Nami Akimoto (秋元奈美) is a Japanese author of manga.
Loves traveling to places like Paris, or Italy. Especially if they have museums there, because she likes to draw them in her manga. She also has a younger sister, who sometimes comes along on her adventurous exploits. Loves foreign tea, especially from London.
This review is for the entire series, spoiler-free.
This series was one of the first manga I ever bought, back when manga shelves in Borders and Barnes and Noble were only half a shelf, if that. It has taken me 9 years to complete my set and I am happy to report that as a fan of magical girl anime, this series doesn't disappoint.
The art style is a bit different from mainstream, popular magical girl shows but it's adorable and definitely does what it needs to do. I think my favorite part are the eyes. I have no clue how to recreate them but they're so expressive, doe-like, and beautiful. I think the characters are good but some of them fall into tropes that should be second nature to anime fans. Where the manga does take risks with characters, it's a welcome change and fits perfectly with the setting. WHO COULD KNOW THAT A MAGICAL GIRL/SLICE OF LIFE ANIME LIKE THIS WOULD HAVE A YOUNG GIRL SHOOTING PEOPLE?? But that's not until the last half...still, really cool. I think what I love the most about the manga is the relationship between the two sisters. Anime and manga really have a lot of close knit female relationships that Western media does but not as often (much more fun if the women fight, amirite???) and it's great to see their bond, even when they fight.
This is going to sound weird but...I love the clothes in this manga! Sometimes, anime and manga are a product of their time. For example, all the weird outfits in Sailor Moon. Well, the clothes in Magical Girls are gorgeous and rarely ever corny.
Anyway, the manga is now out of print in the US so definitely check it out if you can hunt down copies and if you love magical girl/slice of life/shoujo anime. This title is also good if you want to get younger children into anime. The volumes are also small enough to fit in most purses, backpacks, etc. I say this now because it looks like we're moving into omnibus manga territory.
Komik ini pun jadi salah satu pecahan masa kecil yang sedang ingin kutuntaskan. Ahahaha. Lupa dulu liat kover jilid satu ini di mana. Di majalah Bobo lawas atau di halaman-halaman promosi komik tahun 90'an bagian belakang.
Pernah sekali lihat ending song anime ini di Indosiar dulu, tapi ga pernah nonton blas. Kenapa yah? Indosiar rada telat masuk ke kotaku, sih. Kayaknya habis itu langsung diganti sama anime lain.
Saat mengenal situs manga read online, baru aku ngeh kalau yang bikin ini Nami Akimoto sensei yang buat Snow Drop sama Ultra Cute. Tapi aku nggak pernah baca komik ini sampai sekarang waktu akhirnya nggak sengaja nemuin ini di perpuskota. Kenapa selama ini aku belum pernah menemukannya, ya? Hmm.... Di perpus dekat rumah juga kayaknya belum pernah nemu.
Beda banget sama Ultra Cute, lalu Virgin Lesson, manga dewasa Nami Akimoto sensei yang dulu ga sengaja kubaca (ARGH), Miracle Girls itu ceritanya masih imut-imut dan pure heart, gitu, deh. Sukaaaa! Sederhana, tapi terasa padat. Tingkat kerumitan plotnya meningkat secara bertahap. Semua berawal dari cerita yang sangat sederhana. Amazed. Sepertinya memang banyak cerita-cerita keren yang justru awalnya sangat sederhana.
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Nama asli duo saudara kembar ini Tomomi dan Mikage, ya? Karena yang kubaca versi lawas yang paling awal terbit, namanya masih versi "lokalisasi maksa": Katty dan Karin (Karin masih bisa jadi nama Jepang). Para cowoknya bernama Yuya (ini masih nama Jepang deh kayaknya?) dan Andri (haduh!). Terus gurunya bernama Pak Tomy (bukan Tomie yang di Junji Ito, loh!!!). Anehnya nama keluarga si kembar ini tetap dibiarkan versi Jepangnya. Nama keluarganya adalah... adalaaaaah... aku lupaaaa (ada "naga-naga-nya kalau gak salah. Morinaga? Sinaga? Nagabonar?). BHAIQUE! Itulah alasan kenapa nama-nama penduduk komik Jepang zaman lawas sampai harus dilokalisasi kan segala! Biar mudah diinget, Sodara! *sungkem sama translator komik zaman dulu.
