Skip Beat!, Vol. 04

スキップ・ビート! [Skip Beat!] #4

by Yoshiki Nakamura

When Kyoko’s heart is broken, she decides that revenge is a dish best served in the spotlight!

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he’s casting her out now that he’s famous! Kyoko won’t suffer in silence—she’s going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

Kyoko helps the LME president's granddaughter heal from a childhood tragedy, and in return she should have earned a free ride through the LME training school. But the other students throw a fit, and now she still has to pay. In order to support the high cost of the program, Kyoko gets a job as a seat filler on a TV show. But when one of the characters gets sick, Kyoko has to fill in--in a chicken suit! To make matters worse, Sho is the guest star! Will Kyoko destroy her only chance of revenge?

Chapters: 18-23

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Humor, Young Adult, Comedy

200 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2003

About the author

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

Reviews

[Alison (AlisonCanRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's finally happened. Skip Beat hooked me in. It took four volumes, but I am now firmly entrenched in the story and love Kyoko, Sho, and Ren.

I love that nothing ever turns out the way Kyoko intends it to, but it still ends up working out in Kyoko's favor. I love that Kyoko never loses her spirit - that is, her optimistic yet crazed vengeful spirit. She learns to rely more on herself in this volume and not on the superstitious symbols of good luck that she's counted on in the past. Ren helps her get past has superstitions, although in a way that infuriates her, as Ren has the habit of doing.

I finally am seeing the reason that Ren is a romantic figure. He's shown his good side at a few points in past volumes, but it comes out more clearly here. He is kind, sensitive, smart, and thoughtful. And Kyoko briefly realizes it. Then he goes back into his shell and once again becomes cold, hard Ren that brings out all of Kyoko's anger.

The scenes with Kyoko in the chicken suit made me laugh. She will do anything to ruin Sho's life. Yet it always backfires. Sho is starting to figure out that Kyoko isn't the sweet, meek spirit he thought she was. I'm curious to see how their relationship will develop from her.

Can't wait to read the next volume!

[Anna 'Bookbuyer' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Kyoko! Having to be nice to Sho and getting booted from the show because she went to far in trying to get revenge. It really is a top dog business!

I'm glad that they finally mentioned the Kyoko and Ren connection. I always liked the fact that Kyoko knew Ren when they were young!

I'm also glad the her and Kanae (It feels weird to call her that. O.O) are finally starting to become friends. I know it takes a long time for the friendship to really bloom but it nice to see the seeds of that friendship planted.

Edit:

I always die when she does the arm sproing thing. lol. So funny. I love the director's look as well. :P

This is the volume where you get the first hint that Ren knows Kyoko.

My mom and I actually had a discussion about the rude gesture Kyoko made. I didn't know for sure if it was a true Japanese gesture or the author made it up. We still aren't sure. lol.

Moko's reaction when Kyoko calls her Kanae! :P

Poor Kyoko. Not Shou! She hasn't made it big yet!

[Starbubbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021: 2009 review still true. I re-rated this to 5 stars, because how can Ren and Kyoko be any less than 5 stars? (Okay, maybe later in the series, but not in classic shenanigan time).

2009: i love bo, and the expressions on bo's face are classic! just love him to pieces!

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every volume of Skip Beat is so uplifting. It makes you want to be better and reach for what you want to do in life.

[sheymar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d like to start off with saying that I’m quite mad how Kyoko ended up not getting her tuition fees covered for the academy even after her outstanding acting. All because of some jealous girls who AREN’T EVEN APART OF THE AGENCY HOW EMBARRASSING!!

It’s not a romantic comedy if they didn’t pull the ‘met when they were kids’ trope. It gets old but I mean I’m not really complaining I tend to still eat it up every time. Anyways, all of a sudden Kyoko has become one with a hen? And Shotaro pops up out of nowhere?? How wonderful, the author just knew that I’ve been dying to see his beautiful face again!! If you didn’t notice, I was being sarcastic. The last thing on this earth I wanna see is his face. I still can’t get over Mr. Sawara thinking our girl Kyoko is a Sho fangirl… Who’s gna tell him she wants nothing but for Sho to cease to exist… That being said, I lost it at Sho saying his real name is super secret information. What a loser!

