Missions of Love 11

わたしに××しなさい! / Watashi ni XX shinasai! #11

by Ema Tōyama

Cell phone novelist Yukina Himuro has decided that, in order to satisfy her fans' demand for love stories, she must experience romance firsthand. But with her icy reputation, how can she find someone willing to play the part of boyfriend? By blackmailing the most popular boy in school, of course!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Young Adult, Comics Manga, High School, Manga Romance

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2013

About the author

Japanese Name: 遠山 えま

She made her debut in September 2003 in the monthly manga magazine Nakayoshi with her story, Tenshi no Tamago ("Angel's Egg", no relation to the anime movie of the same name). Gokkun! Pūcho is considered her best representative work. Tokyopop has licenced it under the title Pixie Pop. All of her works are published by Kodansha, and they are enjoyed mainly by preteen and teen girls. None of her series have yet become anime.

Reviews

[nightmarebees (jackie)]

decided not to rate these actually bc this is just brain candy

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the complete series



Yukina's classmates avoid her for the cold look she gives everyone. And that suits her just fine: she loves to observe people as it gives her ideas for the novel she's been writing under the penname Yupina. Yupina's novel has become widely popular but there's one thing her readers are in want of: romance. As this is new terrain for Yukina, she decides she needs some first-hand experience. Coincidently, she finds out that her popular classmate Shigure isn't as nice as he lets on. Yukina decides that he will be the one to teach her romance through her missions of love or else she'll let the school see Shigure's true colours.

Missions of Love is an engrossing and addictive manga whilst also being problematic: people who like to crush things by pointing out all its social and moral impropriety will have a field day with this one. My personal main issue with it, though, is that it suffered from its length. I am very sure that this manga was dragged out after the first volumes proved to be such a success.

This manga starts off very strong in which Yukina and Shigure playing out a perfect high school enemies to lovers scenario. Both of them are strong characters and they're constantly trying to get the upper hand in their power struggle which is also filled with lots of chemistry and tension. At times they are perfectly mean to each other, at other times true feelings start to surface and they begin to care. Rivals are thrown in one after the other and while a lot of people might not like this, I believe it was rather necessary in this particular case as neither Yukina nor Shigure would be willing to confess how they really feel without some jealousy or sense of loss involved.

Tōyama has the tendency to make rival characters come across as creepy psychopaths, it's actually something I never liked about her works. Be that as it may, the first two rivals are Yukina's cousin Akira and Shigure's childhood friend Mami. They are both rather possessive and for the most part feel like meddlers. As the story progresses, though, both of them become more fleshed out and start to move away from their obsessions. This turns both of them into likeable characters who actually have really cute and warm sides to them. Mami in particular really grew on me once she stopped being the little psycho she was introduced as.

I would have much preferred this series to have wrapped up with just those characters and with only half the amount of volumes it actually amounted to. The story seems to progress naturally when suddenly the kindergarten teacher arc is introduced: Yukina's former teacher has left her with insecurities she still struggles with today. Although this was already mentioned early on in the series, the appearance of the teacher seemed to derail the plot. That whole arc feels random and cutting it out wouldn't change the outcome of the series one bit. It almost feels like Tōyama was trying to create new tensions, realised it wasn't going well and opted to drop it in favour of a different plotline. It was over and done with as fast and sudden as it came. I faintly remember even thinking of dropping the series at that stage during my first read.

However, while not as strong as the first volumes, Missions of Love catches itself again and makes a turn for the better - mostly in any case. Another rival character is introduced and it adds both pros and cons to the remainder of the story. Hisame is Shigure's younger brother (through marriage, non-blood related) and boy do they not see eye to eye. This adds some much-needed insight to Shigure's life and why he is the way he is. The problem is that Hisame is yet another psychotic little jerk who, unlike Akira and Mami, stays that way. Sure, he certainly does have a few nice moments and cute scenes, but ultimately, he's a creepy little shit.

