Ultra Maniac, Vol. 04

ウルトラマニアック [Ultra Maniac] #4

by Wataru Yoshizumi

Unfortunately, Nina is finding out that going to school on Earth is a lot more complicated than she first thought. Not everybody is glad to have a spunky (and cute) witch flitting about campus. A girl named Sayaka, for example, has recently become obsessed with Nina. A half-witch herself, Sayaka is jealous that her new classmate is stealing all the attention away from her. Like they say in the Magic Kingdom, "There's no fury like that of a teenage witch ignored!"

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, Shojo, Comedy

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Wataru 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.

Reviews

[MarinaLawliett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solo me queda un tomo😭

[L. McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So a lot of people liked the fact I was reading this book so I figured I should definitely review it so here we go. Also: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST 3 VOLUMES TURN BACK NOW!

What's it about?
Nina is a witch but only a few people know her secret but she's been getting mean letters from someone in the school who apparently knows her secret. Nina and the few who know her secret must find out who.

Pros:
The comic in general is a nice change of scenery. Most of what I read is really dark and f***ed up and though I still like those kinds of comics and will probably still mostly read that kinda thing it is nice to find a good book that isn't as dark, gritty, violent, etc.
The art is freaking adorable! It's so fun and fits the series so well!
The characters are interesting.
The story is building up and, to be honest, I wasn't a fan of the story in volume one but kept reading the series because I still thought it was a really fun book, now the story's growing on me. I want to know what happens.
This is a really unpredictable series which is pleasantly surprising.
The humor is absolutely great! This might actually be the funniest volume so far.

Cons:
Not gonna lie, Sayaka is annoying the s*** out of me now.
The romance stuff is really not my kinda thing. I'm not sure if it's because I don't like romance in general or if it's because of how young the characters are (making it slightly creepy IMO), it's probably a mix of both.

Overall:
I like this series. It's a fun but also unpredictable manga, I just have a few issues with it.

4/5

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

An actual villain appears, in the form of a resentful girl who has her own issues with magic. Her reaction is a little more understandable when I remember how young she is (middle school), but she's still hard to take in the story. It was nice to see Nina apparently improving her abilities as a witch, though.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow : ) I Loved this volume! : ) its really good! : ) and wow, Nina's got some competition for Hiroki, as Sayaka likes him too, but he already asked Nina out, and someone is watching Nina, spying on her too, oh boy! can't wait to read volume 5! : ) love this manga series! : )

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuuuute! Awesome twist! I can't wait o see what happens next!

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[The Unicorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two points shocked me about this digest: the first being how much I've forgotten about this story, considering I've read this 3 or 4 times through AND have watched the anime adaptation once through since its US publication 12 years ago (though the last time I've read/watched it must have been 6 to 8 years ago). The other was forgetting how meta the story had gotten in this issue, as the main characters break the fourth wall several times. There's no problem with this, though it felt out of place making those kind of references so late into the series multiple of times.

The drama that volume three set up now unravels in the subsequent novel. The twists and cliffhangers may come as a surprise to some readers, other might have correctly guessed what was coming. Either way, I can see just about everyone being entertained by the story's development.

As I will say again, this volume stays consistent with the rest of the series, earning a four-star rating. If there was anyone who wasn't into this series with the previous three volumes, I wouldn't think you'd be into it now, but it's worth a shot checking out if you were the least a bit interested. For those who have been into it since the beginning, I'm sure you would probably be compelled enough to finish the last volume.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

If you'd like to see my review on the entire series, please check out my reviews on Ultra Maniac, Vol. 01 or Ultra Maniac, Vol. 05

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember the other volumes breaking the fourth wall but this one did it twice. Not a big fan of that. I keep having to remind myself that these characters are in middle school and that is why they are so immature, because wow, asking someone to "give them" a boy who they like because they like them is pretty immature. This one didn't seem to have the same charm as the previous books.

[Casey Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember hating Sayaka so much when I was younger. I didn't like her threatening Nina, attacking Ayu, or asking Nina to "give" Hiroki to her just like that. Which is understandable, I guess. Reading back again, I always just feel bad for her. She never felt real acceptance, no matter where she went.