Sho being there was already uncalled for but when he started trying to aggressively rip hen Kyoko’s head off, that’s when I finally had enough. Not only was he already violating her rights by doing that, HE PROCEEDED TO START GROPING HER? EXCUSE ME?? AND HE JUST GETS AWAY WITH IT- THIS MAN JUST PUBLICLY COMMITTED SEXUAL ASSAULT AND INAPPROPRIATELY INSULTED HER AFTERWARDS. BUT NOOOOOO INSTEAD OF GETTING TOLD OFF FOR BEING AN ABUSER HE GETS KYOKO FIRED, THAT FUGLY RAT FACED SEWER SMELLING MUSTARD HAIRED FACE ASS-

Ugh I could seriously rant about Sho forever, he brings out my innermost anger issues. Sho aside, I loved the hen Kyoko and Ren interaction and we got to see a different more genuine side of Ren. The difference between how he treats hen Kyoko and just Kyoko is hilarious. I WAS ALSO DYING SO MUCH WHEN HEN KYOKO FLAT OUT TOLD REN SHE HATES HIM TO HIS FACE. But he seemed to take it lightly so it’s all good!

As always, amazing volume that made me develop even more hatred than I thought possible towards Sho, but that just means I’m enjoying it!!

[Tiffany Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyoko learns some valuable lessons in this volume. She also learns from failure. They also build up more on her backstory. Along with relationships with fellow characters Maria, Ren, and Kanae.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume started off a little dark, with Kyouko playing the part of the "big sister who hates the younger sister" to prove a point (and also to help heal Maria's emotional wounds). The way that she acted through that scene definitely showed both her innate talent and also the scars she seems to have from her own experience - especially with the "parents CAN hate their own children you know" bit. I'm wondering if there's something personal behind that, especially after the way she spoke of her mother afterwards...

I was glad that following those couple of chapters we went to something a bit more positive (and a LOT more hilarious), with Kyouko having to play a mascot (a giant rooster) on a live variety show... that was interviewing her "ARCH NEMESIS" Shoutarou. The entire scene from beginning to end had me dying of laughter, from Kyouko's amazing expressions to the badminton tournament to the accidental groping of her boob XD

And THEN we got to see some really neat scene between her and Ren (with more hilarity thrown in) as well. I loved how mean she was when Ren didn't know what the traditional dance was and I swear I thought she was going to act it out for him while in the rooster costume to really drive it home... bit disappointed she didn't honestly :P

Anyways, loved it - now on to #5 ;D

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read. I think the manga is the best version of the story, but I want to give the anime and tv series based on the manga a chance as well. In this volume, Kyoko helps the LME president’s granddaughter with a past tragedy. Kyoko also shows a real talent for acting, and I love her determination. I can’t wait for her to do more acting stuff. Also, she has to pay for her LME training classes, so she gets a job as a seat filler. I thought this story was much more interesting with Sho in the mix. Also, I love the characters besides Shou. The ending was fantastic. Can't wait to read Volume 5 and I hope it keeps getting better. Overall, an incredible read.

[An · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit is het. Ik ga me officieel bekeren tot de skip beat religie. Moet ik nu ook mn haar knippen en blond verven? Ik doe het wel voor de zekerheid.

Of

WORLD CHANGING. CONTINENTS SHIFTING. PUTTING PANGEA BACK TOGETHER LIKE ITS PUTTING THE PIECES OF MY HEART BACK TOTHER.

Of

Un-emo-ing me.

[GuisBell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaya las cosas se van poniendo más interesantes, ya sabia que habia algo ahi, Kyoko y Ren tienen un pasado, pero que curiosidad .

[Kelsi Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5? Definitely my favorite so far.

[keikii Eats Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

29:48

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best side characters ❤

[matina.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely my least favourite so far. Not much happened but I’m still excited to continue!

[RoRo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Character Development: N/A (for all mangas)

Diversity: Kinda

Likes: I liked the romance about this book. I also like the main characters personality

Dislikes: At some parts of the book it was a little confusing.

What mood should you read this book in?: Emotional, Adventure, Romance

Pace: Fast

Likable Characters?: IDK

Characters or Plot?: Character and PLot so 50/50

Overall, I took off 2 stars because I expected more from this book.

