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ウルトラマニアック [Ultra Maniac] #1
Ultra Maniac, Vol. 01
Shy Ayu Tateishi has just made a new friend at school. But this new friend, much to her surprise, is no ordinary classmate. Nina Sakura may look like a normal middle school girl, but she's got a big secret.
She's a witch.
Or, rather, she's studying to be a witch. And, apparently, she's not doing her homework. Her spells are devastating in their ineffectiveness and often result in the most embarrassing situations for poor Ayu.
But things wouldn't be so bad if Nina's sorcery didn't make Ayu look silly in front of the one boy she secretly adores. All she wants is a simple love potion. What she gets, however, is a new best friend who almost flunked out of witch school!
She's a witch.
Or, rather, she's studying to be a witch. And, apparently, she's not doing her homework. Her spells are devastating in their ineffectiveness and often result in the most embarrassing situations for poor Ayu.
But things wouldn't be so bad if Nina's sorcery didn't make Ayu look silly in front of the one boy she secretly adores. All she wants is a simple love potion. What she gets, however, is a new best friend who almost flunked out of witch school!
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
38 people are currently reading
2595 people want to read
About the author
Wataru Yoshizumi
192 books313 followersWataru Yoshizumi (吉住渉) is a Japanese mangaka. She was born as Mari Nakai (中井 真里, Nakai Mari) on June 18, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated with a degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University.
Yoshizumi started her career as a mangaka while working as an office lady. Her debut manga was a yomikiri (short story) called "Radical Romance" that was published in 1984, in the summer issue of Ribon Original. She is known as a social mangaka, and is a good friend of fellow mangakas Naoko Takeuchi, Ai Yazawa, Miho Obana, and Megumi Mizusawa.
Yoshizumi currently (as of 2007) has her works published in both Ribon and Chorus.
Yoshizumi started her career as a mangaka while working as an office lady. Her debut manga was a yomikiri (short story) called "Radical Romance" that was published in 1984, in the summer issue of Ribon Original. She is known as a social mangaka, and is a good friend of fellow mangakas Naoko Takeuchi, Ai Yazawa, Miho Obana, and Megumi Mizusawa.
Yoshizumi currently (as of 2007) has her works published in both Ribon and Chorus.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
February 19, 2019
3,5. No me acordaba para nada lo divertidas que son las historias de Wataru Yoshizumi. Esta relectura va a ser un tremendo gustazo <3
September 10, 2017
Review for the complete series
Ayu is regarded as the cool girl at school - an image she'd like to maintain. But once she meets the bumbling exchange student Nina, she seems to stumble from one embarrassing incident to the next. Not only is Nina clumsy, but she also turns out to be a witch! One missed spell leads to another and soon Ayu's school life is in chaos.
Ultra Maniac is the only fantasy story this author has written so far. And it's a shame too! This author likes adding some crazy things to her stories which I always find hard to swallow. Adding magic to the story is a simple but clean way to deal with that issue - this was one of her few works where I did not feel as though I had to ignore my disbelief.
Ayu and Nina are both great characters. Nina was particularly cute and the way she always wants to help people is very loveable. I loved how their friendship developed. Ayu was quite stand-offish in the beginning and one can see how she grows to really care about Nina throughout the story - even to the point of giving up something that is dear to her for the sake of her friend.
While the author did a great job with portraying their friendship, I found the romance less convincing. I actually liked that romance took a backseat and that the main focus was on the friendship and magic. Nonetheless, I wish the romance was handled differently. It starts off quite nice and natural - I like how the characters slowly notice each other rather than falling in love too fast. But while the romance was really slow during the first few volumes, it turned fast very suddenly in the final volume. I could see the romance budding, but then it just took off like a rocket and I found it hard to comprehend.
Seeing as the romance was really not the main point, though, I can't complain too much. The magic system was never explored all that much, I think it would have been nice to know a little more about the Magic Kingdom. The comedy is much in the style of Yoshizumi and very enjoyable - the art is also adorable and just nice to look at!
April 26, 2012
What drew me to Ultra Maniac was the art. It's really very cute. The plot is sort of silly, and fun. Nina is a (not very good) witch who wants to help her new friend Ayu with her magic. And hijinks ensue. It's light, silly, and fun, and the romance is very much on the backburner compared to the friendship between Ayu and Nina. Nina is an especially fun character to read, and I thought that her system of magic was interesting, even if it does need a little more explanation in later volumes. I'll keep reading for the fluffy fun of it.
July 8, 2019
This is a very cute and interesting read. Looking forward to seeing what happens in the sequel.
July 15, 2025
that last page tho???? what?
April 14, 2019
Ultra Maniac is a very fun shojo manga that is a tad slow to start but is has a fun enough plot and other good things going for it that this is forgivable.
It's the story of a shy, but beautiful young middle-school girl named Ayu who is head over heels in love with boy named Tetsushi. Because of this, she has remade herself to be the kind of cool girl that she thinks he would want. They seem to be getting closer, when a new girl comes to the school and latches onto Ayu as her new best friend.
