Midori Days, Volume 1

美鳥の日々 [Midori no Hibi] #1

by Kazurō Inoue

Seiji Sawamura is the toughest seventeen-year-old in town, feared by all for his fighting prowess and his deadly "devil's right hand." But at heart, Seiji is a softy, and all hew wants is an end to his seventeen-year history of being a lonely single guy. Unfortunately, his tough-guy reputation only serves to decrease his popularity with the ladies.

Then one day, Seiji wakes up to discover his "devil's right hand" has turned into...a miniature gal names Midori! Strangely enough, Midori is a real girl who is just as surprised as Seiji to find out she has now become - literally - Seiji's right hand! It turns out Midori has always has a crush on Seiji, and her desperate wish to be connected to him has somehow come true...maybe all too true!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Comedy, Shonen

193 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2003

About the author

Kazurou Inoue (井上和郎, Inoue Kazurō) is a Japanese mangaka.

Born May 1, 1970, he received recognition for his manga Dream Security Mao (Dream Security マオ) at the 40th Rookie Comic Awards. After training under Kazuhiro Fujita, he published Heat Wave in Shōnen Sunday Super for a short while.

He is most known for Midori no Hibi (美鳥の日々, Midori Days) series which was adapted into a 13 episodes anime series by the studio Pierrot.

Reviews

[Rafosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Esta reseña corresponde a la serie completa, no solo al primer volumen. Contiene espóilers que aluden al contexto general de la historia, aunque no se exceden de la sinopsis].

El macho patotero de secundaria, generalmente con una atormentada relación con las mujeres (marcada por la timidez), es el héroe recurrente de Inoue, que en esta ocasión, su manga más célebre, se personifica en Seiji, un adolescente sin amigos que gana cualquier pelea sin mucho esfuerzo. Nunca ha tenido una novia y no se atreve a hablarles a las mujeres. Cuando lo hace, es rechazado por malandro, en circunstancias de que ni siquiera disfruta mucho pelear y lo hace, sobre todo, porque se ve obligado por las pandas de muchachos (compuestas de machos asquerosos) que lo desprecian.

En ese estado de cosas, de pronto se ve forzado a convivir las 24 horas del día con Midori, una chica que no conoce y que, hasta entonces, lo amaba en secreto, sin nunca haberse atrevido a hacer nada. Los episodios transcurren como una sucesión de anécdotas en este intrincado proceso de vivir juntes, en el que Midori lo ama incondicionalmente a Seiji, y este último va madurando y le va cogiendo cariño a Midori. Ambes son tímides, y enfrentan su compañía permanente con virtud japonesa (aunque Seiji varias veces se pasa de la raya con sus pataletas machorras), sin nunca dejar de ser elles mismes.

Tenemos una historia arquetípica de amor adolescente, cruzada por la fantasía, las artes marciales, el humor y la parodia recurrente respecto de los roles de género tradicionales. Si bien, en este sentido, propone una reflexión (a les lectores más avezades), no alcanza a ser de veras crítico, quedándose en la sátira de hilaridad fácil, pero con tramas intrincadas y extravagantes que generan adicción en la lectura.

Los dibujos, por otra parte, son muy lindos; un gran punto a favor de esta sítcom heterosexual (género poco estimulante para mí en general).

Personalmente, como travesti que ama la fantasía y la candidez, no he podido dejar de amar a Midori... ¡Es tan tierna! ^_^

Midori, dame una mano Vol. 1
Midori, dame una mano Vol. 2
Midori, dame una mano Vol. 3
Midori, dame una mano Vol. 4
Midori, dame una mano Vol. 5
Midori, dame una mano Vol. 6
Midori, dame una mano Vol. 7
Midori, dame una mano Vol. 8

[Yuu Sasih · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review and rating are for all of the completed volumes.

Seiji is a notorious thug in his city, eventhough he actually never hit someone first. Because of his notoriousness, and his scary face, Seiji never had the chance to get a girlfriend. That's it, until one day his notorious right hand suddenly changing into a girl named Midori.

