Skip·Beat!, Vol. 51

スキップ・ビート! [Skip Beat!] #51

by Yoshiki Nakamura

Kyoko and the rest of the Japanese team are trying to settle into the Hollywood groove, but a promising start suddenly sours as their new American friends begin to distance themselves and the team falls victim to a series of “mishaps.” The hostility baffles Kyoko and the others, but for Ren it’s sadly familiar. Is his tragic past about to make a guest appearance on the new project?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Contemporary, Shojo, Teen, Drama, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 20, 2024

About the author

Yoshiki Nakamura (仲村佳樹) is a Japanese mangaka. She was born June 17. Nakamura made her manga debut with "Yume de Auyori Suteki" in the manga magazine Hana to Yume in 1993.

Reviews

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm interested, but I feel like Nakamura-sensei is getting tired herself. And there's some info that she wants to make it to volume 60 and that's it. Let's hope the end is in sight!
Kyoko and Ren are still adorable. His "would you like me to blow-dry your hair?" killed me.

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

bro i just wanna see kyoko act and not them dealing with racists 🥲

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this manga for over a decade now and it’s still my favorite, but sometimes it feels like it’s moving so slowly, and lately there have been some plot lines that I either don’t care about or don’t make sense to me. I mentioned this in my review of the last volume, but it’s really difficult to remember who all the characters are when there are six months or more between each volume. The current storyline involves a movie production in the US that has cast some American and some Japanese actors, and there’s also a lot of secrecy about who Ren is and who Prince Cedric, who leads the US actors, is to him.

My favorite parts of Skip Beat involve Kyoko and her journey of self-discovery, and this volume had almost none of that. She basically trailed Moko around, and then going to see Ren earlier than she expected and flirt (in her own awkward way) a little. But the main storyline is basically racism, which is really the first I’ve seen in this manga. The American actors, especially one named Big B, keep talking about how the Japanese actors haven’t earned their roles and don’t deserve their respect, and so a big divide between the two groups has occurred. Meanwhile, pranks have begun against the Japanese actors, and the director seemed to know something would happen? And now a fight has broken out with Murasame calling out this Big B guy and Ren also stepping in?

I will definitely continue reading this series (I’m invested at this point lol) but this is not one I would re-read, because not enough happens. Also, I thought we’d be getting to see Sho Fuwa soon when we glimpsed him last time but no??? Such a bummer! He had better be in the next one — I want him to see Kyoko and Ren together, being cute, even though they might not be officially dating yet (still).

[Katie❄️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ack. Such a long wait for such a short volume. 😫

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Racism is so petty and wasteful- so many opportunities to connect or learn about different cultures, it’s such a shame.

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Allora, a farla da padrone in questo volume è il tema del razzismo: una parte della compagine americana non ci prova nemmeno a nascondere il proprio disprezzo per i colleghi giapponesi. Si passa dallo scoraggiare qualsiasi possibilità di creare rapporti di collaborazione e amicizia, fino ad escamotage da bulletti prezzolati, con l'obiettivo preciso di umiliare gli stranieri. Dietro tutto questo casino c'è il "principe" (l'istinto di Kyoko ha fatto di nuovo centro), anche se a sporcarsi le mani sono poi altri - ottima incarnazione del cittadino statunitense medio, ignorante e bifolco ma con complessi di superiorità che in realtà non hanno alcun fondamento. Il direttore generale non mi sembra sorpreso da certi atteggiamenti, quindi vorrei capire come pensa di gestire questa polveriera. A peggiorare ulteriormente le cose potrebbe essere l'arrivo di Ren, visto che in passato aveva subito episodi di bullismo simili, peraltro per mano anche di gente che partecipa a questo progetto. A partire dal "principe". Insomma, sembra essere giunto il momento per lui di fare i conti con il proprio passato. Spero che nei prossimi volumi si scoprirà qualcosa di più, anche perché questa storia non può oggettivamente durare all'infinito e qui c'è bisogno di risposte 🫠

Piccola nota positiva a margine: le interazioni tra Kyoko e Ren in questo volume sono state meravigliose. Sono in visibilio 🤩 Kyoko tutta felice per l'arrivo di Ren e lui che non può fare a meno di stuzzicarla 🥹 penso che la vicinanza di Kyoko giocherà un ruolo fondamentale per il nostro grande Ren nei volumi a venire.
Ah, e comunque Yashiro sempre 🔝, visto che incarna alla grande le reazioni di noi lettori. Fangirl numero uno (insieme al direttore) della ship suprema Kyoko/Ren.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I have to admit, I am tired of all the show biz aspects here and the lack of development between Ren and Kyoko. The series has just gone on too long. Nakamura's earlier work, Tokyo Crazy Paradise, straddled a great line between length, comedy, and romance. Skip Beat feels like a rubber band that has been stretched too far and with no where to go.