[Lemoona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, the issue with Maria was wrapped up very nicely. Kyoko had her convinced that her father truly does love her, even though Kyoko still remained pessimistic about her own mom. What makes me mad is that she didn’t get her tuition waved. After all that work! The love me section needs to be getting more credit. But so the president is now aware Kyoko has a complicated relationship with her mother and is willing to stay out of it for now, even though he said she may need parental consent to continue in show business since she’s still a minor. Either way, I’m glad that issue was taken care of!

After that Mr. Sawara gave the love me section another job which is to act as fillers in a reality tv show which, unbeknownst to Kyoko, is featuring Sho this week! Kyoko subbed as the mascot for the show, and her eyes almost fell out of their sockets when she found out. At first she was enraged, but then she realized this is the perfect time to exact revenge on Sho without him having a clue it was Kyoko the entire time! Smart plan, but did it work? The short answer is no, because Kyoko caused a lot of trouble that got her fired, and it was all because that asshole Sho violated her when he suspected it was Kyoko. He even brought back the remark that she was a plain woman with no sex appeal, which caused Kyoko to explode. Really, he was at fault, but Kyoko was still the one that got fired. Sucks, but that’s the reality in show business. The ones at the bottom are mistreated and stand no chance against those who stand at the top. This only made Kyoko more determined.

She bumped into Ren after her job ended, and he seemed to be in some sort of a dilemma that he was agonizing over. Kyoko tried to ignore him at first but it didn’t work because he heard her footsteps and she couldn’t sneak away safely. He immediately rushed over and asked to borrow her cell phone. She was still wearing the costume at this point, by the way, so he wasn’t aware of who she was. Kyoko told him she didn’t have one on hand which sent him into an even further depression. She suspected that he may have a word from the script he wanted to look up, but how could the superstar Tsuruga Ren have a word that he doesn’t understand in the script. Right? Right??? Wrong. She was spot on. She also behaved quite rudely and made fun of him, which caused him to get mad at her. She then apologized her and he forgave her because she blatantly admitted to acting that way because she hated him. He said that was the first time anyone ever admitted to hating him to his face, and that he would forgive her since she apologized once and reflected on her wrongdoing. This caused Kyoko to see Ren in a different light since he has a very mature way of thinking. She ended up helping him with the word, which is a Japanese saying that should otherwise be common. She suspected that Ren might have lived somewhere else like the states since he admitted to being fired many times in his rookie day. That kind of news wouldn’t have gone ignored in the Japanese news industry. Well, that’s certainly interesting. Ren thanked Kyoko earnestly for her help after finishing his job, and Kyoko was touched that he came all the way over just to thank her. This caused Kyoko to hate Ren a little less. Just a little. It would be so funny if Ren ever found out she was Bo (the mascot). Can’t wait!

And that is all for this volume. It was actually long and so much stuff happened. I could’ve gone in more depth about her interactions with Sho but I really just wanted to talk about Ren more. I could go on and on about Ren for days.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume I loved! Watching how Kyoko shows up her new classmates and helps Maria. Those classmates sure are uppity though! So sweet yet also so sad Maria's story. And more hints into Kyoko's childhood. Her in a chicken costume! Bwahahaha!!! The is one expressive and easy to move costume somehow. She starts to get a better feel for Ren and has another run in with Sho. Both with unexpected results. Both are onto her but in completely different ways! I wonder how Ren will treat her from now on especially. I really felt like the pace starts to pick up in this one. Moments of sympathy, laughs and lots of happy grins swirled around me as I read this volume.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.75 stars

I liked that there was more on Shou in this volume although the plot seemed kind of a waste and the end between Kyoko and Ren only slightly made up for it. Of course, we can't have Kyoko work her way up too quickly but I think some things in this volume were unnecessary. I assume they all lead to a bigger picture though so I shall continue with next volume.

[Sarah Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little irritated in this volume that they revealed a standard manga plot device. Our heroine actually knew and loved the dark, mysterious hero as a child, yet now they are enemies and she hasn't discovered his true identity or recognized her true feelings for him. I actually don't mind this twist normally, but it doesn't seem to fit the tone of this series, at least to me.

