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Venus in Love #1
Venus in love, Vol. 1
Cosa succede se un ragazzo e una ragazza si innamorano della stessa persona? Scopritelo in questo frizzante shojo manga che segna il debutto in Italia di Yuki Nakaji. Suzuna Ashihara sta per iniziare l'università e il suo obiettivo è... trovare l'amore. Ancora non sa che, quando il suo cuore comincerà a battere forte, dovrà competere con il suo migliore amico!
Edizione italiana a cura di: Elena Zanzi
Lettering: Lara Iacucci
Edizione italiana a cura di: Elena Zanzi
Lettering: Lara Iacucci
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 1999
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212 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 20 reviews
November 1, 2011
Note: This review is for the whole series (Volumes 1-12).
Venus wa Kataomoi is probably one of the most cheerful and heartwarming stories I've ever read, and it's a series that deserves to be read, enjoyed and treasured by many. The basic premise is simple, but the execution is flawless. Nakaji Yuki has managed to combine lovely art with a cast of wonderful characters that will make you laugh and cry with them as they find love and success in life.
The story follows Ashihara Suzuna as she enters university and meets a group of new friends in Hinako, Fukami, Eichi, and later Yuki. It's probably obvious from the title of the manga that a key theme is going to be love, but I think another one that is even more central here is friendship. The bond that forms between Suzuna and her friends is one of the best things about this story; they support each other through thick and thin, and even when they find romance with their respective counterparts, their circle of friends only grow. I loved that Suzuna and Eichi also started off as friendly, teasing and lightly bickering rivals in love, forming a really solid friendship before it graduates to mutual affection. It's really rather sweet, and makes the developments that much more believable. As for their journeys through university to realizing their dreams, I found it both realistic and inspiring. It really rang true for me, as someone who's also going through the same process of discovering my interests and making difficult decisions about future careers.
What can I say about this great cast ensemble? Even the supporting characters were awesome; I can honestly say that there wasn't a single character in this series that I disliked. At first glance, Suzuna may appear to be your usual shoujo heroine; incredibly cute, with a slightly ditzy and clumsy side. But she's also quite strong, and not in the stereotypical "tough female" way. Her strength is in her naturally sunny disposition, positive attitude and compassion. Suzuna's cheerful acceptance of people is what endeared her to Eichi and Yuki in the first place, and it's probably one of the first times I haven't been at all surprised that a shoujo heroine has a number of suitors. She deserves every one of them! As for Eichi, he's sweet-natured and adorable with that mild jealous streak of his, while Yuki's constant bickering with Suzuna was a great deal of fun. It's doubly hilarious that both Eichi and Yuki were originally her love rivals, later converted into her loyal followers. Eichi and Suzuna made an awesome pair; I loved every bit of their developing romance and they're one of the few shoujo manga couples that I can honestly see working out.
The most refreshing thing about these characters was their willingness to voice what they felt openly, and if they weren't ready to put something into words, they at least made an attempt to show it through actions. One previous commenter pointed out that the characters are always chirpy, but read a little further and you'll realize that they have just the same problems people experience - romantic insecurities, misunderstandings with family and even tragedies in their past. The difference with Suzuna & Co. is that they face their problems head on - they don't keep everything pent up forever and add to misunderstandings. They pick themselves right up and move on.
As for the art, I found it quite lovely. Don't let the cover image put you off; Nakaji Yuki's art is clean, simple and very pretty. Since this is an older manga, it is a bit dated at the beginning, but the steady improvement over the volumes is evident and any inconsistencies at the beginning is ironed out.
All in all, Venus wa Kataomoi is a truly charming series that is a joy to read, and it's a real shame that it's so underrated. I don't regret having bought the whole series one bit, because it has so much reread value. It'll be fun to revisit with the cast every so often!
Venus wa Kataomoi is probably one of the most cheerful and heartwarming stories I've ever read, and it's a series that deserves to be read, enjoyed and treasured by many. The basic premise is simple, but the execution is flawless. Nakaji Yuki has managed to combine lovely art with a cast of wonderful characters that will make you laugh and cry with them as they find love and success in life.
The story follows Ashihara Suzuna as she enters university and meets a group of new friends in Hinako, Fukami, Eichi, and later Yuki. It's probably obvious from the title of the manga that a key theme is going to be love, but I think another one that is even more central here is friendship. The bond that forms between Suzuna and her friends is one of the best things about this story; they support each other through thick and thin, and even when they find romance with their respective counterparts, their circle of friends only grow. I loved that Suzuna and Eichi also started off as friendly, teasing and lightly bickering rivals in love, forming a really solid friendship before it graduates to mutual affection. It's really rather sweet, and makes the developments that much more believable. As for their journeys through university to realizing their dreams, I found it both realistic and inspiring. It really rang true for me, as someone who's also going through the same process of discovering my interests and making difficult decisions about future careers.