The girl, Nina, isn't just any old middle-school girl. She is, in fact, part of a magical race of beings, a witch. Think of this as other beings, not a religious thing, or an "in the blood thing. So it's less Harry Potter and Star Wars, and more Bewitched and Sabrina: The Teenage Witch. Unfortunately, Nina flunked out of magical school and is attending school in Japan while she tries to learn her sorcery enough to return. To help in this, she has decided to help her new best friend, Ayu. Poor Ayu.
No, really. Poor Ayu. Anything wrong imaginable does, in fact, happen. Nina means well, she really does, but every time she tries to help Ayu, chaos results. Unfortunately, Ayu can't seem to separate herself from Nina as Nina is just so naive and kind that Ayu can't bear hurting her. But Nina is making it hard for her to have a chance with Tetsushi, so what can she do?
The series has a tad bit of a slow start in that there is too much time spent the first few chapters on slap-stick and humor as one spell after another intended by Nina to help Ayu just makes Ayu miserable. Only at the very end of the fourth and fifth chapters - the end of the first volume - does the story actually pick up and go somewhere.
So why give this such a high rating? Simple, it is a gorgeous book. The artwork is some of the best I have seen, though the characters look more high school than junior high. The mangaka has stated that this was an ascetic choice to draw them that way. Nonetheless, it is beautiful artwork that somehow is more solid and not the "brush stroke" effect of some other beautifully-drawn manga like Sailor Moon or others.
Yet beautifully drawn it is and that is the bonus along with the clever humor and the fact that the plot, even when stalled a bit at first, is intriguing enough. It also helps that Ayu is admirable and Nina is such a nice, sweet person that even when she causes mayhem you just want to hug her and cheer for her.
A fun beginning to this five-volume series.
It's the story of a shy, but beautiful young middle-school girl named Ayu who is head over heels in love with boy named Tetsushi. Because of this, she has remade herself to be the kind of cool girl that she thinks he would want. They seem to be getting closer, when a new girl comes to the school and latches onto Ayu as her new best friend.
The girl, Nina, isn't just any old middle-school girl. She is, in fact, part of a magical race of beings, a witch. Think of this as other beings, not a religious thing, or an "in the blood thing. So it's less Harry Potter and Star Wars, and more Bewitched and Sabrina: The Teenage Witch. Unfortunately, Nina flunked out of magical school and is attending school in Japan while she tries to learn her sorcery enough to return. To help in this, she has decided to help her new best friend, Ayu. Poor Ayu.
No, really. Poor Ayu. Anything wrong imaginable does, in fact, happen. Nina means well, she really does, but every time she tries to help Ayu, chaos results. Unfortunately, Ayu can't seem to separate herself from Nina as Nina is just so naive and kind that Ayu can't bear hurting her. But Nina is making it hard for her to have a chance with Tetsushi, so what can she do?
The series has a tad bit of a slow start in that there is too much time spent the first few chapters on slap-stick and humor as one spell after another intended by Nina to help Ayu just makes Ayu miserable. Only at the very end of the fourth and fifth chapters - the end of the first volume - does the story actually pick up and go somewhere.
So why give this such a high rating? Simple, it is a gorgeous book. The artwork is some of the best I have seen, though the characters look more high school than junior high. The mangaka has stated that this was an ascetic choice to draw them that way. Nonetheless, it is beautiful artwork that somehow is more solid and not the "brush stroke" effect of some other beautifully-drawn manga like Sailor Moon or others.
Yet beautifully drawn it is and that is the bonus along with the clever humor and the fact that the plot, even when stalled a bit at first, is intriguing enough. It also helps that Ayu is admirable and Nina is such a nice, sweet person that even when she causes mayhem you just want to hug her and cheer for her.
A fun beginning to this five-volume series.
June 13, 2011
Satu hal yang bikin menarik dari komik ini yaitu nama tokoh utamanya. Ayu sama Nina (Indonesia banget). Seperti biasa, Wataru Yoshizumi kalau bikin cerita di awalnya emang suka bikin kaget. Ayu ini orang yang ga percaya sama sihir, Harry Potter atau apa lah... tapi malah ketemu sama Nina, yang merupakan penyihir gagal. Di pertengahan bahkan sampai mendekati ending cerita biasanya Wataru Yoshizumi munculin banyak karakter baru yang jadi pesaing-pesaing atau musuh dari karakter utama. Memang sudah jadi ciri khasnya begitu.
Komik ini bener-bener lucu, penuh kejutan dan- ya ampun baju yang dipakai sama tokoh-tokoh di komik ini emang bener-bener bagus!!! Selera fashion Wataru Yoshizumi emang hebat!
Komik ini bener-bener lucu, penuh kejutan dan- ya ampun baju yang dipakai sama tokoh-tokoh di komik ini emang bener-bener bagus!!! Selera fashion Wataru Yoshizumi emang hebat!