[Westley · Rating 3 out of 5]

magic girl romance manga

[Tülin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is becoming 100% romance.

[Repellent Boy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Echo de menos cuando era menos trama seria y más humor, pero me está gustando. Sobre todo por los recuerdos y lo sencillitos que son. Nina sigue siendo amor. Me queda un tomo ya solo=(.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay…. Getting a bit too dramatic now. But that’s shojo for you! Lol

[Muhammad Rajab Al-mukarrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s always been these weird, fun, and childish ideas of love. lol

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVEEEE there's so many parts in this book specifically that had a pretty intense impact on me when I was little. some really fantastic writing!!

[Connor Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

See Vol. 1 for review.

[So3li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je mets une note globale pour les 5 tomes.
C'est très sympa à lire. Je me suis bien attachée à Nina.
Je les avais adorés étant plus jeune.

[Chyenneslittlebookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is my favorite so far. I love the character development and the romance development.

[Yasmin T.C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great volume! Nina and Hiroki relationship is quite cute but what Nina will go through to be with him...
No spoilers...

[Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultra Maniac sits on the border between children's manga and YA - packed with humor, the romance aspect is light and fun. The art is gorgeous and fits well with the lighthearted, cutesy plot.

Volume four expands on Sayaka's story; though she's been dating Yuta for a bit, readers don't know much about her until now: she's a witch, and she's the one sending Nina those nasty letters. Sayaka attacks Ayu in the gym one night; at the same time Hiroki and Nina realize who the stalker must be. But even after the gym incident, Sayaka isn't done causing trouble for Nina.

The inclusion of Sayaka as evil middle school rival is both silly and important. On one hand, it allows the author to show the issues of magic, what happens if the witch isn't Nina and doesn't make friends so easily. Sayaka is lonely and sad and acts out of hurt and frustration. As a half-breed, that makes sense. But, on the other hand, her reaction seems a bit out-of-control. She's what - twelve? Thirteen? - and she solves her problems by physically attacking a non-magical human. It's childish and over the top. It does set her up nicely, though, to remind Nina that one day she'll be returning back to the Magic Kingdom, just in time for the start of the final volume...

[MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 4 of Ultra Maniac is a fun ride despite a few issues. One is how I'm a bit divided in my reaction to the heart-warming forgiveness the main characters show to Sayaka. I mean, don't get me wrong here, I really love the idea of redemption in a story, so I'm glad overall. But it was so sudden and easy. A bit more time spent on it would have been nicer. The other is how Sayaka claims to be sincerely sorry but acts selfish and not sorry. It bugged me.

The manga volume ended with a fun manga short story that was a "travelogue" of the mangaka, and two of her friends (fellow mangaka, I think) on a vacation trip to Kenya. Fun stuff, though I am saddened when I think of how such kind and culturally significant folks are without a Savior. I pray for them daily.

[Jiyun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nina changes from happy to sad. She has magic powers and lives on earth because she is kicked out of the magic kingdom. However, she finds out that that she got selected to a advanced magic school and becomes sad and doesn't want to leave her friends. Then she tells her friend "But Nina doesn't want to leave her friends" (156). This shows that she will miss everyone and would have stay in the magic kingdom, until she would graduate a few years later.

[Ceejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent manga series continues in volume four! This volume centers primarily on one of the main characters who has a secret so big, that that character turns on the others! This series may be rated All Ages, but it is a delight to read. It's a story that is hard to be put down. It's a must read manga!

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hating Sayaka. She's one of those people who doesn't just want to watch drama but is in the middle of it, causing it and stirring it.
While I see more layers and have more understanding for her, as an adult reading this, I still hate her guts. Best villainy character.

[Kenley · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite in the series.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK I must say that this is even better then 1, 2, and 3. Oh, and if you read it make sure not to skip the fun segnament, it is really funny1 Made me laugh out loud!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny animae book with more magic mishtief. This one has got to be my favorite mangas.

[Amy]

Ultra Maniac, Volume 4 (v. 4) by Wataru Yoshizumi (2006)

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read/rated this in grade school.