What can I say about this great cast ensemble? Even the supporting characters were awesome; I can honestly say that there wasn't a single character in this series that I disliked. At first glance, Suzuna may appear to be your usual shoujo heroine; incredibly cute, with a slightly ditzy and clumsy side. But she's also quite strong, and not in the stereotypical "tough female" way. Her strength is in her naturally sunny disposition, positive attitude and compassion. Suzuna's cheerful acceptance of people is what endeared her to Eichi and Yuki in the first place, and it's probably one of the first times I haven't been at all surprised that a shoujo heroine has a number of suitors. She deserves every one of them! As for Eichi, he's sweet-natured and adorable with that mild jealous streak of his, while Yuki's constant bickering with Suzuna was a great deal of fun. It's doubly hilarious that both Eichi and Yuki were originally her love rivals, later converted into her loyal followers. Eichi and Suzuna made an awesome pair; I loved every bit of their developing romance and they're one of the few shoujo manga couples that I can honestly see working out.
The most refreshing thing about these characters was their willingness to voice what they felt openly, and if they weren't ready to put something into words, they at least made an attempt to show it through actions. One previous commenter pointed out that the characters are always chirpy, but read a little further and you'll realize that they have just the same problems people experience - romantic insecurities, misunderstandings with family and even tragedies in their past. The difference with Suzuna & Co. is that they face their problems head on - they don't keep everything pent up forever and add to misunderstandings. They pick themselves right up and move on.
As for the art, I found it quite lovely. Don't let the cover image put you off; Nakaji Yuki's art is clean, simple and very pretty. Since this is an older manga, it is a bit dated at the beginning, but the steady improvement over the volumes is evident and any inconsistencies at the beginning is ironed out.
All in all, Venus wa Kataomoi is a truly charming series that is a joy to read, and it's a real shame that it's so underrated. I don't regret having bought the whole series one bit, because it has so much reread value. It'll be fun to revisit with the cast every so often!
November 5, 2022
--- Unrequited Venus 1-12 ---
Plot: Simpel dan manis
Gambar: Ok
Penokohan: Saya menyukai nyaris semua tokoh^^
Salah satu komik favoritku! ^ O ^
Untuk segala hal menyenangkan dalam Unrequited Venus, komik ini pantas mendapatkan bintang lima dariku. Plotnya simpel, mengenai kisah sehari-hari, candaan sehari-hari yang dipenuhi dengan cinta dan kebahagiaan. Kisah-kisah yang disajikan sangat manis dan menghangatkan hati. Saya sangat menikmati tiap bukunya, belum lagi karena kisahnya yang ringan dan tidak ada karakter yang membuatku merasa sebal di buku ini.
Apa saya terlalu memuji (mungkin)?
Kuberitahu ya, awalnya saya cuma membaca Unrequited Venus sambil lalu. Terasa biasa-biasa saja dan saya malah melaksanakan operasi-baca-cepat.
Tapi siapa sangka, saat saya baca ulang buku ini, saya mulai menangkap cara humornya (dan membayangkan nada suara mereka saat mengucapkannya). Humor yang manis, tokoh-tokoh biasa yang membuat segalanya terasa luar biasa, semuanya dalam konteks sehari-hari yang tidak berlebihan tapi meninggalkan kesan manis yang mendalam. Tiap saya membaca, saya makin jatuh hati. Sekarang pun, tiap membaca ulang saya makin jatuh cinta pada buku ini.
Jadi untukku... Unrequited Venus ini benar-benar "cangkir komikku" :D
Ps: Saya pernah merekomendasikan buku ini pada teman saya. Ternyata feedback-nya jauh dari review saya! Jadi kurasa kalian harus berhati-hati dengan review Unrequited Venus saya. Masalah selera memang selalu ada ^^.
[10/10]
Plot: Simpel dan manis
Gambar: Ok
Penokohan: Saya menyukai nyaris semua tokoh^^
[Kamu, kok nggak bilang "padahal kamu 'kan cowok?"
Padahal aku sudah panik setengah mati--
Sampai mulutku terasa kering.
