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Twinkle Stars #2
Twinkle Stars, Vol. 2
Things get unpleasant for Sakuya when Kanade finds out about Chihiro. Though her cousin is a hothead, Sakuya asks him to meet Chihiro once more and give him another chance. Next on the agenda: summer vacation! Sakuya is studying hard for finals, since low scores mean she won't be able to participate in the last summer camp of her high school career. But then-an unexpected visitor...!?
390 pages, Paperback
Published March 21, 2017
1 person is currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Natsuki Takaya
153 books2,702 followersName (in native language) : 高屋奈月
Natsuki Takaya (高屋 奈月 Takaya Natsuki, real name Naka Hatake) is the penname of a Japanese manga artist best-known for creating the series Fruits Basket. She was born on July 7, 1973; (Tanabata). Takaya is left-handed and once revealed that she wanted to be a mangaka since first grade, when her sister started drawing.
She was born in Shizuoka, Japan, but was raised in Tokyo, where she made her debut in 1992. She enjoys video games such as the Final Fantasy series or Sakura Wars, or working on her different manga series, such as Fruits Basket, which is the second best-selling shōjo manga ever in Japan, and the top selling shōjo manga in North America. Fruits Basket has also been adapted into a twenty-six-episode anime series.
In 2001, Takaya received a Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga for Fruits Basket.
According to Takaya (in a sidebar of a Fruits Basket manga volume), she enjoys drawing girls (girly ones) more than she does boys. Takaya also enjoys electronics and music, but dislikes talking about herself. Also revealed in a sidebar of Fruits Basket, Takaya broke her drawing arm (left) after Fruits Basket volume six was published. She had to go into surgery, and as a result, had put Fruits Basket on a brief hiatus. Takaya made a full recovery, but complains that her handwriting had gotten uglier, due to the surgery. During her hospital stay, she gained an interest in baseball.
Natsuki Takaya (高屋 奈月 Takaya Natsuki, real name Naka Hatake) is the penname of a Japanese manga artist best-known for creating the series Fruits Basket. She was born on July 7, 1973; (Tanabata). Takaya is left-handed and once revealed that she wanted to be a mangaka since first grade, when her sister started drawing.
She was born in Shizuoka, Japan, but was raised in Tokyo, where she made her debut in 1992. She enjoys video games such as the Final Fantasy series or Sakura Wars, or working on her different manga series, such as Fruits Basket, which is the second best-selling shōjo manga ever in Japan, and the top selling shōjo manga in North America. Fruits Basket has also been adapted into a twenty-six-episode anime series.
In 2001, Takaya received a Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga for Fruits Basket.
According to Takaya (in a sidebar of a Fruits Basket manga volume), she enjoys drawing girls (girly ones) more than she does boys. Takaya also enjoys electronics and music, but dislikes talking about herself. Also revealed in a sidebar of Fruits Basket, Takaya broke her drawing arm (left) after Fruits Basket volume six was published. She had to go into surgery, and as a result, had put Fruits Basket on a brief hiatus. Takaya made a full recovery, but complains that her handwriting had gotten uglier, due to the surgery. During her hospital stay, she gained an interest in baseball.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 2, 2020
This series keeps chugging along in a combination of leisurely day-to-day high school activities, and bleak backstory for its characters. I suspect that I'd read this as my first Takaya manga, rather than my third, I'd be responding to it better than I am. But with that context, it's a predictable reprise of character arcs, character types, and tone from those other stories.
August 31, 2019
The story is still moving pretty slow and isn't very interesting. Saku, like Tohru, is a very likable character, however her constant need to blame herself when other people are assholes to her is really annoying. I obviously love Sei-chan and can't wait to find out more about her. Kanade is also great.
Something dramatic is supposed to happen next volume so maybe the interest factor will pick up.
Something dramatic is supposed to happen next volume so maybe the interest factor will pick up.
August 9, 2020
This is so dumb. I love it.
April 7, 2023
Is anyone surprised that Yuuri and Sei-chan are already my absolute favourites?? It's just so wholesome to see them care so deeply about saku. I'm still pretty unsure about chihiro-kun, mostly because wow dude is packed full of angst and brooding. But I'm sure by the end I'll reach a good understanding of him if nothing else lol.
January 18, 2019
Better than the first omnibus, but still riddled with the things that made me give the first 3 stars.
I'm having a difficult time describing it well, but there is just something bizarre about the writing style of this series. I like weird and bizarre content, but that's not what is happening here. The speech bubbles and dialogue are just ridiculously chaotic. I feel like such a page layout would suit a series that is supposed to give the reader that kind of mood, but Twinkle Stars is too simplistic for it to have that sort of impact.