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So. Duo kembar Katty dan Karin punya kelebihan yang berbeda. Karin, sang kakak yang berambut pendek ini jago olahraga dan punya ketahanan fisik di atas rata-rata. Sedangkan Katty, sang adik yang berambut panjang ini genius di bidang akademis.
Namun, kelebihan mereka itu rupanya karena kekuatan supernatural yang mereka miliki sejak lama. Selain kelebihan yang bisa mereka perlihatkan di depan umum itu, mereka punya kekuatan yang mereka rahasiakan. Telepati dan teleportasi (entah kenapa teleportasi ini diterjemahkan jadi telefoto). Kekuatan telepati ini hanya bisa digunakan untuk mereka berdua. Sedangkan kekuatan teleportasi itu baru bisa keluar kalau mereka berpegangan tangan dan memusatkan pikiran.
Karin, si kakak, tampaknya lebih bisa mengarahkan kekuatan mereka. Jadi yang memegang kendali utama soal tempat tujuan teleportasi itu biasanya si Karin. Sepertinya karena dia punya kepribadian yang lebih kalem dan penyabar daripada Katty. Yang menarik dari manga ini memang penampilan dan sifat dua karakter utamanya yang kontras. Meski berambut pendek, jago olahraga dan terlihat seperti anak tomboy, Karin justru lebih kalem. Sedangkan Katty, yang pintar akademis, berambut panjang, dan terkesan feminin, justru lebih temperamental, kadang egois, dan brutal hahaha. Mungkin karena ego orang yang IQnya di atas rata-rata itu lebih gede, yah?
Di awal cerita, mereka menggunakan kekuatan teleportasi karena Katty panik gara-gara terlambat bangun padahal ada tes di jam pertama. Pulangnya, Katty memaksa Karin bertukar sekolah karena dirinya terpilih jadi perwakilan lomba estafet di Hari Olahraga, padahal fisiknya jelas nggak mungkin kuat. Selain itu, Katty nggak mau dimarahi dan diolok-olok oleh Yuya, cowok musuh bebuyutannya, kalau lari Katty yang lambat merugikan para pelari lain dalam tim.
Di awal ini Katty terlihat sangat licik dan egois saat membuat Karin akhirnya mau menggantikan dirinya. Untungnya sikap ini tidak terlalu menonjol lagi di jilid-jilid berikutnya. Kasihan banget Karin, kan.
Bersambung. Charge hape dan mau charge "batere dalam diriku" dulu xD
Una relectura de un manga que leí cuando era pequeña. Una decepción.
Los dibujos siguen siendo hermosos y los amo. Pero la historia... Cliché + cliché + cliché
En resumen: dos hermanas, gemelas, Mika y Toni que van a escuelas diferentes para que la gente no sepa que son gemelas (?) Mika va a una escuela mixta, es una cerebrito y se le dan mal los deportes. Toni va a una escuela solo para chicas, es buena en deportes y no tanto en el resto. Muy básico todo.
Un día se intercambian porque Mika tiene que correr en una carrera de relevos pero se le da mal. Lo normal. Total que Toni se vuelve loca porque claro: CHICOS. Instalove con un chico, Jackson, el enemigo de su hermana Mika. Un clásico. Hay otro chico, Chirs, el amor platónico de Mika. En fin, instalove y todo eso.
"Oh, me ha rozado la piel" *se pone roja y no puede hablar*
"Lo odio, es mi enemigo, hizo daño al chico que amo" *ya no le habla*
Muy infantil la verdad, lo recordaba mejor. Aunque claro, debía tener unos 9 años cuando lo leí.
I was recommended this anime series in the late 90s, and it wasn't till later, in the early 2000s, that I watched it. I loved it very much. So far, I am loving the manga as well.
Mika and Toni are twin sisters with a secret....they have ESP and can teleport with one another's help. Mika is a genius at school, and Toni is great at sports. For Sports Day, they switch. Toni does win the relay race for Mika. But, she also ends up letting Jackson (who Mika hates!) win her heart as well. How can she get closer to boy she's fallen for without upsetting the sister she loves so much? And, how can she do this without blowing their cover?
