Skip Beat!, Vol. 03

スキップ・ビート! [Skip Beat!] #3

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 is determined to win her way into show business, even if it means wearing embarrassing bright pink overalls and putting up with spoiled stars. But her first big assignment proves more difficult than she imagined when she finds herself in front of the camera with an injured leg. Will she be able to ace her first attempt at acting despite the pain, or will she make an utter fool of herself in front of her sort-of nemesis, Ren Tsuruga?

Chapters: 12-17

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

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 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

[Joyzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is starting to pick-up and get better, now we actually get to see Kyoko act and do something to prove her talents. I really like Tsuruga Ren, he's a mysterious character and I love that little by little we get to know more about him.

I actually started to also watch the anime and it is better than the manga IMO and I also love the opening and ending songs. If you love the manga I really recommend the anime version of it. The plot is the same but the execution is better in the anime.

This is shoujo and it is very funny and it talks about getting revenge and also it has a little bit romance but I say this is more on humor, drama and slice of showbiz.

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

I felt bad for Kyoko in this volume. She was used by the director and further injured herself. What's worse is that Ren after hearing why she was motivated to do such a superb performance gave her a -10 mark in her book so she ended up with only 90 points instead of a 100 after all that pain!!!

I feel really bad about both Kyoko and Maria-chan's family situation. Although at least Maria's father does in fact love her and she has a grandfather who cherishes her. I can't say the same for poor Kyoko. D:

Edit:

Poor Kyoko. She is so naive and despite having a strong need for vengeance. Very nice. Ririko sucks.

Ren is a weird combo of nice and mean.

I really feel for Kyoko and Maria is this volume. Both are from broken homes.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021: I am utterly delighted! Maybe it is my inner bitter, but I still love this and applaud Kyoko and Maria's relationship. They are adorable coming together over curses. They and Moko is just the best.

2009: oh, it's moko and maria! the complete top four characters that i adore are here! (kyoko, ren, moko, and maria). this series is just awesome! i don't think i can say it enough. i'm so glad that nakamura gave kyoko something to work for purely for herself. nakamura sets up all of the characters to grow right before your eyes that you really can't truly dislike any of the characters in skip beat.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

This mangaka sure knows how to use a cliffhanger. This has been the best volume of the manga so far, I really liked the test put on the main character. Now we really get to see how she will progress in her career. I'm also getting accustomed to the art, perhaps I should give other manga a chance in favour of the story. But to summarise, great volume, I'm excited for the next one.

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the volumes that mostly show Kyoko acting so muchhhh 💙

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how determined Kyoko is! She'd be an awesome person to be around. I hope I can have the same determination and bravery as her :D

[RoRo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Character Development: N/A (for all mangas)

Diversity: Kinda

Likes: I don't know just the author's writing style makes me enjoy it so much.

Dislikes: At some parts of the book it was a little confusing. I think I was also expecting more.

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

Pace: Fast

Likable Characters?: <3

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

Overall, my fav manga volumes/series

[VampAmber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still madly in love with this series. I'm just hoping that someday, Kyoko finds something she wants to do for herself, not just for revenge. I'm kind of hoping that maybe that's where the acting school will lead her. She deserves to be happy, after such horrible parents, and being used and disposed of so disrespectfully by that uber-jerk Sho. I want Kyoko to be happy, and to learn more about Ren (so I know what he deserves), and for Sho to suffer and fail as much as humanly possible. That grudge I will gladly cheer for the whole way through. Also really starting to like Maria. I hope she stays around for the rest of the series.

[Tiffany Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyoko's road to revenge continues... In this one you get the results of the battle between her and Ruriko. You learn more about Kyoko and her past a lot. Especially towards the end when you see Maria again. You find out Maria also has a dark past. Overall a very emotion packed and comical story. Can't wait until I can order volume 4.

[K.C. Rivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I get into this series, the more I enjoy it. If it keeps this up, it might just make it to four stars for me.

[sheymar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing volume as usual, but I am annoyed about the fact that the director and president basically USED Kyoko, an injured girl, for their own benefit. I’m glad that Kyoko wasn’t upset about having lost even though she’s clearly better and that she took it as a lesson about her acting. Ruriko thankfully had a smidge of character development and if she didn’t give Kyoko a full score I would’ve locked her outside and had those UV rays shes so scared of scorch her. Kyoko with her makeup obsession IS SO RELATABLE TO ME because I really like makeup but don’t have a lot and can’t enjoy it to the fullest and it’s SO EXPENSIVE.