April 15, 2015
Wataru Yoshizumi's "Ultra Maniac, Vol. 01" is beautifully illustrated. The protagonists, Ayu and Nina, are both likable and endearing. There is a lot of humour in this volume, which I enjoy, and I hope this carries through to future volumes, which I look forward to reading.
I think fans of the "Pixie Pop" series would probably enjoy this series as well. I know I did, but I'm kind of into all of that too-sweet-might-give-yourself-a-toothache cuteness.
I think fans of the "Pixie Pop" series would probably enjoy this series as well. I know I did, but I'm kind of into all of that too-sweet-might-give-yourself-a-toothache cuteness.
May 16, 2023
I usually only review the last volume of the manga series I read (so that my goodreads challenge is not flooded with them) but since I’m doing the Asian readathon in May, and couldn’t get a hold of the following volumes before the end of the month, I’m adding this right now and will transfer my review when I’m done with the series :)
Ultra Maniac is a childhood favorite, and upon reread, it was just as precious as I remembered <33 Wataru Yoshizumi’s art style is just incredible; it’s cute, it’s great, and it’s ICONIC. I love it! And as always, the story is precious af. It feels like it was written for me- her books were so formative in my childhood, they really shaped the person I have become today.
While this series can’t complete with Marmalade Boy, my absolute favorite, I cant wait to continue on. I actually don’t remember well what happens next, so I’m really curious to find out! Also, it’s funny how I never realized before how similar Nina was to Chocolat and Vanilla from Sugar Sugar Rune (when that series was literally one of my favs at the time). Wonder which contaminated which lol
Ultra Maniac is a childhood favorite, and upon reread, it was just as precious as I remembered <33 Wataru Yoshizumi’s art style is just incredible; it’s cute, it’s great, and it’s ICONIC. I love it! And as always, the story is precious af. It feels like it was written for me- her books were so formative in my childhood, they really shaped the person I have become today.
While this series can’t complete with Marmalade Boy, my absolute favorite, I cant wait to continue on. I actually don’t remember well what happens next, so I’m really curious to find out! Also, it’s funny how I never realized before how similar Nina was to Chocolat and Vanilla from Sugar Sugar Rune (when that series was literally one of my favs at the time). Wonder which contaminated which lol
February 8, 2024
I liked this manga! It was fun, fasted paced, and pretty ironic! Nina is new to the school and eventually becomes friends with Ayu. She tells Ayu her big secret (Ninas a with). Nina almost flunked out of with school so her alternative is to go to human school. Nina practices her magic at this school and uses her magic to "help" Ayu. This manga was pretty funny and ironic! It wasn't a life changing read but it was quite fun!
May 10, 2020
[Review to come in the future. I'm not sure how to process everything I just read. In the meantime, if you're wondering if this is just as slapstick-heavy and tropey as the description makes it out to be, I can absolutely confirm for you that this is the case.]
August 31, 2017
It was cute. There are some parts that make me roll my eyes. Like the suggestion that boys are naturally stronger and faster (really?) and other aspects which are tropes in this genre. (Or at least I've seen them from Watase-sensei.) There is also a sense of not being honest with things, magic as a shortcut and I wonder if they will address that or it's just going to be a comedic bit.
I really like that the leads are girls as friends not fighting over a boy... and kind of wish a boy didn't play into it at all-- but, you know, shoujo. Whatcha gonna do.
I really like that the leads are girls as friends not fighting over a boy... and kind of wish a boy didn't play into it at all-- but, you know, shoujo. Whatcha gonna do.
November 22, 2012
This is a review on the entire series
I have read this manga a long time ago but it was so awesome I decided to review it. I love magical girl manga as they almost always promise to be cute and fun reads. Ultra Maniac did not disappoint! This manga was cute, funny, and quick read that I enjoyed very, very much.
The characters are all very cute, funny, and unique. They all had their own funny personalities. Nina and Ayu were really fun to read about and Nina's magical mishaps and the situations she got the two girls in were hilarious and sometimes just strange. I love the contrasting personalities of Ayu and Nina. Nina is more carefree awhile Ayu is shy and cares about how she appears. The two boys in the manga were good characters and had their own flaws as well. I really enjoyed reading about the growing relationship between the characters throughout the story.
The story was very silly and cute. Ultra Maniac focuses mainly on the friendship between Nina and Ayu and the awkward situations Nina gets them into. This was really surprising to me as most shojo manga I have read is mostly about the relationship between the boy and the girl. There are boyfriends involved still and the way the relationships were done were pretty darn good! I loved how the manga did not have a love triangle like most shojo manga I read and focuses more on the relationship between one boy and girl. The couples were all cute and pretty perfect(although not perfectly perfect).
The art was amazing. The art was not as cutesy as I expected for a shojo but it is still detailed and cute. I was surprised about how different the characters looked from each other as I am used to struggling finding out who is who in a shojo. They all had their own distinct character design and I could recognize the characters easily.
