Maki Tatsumi that Akira Nanae is actually her father, and in this volume Yuniko races to secure proof of this allegation before Maki can find it. This series contains almost romance, humor, drama, mystery, action, high school, a perverted supporting character (thankfully little used), and animal mascots. Some plot points are a bit of a stretch, but the story as a whole hangs together because of Takada's nice artwork (reminiscent of Fuyumi Soryo's in Mars) and the genuineness of Yuniko and Ryu's emotions. Some nudity and sexual situations earn Tokyopop's assignment of the "Age 16+" rating. Recommended for most collections, especially for fans of Mars and Miho Obana's Kodocha. M

Genres: Manga, Shojo, Comics, Romance

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 1999

About the author

Rie Takada ( 高田りえ) is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1990 in the 17th issue of the manga anthology magazine Sho-Comi with the series SP girl. She still writes primarily for Sho-Comi, with her serialized works also published in collected volumes by Shogakukan, the company that publishes Sho-Comi.

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I read this. The plot has thickened dramatically and is keeping me on my toes and the edge of my seat.

[Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:

The adventures continue of the ultimate groupie, Yuniko, whose goal in life is to snag memorabilia from her favorite celebrity.

My Thoughts:

The craziness continues as Yuniko is outed as the daughter of Maiko Sakura and Akira Nanae. Things get even worse when the media starts discussing her being Ryu's sister! It makes Yuni and Ryu determined to find items that will help bring Maiko's memory back. While they're doing this, they've decided to put their physical relationship on hold. This causes some strain between them at times, but they're always able to make up again. They're still young, so it's no real surprise that it causes some strife.

When they go after one of the items they really need in order to help with Maiko's memory, they discover that Maki's mother has it. They get foiled by him twice, but in the end, they're able to get it. It actually helps repair Maki's relationship with his mother, too. That woman was cold until it looked like Maki was in danger. Maybe she isn't such a huge bitch after all.

One thing that shouldn't be a surprise is what Maki eventually confesses to Yuniko. Totally saw that coming. He has to know he doesn't stand a chance, right?

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series Rating: 4 Stars
Series Review Mostly spoiler free. A bit of wrap up from Volume 10 but nothing that gives away any surprises.

Volume 5 gets a little... weird... with the potential incest and such going on, but in another way it's almost too obvious that there's no way they'll actually end up as brother and sister.

[Kadie D♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maki's ok now, quite a nice guy also....
Ryuu isn't as stupid as he acts....:)

[Lisa Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is getting very silly, even for shoujo manga.