It was so funny to see Moko going through the seven stages of grief at being thrown into the love me section. I love how Kyoko was trying to make her “feel better” even though was she secretly just happy that someone else was suffering along with her and she felt the same way at the beginning. I died when Moko suddenly switched up and pretended she was proud to be in the love me section after finding out about the tuition waiver. To be honest though, what’s so bad about the love me section?? It’s literally a place for people with enough potential to make it into the company, but are lacking one emotion. I mean I guess those hot pink jumpsuits are a little fugly tho…

ALSO, I seen that the author was expressing how she’s insecure about if Ren is even good looking, and (even though you probs won’t ever read this) let me tell you that Ren is GORGEOUSSSSSSSS HOW WOULD YOU EVEN DOUBT THAT!?!?? All of your characters are gorgeous and so well drawn even the ones I hate *cough* Shotaro *cough.*

The president definitely did not disappoint with his costumes this volume. I also really enjoyed the scenes with Maria and love her for appreciating Kyoko. Them bonding over the curse dolls SENT MEE. Anyways amazing job with this and a 5 star no hesitations!

[Hikaoru · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're shaped by our experience and our past, and both are intertwined. So, running away from your pass, creating a new you, wouldn't work per se simply because the skills that you've accumulate from that pass will help you in the future anyway. What I meant to say is, you just can't ran away from it or erase it. You can just move forward and be better despite the pass.

Undoubtedly Kyouko is using her pass to propell her forward but from time to time, we can see that she is still shackled by her feelings of abandonment and later on servitude. All in all, you can't help but love her for all that she managed to overcome.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this volume of Skip Beat; not only do we get to see just how determined Kyouko can be (I mean sure, we've had glimpses of it in passing - but this is the first time she's REALLY shown her determination) but we get to see how naturally skilled she is at acting - especially playing the part of the villain.

It was great to see that her actions whilst competing with Ruriko helped Ruriko to finally stop being such a brat and start taking her career seriously - even if Kyouko did essentially traumatise her into it (oops?) and I really love the instant connection she had with the president's granddaughter Maria. Their bonding over voodoo dolls was the best thing, and I love how at this stage Maria just idolises her (to the extent of wanting to adopt her as her big sister even!)

Love it, and I need to go read more now - bye :P

[keikii Eats Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

33:38

[Дени ★ Проданова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Сцената с чаената церемония! Просто страхотна :)

[Dalle parole a Luly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-

[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, we see the rest of the arc that happened in volume 2, and see the arrival of a new member in the Love Me Section. Kyoko is really interesting in this one, and I thought the darker side of personality really came out in the end. It really shocked me how different she is when she is angry or upset. Also, I love the characters besides Shou. The ending was fantastic. Can't wait to read Volume 4 and I hope it keeps getting better. Overall, an incredible read.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume, Kyoko concludes her acting battle with Ruri (in good form), and leaves the challenge motivated to become such a great actress that she'll be able to influence Ren's acting responses in a scene (and not the other way around). And in a fun twist, a second woman joins the "Love Me" section at the agency - Kyoko's nemesis from the earlier agency auditions, Ms. Kotonami. The volume concludes with Kyoko lending a hand to the agency director by reaching out to his granddaughter, Maria - as well as Kyoko finding herself in another acting challenge, this time at the agency sponsored acting school...

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one has to be a favorite volume! I love how we get a glimpse of her true potential. She CAN act. Even Ren responds! Wow! Although it sounds like he is still leagues above everyone. And how she deals with Ruriko is priceless! What a brat she was. Although her makeup vanity made me sad once again. She is so cute naturally! Hints are dropped about Ren's personality that I missed when I first read this. And the curse dolls we are shown are quite cute. I have another character I really like-The president's granddaughter!!

[Xilks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was better. The author is getting better at hooking the audience into wanting to read more of the story. I'll probably start the next book today. I'm gradually caring more about the story and characters. But, if I didn't have these books in my possession, I wouldn't have gotten past the first book and I wouldn't continue reading more. Author needs to work on hooking the reader better or risks losing potential audiences.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story, as always, it great.