Ultra Maniac was a very enjoyable and cute manga that I would recommend to anyone who likes the magical girl genre.
I have read this manga a long time ago but it was so awesome I decided to review it. I love magical girl manga as they almost always promise to be cute and fun reads. Ultra Maniac did not disappoint! This manga was cute, funny, and quick read that I enjoyed very, very much.
The characters are all very cute, funny, and unique. They all had their own funny personalities. Nina and Ayu were really fun to read about and Nina's magical mishaps and the situations she got the two girls in were hilarious and sometimes just strange. I love the contrasting personalities of Ayu and Nina. Nina is more carefree awhile Ayu is shy and cares about how she appears. The two boys in the manga were good characters and had their own flaws as well. I really enjoyed reading about the growing relationship between the characters throughout the story.
The story was very silly and cute. Ultra Maniac focuses mainly on the friendship between Nina and Ayu and the awkward situations Nina gets them into. This was really surprising to me as most shojo manga I have read is mostly about the relationship between the boy and the girl. There are boyfriends involved still and the way the relationships were done were pretty darn good! I loved how the manga did not have a love triangle like most shojo manga I read and focuses more on the relationship between one boy and girl. The couples were all cute and pretty perfect(although not perfectly perfect).
The art was amazing. The art was not as cutesy as I expected for a shojo but it is still detailed and cute. I was surprised about how different the characters looked from each other as I am used to struggling finding out who is who in a shojo. They all had their own distinct character design and I could recognize the characters easily.
Ultra Maniac was a very enjoyable and cute manga that I would recommend to anyone who likes the magical girl genre.
May 5, 2015
The world of cool and calm Ayu was shaken when she met the maniac-like student Nina. She found the portable PC that Nina lost. In exchange, Nina trusted Ayu with her secret. It was the start of their friendship. Nina wanted to help Ayu solve her little problems but it always end up in disasters.
Ultra Maniac has a special place in my heart. It was one of those animés that made me addicted to animé itself *cough*still is*cough*. I was looking for this manga back when the scanlations were limited and not yet popular. I ended up reading a fan-made narration which bore a not really good English translation. I did not know why I searched for this just now.
My favorite anime character, Maya, was not in the manga but it is fine because duh, this is the original. I like both. Since there were many people involve in the process of animation, the characters and plot shifted (e.g. in animé, Nina transferred because she has bad grades in her world, she'll pass in normal school because her magic skills don't need to be graded but in manga, she transferred to train in the human world).
Back to the manga, I love the illustrations of Yoshizumi Wataru. She states in her author's notes that her art improved and got better than her first manga. Unlike other mangakas, she has so many things to say in ample spaces in the chapters. I guess because she has a lot of experiences already.
Ultra Maniac has a special place in my heart. It was one of those animés that made me addicted to animé itself *cough*still is*cough*. I was looking for this manga back when the scanlations were limited and not yet popular. I ended up reading a fan-made narration which bore a not really good English translation. I did not know why I searched for this just now.
My favorite anime character, Maya, was not in the manga but it is fine because duh, this is the original. I like both. Since there were many people involve in the process of animation, the characters and plot shifted (e.g. in animé, Nina transferred because she has bad grades in her world, she'll pass in normal school because her magic skills don't need to be graded but in manga, she transferred to train in the human world).
Back to the manga, I love the illustrations of Yoshizumi Wataru. She states in her author's notes that her art improved and got better than her first manga. Unlike other mangakas, she has so many things to say in ample spaces in the chapters. I guess because she has a lot of experiences already.
January 3, 2008
Great little series of manga that is rated A for All Ages. About a girl who is a witch and a girl that becomes her friend. There is a lot of mishap spells and a bit of romance. So far, I love the series.
August 23, 2012
Un clásico que emitieron en España durante los 90, y que gustó mucho.
Va de magia, romance y todo eso :)
Va de magia, romance y todo eso :)
September 4, 2023
Súper cuquiiii justo lo que necesitaba!
November 24, 2025
there's something about early y2k shojo manga and i'm a fan! 🍓•⊹₊ ⋆୨ৎ
Ultra Maniac is a 2000's shojo manga about Ayu, a middle schooler who keeps a calm and collected persona, whose life takes an adventurous + chaotic turn when she becomes friends with classmate Nina, who happens to be a witch! 𓇼˚⊹ 𖦹 ⁺｡°
I was researching more 90's and 2000's shojo manga again after watching sailor moon, which led me to stumble upon this Shojo Beat series which delivered on a fantastic plot, albeit more slapstick comedy but it was cute, entertaining and I'm going to be reading the rest of the volumes.
Ayu presents herself as a girl who wants to be level-headed and not indulge in fairytales - she's popular among the students in her school and many look up to her. Her best friend Tetsushi is a popular guy known for being on the sports team, also someone she has an unrequited crush on...though everything is rather normal. Until, Ayu notices recent transfer student Nina has lost something important - portable pc and helps her to get it back.