The idea is interesting, though it's a bit unrealistic how people around Seiji could easily accept Midori when they found out, but it's done in a comic and humorous way so I didn't mind it that much. The plot is stereotypical and cliche somehow, but I'm not bored or rolled my eyes. Seiji is funny, and so is Midori. Too much fanservice, but I think that was to be expected.

[Birdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seiji Sawamura is renowned and feared for his "devil's right hand". So feared in fact that no girl will dare go out with him! For seventeen years he's been single and miserable, until the night of his twentieth rejection-- when suddenly his right hand turns into a girl!

I really cannot stress just how much I love this series. When I first picked it up in EB (back when EB still sold manga and anime) I sort of wrinkled up my face in response to the back summary. A romantic comedy about a dude and a girl stuck to his arm? It sounded way too weird a premise for me to possibly enjoy.

Luckily, I buy things regardless of whether or not I think I'll enjoy them- because this series is my favourite manga of all time, next to One Piece. I originally bought it back in 2008, and I've decided to re-read them and officially review them now, five years later.

This is the first book in the series. We're introduced to Seiji "Mad Dog" Sawamura, who despite being a total bad-ass with a killer right punch, is a total softie at heart. Then we've got Midori, our leading lady, who is stuck on Seiji's right arm... and is actually pretty glad about it, since she's had an enormous secret crush on him! Plus, we meet Seiji's classmates Ayase, a no-nonsense young woman with a strong sense of morals (and happens to develop feelings for Seiji after he rescues her from a bunch of thugs); Takamizawa, the figurine otaku whose idea of a perfect girl is cute, kind, innocent and doll-sized... just like Midori! We also meet Seiji's older sister, Rin, who is also the leader of a gang, and finally Midori's friend Kohta, who desperately wants Midori to wake up- as while Midori is on Seiji's arm, her real body is stuck in a coma.

As most first books in manga are, this volume is jam-packed. Kazurou Inoue has a really enjoyable art-style that can be both serious and cute, and not to mention hilarious. Some people might not be able to enjoy it if they need explanations for everything. This is the kind of series best enjoyed by someone looking for a fun, leisurely read who doesn't care about the details such as: "Why is she on his hand in the first place?!" And doesn't mind a bit of violence (because remember, Seiji gets into a LOT of fights) and some light sexual humor-- but if you could probably guess that from the 'Boy's lover is his right hand' premise.

My favourite chapter for this volume is probably "Day 8; a Pitiful Man", mostly because I'm fond of Ayase-centric chapters.

[Ｂｅｅｌａｈ]

Cerita asalnya banyak jugak bahagian eicchi. Tak jenuh ke team KGS nak redraw balik bahagian2 tu? Apa pun, usaha yang bagus jugak la sebab selalu duk usha kat majalah Gempak, macam best je cerita nya. Kurang la sket rasa ralat nak simpan sebagai koleksi.

[Dominique Liongson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a sweet mushy story also packed with beat 'em up action between good and evil. I was motivated to follow the series in graphic novel book and anime DVD. Although there are mild naughty themes for 13 year olds and above, I believe it is still entertaining; I end up caring how Seiji and Midori will end up. Give volume 1 a go and see if you like it. I did! I looked forward to follow each volume until the ending of the series.

[Michael Beyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will read practically any manga for the artwork, and sometimes for the weirdly Japanese sort of cultural humor. But this one was not worth the $2 I paid for it. There is some cute artwork. But the story is a mess, bordering on unintentionally offensive. Oh, well. It was a lesson I needed to learn.

[Katherine Philbrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I’ll admit I read this because I saw a clip of the tv show on TikTok. I thought it was so funny, and when I saw the manga book at a local store, I had to buy it. I enjoyed it, but this is not riveting or meaningful in any way. It’s weird and funny and cute in an odd way and I did enjoy it. I will continue reading the series!

[Adrianna [SypherLily] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this when I was younger, but thinking back on it, it was really just funny and perverted. I enjoyed the romance though, even if it was weird.