Story: Kyoko is in Hollywood acting as a personal assistant for Love Me. What she encounters in Los Angeles is an intense rivalry between the American actors and the Japanese actors. Can she and Ren show the Americans what the Japanese are made of when it comes to professional acting?

The illustration work is pretty effortless here and there are the usual endless SD characters and over-the-top Kyoko moments. But none are very new and I'm not finding anything interesting in any of the new characters. The endless "Take acting seriously ganbatte!" is almost trite at this point. Even more frustrating, Ren and Kyoko have admitted to having feelings for each other but absolutely nothing has changed volumes later. It all feels so pointless - and endless groundhog day of the same plot with minor changes. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Mariána K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I totally have some stuff I want to say about this volume, because it was so freaking awesome that I'm so hype with the cliffhanger... Damn cliffhangers!

This volume flies by before you even realize it's over... Despite the fact it has a good amount of chapters! But the content here is delightful and has a wonderful payoff that the setup was from the previous volume. My favorite part of the previous volume was the word play between Ren and Kyoto, and the payoff from their reunion in this volume was beyond delightful. There's a part of me that feels like I've been waiting over 10 years just to see this one segment! (I recently was checking dates and apparently they started writing this series in 2002, I personally didn't start reading it till 2008 so I haven't quite hit 20 years of dedicated reading yet... I'm close though lol!)

In this volume the anticipated conflict that was being hinted at in volume 50, the last volume, has definitely hit the fan here. It's not getting resolved until next volume though... There are a number of really good moments for the readers to enjoy along the way and even watching the bullying and frustration going on still gets those side one liners that crack you up for team Japan.

Honestly it's hard to talk about this volume without spoilers, I'm still trying my best to keep the minimal but my favorite bits... It's just too hard to not talk about them!

[Jennifer]

This volume I’m not so fond of. It really leans into the stereotype of extreme racism in the US, but it doesn’t make sense. Of all industries, entertainment is one of the most diverse and open, and big name actors are likely to have exposure to travel and such for work. Not to mention it is completely stupid and unprofessional for one half of your cast to harass and insult the other half so openly. I don’t care how famous you are, if you screw up your work like this, you would get kicked out. Just because the asshole Cedric claimed that the Japanese actors never audition so they didn’t earn their jobs and thus aren’t on the same level, and they don’t talk to people not on the same level…yeah, they’re not all going to go along with nonsense like that. They’re not even pretending it’s good natured pranks.

[Sanisa Sindhuseka · Rating 5 out of 5]

51 เล่มภายในเวลาไม่กี่วัน
นั่นคือความสนุก ความน่าติดตามของซีรี่ย์นี้
แล้วตอนนี้เรากำลังแย่สุดๆ… เพราะไม่รู้จะหาโชโจสนุกๆเข้มข้นแบบนี้ที่ไหนอ่านต่ออีก!!! ฮืออออออออ
คือมันสนุกมากกกกก พัฒนาการของตัวละครเอย พื้นหลัง ปมเอย เขียนตัวละครทุกตัวให้ออกมา complex และเราชอบพระเอกนางเอกมากที่มุ่งมั่นจะทำตามความฝันให้ได้ เรื่องบ้าไรวะ 50 เล่มแล้วพึ่งสารภาพรักกัน ตามที่ทุกคนรีวิวว่า the slowest slow burn 55555555555 แต่ใดๆเพราะเราอ่านเขามานานนี่แหละ พอจังหวะได้เปิดเผยความในใจก็คือ ฮือ แค่จับโดนมือกันใจหนูก็บิด ไม่ต้องพูดถึงตอนเล่นเป็นพี่น้องฮิลเลยนะ! (กรี๊ด) แล้วเป็นเรื่องที่จังหวะตบมุข แฝงมีม ไว้ตลอดเวลา แม้เรื่องจะเข้มข้นเครียดแค่ไหน ทุกคนตลกหมด พีคจิงๆ ตอนนี้คือต้องรอติดตามตอนต่อไปสินะ อ้ากกกกกก แล้วชั้นจะไปหาเรืองสนุกๆแบบนี้อีกจากไหน!!