The only problem is this specific edition. It's hardcover, which is all well and good, except because the cover has no give to it, it's near impossible to read anything that gets close to the binding, and in this book, there are quite a few panels close to the binding.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skim read this one. Again the middle was slow and then it ended in a cliffhanger. I also realized why I'm not getting into them as much as I wanted to. The placement of the dialogue doesn't flow well to me, so I'm constantly rereading the whole page trying to understand what is being said. I don't think I will be continuing.

[Marguerite · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars.

Loving this series! (Why did I only borrow the first five volumes??????)

Re-Read 1:

So, my adoration of this series continues... I've just picked up volumes 4 through 14 from my library, so expect to be bombarded with a lot of Skip Beat! updates from me over the next week.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her evil spirits, they're so cute! (Gosh that sounds wrong!)

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ren 😍

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zum Inhalt:
Kyoko Mogami zuliebe gründet Rory die Love-Me Sektion bei LME. Der erste Job von Kyoko stellt sie auch schon gleich auf eine sehr harte Probe. Während der Dreharbeiten muss sie die persönliche Betreuung von Ruriko Matsunai übernehmen - hätten Starallüren einen Namen, wäre dieser Ruriko! Wie zu erwarten geht es gleich sehr turbulent los und Kyoko verletzt sich in der Ausübung ihres Jobs. Trotz ihrer Verletzung wird ihr die Chance ihres Lebens geboten und sie darf ihr schauspielerisches Talent unter Beweis stellen. Glück im Unglück?

Cover:
Passend zu den anderen Covern der Reihe präsentiert sich dieses Cover ebenfalls in einem orangefarbenen Rahmen. Zu sehen ist hier Kyoko mit Maria-Chan, welche in diesem Band eine tragende Rolle übernehmen wird. Die beiden schauen sehr düster drein, was scheinbar nicht zuletzt an ihren dunklen Sachen liegt. Wer den Manga liest wird wissen, warum die beiden so dargestellt werden, denn beide hegen ein ziemlich abstraktes Hobby.

Eigener Eindruck:
Nachdem Kyoko nicht locker gelassen hat und noch einmal ihr Glück bei der Agentur LME versuchen wollte, ist sie in der eigens für sie gegründeten „Love-Me-Sektion“ gelandet. Ausgerüstet mit einem pinkfarbenen Overall und der Aufgabe Gutes zu tun, um ihr „Gefühl“ wieder zu erlangen, damit sie bald als Schauspielerin debütieren kann, soll Kyoko von nun an Aufgaben der Menschen in der LME übernehmen. Einer ihrer ersten großen Aufträge wurde die Betreuung der Sängerin Ruriko, welche Kyoko vorgespielt hat eine Sonnenallergie zu haben, was dazu führte, dass Kyoko sie einen Berg zum Drehort nach oben getragen hatte und sich schließlich am Fuß verletzte. Während Kyoko zurück blieb und Ruriko weiter ging, wurde sie schlussendlich von Ren – ihrem zweitschlimmsten Erzfeind – gefunden, der sie schließlich ebenfalls zum Drehort brachte, was wiederum Ruriko nicht passte. Immer mehr ließ Ruriko ihre Maske fallen, bis Kyoko schließlich ihre Chance gekommen sah. In einem Wettstreit, wer die bessere Teezeremonie abhalten würde hat Kyoko plötzlich die Chance ihr Können unter Beweis zu stellen und ihre erste Schauspielerfahrung zu machen. Doch um perfekt zu werden ist es noch ein langer und weiter Weg. Das muss auch Kyoko erkennen. Zeit, um sich bei der Schauspielschule einzuschreiben! Doch halt! Wer ist die Neue in der Love-Me-Sektion und was hat es mit der neuen Aufgabe zu tun, die ihr der Leiter der LME überträgt? Wieso soll gerade SIE die Lösung für die Enkelin des Chefs sein? Kyoko stolpert wieder in ihr nächstes Abenteuer!