[Sulhan Habibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread.
Masih lucu sih. Namun, kalau dipikir2 ini komik dewasa banget ya. Hahaha

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.45! it was a fun concept/premise tho too fan-servicey for me; i don’t think some of the humor worked for me either, just not my thing!

[Shadowzzz3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming, comedic, funny, and cute.

[Mary Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Leída la serie completa]

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga is the very definition of "Laugh out loud" with a bit of romance and drama sparkled into it. Character art styles are alright, but praise for the humourous scenes in this manga 😁 Frame after frame, I look forward even more to this heartwarming storytelling among the main casts 😊

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the summary, it should be pretty evident that this is both a humorous manga and a very, very strange one. Manga in general has a reputation of being quite strange, and that's certainly a deserved reputation, although I wonder if it's really that much weirder than anything else, but whatever. Of the manga I've read, Midori Days is definitely one of the weirdest.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I did. However, I also had some serious issues with it. The first couple volumes I really liked, because they were just so funny. As volumes went on, though, I was increasingly bothered by the things that didn't make sense, even though I knew I shouldn't try to imply logic. To be fair, though, I was willing to accept the girl appearing on his hand, just not all of what happened while she was there.

If you do not appreciate a lot of sex humor and violence, this definitely won't be for you. The whole premise is that this guy wants a girlfriend really badly and finally meets a girl who has a crush him, but she's doll-sized and in place of his right hand. There are a lot of jokes made about how he has to learn to do things with his left hand, like pee...and other things.

The first thing that I just could not accept about the series was the fact that only like four people ever figured out that he had a freaking tiny girl instead of a hand. Come on! He talked to her like all the time and she was constantly peeking out of his sleeve, and yet even a girl with a crush on him never noticed. Bull!

Sometimes to keep her from being seen, because, as mentioned above, a person hand is really obvious, he sometimes wrapped her up in bandages or stuffed her in his uniform pocket. This is all well and good, until you consider the fact that she still needed to breathe. She would have died. True facts.

Even worse is the fact that Midori apparently had super strength despite being his doll hand. While he was sleeping, she regularly did the household chores like the laundry. How did she do this with him immobile? She moved him. That's right. In one scene he passes out on his way somewhere (to watch porn with his friends incidentally...seriously, do guys do that?) and she runs him (not just drags by the strength of that one hand/arm across town to meet with them. He bumps into things and people and does not wake up.

Although this manga has its merits, I really was not impressed with its execution. It was an odd blend of sentimentality, crudeness, humor and violence. But if you're still sniggering about the fact that his girlfriend literally was his right hand, you should probably read this series.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the anime first and it was actually hilarious so I thought i'd read the manga. It's a fun piece of fluff, don't go into this expecting anything deep it's not meant to be that, it's meant to be funny and it is.

So you got your typical delinquent boy who everyone in school avoids but actually has a heart of gold and hes very hard up for a girlfriend...then one day he wakes up with a girl in place of his right hand. I think this is supposed to be a play on the whole concept of a "right hand man" you know. turns out she was a student at another local high school who always loved him from afar and one day this happened. and hijinks ensue.

The plot is weird but it's well done,the characters have a lot of heart and keep you interested. I did skip a few chapters though because by the end i got to a point where I just wanted the main conflict to be discussed and was over the random stories of the side characters.

Generally if you're looking for something light that'll make you chuckle, go for it you won't regret it.

[Yue · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I thought this was a shoujo. The plot is very girly to me. And it turned out it is a shounen... although it makes kind of sense, if you look at the art.

It is not a bad manga, it is funny, but very silly... and awkward. I seriously was not compelling to read it, but the woman that sells me manga recommended it to me several times, and one day, when I did not find anything else to buy -and I knew I could not leave with empty hands- I bought it.

How awkward is to have a girl -a girl who knows you, who is actually a normal girl with family and friends- living in your right hand? Seiji has problems to even go the bathroom, not to mention to write in class, have exercises, fight with other guys, etc.