However after the return of her pc, Nina finds herself observing Ayu and when confronted Nina reveals her secret she's trusting her classmate with...Nina is a witch from the Magic Kingdom!
Every chapter that follows is some kind of wacky adventure with Nina's magic not going as intended and causing a lot of problems for Ayu ...these two girls together leads to nothing but chaos and I was here for it! I also loved the y2k vibes from the magic pc that Nina uses for her spells and the occasional fashion inserts dividing each chapter, there was a wholesome nostalgia to it.
Set mostly around their school, I liked how each chapter led them into some wacky situation where Nina, not yet honing in on her powers, makes the situations waay more complicated than necessary. There's an underlying theme of sorts that I feel the foundation being set in this first volume for Ayu, in which she needs to be more honest with herself, trying to let go of the persona she's setting up just to get closer with her crush Tetsushi that I'm hoping will be explored across the volumes.
Nina is a bit cluttered when it comes to her magic, not having reversal spells ready, coming up with very simple spells that somehow lead to the most convoluted situations, leading to Ayu getting sucked into trouble with Nina's magic but somehow they end up working through it together. The friendship between them is very unconventional and while they have very differing personalities - they always find out they make a great team!! Their friendship was the highlight of this volume, seeing Nina trust Ayu with her secret to learning more about Ayu's facade through the magic which forces her to open up, I'm hopeful to see their relationship grow.
Since this is from the earl 2000's some plots come across too focused on a girls vs. boys kinda vibe which felt a bit limiting to the plot (the tennis match arc in the first few chapters), but Ayu and Nina themselves come across as fully fleshed out characters with their flaws given clear focus and enough page-time to explore through the comedy which i liked.
There's a harmonious blend of magic, humor, school life, and wacky friendship making the series one that I'll be sticking with definitely. As I grew up on shows like Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Danny Phantom (characters with a keeping their powers a secret plot) I found Ultra Maniac to be so charming, silly, and uplifting.
If anything the dialogue could've been tighter in some places to allow the characters to shine a bit more over the plot, but all in all, very fun!
Ultra Maniac is the manga series for those who want a YA contemporary fantasy centering female friendship, over-the-top magical hijinks, humor, its perfect for those who grew up watching shows like Sabrina The Teenage Witch, and can look past occasional character archetypes - a funny, witchy manga series!
Ultra Maniac is a 2000's shojo manga about Ayu, a middle schooler who keeps a calm and collected persona, whose life takes an adventurous + chaotic turn when she becomes friends with classmate Nina, who happens to be a witch! 𓇼˚⊹ 𖦹 ⁺｡°
I was researching more 90's and 2000's shojo manga again after watching sailor moon, which led me to stumble upon this Shojo Beat series which delivered on a fantastic plot, albeit more slapstick comedy but it was cute, entertaining and I'm going to be reading the rest of the volumes.
Ayu presents herself as a girl who wants to be level-headed and not indulge in fairytales - she's popular among the students in her school and many look up to her. Her best friend Tetsushi is a popular guy known for being on the sports team, also someone she has an unrequited crush on...though everything is rather normal. Until, Ayu notices recent transfer student Nina has lost something important - portable pc and helps her to get it back.
However after the return of her pc, Nina finds herself observing Ayu and when confronted Nina reveals her secret she's trusting her classmate with...Nina is a witch from the Magic Kingdom!
Every chapter that follows is some kind of wacky adventure with Nina's magic not going as intended and causing a lot of problems for Ayu ...these two girls together leads to nothing but chaos and I was here for it! I also loved the y2k vibes from the magic pc that Nina uses for her spells and the occasional fashion inserts dividing each chapter, there was a wholesome nostalgia to it.
Set mostly around their school, I liked how each chapter led them into some wacky situation where Nina, not yet honing in on her powers, makes the situations waay more complicated than necessary. There's an underlying theme of sorts that I feel the foundation being set in this first volume for Ayu, in which she needs to be more honest with herself, trying to let go of the persona she's setting up just to get closer with her crush Tetsushi that I'm hoping will be explored across the volumes.
Nina is a bit cluttered when it comes to her magic, not having reversal spells ready, coming up with very simple spells that somehow lead to the most convoluted situations, leading to Ayu getting sucked into trouble with Nina's magic but somehow they end up working through it together. The friendship between them is very unconventional and while they have very differing personalities - they always find out they make a great team!! Their friendship was the highlight of this volume, seeing Nina trust Ayu with her secret to learning more about Ayu's facade through the magic which forces her to open up, I'm hopeful to see their relationship grow.
Since this is from the earl 2000's some plots come across too focused on a girls vs. boys kinda vibe which felt a bit limiting to the plot (the tennis match arc in the first few chapters), but Ayu and Nina themselves come across as fully fleshed out characters with their flaws given clear focus and enough page-time to explore through the comedy which i liked.