Gambar : 4 bintang...manis~ ^__^ Cerita : 4 bintang...aku suka cerita anak kembar (^..^) apalagi ini punya kekuatan super~ Yang lebih sukanya lagi, di antara mereka berdua ga ada acara rebutan cowok dsb (^皿^)
I wanted to re-read this series since I love it so much when I was a kid. It was published in Italian between 1998 and 2000 on a magazine but I wanted to read it in Japanese-size book. The only available edition was the US Tokyopop one.
This was published in 2003 and US translation of manga were still adapting the names of the characters. I mean, in the anime version broadcast in Italy when I was a kid, the girls were called Terry & Maggie but in the manga they had their Japanese names, Tomomi and Mikage. It would have stirred a lot of controversy if the publishers had left Terry & Maggie. Instead US publishers were still babying their readers and trying to convince them that all Japanese manga were set in the US and the people in them had American-sounding names. Fantastic!
But still, if this is the case, why did they left the Japanese name of the science teacher? Weird.
Apart from this, I enjoyed the manga. It has this 90's flavor that reminds me of my childhood. The story is a simple one but I think that the author did a good job with it. I mean, it's not that easy to create simple story without them being stupid.
My favorite character has always been Tomomi, the tom-boy. And Yūya Noda, of course. I could relate better to them.
I'll read my way through the series in the next week. :-)
Suka deh sama komik satu ini, tamat 1-9.. si kembar yg punya kemampuan telepati n telekinesis (?? sepertinya, agak lupa hehe) n punya sepasang kalung yg jadi penyatu mereka.. cowo2nya juga ganteng2 n baik2..hehe.. bukan rahasia klo remaja putri pembaca setia komik mudah jatuh cinta pada tokoh cowo dlm komik :DDD
I didn't really care much for this. It's all kind of meh. It's pretty obvious I feel where this story is going, and the journey there just doesn't look that exciting to me.
Sono cresciuta con Terry e Maggie, così come venivano chiamate nell'edizione anime italiana degli anni '90. E scoprii il mio primo amore nel fidanzato di Maggie che rimane ancora uno dei miei personaggi manga preferiti 😝 I veri nomi però dei personaggi sono altri, ma noi parleremo principalmente di Tomomi e Mikage. Le nostre protagoniste sono due sorelle gemelle che frequentano il primo anno nello stesso liceo ma in classi diverse. Nonostante siano gemelle, sono totalmente diverse tra loro: Mikage è romantica e tranquilla, mentre Tomomi si comporta ed atteggia come un vero maschiaccio. Nessuno lo sa ( tranne Yuya e Hideaki, i ragazzi che amano ) ma hanno dei poteri paranormali che si attivano solo se sono insieme. Infatti incrociando il rispettivo dito mignolo l'una con l'altra possono giungere a teletrasportarsi a piacimento dove vogliono; inoltre, possono comunicare l'una con l'altra telepaticamente. Fin da piccole sono state ben consapevoli di avere questi poteri, ma li hanno sempre usati solo quando ne avevano bisogno. Capita però, spesso, che emozioni forti le portino a trovarsi in situazioni piuttosto fuori dall'ordinario. La storia delle due ragazze va in parallela a quella del piccolo regno di Diamas e sarà lì che partiranno poi le parti totalmente angst della trama! Ma è presto per parlarne, quindi ne parleremo nei volumi più avanti.
Lo stile anni '90 dei manga è sempre carinissimo e delicato da vedere, anche se oggi come oggi mi fa sempre strano vederlo, abituata a tutt'altro tratto ahah c'è da dire però, che è molto più bello di nuovi stili terribili che stanno dando a diversi anime/manga, con uno stile bambinesco da buttare sinceramente. Sinora di Miracle Girls conoscevo solo l'anime e riscoprirlo in versione manga è stato a dir poco emozionante! La storia mi gasa sempre tantissimo e seppur possa sembrare una storia per ragazzini, comica in alcuni punti, in realtà nasconde davvero molto molto di più: i sentimenti diventano tuoi e andando avanti scopriremo cose che faranno anche venire le lacrime agli occhi. Non vedo l'ora di continuarlo!