I admit I enjoyed it; I laughed several parts but I will not continue reading it.

[Ulrike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute.

My boyfriend lent this to me when I left Japan, saying it was exactly the type of manga I would like. He was right.

It tells the story of Seiji, who is a high school bad boy, known for getting into fights. This guy wakes up one morning with an adorable girl for a right hand (you can imagine the many masturbation jokes), who tells him she's had a crush on him for years. The contrast between the cool, serious Seiji and the sweet, loving Midori is highly amusing, as they figure out how to deal with the situation.

This story is funny but also very endearing. I felt myself growing really attached to the characters and from what my boyfriend has told me about the rest of the series, I'm going to be an emotional mess all the way 'till the end.

Can't wait!

[hujanlia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing else Seiji Sawamura desires than having a girlfriend. But being a well known delinquent by the name of 'Mad Dog Sawamura', no girl dare to know him better.

Untill one day, his dream to be -literally- close to a girl came true. He woke up to find his right hand substituted by a tiny girl named Midori Kasugano.

This misplaced scheme of having a girlfriend stressed Seiji. On the other hand, Midori was very pleased because she said Seiji is her crush since quite a long time.

While trying to figure out what's actually going on, looks like there's no other way for Seiji than to cope with the absurd happening and getting use to Midori tagging him by his right hand ^^'

[Shan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy finds he has lost a hand but gained a tiny girl with green hair. Her name is Midori which translates into the word 'green'. The story is more shoju than shonen. The girl is someone who has had a crush on the boy for some time.
He is considered by others to be a goof-off who loves to fight. While Midori is a shy,studious rather sheltered girl. The story is odd yet funny,romantic and touching.
There is even a visual allusion to the film 'Evil Dead' in one volume.
It is also an anime which has a beautiful opening to each episode.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another inner conflict book, and it is also pretty weird. Seiji's right hand turns into a girl!! How did that happen? No one is sure. I just think that it is really, really girly. I myself prefer action series, but this series looked like fun so I decide to go for it. Like Imadoki, I have decided to read the second book to see if I like that any better, but so far this isn't one of my favorites.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

This was a cute and fun manga. I love Japanese manga for things like this - who thinks up a crazy storyline where a teenage boy's hand gets turned into the girl who is crushing on him? Only Japan :-p

Seiji kind of reminds me a mix of Vash from Trigun and Kyo from Fruits Basket. He's an interesting character.

The manga is silly. I'm looking forward to reading the rest (and yay for only 8 volumes!!)

[Bucletina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta serie no me gustaba nada... Hasta que la leí. Gratísima sorpresa me llevé cuando vi que no era la típica serie ecchi hueca donde todo pasa por mostrar una teta (que lo hacen, pero no es el punto). Creo que la leí entera pero tendría que corroborarlo libro en mano, y ver cuándo reseño lo que me falta.

[Lucie Lacoste · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai commencé à lire Midori Days en 2007. C'était ma première série de manga. Je la relis aujourd'hui avec grand plaisir.

Seiji, lycéen violent se réveille un matin avec une fille à la place de sa main droite Midori. Celle ci est folle de lui. Ils cherchent à savoir ce qu'il s'est passé. Une belle histoire

[Dana * · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute is only word to describe the relationship between boy and his .... hand?
The lonely boy makes a wish, and his right hand becomes a miniature girl who adores him.
Problem is, how do you get in fights, or ride a bike, or go to the bathroom with a girl for a hand?

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un clásico de la comedia olvidado que me encantaría releer para redimir con todas las de la ley.

[Nilasari · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is so funny, me, ma friends, n my cousin love it...

[Apriastiana Dian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lumayan lah, ke tempat mba Dina bisa baca ini :D

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición argentina, tomo 1.
Traducción adaptada al dialecto rioplatense en base a la española.

[Mercy Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es muy divertido, y de verdad me esta gustando mucho, Midori es demasiado Kawaii!! :D

[Hossain · Rating 1 out of 5]

terribly sexist, dropped after volume 2.