There's a harmonious blend of magic, humor, school life, and wacky friendship making the series one that I'll be sticking with definitely. As I grew up on shows like Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Danny Phantom (characters with a keeping their powers a secret plot) I found Ultra Maniac to be so charming, silly, and uplifting.
If anything the dialogue could've been tighter in some places to allow the characters to shine a bit more over the plot, but all in all, very fun!
Ultra Maniac is the manga series for those who want a YA contemporary fantasy centering female friendship, over-the-top magical hijinks, humor, its perfect for those who grew up watching shows like Sabrina The Teenage Witch, and can look past occasional character archetypes - a funny, witchy manga series!
June 7, 2017
One Word Rec.: BORROW
Rating: 3 ☆彡
Yoshizumi, Watasu; ULTRA MANIAC [Ultra Maniac]
e/read online; genre: { manga, shoujo }; shelves:
This is a shoujo manga series. I am only placing my actual review for V. 1 & V. 5, as my review sorta covers the entire series. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me.
General Synopsis:
Nina Sakura is a witch. The problem is, she failed at her school in the Magic Kingdom, so she has come to Earth as a transfer student. Soon after transferring, she meets Ayu Tateishi, a fellow 7th grader, who has a crush on Tetsushi Kaji. After their initial meeting, Nina decides she can trust Ayu and reveals to her that she is witch. As you can imagine, hijinks ensue.
Ultra Maniac is 5 volumes & has an actual conclusion.
Characters:
Ayu Tateishi, the primary female protagonist. Popular, plays tennis & has a crush on Tetsushi
Nina Sakura, the second female protagonist. Witch-in-training
Tetsushi Kaji, the boy Ayu has a crush on
Hiroki Tsujiai, Tetsushi's best friend &
Yuta Kirishima, a childhood friend of Nina's from Magic Kingdom
Leo, Nina's pet cat, who can also take the form of a young boy
Sayaka Nakamura,
Mito Kirishima, Yuta's older sister, who becomes a new teacher at their middle school
Personal Opinion:
Well, first off, this IS a shoujo manga, so it was cute.
I have to be honest here. Although I enjoy shoujo manga, I find that my individual taste tends to lean more toward the shounen genre. Still, my favorite shoujo series are Skip Beat!, Vol. 01, Sailor Moon, #1, & basically ANYTHING by CLAMP . So I believe my standards are very high when I am judging shoujo titles. I do hope I have not offended anyone by my rating or my opinion.
When I began this series, I couldn't decide if I wanted to rate it 2 1/2 STARS, or 3. Usually if I think a book is only worth 2 STARS, I tend to drop it if it's a series, but I am reading Ultra Maniac in a reading challenge and had decided since there are only 5 volumes, I was going to read the complete series. As I continued the series, I began to become a little more involved and finally decided Ultra Maniac deserves to by rated 3 STARS, which for me means GOOD, POSSIBLE RE-READ WORTHY = to Buy on DVD.
I would happily recommend this series to anyone who enjoys shoujo manga. To anyone who wants to something light and easy to breeze through.
Rating: 3 ☆彡
Yoshizumi, Watasu; ULTRA MANIAC [Ultra Maniac]
e/read online; genre: { manga, shoujo }; shelves:
This is a shoujo manga series. I am only placing my actual review for V. 1 & V. 5, as my review sorta covers the entire series. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me.
General Synopsis:
Nina Sakura is a witch. The problem is, she failed at her school in the Magic Kingdom, so she has come to Earth as a transfer student. Soon after transferring, she meets Ayu Tateishi, a fellow 7th grader, who has a crush on Tetsushi Kaji. After their initial meeting, Nina decides she can trust Ayu and reveals to her that she is witch. As you can imagine, hijinks ensue.
Ultra Maniac is 5 volumes & has an actual conclusion.
Characters:
Ayu Tateishi, the primary female protagonist. Popular, plays tennis & has a crush on Tetsushi
Nina Sakura, the second female protagonist. Witch-in-training
Tetsushi Kaji, the boy Ayu has a crush on
Hiroki Tsujiai, Tetsushi's best friend &
Yuta Kirishima, a childhood friend of Nina's from Magic Kingdom
Leo, Nina's pet cat, who can also take the form of a young boy
Sayaka Nakamura,
Mito Kirishima, Yuta's older sister, who becomes a new teacher at their middle school
Personal Opinion:
Well, first off, this IS a shoujo manga, so it was cute.
I have to be honest here. Although I enjoy shoujo manga, I find that my individual taste tends to lean more toward the shounen genre. Still, my favorite shoujo series are Skip Beat!, Vol. 01, Sailor Moon, #1, & basically ANYTHING by CLAMP . So I believe my standards are very high when I am judging shoujo titles. I do hope I have not offended anyone by my rating or my opinion.