[Tatiana Comet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo volume non solo è particolarmente divertente, grazie allo spettacolo in diretta tv di Kyoko-pollo vs Sho, ma è anche dolcissimo, perché per la prima volta si intuisce che Ren in realtà è Corn!!

Devo dire che non mi sto stancando per niente della rilettura, anzi, sto amando Skip Beat di nuovo come se lo stessi leggendo per la prima volta!

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyoko's really growing as a character. I must say, I'm enjoying it immensely.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume closes off the Maria story, with the LME president and Moko being deeply impressed by Kyoko's acting and quick, improvisational thinking. We then move into a section that I loved in the anime, which (broken record) really did work better off the page but is still fun enough to revisit here.

I'm honestly kind of confused by what's going on with the variety show. Somehow with the anime it didn't click for me that this is meant to be a brand new show being hosted (every time?) by LME's musical group, Bridge Rock. I'd gotten the impression it was an ongoing show where they were just one of the guests alongside Sho, like Saturday Night Live.

Which makes more sense then with the whole Bo deal - the back cover says the actor "got sick" so Kyoko had to fill in for the day, but the text in the chapter says that the actor "had a feature," which I think means he took a different gig. And that's how Kyoko is able to easily slide into this role as an ongoing job. I don't know if I missed that in the anime or if it was similarly confusing, because it'd always seemed a bit odd that she took someone's job away while he was out sick for one day.

Anyway, we get our first big confrontation between Kyoko and Sho, where it's visible why Sho is such a rising star. Kyoko hates him now, yeah, and so do the readers, but he wouldn't have been catapulting to the top of the popularity charts if he hadn't been overflowing with chemistry. So it makes a lot of sense that he's able to adapt on the fly like Kyoko does, spinning her traps and insults into soundbites that make him seem even cooler to his fans.

My favorite bit, though, is of course Bo's first meeting with Ren. The translation was...very confusing in this volume, but I suppose more accurate than the anime localization. It's interesting how much kanji can change the meaning of a word - which fits, too, with the whole bit with Sho's real name being "uncool" - something that the translator notes explain more here. He's basically just named Junior, kinda, fitting for an innkeeper's son, but chopped part of his name off and changed the kanji for Sho to make it more Pop Star.

Anyway, I love Ren's interaction with Kyoko, and how he shows more of his true self with Bo - dropping his professional persona to get angry with her, then to laugh to the point of tears, then smile genuinely while thanking her for her help. He's such a good character, and it's his interactions with Kyoko that keep me invested, for sure.

There's also the introduction of Ren as Kyoko's childhood friend Corn, although I'm not sure if it's as clearly conveyed here that he's the one who gave her the stone.

Honestly, my biggest issue with reading the manga is how it's structured. There are constantly three layers of dialogue/inner thought/narration going on in every panel, and it is so hard to read those coherently without losing some of the impact of at least one thread. I just wish this whole thing had tighter editing, because it's such a brilliant story underneath all the mess.

It's also a little frustrating to have so much stuff explained through little notes. We should be able to tell from the panels themselves what's going on and what the actions mean! But there are constant arrows saying, "She is doing such-and-such," and it just makes reading kind of a tiring experience.

Two more volumes to go before I need to return this batch to the library. I'm sort of dragging myself through them, so I'll probably take a break before checking out more. Although that's when the content will get fresh, with new storylines I won't be able to directly compare against the anime.

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume super interessante che inizia a far luce anche sul passato di alcuni dei protagonisti. Ma procediamo con ordine: Kyoko potrà partecipare al corso di formazione della LME, visto che è riuscita ad aiutare la piccola Maria. Tanto che la ragazzina sembra pronta a ricucire i rapporti con il padre assente, padre che aveva allontanato da lei, convinta che il genitore provasse solo odio nei suoi confronti. In questa occasione, Kyoko riesce a sorprendere tutti i presenti con la sua recitazione. Diciamo che c'è del materiale su cui poter lavorare.