[Night veil · Rating 5 out of 5]

✼✼✼✼✼

A trip to America
Discrimination levelled at our favorite people dampened the mood of the trip.
The team deals with bullying and racial tensions,, bringing a darker, more dramatic tone to the filming arc.

Fame doesn’t feel glamorous in America.
It feels… surveilled. Watched. Judged. Misread.
The tone darkens. The humour thins.
✼✼✼✼✼

And then there's Murasame...
Who reminds everyone that he comes from a line of Yakuza, effectively dispelling the tension.

[Meagan Kusek · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

I can tell Nakamura is working up to the big confrontation, and when all the chapters are put together like this, I can appreciate all the little details. But I'm just not a fan of the whole racism plot. I know it's what Ren was dealing with when he left and that is going to be resolved, but these arcs take so much longer than the original ones.

That said, there's still humor and Nakamura gave us some flirtation and romantic awkwardness with Kyoko and Ren, and I'm still interested to know how the story ends. I just hope we can get to the acting part soon.

[FER · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a flicker of goodness when Kyoko called Ren to chat casually, and the interlude outside his hotel room. So cute! But that was probably 10 pages. The rest ... happened. The American actors full on shunning of the Japanese cast. Compelling if tightened up and went somewhere. Tho, was that a hint the prince like dude is involved in Ren's past? And while I'm still here, Lotus in the Mud when?

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some super cute moments in this volume but, just like the last few volumes, it was too short to move the plot along very far. I love this series, and I hope it isn't ruined by dragging it out for longer than it should be. At the moment, I feel like I'm reading it more out of goodwill than enjoyment.

[Jade✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨
Un volume che a tratti mi ha annoiato. Mi manca vedere Kyoko recitare 😭. Detto ciò ci sono comunque cose interessanti, il razzismo e il passato di Ren che piano piano scopriamo sempre di più ma allo stesso tempo mi sembra che ci sia un po’ di allungamento di brodo. Ren e Kyoko carinissimi, le reazioni di lei mi fanno volare 😂💕.

[鯊 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Son of a bitch那邊我真的笑出來。不過有時候會覺得日本人是不是有點過於自卑囧 十年前我都覺得沒有這樣了，但感覺很多對美國的刻板印象都還是二三十年前沒更新了？之前看黑子的籃球劇場版也是有這種突兀感，美國人給別人印象如此差真的很悲哀。是不知道美國也是很多人超哈日的嗎？（但這部漫畫確實超拖，所以時間線確實嚴格來說不是現在當下😅 但再怎麼樣應該也不會是設定在2、30年前吧😝 是的話我沒話說🤣）

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

(⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+♡ Utter Bastard <--(perfect pronunciation)

(⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

I love it so much. Ren's laughing face at the end of 324 is adorably priceless.

The non-linear aspect of the storytelling was a bit odd.

Bring on 52!

[CG_READS]

I kept getting thrown off by the timeskips but truly the worst aspect of this volume is how short it is. The books are half the size they used to be and the story just keeps dragging on with no end in sight. It's just not worth the money.
So disappointing when this used to be my favorite series.

[Kristin DeGarmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like not a lot happened in this volume so I’m a little bummed. Also I’m having to go back a re-read the previous volumes so I remember what’s happening. The time it takes to release new volumes seems slower than usual. I will continue to read though.

[Khari · Rating 3 out of 5]

感想を書くこと忘れた。

[Natalie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, so, so good. Great moments for Kyoko and Ren. Learned some interesting facts of western actors vs Japanese actors. Also, a cliff hanger!?!

[May LeadStone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...

I'm starting to get disenchanted with the series. Not much is going on in the books as before,and this is one of the few manga I still read.

[Paulette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I physically threw this book SEVERAL times away from me, because oh my god, it’s stressful/heartwarming/secondhand embarrassing/nerve wracking.

[Keri Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Galblastit! It ended on such an exciting cliffhanger!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shooting is off to a rocky start as the American cast refuses to treat the Japanese as real actors!

[Isa Newbury | reading_isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

[BreAnna (Bre'sBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm honestly kinda ready for this series to be over. The last several volumes have seemed pretty lackluster compared to earlier volumes.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this volume helped me made more sense of the latest arc. I wish we would get more though.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎭 Skip Beat! 🐓
By Yoshiki Nakamura
Volumes 01-51

Time for a reread of one of my favorite series! And I got a caught up to the most recent chapters. I love it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. I read this in English but couldn't find it in Goodreads' catalog to rate. I enjoyed this book and look for forward to this arc.