When I began this series, I couldn't decide if I wanted to rate it 2 1/2 STARS, or 3. Usually if I think a book is only worth 2 STARS, I tend to drop it if it's a series, but I am reading Ultra Maniac in a reading challenge and had decided since there are only 5 volumes, I was going to read the complete series. As I continued the series, I began to become a little more involved and finally decided Ultra Maniac deserves to by rated 3 STARS, which for me means GOOD, POSSIBLE RE-READ WORTHY = to Buy on DVD.
I would happily recommend this series to anyone who enjoys shoujo manga. To anyone who wants to something light and easy to breeze through.
January 11, 2021
☆☆☆☆ /5
Ce manga a été le premier shojo, mais surtout le premier magical girl de ma vie. Lue pendant mon enfance, cette douce lecture m'a permis de m'échapper à un âge pendant lequel mon imaginaire vagabondait.
¤
Et si votre meilleure amie était une magicienne ? C'est ce que va vivre Ayu, l'élève la plus « cool » de l'école Hideo, lorsqu'elle fera la rencontre de Nina, une apprentie magicienne venue étudier dans le monde des humains. Lorsque Nina découvre qu'Ayu est follement éprise de Kaji, l'idole de l'école, elle décide de tout mettre en oeuvre pour tenter de les rapprocher, notamment grâce à des sorts directement téléchargés sur le net avec son ordinateur portable !Malheureusement pour Ayu, la magie de son amie ne semble pas encore très au point et leurs résultats sont assez folkloriques
¤
Cette œuvre toute mignonne aborde les thèmes de l'adolescence, de l'amour et de l'amitié, avec une pointe de magie.
Ayu et Nina sont deux jeunes filles complètement différentes, et pour cause, l'une est humaine et l'autre une magicienne. Elles vont apprendre à se connaître, pour le meilleur et pour le pire, et j'ai apprécié leur relation d'amitié. Il y a eu une belle évolution, tant au niveau des personnages en tant que tels, tant au niveau de leurs interactions. Leur duo apporte de la légèreté à l'histoire, notamment avec les sorts ratés de Nina, on ne s'arrête ni de sourire, ni de rire !
¤
Autour des protagonistes, orbitent d'autres personnages, comme Kaji, Tsujiai, Kurishima et encore d'autres qui viennent ajouter un soupçon de piquant.
Ce n'est pas un manga que l'on lit forcément pour son originalité, bien qu'à l'époque, il fut justement original, étant un magical girl, à sa sortie. Mais c'est un manga que l'on lit sans prise de tête, qui m'a aidé à m'évader et rêver lorsque j'étais plus jeune, et aussi à me rassurer sur les relations d'amitié et d'amour en général.
Ce manga a été le premier shojo, mais surtout le premier magical girl de ma vie. Lue pendant mon enfance, cette douce lecture m'a permis de m'échapper à un âge pendant lequel mon imaginaire vagabondait.
¤
Et si votre meilleure amie était une magicienne ? C'est ce que va vivre Ayu, l'élève la plus « cool » de l'école Hideo, lorsqu'elle fera la rencontre de Nina, une apprentie magicienne venue étudier dans le monde des humains. Lorsque Nina découvre qu'Ayu est follement éprise de Kaji, l'idole de l'école, elle décide de tout mettre en oeuvre pour tenter de les rapprocher, notamment grâce à des sorts directement téléchargés sur le net avec son ordinateur portable !Malheureusement pour Ayu, la magie de son amie ne semble pas encore très au point et leurs résultats sont assez folkloriques
¤
Cette œuvre toute mignonne aborde les thèmes de l'adolescence, de l'amour et de l'amitié, avec une pointe de magie.
Ayu et Nina sont deux jeunes filles complètement différentes, et pour cause, l'une est humaine et l'autre une magicienne. Elles vont apprendre à se connaître, pour le meilleur et pour le pire, et j'ai apprécié leur relation d'amitié. Il y a eu une belle évolution, tant au niveau des personnages en tant que tels, tant au niveau de leurs interactions. Leur duo apporte de la légèreté à l'histoire, notamment avec les sorts ratés de Nina, on ne s'arrête ni de sourire, ni de rire !
¤
Autour des protagonistes, orbitent d'autres personnages, comme Kaji, Tsujiai, Kurishima et encore d'autres qui viennent ajouter un soupçon de piquant.
Ce n'est pas un manga que l'on lit forcément pour son originalité, bien qu'à l'époque, il fut justement original, étant un magical girl, à sa sortie. Mais c'est un manga que l'on lit sans prise de tête, qui m'a aidé à m'évader et rêver lorsque j'étais plus jeune, et aussi à me rassurer sur les relations d'amitié et d'amour en général.
May 16, 2020
A little dated but hilarious!
I would put this in the genres slice of life, comedy, fantasy, and romance. It's pretty diverse and has fun events. I was not expecting it to be like this at all. I thought it'd be like a cheerleading manga or something.
The story plays out slowly, giving us enough time between events to laugh and to think over what just happened. Characters haven't begun their development and just have been introduced.
The art style is typical of the time it was drawn in. Nothing outrageous or super spectacular to say about that.