Altro punto fondamentale del volume è l'evoluzione dei rapporti tra Kyoko e altri personaggi:
- la situazione tra lei e Uffina (Kanae) è ancora complicata, con la prima alla ricerca di una vera amica (viste le angherie subite nel corso degli anni da parte delle tipelle ossessionate da Shotaro), mentre la seconda non ha nessuna voglia di dare troppa confidenza, vedendo nell'altra disperata una potenziale rivale. E così ne approfitta per appioppare alla povera Kyoko il ruolo di Bondo il pollo in uno show televisivo, esperienza che non si concluderà in maniera propriamente brillante per la nostra eroina. Vedremo se Kyoko riuscirà a vincere le resistenze della sua compagna di sezione;
- nelle vesti di Bondo il pollo, Kyoko si ritroverà faccia a faccia con quel deficiente di Sho Fuwa, e a vincere lo scontro è ancora una volta il bietolone biondo: quando è in sua presenza, la ragazza si fa consumare dal risentimento, ossessionata dall'idea di rovinarlo, finendo così per cacciarsi in un mare di guai. Al momento, la distanza tra i due pare incolmabile, ma spero che prima o poi qualcuno si prenda la briga di cancellare quel sorrisetto arrogante dalla faccia di Fuwa. Che, a quanto pare, trattava di schifo Kyoko fin dall'infanzia. Bene ma non benissimo;
- Kyoko e Ren. Partiamo dal presupposto che mi aspetto tantissimo da questi due. A quanto pare si sono già incontrati in passato, solo che nessuno dei due se lo ricorda, almeno fino a quando Ren non trova la pietra che la ragazza porta sempre con sé e collega le due cose. Voglio saperne assolutamente di più su questo passato. Inoltre i due hanno un altro incontro interessante (anche se la ragazza è nei panni di Bondo), grazie al quale scopriamo che l'attore numero uno del Giappone per anni ha recitato in America e che, per via del suo carattere non proprio facilissimo, si è beccato diverse porte in faccia. Se Sho è diventato famoso immediatamente, Ren è passato attraverso vari fallimenti prima di conoscere il successo. Una lezione importante per la nostra Kyoko, licenziata in tronco dopo la sua prima "apparizione" televisiva, e un momento che le permette di vedere per la prima volta il vero volto di Ren Tsuruga.

E insomma, sono proprio curiosa di vedere come evolvono questi tre rapporti e quali saranno le prossime mosse di Kyoko & co.

[Luna Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Repeated Review, sort of.

I will put my real world knowledge to the side, for once, because overall, this shit was very entertaining and chaotic.

Everyone is annoying and not annoying at the same time. These characters aren’t one dimensional, having me feel so many different emotions in a short span of time. A lot of them are assholes, but they have moments where they aren’t, before they are again; they got me feeling emotionally betrayed like Kyoko each time.

I want Ren and Kyoko to be homies. Or dating if there’s a timeskip and Kyoko’s older (I would not be for this if it was a real life situation; it’s manga, therefore I’m gonna allow this type of pairing to form in my head; maybe he won’t be an asshole later, though I guess the asshole part is from not liking the person he’s being an ass to. Also, there’s obvious hints that they knew each other when they were younger). If Kyoko, somehow, ends up with Sho, after what he did, I will throw my book at the wall in frustration because I hate when that happens in books/fanfiction/TV.

I didn’t say it before but I actually really like Kyoko. She’s changing lives by accident (and probably on purpose, too, but it feels mainly by accident). I sort of like Ren, the goddamn asshole. I sort of like Moko, the bitch. I keep forgetting the little girl’s name, it’s probably maria or another M name, but she’s okay, too. Everyone else, my emotions flip flop between still. Except Sho; fuck him entirely, I hope he loses his voice, you don’t just grope someone to find out if they are male or female under their costume, and then call them ugly because apparently, a woman has to be ugly to be in business wearing mascot costumes; drop dead. I would be best-friends with Kyoko, if I ignored the stuff that definitely would’ve gotten her into much more trouble if this was real life.

Also, sometimes, the things that happen to Kyoko, such as not getting a part or more time with a job, is deserved while other times, it’s undeserved. When she should get a win, she technically doesn’t; she gets a win for helping people but loses a chance at something good for herself. When she shouldn’t win, she doesn’t because karma’s a bitch. Life’s unfair, I suppose.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 4 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the fourth in her long running series and you need to have read the two volumes to understand what is going on. It is 184 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Kyoko looking a little sad with a blue stone in her hand. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, strong heroines, and funny revenge stories. The story is told from third person close of Kyoko the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.