Dasar orang yang santai *fufu* ]
/ Unrequited Venus 1 - Yuki Nakaji
Salah satu komik favoritku! ^ O ^
Untuk segala hal menyenangkan dalam Unrequited Venus, komik ini pantas mendapatkan bintang lima dariku. Plotnya simpel, mengenai kisah sehari-hari, candaan sehari-hari yang dipenuhi dengan cinta dan kebahagiaan. Kisah-kisah yang disajikan sangat manis dan menghangatkan hati. Saya sangat menikmati tiap bukunya, belum lagi karena kisahnya yang ringan dan tidak ada karakter yang membuatku merasa sebal di buku ini.
Apa saya terlalu memuji (mungkin)?
Kuberitahu ya, awalnya saya cuma membaca Unrequited Venus sambil lalu. Terasa biasa-biasa saja dan saya malah melaksanakan operasi-baca-cepat.
Tapi siapa sangka, saat saya baca ulang buku ini, saya mulai menangkap cara humornya (dan membayangkan nada suara mereka saat mengucapkannya). Humor yang manis, tokoh-tokoh biasa yang membuat segalanya terasa luar biasa, semuanya dalam konteks sehari-hari yang tidak berlebihan tapi meninggalkan kesan manis yang mendalam. Tiap saya membaca, saya makin jatuh hati. Sekarang pun, tiap membaca ulang saya makin jatuh cinta pada buku ini.
Jadi untukku... Unrequited Venus ini benar-benar "cangkir komikku" :D
Ps: Saya pernah merekomendasikan buku ini pada teman saya. Ternyata feedback-nya jauh dari review saya! Jadi kurasa kalian harus berhati-hati dengan review Unrequited Venus saya. Masalah selera memang selalu ada ^^.
[10/10]
April 9, 2020
The story of Suzuna, a young woman and her group of friends as they begin university & fall in love. This is a perfectly nice series, but that's all. For me it's a good comfort read. There's no conflict, no feelings, and the writing is choppy and direct. I feel like it's an issue with the translation, but I couldn't know without looking at the original. I don't recommend this title. But at the same time, I reread it frequently. Because it's so "nice" it works perfectly as a place to hide when the world around you is in chaos.
March 1, 2016
Es una historia muy divertida, que consigue sacarte como mínimo unas cuantas sonrisas.
Los personajes son frescos, dinámicos y un poco locos a su manera.
El único "pero" que podría ponerle a este primer tomo es la velocidad. Creo que ha ido demasiado deprisa, cuando muchas de esas situaciones podrían haberse exprimido mucho más.
Aún así, estoy deseando saber cómo continúa esa lucha por el amor entre los vecinos =P
Los personajes son frescos, dinámicos y un poco locos a su manera.
El único "pero" que podría ponerle a este primer tomo es la velocidad. Creo que ha ido demasiado deprisa, cuando muchas de esas situaciones podrían haberse exprimido mucho más.
Aún así, estoy deseando saber cómo continúa esa lucha por el amor entre los vecinos =P
June 26, 2017
Some casual fatphobia and ableism, but it's manga so I'm not surprised. Other than that this is pretty cute and funny and I'm very interested to see how it goes.
February 7, 2021
This is my 2nd time reading this series (well what I could find in English). I really love this series. It’s sweet. It’s gentle. Not too crazy or dramatic. I love early 2000s manga. The art isn’t too outdated though so don’t let that stop you from reading this!
This first volume was great. I really like Suzuna and Eichi. They’re both playful and hilarious. You can tell that they light up their friends’ lives.
This first volume was great. I really like Suzuna and Eichi. They’re both playful and hilarious. You can tell that they light up their friends’ lives.
January 25, 2018
This turned out to be a very interesting series, I have all the published volumes but was very disappointed that it got dropped. Would love to know how this one ends but so far its not been scanlated to the end. Really liked this one!
did-not-finish
June 21, 20216/21 DNF two-thirds through. It was an almost interesting teen college romance but it was missing the spark to fully invest me - I steadily got bored. Focuses on the love triangle of a boy and girl (friends) who are both in love with the same boy (also a friend, who is oblivious).
May 15, 2017
Review de toda la serie.
EICHIIIIIIII <3 Si es que el hombre me encanta, jo <3 Quiero un Eichi en mi vida :3
Y por cierto...
¡Pareces una ardilla!
EICHIIIIIIII <3 Si es que el hombre me encanta, jo <3 Quiero un Eichi en mi vida :3
Y por cierto...
¡Pareces una ardilla!
November 9, 2017
I might like the fluffier manga than any of the darker or more fantastical ones because I thoroughly enjoyed the romance, goofiness, and friendships in the story.
September 16, 2025
"Underage drinking* is a no-no..." – liner note when the class is out drinking
This is almost every slice-of-life romantic comedy graphic novel I have ever read, other than the main character is pretty cool about her main rival being gay (it sadly doesn't come up that often unless as a punchline, which sucks in both cases). As such, I don't have a lot to say about it since it reads as such a standard story that it's hard to say what makes it stand out. "Gay rival in love" is a pretty low bar to clear, and a very lot of stories I've read from non-Japanese sources** would pat this story on the head and say it's adorable how progressive it thinks it is.
I mean, it's Very Okay. I don't know if I'd recommend it or anything, but the story is just interesting enough to finish the volume and be annoyed that nothing got accomplished (but why would it?).
*I can't be bothered to make a whole different tag for alcohol abuse
**I say this mostly to say I haven't found a lot of LGBTQ+-friendly manga (though I have found *some*!), but the graphic novels I otherwise come across are much more open about inclusiveness... though a lot of that is from most of my non-manga graphic novels coming from Iron Circus and artists in similar circles. I haven't come across, say, Russian or Swedish graphic novels... at ALL, to be honest, much less inclusive ones. Just a note that I'm annoyed (but really shouldn't be surprised) at how conservative Japan is despite CLEARLY being super imaginative in their fiction.
This is almost every slice-of-life romantic comedy graphic novel I have ever read, other than the main character is pretty cool about her main rival being gay (it sadly doesn't come up that often unless as a punchline, which sucks in both cases). As such, I don't have a lot to say about it since it reads as such a standard story that it's hard to say what makes it stand out. "Gay rival in love" is a pretty low bar to clear, and a very lot of stories I've read from non-Japanese sources** would pat this story on the head and say it's adorable how progressive it thinks it is.
I mean, it's Very Okay. I don't know if I'd recommend it or anything, but the story is just interesting enough to finish the volume and be annoyed that nothing got accomplished (but why would it?).
*I can't be bothered to make a whole different tag for alcohol abuse
**I say this mostly to say I haven't found a lot of LGBTQ+-friendly manga (though I have found *some*!), but the graphic novels I otherwise come across are much more open about inclusiveness... though a lot of that is from most of my non-manga graphic novels coming from Iron Circus and artists in similar circles. I haven't come across, say, Russian or Swedish graphic novels... at ALL, to be honest, much less inclusive ones. Just a note that I'm annoyed (but really shouldn't be surprised) at how conservative Japan is despite CLEARLY being super imaginative in their fiction.
January 24, 2011
well, i thought this would evolve into something more fascinating quicker. but this did not happen. i might read on if i can find book two at a descent price. i had trouble focusing on reading and i don't know, paying attention. i thought it would be slightly more mature, as in not high school. i just felt like i was reading something that i've been reading all along: high school drivel. this is not to say that it cannot evolve into something else, i hope it does. but if it's set in college, have it be markedly different than high school, or even middle school. it could be in any kind of structure: class structure, personal interactions, activities, something!
October 11, 2012
Sometimes it's nice to fall into the oh so simple world of romance manga, and this was a great find. I like the tangled relationships, the beautiful drawings and the cute scenarios. Unfortunately I almost never pick up the second volume in a series because manga are really hard for me to find in my area, but I think I'll make an effort for this one and read the lot, even if I have to order them online or get my sister to keep a look out for me. Cute, and if you're a fan of other anime/manga such as Ouran or Fruits Basket, this one is definitely for you!
October 16, 2008
I like this series it was cute. A young girl goes of to start college where she hopes to make new friends, join clubs and get a boyfriend. She moves into a building and meets her neighbor Eichi. (Who I really like I think he is funny). She mets a nother girl Hinako that she becomes friends with and Hinako knows Eichi from way back. She also meets Eichi friend Fukami who she gets a crush on, and it seems as though someone else also has a crush on him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2008
Hmmm. Not so bad. :) I still prefer Double Next Door though.
Komik ini di Indo judulnya Unrequited Venus, skrg udah sampe no. 11.
Komik ini di Indo judulnya Unrequited Venus, skrg udah sampe no. 11.
July 8, 2009
At first I was hesitant, since it was a boy-boy-girl love triangle. But it's all very innocent, and all the guys are in love with the girl now! I enjoyed this cute series. Yay Poodle-Chan! XD
November 19, 2009
Really good manga!
December 27, 2014
fave series never get sick of it Slay
Displaying 1 - 19 of 20 reviews