Ich muss sagen, ich bin begeistert, wie vielschichtig dieser Manga ist und wieviel Herz die Autorin in die vielen kleinen Details gesteckt hat. Auch wenn manche Textpassagen so klein gedruckt sind, dass man sich manchmal ganz schön viel Mühe geben muss, um zu erkennen was denn da geschrieben steht und ab und an auf dunklem Grund auch geschrieben wurde und man sich arg anstrengen muss, ist die Story einfach total gut durchdacht. Viele Charaktere tauchen immer wieder im Leben von Kyoko auf und Kyoko muss lernen mit ihnen umzugehen beziehungsweise sie eben mit ihr. Dabei geht Kyoko bisweilen fast wieder ein bisschen zu nett mit allen um. Wenn es aber darauf ankommt, dann beisst Kyoko sich durch und zeigt auch ihren Gegnern, was eine Harke ist. Nur bei dem Thema Shotaro scheint sie immer wieder auf ihr Kryptonit zu stoßen. Immer wieder fällt ihr auf, was ihr Leben bis jetzt bedeutet hat oder dass sie selbst keine eigene Persönlichkeit entwickelt hat, sondern immer wieder alles nur nach Sho gerichtet hat. Und auch in Form von Ren scheint Kyoko immer wieder ein Fettnäpfchen nach dem anderen mitzunehmen. Oft geht sie ihm auf den Leim oder muss sich fragen, warum er einmal nett und dann wieder abweisend zu ihr ist. Der Manga wird in meinen Augen dadurch einfach immer spannender, auch wenn man wie gesagt auf wirklich viele Dinge achten muss.

Fazit:
Wer einen humorvollen und doch etwas anspruchsvolleren Manga lesen möchte, der ist hier bestens beraten. Skip Beat macht einfach Spaß.

Idee: 5/5
Zeichnungen: 5/5
Spannung: 4/5
Emotionen: 4/5
Storyline: 4/5
Details: 4/5

Gesamt: 4/5

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mamma mia, in questo volume succede di tutto.
Partiamo con la sfida di recitazione tra Kyoko e Ruriko, sfida che porta la nostra protagonista a confrontarsi con Ren Tsuruga - sfida che mette in risalto la tenacia della ragazza, che non mostra alcun segno di cedimento a dispetto del dolore alla caviglia, ma anche il talento recitativo della co-star maschile. Ren, infatti, attraverso il suo modo di recitare, riesce a manipolare le reazioni di Kyoko. Questo rappresenta un primo punto di svolta per lei: sebbene continui a dire di voler sfondare nel mondo dello spettacolo per farla pagare a Sho Fuwa (cosa che indispettisce terribilmente Ren, visto che la trova una motivazione poco seria), Kyoko inizia a pensare per la prima volta a se stessa, al desiderio di migliorare le sue doti per potersi confrontare alla pari con attori esperti come Ren. La sfida peraltro la porta a un'altra rivelazione: i genitori del cretinoide biondo la stavano istruendo per diventare la moglie del loro stupido figlio. Ergo, il talento nella cerimonia della preparazione del tè, che gli torna tanto utile nella scena che doveva interpretare, era finalizzato a far felice Sho. Alla ragazza non è rimasto niente di veramente suo; la recitazione potrebbe spezzare questo circolo vizioso. La sfida si conclude a favore di Ruriko, ma la prova di Kyoko la porta a moderare i suoi atteggiamenti e a lavorare con più impegno e serietà, con somma soddisfazione del regista e di tutti quelli che lavorano al film. Punteggio pieno per la nostra Kyoko!

In secondo luogo, la divisione Love me è pronta ad accogliere un nuovo elemento, una nostra vecchia conoscenza: Kanae Kotonami, ragazza di talento, ma con qualche problema nella gestione dei sentimenti. Diciamo che è una che non le manda a dire. Le due verranno coinvolte in un nuovo incarico, aiutare la nipotina del direttore Takarada, Maria. La ragazzina sembra aver sviluppato dei comportamenti poco simpatici nei confronti di chi sta provando una sceneggiatura incentrata su un tema che la tocca da vicino. Compito di Kyoko sarà quello di venire incontro al dolore della bambina e aiutarla a gestire questo suo malessere, in cambio, in caso di successo, potrà partecipare al corso di recitazione dell'agenzia senza dover sborsare un patrimonio. Può un genitore odiare il proprio figlio? Questa è la domanda alla base di tutto, anche della fantomatica sceneggiatura citata prima: Maria crede di sì, anche se gli adulti si affannano a dirle il contrario. Kyoko, che ha avuto a che fare con una madre non troppo affettuosa, potrebbe comprendere molto bene i sentimenti della ragazzina. Vedremo se la prova di recitazione in cui è stata coinvolta, saprà fare breccia nel cuore della piccola Maria.