I don't feel like I necessarily have to get the next volume anytime soon but also feel like if I did get it, it would be amusing at the very least.
I would put this in the genres slice of life, comedy, fantasy, and romance. It's pretty diverse and has fun events. I was not expecting it to be like this at all. I thought it'd be like a cheerleading manga or something.
The story plays out slowly, giving us enough time between events to laugh and to think over what just happened. Characters haven't begun their development and just have been introduced.
The art style is typical of the time it was drawn in. Nothing outrageous or super spectacular to say about that.
I don't feel like I necessarily have to get the next volume anytime soon but also feel like if I did get it, it would be amusing at the very least.
February 17, 2020
This review is for volumes 1-4 in the series :3
- - -
What a cute series! I found this at the library, so I decided to read it; and what a treat! It does have a few ~problematic~ scenes, like when Ayu transforms into a boy to be better at tennis😑, but that’s understandable given how old it is. I was surprised by the author’s note section in this, too- There was mentions of Harry Potter, David Beckham, the Powerpuff girls, etc. 😄! That was fun to read.
Overall, this was a really cute, lighthearted series (minus all the convoluted love drama). I don’t think I’ll be continuing it, but it was fun to read.
- - -
What a cute series! I found this at the library, so I decided to read it; and what a treat! It does have a few ~problematic~ scenes, like when Ayu transforms into a boy to be better at tennis😑, but that’s understandable given how old it is. I was surprised by the author’s note section in this, too- There was mentions of Harry Potter, David Beckham, the Powerpuff girls, etc. 😄! That was fun to read.
Overall, this was a really cute, lighthearted series (minus all the convoluted love drama). I don’t think I’ll be continuing it, but it was fun to read.
April 30, 2024
A charming Shojo manga featuring middle school popular girl, Ayu and the new girl, Nina! When Ayu bumps into Nina in the hall, she has no idea that the other girl has a secret she's holding onto for dear life - she's a witch! Unfortunately for Nina, she's been sent to study abroad on Earth because she's struggling at magic school but she's determined to turn it around and she's decided Ayu is going to be the one to help her! What can I say about this manga? It's cute, light and sometimes just what a girl needs to get out of a reading slump. Wataru Yoshizumi's work is engaging, hilarious and just utterly charming. I was cringing and giggling all at the same time. Three out of five stars!
September 19, 2025
I surprisingly really enjoyed this first volume of Ultra Maniac! It started off a bit slow and cheesy for me, but I was quickly hooked and devoured this book in one day! Normally I am not into fantasy, but I really enjoyed Nina as a witch in training and her desire to help her new shy school friend Ayu with all her problems. However, she is not the most talented of witches, and the chaos begins! The story ends on a little cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in this series!
February 22, 2018
After revisiting this series after many years and several read-throughs later (the first being when it was first released in the U.S. in July 2005, and read at least two or three times through before), it still holds up to everything I had wanted in a shojo manga— a visual story about a magical girl being light-hearted, easy-going fun. This is perfect for anyone, especially beginning readers to manga, who wants a female-driven Japanese comic that was not too long (the complete collection contains five issues) or complex.
July 22, 2020
***i’m grouping all five volumes as one book read because it makes more sense to me that way!***
this was the first manga i ever read in middle school, and it will always be one of my absolute favorites. i love all the characters and the plot is so silly in all the best ways. i also love that the anime gives us more storylines within nina and ayu’s world!
reading rush book #3 (book set in a different continent)
this was the first manga i ever read in middle school, and it will always be one of my absolute favorites. i love all the characters and the plot is so silly in all the best ways. i also love that the anime gives us more storylines within nina and ayu’s world!
reading rush book #3 (book set in a different continent)
January 16, 2021
Tateishi wants so badly to appear cool so she can impress her crush, but her ditzy classmate's magical hijinks keep complicating her life. Goofy, light-hearted fun with a very episodic, spell-of-the-week plot.
I really thought I wouldn't want to read more, but that twist ending to volume 1! How can I resist?
I really thought I wouldn't want to read more, but that twist ending to volume 1! How can I resist?
February 23, 2021
Full review on my blog: https://ardinpatterson.wordpress.com/...
Three stars. It was okay. Not great. Not boring. Just, didn’t keep my interest to finish the whole series. However, if you like cute stories with magic, friendship and comedy I think it’s definitely worth checking out. Plus, I really loved the fashion in this series!
Three stars. It was okay. Not great. Not boring. Just, didn’t keep my interest to finish the whole series. However, if you like cute stories with magic, friendship and comedy I think it’s definitely worth checking out. Plus, I really loved the fashion in this series!
June 15, 2023
Easily one of my favorite manga series. I've reread this a few times now since I first read it in middle school, and every time I'm laughing and having the time of my life.
October 23, 2018
Ah, when you try your best to help someone, but accidentally make it worse. I reckon I'd have loved this when I was younger. Very cute art style, interesting developing story. Reminds me a bit of Mink, but much better and potentially, darker.
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