From the back of the book- Kyoko helps LME president's granddaughter heal from a childhood tragedy, and in return she should have earned a free ride through the LME training school. But the other students throw a fit, and now she still have to pay. In order to support the high cost of the program, Kyoko gets a job as a seat filler on a TV show. But when one of the characters get sick, Kyoko has to fill in- in a chicken suit! To make matters worse, Sho is the guest star! Will Kyoko destroy her only change for revenge?


Review- We finish the previous story with Kyoko and Marie and Kyoko helps Marie see that her father is trying to get to know her. The other students are just background and we get back to Kyoko being herself. Most of the volume is her messing around with Sho and trying to ruin his show. But the most important thing in this volume is Kyoko runs into Ren and he is very different from other times she has seen him. She is dressed has a mascot for a variety show and Kyoko walks up on Ren as he is working on a script. He is confused by something in his script and is trying to understand a particular Japanese phrase and after laughing at him, Kyoko helps him. Character development taking center stage in this volume with Kyoko trying to grow and Ren becoming more than just some guy who is mean to her. In fact Ren knows that he and Kyoko has a past together. Big plot and characters continue to be the best parts of this series and I love it.


I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while and I wanted to get back to this after having read the first omnibus, and since I seem to have trouble finding a copy of the second omnibus bind-up, I went ahead and bought the next three volumes individually. It's actually kind of nice to be able to read through individual volumes; less to absorb and report back on all at once.

I'm not too sure I have much to say on this volume so far, but I really love the slow-burn focus on seeing Kyoko's relationship with Ren change. Overall, just the way the focus on Kyoko is handled in this volume is very nice to see and I love that she's constantly being challenged in her efforts to get anywhere in the show business. It's ruthless, and she's clearly learning. Perhaps slowly, but she's getting there, and we love to see it~.

[Shaked Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boooooooo. Oh, how I love Bo. And it’s also the volume where we find out about Corn!
This is a great volume, so much happens in this one! We get to see Sho again (which we don’t often get to), we are introduced to Bo. We find out about the backstory of the blue stone that Kyoko treasures so much. We get to better know Ren, and see a lot of interaction between him and Kyoko.
I also get that Yoshiki Nakamura used a lot of plot devices in this volume, both with Bo and with Corn. But I still liked it. I thought that Corn added to Ren’s and kyoko’s backstories. And I still love Bo, because I feel that it will help Kyoko see more sides of Ren.
Overall a great follow up after the third volume (which was also fantastic).

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume as well, is all hazy in my memories. But I am sure I laughed a decent amount while reading it, like with all the other volumes.
I remember feeling like the first few volumes, fourth included, were a bit too wordy and hard to understand and get used to. I wasn't sure WHERE to read and I couldn't really focus on two different thought processes at once, which is what seemed to always be going on with all the dialogue. This one was good and funny and I'm sure I liked it back then a lot more than I do now, but I don't really have much to say about it. As an adult, all of this one seemed a bit beneath me. Still a good reminder of the past though, and I know young me loved it even if I barely understood it. Though... I think I got this one.

[LadyRemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite part of this volume was Ren giving advice to Kyoko and letting her know he failed dozens of times in showbiz before he finally took off in the industry. It's cute how every time they come away from interactions with each other they begin to grow in respect for each other.

Got to see Kyoko attempt to get revenge on Sho, but learn that she should focus more on herself than let her anger at him get in the way of her own growth.

A thing or two didn't age well, like Sho groping Kyoko in the chicken outfit and her getting in trouble for her reaction to it when he shouldn't have done that to begin with.

[Christine]

This kind of weird series is starting to get better. Still not super wowed by it though...

Sex? Nope! There's a part where a character accidentally touches the MC's breasts through a costume she is wearing.

Swearing/Profanity? Very little. There is one instance where I think a character is giving the equavalent of the middle finger.

Violence? No.

Magic? No

LGBTQ + characters? Not specified.

Could a conservative Christian school library include it?

I don't think so. There's some strange stuff in vol. 2 & 3.