Ho letto la nuova edizione del manga delle gemelle Tomomi e Mikage, che conosco fin da bambina con il nome di Terry e Maggie, e mi sono innamorata della nuova copertina e dei disegni bellissimi, stile anni '90 come i cartoni che ho imparato a conoscere ed amare durante gli anni di infanzia. In questo primo volume conosciamo le gemelle e il loro grande segreto, ovvero il fatto di essere due esper, dotate di poteri straordinari come il teletrasporto e la telecinesi..Le vedremo alle prese con la scuola ed i problemi della loro età, oltre la difficoltà sempre più grande di continuare a nascondere queste loro capacità.. Dopo la seconda parte c'è una storia estemporanea e autoconclusiva con protagonisti che non c'entrano nulla con le gemelle, anzi sono disegnati in maniera leggermente diversa e, anche se ne non ho capito molto il senso, è stata comunque una lettura carina. Davvero bellino, è meraviglioso tornare agli anni dell'infanzia con questo manga bellissimo! 😍
One of the first manga I bought, and sold years later. Now a collectors item I believe. The art is wispy and delicate but the storyline is a little far fetched from time to time. Fun read though, 3.5 stars.
Cute story! I found out about it via the anime and searched for the manga--found them for cheap on Abebooks. More than a little silly, this light-hearted series is a fun read!
When I was little I've watched the anime but I couldn't finish it so I decided to read the manga. I don't think the very first volumes are that great because the school-life part of the story is very usual. Mika and Toni are normal twins apparently, but they have the power to teleport and can hear each other's thoughts.
The story is about two identical twin girls, Mika and Toni. They have telepathic abilities, able to communicate with each other mentally over distances. Also, when they are together, they have the ability to teleport (although they don't always end up exactly where they wanted to.)
The first volume introduces the girls. The don't go to the same schools so the other students are unaware of their abilities. In the first story, Mika asks Toni to change places with her at her school for a few days. Mika has sort of been drafted to be on a track meet and she has no ability at running, whereas Toni is good at that. In addition, there is boy that Mika seems to totally dispise and, after the shift, Toni is unable to figure out just what is wrong with him.
In addition to this there is a teacher who is into investigating paranormal phenomenon, thinking that he can get out of teaching (which he doesn't like) and make a name for himself as a paranormal investigator. He finds out about the girls and their abilities and so it becomes obvious that he will be a problem for the girls in future volumes.
Miracle Girls was a light fun read with the identical twins being able to use psychic powers when they are together like teleportation. Toni and Mika also have different personalities and are opposite of each other. Mika excells in her study but cannot do any sport on the other hand Toni can do any sports but not good in her study. The story also revolves around the romance between the twins and their partner.
The art style is also very refreshing. I am surprised to fin out that this have an anime and am excited to watch it.
Toni and Mika are identical twins, but that is as far as goes for these two being the same. Toni is an athlete, loves sports and is out going. Mika is shy, quiet and smart. But when they are together, they have a psychic power they both can use. No one knows about it, but for how long?
To be honest, I wasn't really liking it at first. I didn't think the story started out too great, but as it went on, it definitely did get better. Mika and Toni are interesting characters. I'm going to read the other books in the series and see how the story develops.
strangly boring. it was like reading sister sister with tia and tamera having psychic powers. but that might have been done better. but the whole switching places and falling for the guys, very typical senerio for twin plots. good thing it was a dollar, i would have been sad if i paid ten for this.
Yaampun, baca ulang buku yang pernah dibaca masa kecil tuh kesannya... beda. Sekarang dalam sekejap saya langsung suka si Noda, padahal dulu mah agak-agak sebel gitu dan lebih suka si Senpai. Tokoh favorit saya sekarang jadi si Tomomi, padahal dulu--kalau gak salah--lebih suka Mikage dibanding dia.
It was the time when Nami Akimoto still draws cute story about siblings instead of horny teenager. Miracle Girls has always been my favourite. And it's kinda nostalgic when I read it 15 years later. I wish the manga was longer. But the anime version is still better and merrier.