Some scenes are incredibly dramatic when nothing that dramatic is actually happening. The banter between some characters doesn't read as banter. Many parts seem like they're supposed to be funny and they fall flat. Furuba was hilarious, among all of its other great qualities, so I know that Takaya-sensei is more than capable of funny dialogue/set-ups.
We do find out why Saku was so obsessive about Chihiro: her family issues. So knowing that helped somewhat, because otherwise she was almost creepy. It takes a lot to make me uncomfortable with content in a movie/book/etc., and plenty of series rely on a love-at-first-sight (or similar) premise, but the presentation of Saku's actions make her an annoying and frustrating character more than anything.
Other than those issues, things started to move along a bit more. Still a 3-star at this point.
I'm having a difficult time describing it well, but there is just something bizarre about the writing style of this series. I like weird and bizarre content, but that's not what is happening here. The speech bubbles and dialogue are just ridiculously chaotic. I feel like such a page layout would suit a series that is supposed to give the reader that kind of mood, but Twinkle Stars is too simplistic for it to have that sort of impact.
Some scenes are incredibly dramatic when nothing that dramatic is actually happening. The banter between some characters doesn't read as banter. Many parts seem like they're supposed to be funny and they fall flat. Furuba was hilarious, among all of its other great qualities, so I know that Takaya-sensei is more than capable of funny dialogue/set-ups.
We do find out why Saku was so obsessive about Chihiro: her family issues. So knowing that helped somewhat, because otherwise she was almost creepy. It takes a lot to make me uncomfortable with content in a movie/book/etc., and plenty of series rely on a love-at-first-sight (or similar) premise, but the presentation of Saku's actions make her an annoying and frustrating character more than anything.
Other than those issues, things started to move along a bit more. Still a 3-star at this point.
March 19, 2017
So cute. Some plot issues and maybe a bit silly, but the message and characters are charming. This is Takaya, after all.
April 20, 2019
I like how the flashbacks were set up, kinda wish the whole thing was set up that way.
December 24, 2022
Just loving this series, I keep trying to guess what's going to happen next!
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June 11, 2023got some of that takaya sensei magic in the yuuri chapters. made me think of skip and loafer's 'you've been loved so much you never had to worry about what people might think of you' part. there's definitely going to be a thing between that shizukachan sensei and seichan but now i'm kinda invested to see where the rest of this goes since it's only 5 volumes.
November 30, 2022
A very okay volume. I still love Natsuki Takaya's storytelling style, but I'm beginning to lose interest in the main characters. I did really like the Yuuri focused section though (and am secretly hoping he ends up with Saku).
March 2, 2020
THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE ENTIRE SERIES
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Content Rating: Older Teen (bullying, child abuse, attempted suicide, some mild language and violence)
Format Read: Paperback
Trigger Warnings: bullying, child abuse, depression, attempted suicide
Series Note: The US edition consists of 5 omnibus editions. The series was originally released in Japan in 11 volumes (found on Goodreads here).
Twinkle Stars is an emotionally charged teen romance of first love and familial angst from the author of the wildly popular series, Fruits Basket. In five omnibus editions, Takaya tells the story of two teens who are emotionally bullied and scarred by their classmates and family but after a mysterious meeting find hope and healing in each other. Theirs is a heavy journey of abuse, depression, and attempted suicide, but Takaya injects a lot of affection, eventual support, and a little of her signature humor into the otherwise dark story. While the romance was hesitant and heartbreaking with more downs than ups, it had its sweet and uplifting moments with consequent happiness for all involved. The art was simple and strong with soft smiles, painful tears, and a few trademark flails to lighten the somber content. Overall it was an emotional rollercoaster with dark turns but a happy finish that I highly recommend for romance readers who like their love stories full of tenderness and tissues. And if you're a fan of Fruits Basket, it is not to be missed.
For Fans Of: Fruits Basket
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Content Rating: Older Teen (bullying, child abuse, attempted suicide, some mild language and violence)
Format Read: Paperback
Trigger Warnings: bullying, child abuse, depression, attempted suicide
Series Note: The US edition consists of 5 omnibus editions. The series was originally released in Japan in 11 volumes (found on Goodreads here).
Twinkle Stars is an emotionally charged teen romance of first love and familial angst from the author of the wildly popular series, Fruits Basket. In five omnibus editions, Takaya tells the story of two teens who are emotionally bullied and scarred by their classmates and family but after a mysterious meeting find hope and healing in each other. Theirs is a heavy journey of abuse, depression, and attempted suicide, but Takaya injects a lot of affection, eventual support, and a little of her signature humor into the otherwise dark story. While the romance was hesitant and heartbreaking with more downs than ups, it had its sweet and uplifting moments with consequent happiness for all involved. The art was simple and strong with soft smiles, painful tears, and a few trademark flails to lighten the somber content. Overall it was an emotional rollercoaster with dark turns but a happy finish that I highly recommend for romance readers who like their love stories full of tenderness and tissues. And if you're a fan of Fruits Basket, it is not to be missed.