Putting aside Hisame's creepy ways, the latter volumes mainly deal with the characters' inner feelings which is particularly important in regard to Yukina. She is a tricky character in the sense that a lot of her behaviour seems odd. I can easily see her coming across as a character who is impossibly oblivious to love when it's standing right in front of her. You could read this manga and ask yourself time and again, why is she being so dense? In that same sense, you might wonder how she can share intimate moments with multiple characters without understanding why it's wrong or why it would bother others. While it's never actually spelt out, it is highly implied that there is more to it than just poor characterisation. I don't know much about the different sexual identities, so I won't go ahead labelling Yukina as something I know nothing of, but it's clear that while Yukina feels sexual attraction, she struggles with the concept of love. She is genuinely trying to understand what's inside her heart and beats herself up over not succeeding. She loves different people around her but she doesn't seem to understand the differences between the love one has for friends, family members and the romantic type.

People who have only read the first few volumes and criticise this manga over Yukina blackmailing Shigure into playing love games, this problem does actually get addressed in the latter volumes. Although Yukina is generally speaking a confident girl, there is something about her that prevents her from reading certain social cues, and I suspect it's the same that prevents her from understanding the different kinds of love. Yukina is often seen doing things that either stand out or just makes others around her feel awkward. She herself doesn't feel any of this awkwardness and it's usually done out of complete innocence. Once again, I am no expert, but there is definitely a complexity behind why Yukina is the way she is and a lot of this manga's ultimate question is whether or not Shigure can love and accept her for who she is.

Missions of Love does have a couple more things sprinkled throughout that rub me the wrong way: I can't get my head around when Yukina, Shigure and Akira get intimate at the same time, I wish there would have been more closure to what became of Mami and Akira (I can't say I care what became of Hisame) and what is it with Yukina's breasts?! I love Tōyama's art but can we take a moment to look at how material hangs over breasts - Yukina seems to have rather large ones but it doesn't mean her clothes should stick to her.

Drawing 101:



Here I'm just nitpicking but Yukina's breasts are definitely drawn like the former.

Missions of Love has it's issues - no doubt there. But it's nicely drawn and really brings out what you'd expect from an enemies to lovers plot. For the most of it, it's an enjoyable read and one that you don't put down easily. I'd definitely recommend it to romance lovers who can turn a blind eye to the issues that come with Yukina and Shigure's story.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could almost stop reading this series. Seriously, how long can the obnoxious oblivion of the main character continue?! How can she STILL not understand her feelings? And, I'm sick of the cousin's obsession with her. She's. your. cousin. Y'all grew up more like siblings. It's time to move on. At least the upcoming writer's competition looks intriguing, but I truly thought this series should only last about 10 volumes. How wrong was I? :-)

[D E N Z]

Hmmm ngl this series is getting a wee tad problematic for me, but for some reason, I can't seem to drop it! I hope the future volumes improve. So far the only people worth praising are Shigure, Mami, and maybe Akira.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling a bit bored with the characters and their drama, but there were several things I liked:
-Mami having more backbone (or, making less pretense than she didn't).
-Yukina finally realizes she'd hurting people's feelings!
-The scene where Yukina is pretending to be the Count from her novel while trying to write!
(She could have just written her thoughts there down and then her chapter would be written.)

[Marttha Zazueta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los tomos 9-10 me parecieron algo flojillos, pero la llegada del hermano de Kitami ha revivido algo la historia, Hisame parece un tipo bastante interesante y creo que es obvio el por qué odia a Kitami y el por qué le hace esas cosas a la adorable Mami.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally addicting! I CAN'T STOP! this is insanely good but also what is going on with Mami?

[Niles Sell · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is cute

[David Doel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still okay but not exceptional. Four volumes to go (I don't have volumes 16 - 19 nor the yen to get them).

[Story of a Book Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

why is he her cousin? he could've been a childhood friend or something. there is no reason for them to be related. it just doesn't make sense and it's so gross

[Karina Rari · Rating 4 out of 5]

der erste teil der mir nicht ganz so gut gefallen hat aber noch gut von mir bewertet wird, hoffe es wird beim nächsten wieder besser

[Judyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4/5

The release of this series has slowed down immensely, and I’m not sure why. It sucks, mostly, because I want more.

The cliffhanger from the last volume introduces a new character, Shigure’s brother, who clearly tormented Mami in the past. But that all falls on the backburner for the majority of this volume, as Yukina is forced to choose between Shigure and Akira.

And, frustrating enough, she chooses wrong. Her impulsive action proves wrong when she has a hard time continuing her cell phone story, and can’t keep Shigure off her mind. But she doesn’t know how to take it back, and she doesn’t want to hurt or lose Akira, even if she only sees him as a brother.

Even if I’m frustrated with Yukina’s decision, and I feel so bad for Akira (and Mami, since I like her with Akira), I do enjoy the depth to her story we see. Yukina can’t figure out what to do with Shigure’s character, and thus immerses herself in his head. This shows her Shigure in a new light, and that makes it even harder to stay with Akira.

At the end of the volume, we got to see how Yukina’s parents met, and what Akira’s father had to do with it. It was adorable.

I miss this series, and I am not looking forward to the wait for the next one.

[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

All right, I'm glad Watashi ni xx Shinasai! is continuing on its way to a better plot. I'm not supposed to feel satisfied with the misfortune of the protagonist, am I? But I can't help saying this: well, it's too late now, Yukina. Look at the enormity of the ordeal you brought upon yourself; it's hurting you, isn't it? I suppose it's some sort of bad karma - especially when Shigure said that he didn't love her. I have already mentioned this, but Kitami Hisame is hot. I never liked Mami, but Yukina was getting even lamer, and as the story progressed, I began to like Mami. She might be immature and not necessarily smart but she was pretty straightforward and she had her goals and priorities straight. She even knew about her feelings. While I wrote before that Mami and Akira seemed good together, I'm starting to think that Mami and Hisame appeared so sweet and perfect for each other as well (Seriously, Mami had a better relationship with guys than Yukina herself). I guess Hisame's appearance is what made this manga even more interesting. Just as I was becoming confused with whom to ship with Mami, she suddenly confessed to Akira. I am so happy . . . but what about the twisted love of Hisame?

[Rubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

So.....Yukina is supposed to be Akiras gf now but....she spends most of her time worrying about Shigures thoughts and feelings and just makes me feel bad for Akira. Shigure in turn, turns to pettiness to deal with his pain which made him even less likable. And poor Mami seems to have lost her chance with both boys since Yukina is being selfish, though Akira is going bout it all wrong by acting like someone he's not. At least Yukina apologized but I want her to fix this already and stop playing the two boys using her novel as an excuse! She could experience things wit Akira if she wanted, it's not that he's not mature, its that she already fell for Shigure.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 2 out of 5]

2021.02.19

Sie sind Mittelschüler... Sie sind Mittelschüler... Ich kann es nicht glauben!

Aber ich habe die ganze Serie gekauft und ich werde sie lesen!

-----

2013.12.09

Wo geht der Manga hin? Ich war so begeistert, als ich mit xx me! begonnen habe. Aber jetzt bin ich nicht so sicher. Ich weiß es nicht... vielleicht es ist, weil es keine Missionen mehr gibt. Die haben mir sehr gefallen. Jetzt gibt es keine Missionen mehr und die Geschichte ist verbogener geworden, als ich erwartete.

Ja, ich werde ihn weiterlesen aber...

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh thank goodness, Yukina has gotten her drive back, and the thing I hated in the last volume is getting hand-waved away -- it would be better if it were actually unpacked, but I am willing to live with hand waving.

3/2019: I tried reread this and was just so frustrated by it! I guess I liked it more two years ago, but anyway, I think I have given up on this series.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's intriguing to see how these kids keep playing with each other's feelings, but it's getting to be so annoying to see Yukina consistently misread the atmosphere and misunderstand her emotions. I thought Shigure was pretty darn clear with his intentions, but Yukina... well, she's Yukina.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find this story getting less good as it goes along! I hope the next volume is much better :)

[Reina Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was weird.
When did the story become so twisted? Okay fine, it was originally twisted, but it worsened when Shigure's brother came. And I don't like Mami, she annoys me.

[Célia ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note : 2 ⭐.
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