P.s.: stima per la collezione super accessoriata di bamboline vodoo realizzate a mano da Kyoko. Sho Fuwa e Ren Tsuruga sono avvisati!

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume covers the rest of Kyoko's introduction to acting, opposite of Ren, where she's both inspired and frustrated by his skill.

Technically, she was doing a better acting job than the spoiled pop star actress who'd been hired for the position, but Kyoko doesn't feel that she'd deserved the role (even if she'd truly been in the running, rather than serving as a Love Me foil to get the actress to fall in line and stop complaining about her job). Why? Because she wasn't acting; she was just responding to Ren's acting, and since he was taking her more seriously than the other girl, she had a better chance of doing well.

I'm still not a big fan of the whole sexist LME president's attitude towards "love," but Kyoko at least starts drawing some conclusions of her own about where she needs to grow. While she already was selfless in the past, devoted to making others happy, she has no intention of "recovering" that part of herself by finding someone more worthy. Kyoko is naturally a deeply caring person; she immediately wants to take care of Ruriko and breaks her ankle trying to carry the pop star up a hill. But she shifts dramatically into anger when she finds out her attention was misplaced or undervalued, which is the part that makes it not truly selfless.

Mostly, Kyoko has to become more honest with herself. She can indulge in her natural kindness more easily and more genuinely if she isn't expecting something in return - why Ren keeps detracting points from her totals - and the way to not expect or need that kind of affirmation from others is to become more confident in herself.

She's realizing just a little of that now, after soaring through a beautiful tea ceremony in the acting test and then collapsing in misery because she only knows these things because she spent her whole life trying to please her mother, Sho, and Sho's parents - who were training her to be Sho's wife and the future innkeeper.

Kyoko has never really thought about what she wants for herself, and she gets the first glimpse of it across from Ren...she wants to act at his level, not to impress him, but to learn a skill she can master for herself and truly feel proud of.

The rest of the volume is one of the story sections that drags the most in rewatches - LME president's granddaughter, Maria, and her guilt over her mother's death - but it's another important step on Kyoko's acting journey.

At this point, particularly in the context of the manga on its own, my favorite character would be Ren's manager. He's kind and intuitive and interesting, and while I doubt he'll ever get much content beyond his role by Ren's side, he seems to carry an impressive amount of depth.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today's post is on Skip Beat!, vol 3 by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the third 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 and Maria on it looking like cool goth girls. 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 is determined to win her way into show business, even if it means wearing embarrassing bright pink overalls and putting up with spoiled stars. But her first big assignment proves more difficult than she imagined when she finds herself in front of the camera with an injured leg. Will she be able to ace her first attempt at acting despite the pain, or will she make an utter fool of herself in front of her sort-of nemesis, Ren Tsuruga?


Review- We finish the arc with Kyoko and Ruri. Kyoko has broken her foot but she pushes through the film shoot and impresses her co-workers including Ren. At least until her angry nature comes back out. But it was a success for Kyoko in general and gets her a chance to impress President Lory by helping him with his granddaughter. Love Me Section gets a new member in this volume in Kanae a.k.a. Moko. She butted heads with Kyoko in the previous volume but she failed the next round of tests and has been in placed in the Love Me Section. Kyoko is overjoyed to have a friend but Moko is not so sure. They have a cute dynamic. Kyoko is trying to make her revenge dreams a reality but she still has so far to go with herself but we get to see her do some serious acting and she rocks it. I love this series so much and I cannot wait to continue with the next volume.


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.

[♡Kayla♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"BEAT Ren Tsuruga!! KILL Shotaro!!"

Miss Nakamura strikes again! This series continues to make me laugh so much, that I start to tear up, yet also make me feel for the characters so much. Kyoko has had so much sadness and pain because of the people in her life treating her like dirt, so I can't help but empathize, but I also want her to get revenge! She deserves that kind of satisfaction.

This current arc with Moko and Maria is really interesting, I love how zaney they are, and how Maria and Kyoko instantly bonded and started chatting away about curse dolls. Literally 10/10 writing with that haha.

Also... Sho may be absolute trash, but goddamn, he is drawn in such a hot way. I love his styling, with the earrings, leather, distressed elements etc. It's just SOOO good. It makes me angrier because he's such a dick lmao. Ren is pretty hot too, but his tortilla jaw sometimes takes me out XD (his runway outfit hit hard though, and I love his necklaces).