For Fans Of: Fruits Basket
January 16, 2019
Book numero dos for the new year and I cried a bit during this omnibus.
Where I was slow going with the first book and reflecting on the author’s style that sometimes confused me, this volume I was reminded why I liked her style, her characters, specifically Tohru (hope that’s her name) from Fruits Basket. Saku is no different beneath the exterior of a girl thought of as weird and always striving to be happy is the darkness that threatens to swallow her. A reminder that we all have our triggers that send us into a mental despair. And as I looked at those words against the black inked pages conveying the dark thoughts of her mind, her struggling to come out of it I teared up. It struck a note.
For all the confusion her style sometimes presents me there is also the truth of an experience and Saku’s drive to “do her best”. And that was something I could relate to. Now I could further explore the psychology of that especially as with her being female and the two instances that have triggered these dark moments and maybe look at how each time she’s been left for a beat in these moments only to be sought out by Chihiro later (he recognizes/sense the disturbance in the force, lol) but eh, I’m not. I liked it and will be checking out the next omnibus edition I got from the library before I need to make another run to pick up the others.
Where I was slow going with the first book and reflecting on the author’s style that sometimes confused me, this volume I was reminded why I liked her style, her characters, specifically Tohru (hope that’s her name) from Fruits Basket. Saku is no different beneath the exterior of a girl thought of as weird and always striving to be happy is the darkness that threatens to swallow her. A reminder that we all have our triggers that send us into a mental despair. And as I looked at those words against the black inked pages conveying the dark thoughts of her mind, her struggling to come out of it I teared up. It struck a note.
For all the confusion her style sometimes presents me there is also the truth of an experience and Saku’s drive to “do her best”. And that was something I could relate to. Now I could further explore the psychology of that especially as with her being female and the two instances that have triggered these dark moments and maybe look at how each time she’s been left for a beat in these moments only to be sought out by Chihiro later (he recognizes/sense the disturbance in the force, lol) but eh, I’m not. I liked it and will be checking out the next omnibus edition I got from the library before I need to make another run to pick up the others.
February 3, 2020
2020 Read #142
This omnibus gets serious, down to the marrow of what darkness these characters carry from abuse and trauma and the like. It’s also interesting that Yuuri is a reformed bully who ended up becoming friends with the victim, Sakuya. The only real unknown of the story is Chihiro’s past and how it plays into his relationship with Saku. That alone isn’t a hefty mystery, but the antics of the characters make up for the lack of a driving plot.
This omnibus gets serious, down to the marrow of what darkness these characters carry from abuse and trauma and the like. It’s also interesting that Yuuri is a reformed bully who ended up becoming friends with the victim, Sakuya. The only real unknown of the story is Chihiro’s past and how it plays into his relationship with Saku. That alone isn’t a hefty mystery, but the antics of the characters make up for the lack of a driving plot.
October 20, 2021
Twinkle Stars Volume 2 gets the ball rolling! It's it in this volume that I get to see Natsuki Takaya's personalities shine yet again. This is an amazing series. It might not be something I'd re-read, but definitely a recommendation if you love Fruits Basket and romantic, slice-of-life genre from Takaya-sensei 😄📖
June 27, 2021
I know what it feels like to be bullied but I couldn’t imagine LIVING with a bully… living with AN ADULT WHO BULLIES A CHILD BECAUSE YOURE A MISERABLE POS… ugh this made my heart hurt for Saku. She deserves to be loved. She’s an angel.
I love seeing her giddy with joy being with Chihiro. I can see that they’re both so in love.
I’m really loving this series.
I love seeing her giddy with joy being with Chihiro. I can see that they’re both so in love.
I’m really loving this series.
October 8, 2017
Yes, this was an amazing volume. I am on for the ride. My favourite character by far is Yuuri and in the last part of the volume, it focused a lot on him. And the preview for the next volume is also promising, very much going to continue the series.
August 24, 2018
This is was a sad volume! I really pity the main character... But, still the story is not quite there for me yet, I think I give it an extra star because of the flashback that we got about the main character, which really affected me.
November 30, 2017
Reading Natsuki Takaya is like crying inside your mind, even if the tears don't always make it out your eyes.
(And reviewing with a cold is a bad idea, kids.)
(And reviewing with a cold is a bad idea, kids.)
February 9, 2018
Better than the first volume. The characters begin to take on some depth. The art is still wonderful.
March 6, 2018
well that...escalated quickly. so dramatic..
March 23, 2018
Takaya Natsuki really knows how to give us damn kids from stupid, abusive parents. <3
May 31, 2018
Absolutely loved this volume! It had just the right amount of cute & intense moments to make this volume a fun ride. Super excited to start the next one!!!
July 21, 2019
So good. So cute.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews