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ACT-AGE #1
アクタージュ act-age 1
女優を目指す女子高生・夜凪は有名芸能事務所スターズのオーディションで天才的な芝居をするも不合格。それは彼女の危険な演技法に理由があった。しかし、夜凪の才能に魅せられた映画監督・黒山が役者の世界に誘う!!
199 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2018
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321 people want to read
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will-never-read
August 17, 2020Series canceled after the author's arrest.
October 18, 2020
The fact notwithstanding that this version was in a language that I could effortlessly read, this was actually a pretty good edition of a book I already have in its original form.
This English Shonen Jump edition is competently translated and great job was done in cleaning up the art. This was also in a larger size than the original Japanese paperbacks, I could actually enjoy Usazaki Shiro's art better. The larger size also lent to a better reading experience.
It is a pity we may never see more of this series in this format because the title was summarily canceled after criminal acts committed by the original writer. It is ironic because this would have been the year Act-Age could have become big, but now all that would for naught, leaving disappointed fans and cheating the artist the big break she deserved after putting in the work with beautiful art for this creation.
This English Shonen Jump edition is competently translated and great job was done in cleaning up the art. This was also in a larger size than the original Japanese paperbacks, I could actually enjoy Usazaki Shiro's art better. The larger size also lent to a better reading experience.
It is a pity we may never see more of this series in this format because the title was summarily canceled after criminal acts committed by the original writer. It is ironic because this would have been the year Act-Age could have become big, but now all that would for naught, leaving disappointed fans and cheating the artist the big break she deserved after putting in the work with beautiful art for this creation.
October 18, 2020
This stood for me from Weekly Jump's regular offering of titles. It was definitely a manga directed to a shonen (boy's) demographic but at first glance it did not have regular Jump shonen main character. First of all, it was a female character and she was nobody's romantic foil. It was also about a budding actor and the entertainment industry, a different milieu from being a pirate, a ninja, or a demon slayer. However, the elements of a shonen Jump manga was there. An orphaned protagonist, with massive undeveloped talent, and the presence of a rival spurring on the development of said ability. These were all present and established in this first volume.
I enjoyed it because it was different, and it was good. The artist illustrating it proved to be capable of bringing a distinct signature style for the character despite this being the debut and being so young. I would definitely read more of this.
I enjoyed it because it was different, and it was good. The artist illustrating it proved to be capable of bringing a distinct signature style for the character despite this being the debut and being so young. I would definitely read more of this.
March 22, 2020
Mangas that revolve around the acting industry are one of my absolute favourite tropes! And this manga did not disappoint! 🤩
I was so invested in Yonagi's story and it was amazing to see her abilities evolve with each chapter!!
I couldn't stop reading with the end of the first volume and had to continue straight on with the rest of the manga! 😍 I would love to see an anime adaption of this someday. I'm sure it'd be spectacular~ ✨
If you enjoyed the manga/anime for Skip beat! then I'd highly recommend you check this out 👍
Rating: 5/5 ⭐
Thank you Netgalley and VIZ media for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was so invested in Yonagi's story and it was amazing to see her abilities evolve with each chapter!!
I couldn't stop reading with the end of the first volume and had to continue straight on with the rest of the manga! 😍 I would love to see an anime adaption of this someday. I'm sure it'd be spectacular~ ✨
If you enjoyed the manga/anime for Skip beat! then I'd highly recommend you check this out 👍
Rating: 5/5 ⭐
Thank you Netgalley and VIZ media for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 7, 2020
This is a bit like a modern, shounen version of the classic acting manga Glass Mask, only here it's more properly called "method acting." Kei's need to earn money for herself and her orphaned siblings is pursued earnestly, and if we question where on earth child services is in all of this, well, it's easy enough to see Kei as someone who would reject any offer of help she doesn't feel she earned. "But you're a kid" would definitely not fly as a reason with this girl. The only major issue with the volume is one that's actually a make-or-break one - nearly every character is unlikable. It's in a realistic way and for a believable reason, but it's almost exhausting to wade through the shallows of their personalities. It's good, but not what to pick up if you're looking for a light bit of escapism.
July 14, 2020
*received an ARC from VIZ via Netgalley for an honest review*
I found this story to be quite interesting. It follows Kei as she wants to be an actress and support her brother and sister. She is obsessed with movies and associates things her life to feel the emotions. She is a method actress and becomes who she is supposed to be playing. The first manga is about how she gets selected by a director/agent.
The plot was interesting, and while the characters are quite unique, I couldn't get into it. I think a lot of people may like it, and that is why I gave it 4 stars, but I don't feel it is one I would continue. It just isn't my style, and I didn't care for the art. It isn't a style I like and I felt there were quite a few mistakes for a published manga. As for the pacing, it is a little slow, but it picks up at the end. I definitely recommend for people who like stories about actors and actresses.
I found this story to be quite interesting. It follows Kei as she wants to be an actress and support her brother and sister. She is obsessed with movies and associates things her life to feel the emotions. She is a method actress and becomes who she is supposed to be playing. The first manga is about how she gets selected by a director/agent.
The plot was interesting, and while the characters are quite unique, I couldn't get into it. I think a lot of people may like it, and that is why I gave it 4 stars, but I don't feel it is one I would continue. It just isn't my style, and I didn't care for the art. It isn't a style I like and I felt there were quite a few mistakes for a published manga. As for the pacing, it is a little slow, but it picks up at the end. I definitely recommend for people who like stories about actors and actresses.
September 8, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley for a free review copy of this book!
This was a great manga about Kei Yonagi who is trying to support her siblings with her acting. In the process of this she catches the eye of a director and this starts her acting career. If you are a fan of the classic manga, Skip Beat! then you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Overall, I enjoyed most of this but I wasn't really a fan or the art style. The faces were just off to me and seemed kind of creepy. But if that doesn't bother you then I think a lot of people will enjoy this.
This was a great manga about Kei Yonagi who is trying to support her siblings with her acting. In the process of this she catches the eye of a director and this starts her acting career. If you are a fan of the classic manga, Skip Beat! then you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Overall, I enjoyed most of this but I wasn't really a fan or the art style. The faces were just off to me and seemed kind of creepy. But if that doesn't bother you then I think a lot of people will enjoy this.
March 18, 2020
Thank you to Viz-Media for providing me with an eARC of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This manga is set to be published in August 2020.
If you are as into Skip Beat! as I am, then you will probably like Act-Age. There isn't quite the same amount of drama and romance, but the storyline of an aspiring method actress could prove to be interesting and draws some vague similarities. This one ended on a cliffhanger, which makes me want to read the next volume ASAP. Unfortunately ASAP could be a while...My main knock against this manga is the art style. I am having a hard time describing the discrepancy, other than the faces seem off-center with features that are too crowded together. It was visually unappealing in a number of different panels. I can overlook it to find out what happens next though.
If you are as into Skip Beat! as I am, then you will probably like Act-Age. There isn't quite the same amount of drama and romance, but the storyline of an aspiring method actress could prove to be interesting and draws some vague similarities. This one ended on a cliffhanger, which makes me want to read the next volume ASAP. Unfortunately ASAP could be a while...My main knock against this manga is the art style. I am having a hard time describing the discrepancy, other than the faces seem off-center with features that are too crowded together. It was visually unappealing in a number of different panels. I can overlook it to find out what happens next though.
October 13, 2021
Act-age is about a girl who struggles to support her family and wants to make it as an actor. It’s not just her dream job, she wants to succeed so she can properly provide for her two younger siblings. And just like that, you can’t help but rooting for her from the beginning!
While this manga offers an interesting view of the acting industry, I’d say the real gem is the psyche of the aspiring young actor in here. Yonagi brings the acting career on a different level. When she acts, she summons real emotions from her own experiences, but then she gets so caught up in them that she completely forgets she is playing a role. While this can look like quite the gift, it actually backfires big time more times that one can imagine. Her skill needs to be improved if she really wants to make it as an actor, and when a director spots her talent and offers to help, her real challenge starts. Can she learn how to control her emotions and how to live the lives of the characters she is supposed to portray?
A good first volume in an acting manga that promises a psychological exploration of a fascinating character whose growth I’m curious to see. The entertainment industry just got even more interesting!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. This does not affect in any way my opinion of the book nor the content of my review—originally posted on Darkest Sins.
While this manga offers an interesting view of the acting industry, I’d say the real gem is the psyche of the aspiring young actor in here. Yonagi brings the acting career on a different level. When she acts, she summons real emotions from her own experiences, but then she gets so caught up in them that she completely forgets she is playing a role. While this can look like quite the gift, it actually backfires big time more times that one can imagine. Her skill needs to be improved if she really wants to make it as an actor, and when a director spots her talent and offers to help, her real challenge starts. Can she learn how to control her emotions and how to live the lives of the characters she is supposed to portray?
A good first volume in an acting manga that promises a psychological exploration of a fascinating character whose growth I’m curious to see. The entertainment industry just got even more interesting!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. This does not affect in any way my opinion of the book nor the content of my review—originally posted on Darkest Sins.
June 7, 2024
This review will not be related to the acts of author. I will be separating the manga from its author and will instead be solely going off of the work itself.
(spoilers for the first chapter or few chapters)
This manga has affected me in a number of ways. It's incredibly fresh compared to many other shounen jump manga, and it has a great amount of substance. Acting in it of itself is simply, mimicry of a fictional character or a real person for an audience. Act-Age takes a very different approach towards acting with its own main character, Kei Yonagi. Her parents passed away when she was relatively young and was left as the sole caretaker of her two younger siblings. To escape from the pain of losing her parents, she constantly consumed films of all kinds. Through film she found her new passion for what we call acting. Kei chose to audition for a role. She had never professionally acted before and hence lacked experience. Her own style of acting is called method acting, and it's when someone uses their own memories and emotions to act. Her method acting proved to the judges that she has a passion for acting. Kei gave it everything she had for acting because it's the only type of job that she truly cares about and would sell her soul to do in life.
Kei, along with every other character have unique styles of acting that compliment their own public image and personalities. Each one of them also grows as an actor and finds influence in the acting of others. Methods of acting mesh and bend to suit the growing passions of these young actors. Watching the characters match themselves to their surrounding actors is astounding to witness in a few chapters.
Arc after Arc it only got better. The characters and writing improved beyond my expectations and the art only continued to impress me more and more as time went on. How on earth did Shiro Usazaki manage to make such expressive and beautiful creations of ink every week. Her drawings were not only expressive in terms of body language, but they were even more so expressive through their own facial expressions. Even whilst giving Chiyoko a "fake smile" in the beginning of the series, you could tell that it was for an audience. The reader can tell that it was a mask created to entrance the audience with her very beauty and image as she leaped through the minds and eyes of those around her. The anger portrayed in the double cast Arc and sadness shown in the night of the galactic railroad Arc felt so raw and emotional despite physically being nothing more than ink and paper. The characters and emotions felt "real" to me in a way.
Each volume only made my desire for more, grow endlessly. It all felt like some kind of uncanny dream when I had read the last chapter, knowing that there wouldn't ever be another chapter. I would how this manga would have ended, and I wonder what the planned anime adaptation would have looked like. I can only ponder, but God, do I wish that I could travel to another universe where Tatsuya Matsuki wasn't a huge creep. Then, maybe, his manga could have received a proper conclusion and the victims would never have suffered in the first place. Finally, I hope that maybe someday, Shiro Usazaki will work on another masterpiece like this one, but that it will end well. I hope that the author won't be a creep and that her art will be recognized and given the recognition that it deserves.
This manga will forever leave a place in my heart.
Thank you for reading my review <33
(spoilers for the first chapter or few chapters)
This manga has affected me in a number of ways. It's incredibly fresh compared to many other shounen jump manga, and it has a great amount of substance. Acting in it of itself is simply, mimicry of a fictional character or a real person for an audience. Act-Age takes a very different approach towards acting with its own main character, Kei Yonagi. Her parents passed away when she was relatively young and was left as the sole caretaker of her two younger siblings. To escape from the pain of losing her parents, she constantly consumed films of all kinds. Through film she found her new passion for what we call acting. Kei chose to audition for a role. She had never professionally acted before and hence lacked experience. Her own style of acting is called method acting, and it's when someone uses their own memories and emotions to act. Her method acting proved to the judges that she has a passion for acting. Kei gave it everything she had for acting because it's the only type of job that she truly cares about and would sell her soul to do in life.
Kei, along with every other character have unique styles of acting that compliment their own public image and personalities. Each one of them also grows as an actor and finds influence in the acting of others. Methods of acting mesh and bend to suit the growing passions of these young actors. Watching the characters match themselves to their surrounding actors is astounding to witness in a few chapters.
Arc after Arc it only got better. The characters and writing improved beyond my expectations and the art only continued to impress me more and more as time went on. How on earth did Shiro Usazaki manage to make such expressive and beautiful creations of ink every week. Her drawings were not only expressive in terms of body language, but they were even more so expressive through their own facial expressions. Even whilst giving Chiyoko a "fake smile" in the beginning of the series, you could tell that it was for an audience. The reader can tell that it was a mask created to entrance the audience with her very beauty and image as she leaped through the minds and eyes of those around her. The anger portrayed in the double cast Arc and sadness shown in the night of the galactic railroad Arc felt so raw and emotional despite physically being nothing more than ink and paper. The characters and emotions felt "real" to me in a way.
Each volume only made my desire for more, grow endlessly. It all felt like some kind of uncanny dream when I had read the last chapter, knowing that there wouldn't ever be another chapter. I would how this manga would have ended, and I wonder what the planned anime adaptation would have looked like. I can only ponder, but God, do I wish that I could travel to another universe where Tatsuya Matsuki wasn't a huge creep. Then, maybe, his manga could have received a proper conclusion and the victims would never have suffered in the first place. Finally, I hope that maybe someday, Shiro Usazaki will work on another masterpiece like this one, but that it will end well. I hope that the author won't be a creep and that her art will be recognized and given the recognition that it deserves.
This manga will forever leave a place in my heart.
Thank you for reading my review <33
July 17, 2020
An interesting start that definitely needs a second volume. What we’re given here seems like the beginnings of a cautionary tale about how something you are truly gifted at might be the absolute worst thing for you to pursue in life.
Kei is raising her two siblings and also wants to be an actor. It turns out that she devours movies and uses her experiences for the kind of hyper-powered method acting you would only find in manga. This brings her into the orbit of several people who may not have her best interests at heart.
Kei’s ability seems brutally hard on her - the way she gets locked into particular emotions and states seems like something that would be incredibly draining. Ironically it reminded me of a line from Blade Runner, “The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long”. It’s also a sharp contrast to her ‘real life’, which I am certain is intentional, where she comes across as more of an emotionally flattened cypher.
I will say that some of the reactions are ridiculous - the way other actresses just give up in the face of Kei’s talents seems like something no actor would ever do - however, I do think the art is spectacularly good at showing how emotive Kei is in the moment. So while the results are a bit much, the story does make Kei’s talents come across on the page, which helps sell the story.
It’s certainly not shaping up to be the feel-good story of the year. Kei’s siblings and maaaaaybe the movie producer are sympathetic, but everybody else is out for something and damn the consequences, Kei included. Still, I will take high drama with interesting characters and there are tons of dangling plot threads left to follow. We’ll see how things shape up next volume.
Kei is raising her two siblings and also wants to be an actor. It turns out that she devours movies and uses her experiences for the kind of hyper-powered method acting you would only find in manga. This brings her into the orbit of several people who may not have her best interests at heart.
Kei’s ability seems brutally hard on her - the way she gets locked into particular emotions and states seems like something that would be incredibly draining. Ironically it reminded me of a line from Blade Runner, “The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long”. It’s also a sharp contrast to her ‘real life’, which I am certain is intentional, where she comes across as more of an emotionally flattened cypher.
I will say that some of the reactions are ridiculous - the way other actresses just give up in the face of Kei’s talents seems like something no actor would ever do - however, I do think the art is spectacularly good at showing how emotive Kei is in the moment. So while the results are a bit much, the story does make Kei’s talents come across on the page, which helps sell the story.
It’s certainly not shaping up to be the feel-good story of the year. Kei’s siblings and maaaaaybe the movie producer are sympathetic, but everybody else is out for something and damn the consequences, Kei included. Still, I will take high drama with interesting characters and there are tons of dangling plot threads left to follow. We’ll see how things shape up next volume.
December 30, 2020
Manga favorit di WSJ yg sekarang cuma tinggal nama. Tentang Kei Yonagi, siswi SMA yang mampu berakting secara otodidak dan akan terus mengasah kemampuannya lewat Sumiji Kuroyama, sutradara berprestasi yang tampangnya sangar kek om-om mesum tapi ngga kok :D. Seri yg harusnya bisa jadi dark horse nya WSJ dikala hampir rata2 manga shonen di majalah itu tentang aksi, dan di sini, di manga ini membahas shonen dari segi yg menarik, dunia akting + MC perempuan yang berkarakter kuat. Tapi sungguh disayangkan karena penulisnya kena kasus, jadi manga ini kena kapak dan hilang dari peredaran. Meskipun cuma terbit vol 1 di Indo, manga ini bakal tetap ada di rak buku saya :').
October 14, 2020
This was a great manga about Kei Yonagi who is trying to support her siblings with her acting. In the process of this she catches the eye of a director and this starts her acting career. If you are a fan of the classic manga, Skip Beat! then you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Overall, I enjoyed most of this but I wasn't really a fan or the art style. The faces were just off to me and seemed kind of creepy. But if that doesn't bother you then I think a lot of people will enjoy this.
August 10, 2020
Baru saja beli jilid 1 serial ini setelah sebelumnya baca versi scanlationnya, eeeh ujug-ujug beredar kabar komiknya dihentikan karena Tatsuya Matsuki ditangkap polisi gara2 melakukan pelecehan terhadap gadis-gadis di bawah umur...
Piye toh...
Lanjut beli jilid 2-nya atau cukup sekian dan terima kasih saja?
Piye toh...
Lanjut beli jilid 2-nya atau cukup sekian dan terima kasih saja?
January 10, 2020
La historia va muy bien y los personajes prometen mucho hasta el momento. Creo que a partir de los siguientes capítulos se definirá que onda con el tema principal.
August 31, 2020
3.5 stars.
December 27, 2020
I honestly tried to read this book from its first chapter but I cannot simply read it by a pedo. Seriously feel sorry for Shiro USAZAKI who had to work for him. Reading the manga made me barf😷😷😷😷
August 12, 2020
In Summary
The main character of ACT-AGE feels a bit all over the place. She’s a natural genius at acting yet at the same time she’s a clueless idiot who doesn’t realize actors must follow a script. Oh, and she’s also gorgeous and responsible for supporting two younger siblings. This is shaping up to be the tale of how an undiscovered talent makes it big, but Kei’s mentor is such a weirdo and Kei herself is so difficult to relate to that I’m not particularly interested in following her journey.
The Review
ACT-AGE is a Weekly Shonen Jump title, which came as a bit of a surprise. First, the main character, Kei Yonaga, is a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl. Second, the world of acting and show business forms the backdrop. A girl aspiring to be an actor sounds more like shojo fare, but the tale gets presented as a shonen title by telling it as the journey of an undiscovered genius scrapping her way to the top.
And Kei’s got a long way to get to the top. Her mom’s dead, her dad walked out long ago, and she’s responsible for supporting her two elementary school siblings. In short, she’s got no time or money for acting classes or drama club. Even so, she’s so adept at portraying emotions she immediately catches the attention of director Sumiji Kuroyama. He’s been searching for a talent like her, and she’s going to be his star actor–even if he has to drag her kicking and screaming.
A key premise of this series is that Kei was born with superhuman acting abilities. Even as an untrained amateur, her performance at a new-talent audition is so intimidating it causes one of the audition finalists to give up on acting. However, the plot wouldn’t be interesting if Kei simply waltzed to the top. Rather than snatching up this undiscovered gem, the agency CEO rejects her on the basis that acting will eventually cause Kei to have an emotional breakdown.
So instead of getting properly trained by an agency or theater company, Kei gets approached by a sketchy looking guy who turns out to be an award-winning director. But Kuroyama’s brash and eccentric, and his lessons consist of throwing Kei first onto a commercial set and next onto a period drama set with no preparation.
This is where the disconnect comes for me. Kei supposedly wants to be an actor. As her family’s sole breadwinner, she’s got more motivation than most to succeed. But somehow, she’s incapable of following basic directions or even grasping what an actor’s job is. In the period drama arc, she immediately breaks out of character to kick down the lead actor. Her behavior is just as unbelievable as the drama director’s decision to keep her on set even when she ruins the first AND second takes. Her becoming an actor is less about learning the craft and more Kuroyama showing her how to tap into her latent powers (which puts it very much along Jump storylines).
The volume wraps up with her entering an open audition for a movie. Five hundred actors are competing for twelve roles, and they are divided into groups of four for live auditions. Thus, we have Kei in a battle for one of those spots with her four-person cell, which definitely sounds like the stuff of shonen manga.
Extras include creators’ notes and bonus comics.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
The main character of ACT-AGE feels a bit all over the place. She’s a natural genius at acting yet at the same time she’s a clueless idiot who doesn’t realize actors must follow a script. Oh, and she’s also gorgeous and responsible for supporting two younger siblings. This is shaping up to be the tale of how an undiscovered talent makes it big, but Kei’s mentor is such a weirdo and Kei herself is so difficult to relate to that I’m not particularly interested in following her journey.
The Review
ACT-AGE is a Weekly Shonen Jump title, which came as a bit of a surprise. First, the main character, Kei Yonaga, is a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl. Second, the world of acting and show business forms the backdrop. A girl aspiring to be an actor sounds more like shojo fare, but the tale gets presented as a shonen title by telling it as the journey of an undiscovered genius scrapping her way to the top.
And Kei’s got a long way to get to the top. Her mom’s dead, her dad walked out long ago, and she’s responsible for supporting her two elementary school siblings. In short, she’s got no time or money for acting classes or drama club. Even so, she’s so adept at portraying emotions she immediately catches the attention of director Sumiji Kuroyama. He’s been searching for a talent like her, and she’s going to be his star actor–even if he has to drag her kicking and screaming.
A key premise of this series is that Kei was born with superhuman acting abilities. Even as an untrained amateur, her performance at a new-talent audition is so intimidating it causes one of the audition finalists to give up on acting. However, the plot wouldn’t be interesting if Kei simply waltzed to the top. Rather than snatching up this undiscovered gem, the agency CEO rejects her on the basis that acting will eventually cause Kei to have an emotional breakdown.
So instead of getting properly trained by an agency or theater company, Kei gets approached by a sketchy looking guy who turns out to be an award-winning director. But Kuroyama’s brash and eccentric, and his lessons consist of throwing Kei first onto a commercial set and next onto a period drama set with no preparation.
This is where the disconnect comes for me. Kei supposedly wants to be an actor. As her family’s sole breadwinner, she’s got more motivation than most to succeed. But somehow, she’s incapable of following basic directions or even grasping what an actor’s job is. In the period drama arc, she immediately breaks out of character to kick down the lead actor. Her behavior is just as unbelievable as the drama director’s decision to keep her on set even when she ruins the first AND second takes. Her becoming an actor is less about learning the craft and more Kuroyama showing her how to tap into her latent powers (which puts it very much along Jump storylines).
The volume wraps up with her entering an open audition for a movie. Five hundred actors are competing for twelve roles, and they are divided into groups of four for live auditions. Thus, we have Kei in a battle for one of those spots with her four-person cell, which definitely sounds like the stuff of shonen manga.
Extras include creators’ notes and bonus comics.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2020
https://lapommequirougit.com/2020/07/...
Dès que j’ai vu un manga parlant du métier d’actrice j’ai eu très envie de le lire. Moi-même faisant du théâtre depuis des années, j’avais très hâte de découvrir ce qu’on pouvait voir dans ce manga.
On y découvre le personnage de Kei Yonagi. Depuis la mort prématurée de sa mère, elle vit seule avec son petit frère et sa petite sœur. Elle se doit de les éduquer, de les nourrir. C’est pour cela qu’elle enchaîne les petits boulots tout en allant en cours.
Mais une nouvelle idée lui vient en tête. Elle a toujours voulu devenir actrice et justement un casting à bientôt lieu. Autant essayer. Sauf qu’une fois là-bas, un des jurés est en admiration devant cette fille. Elle est exactement le diamant brut qu’il cherchait. Elle est amatrice, cela se voit, mais elle a clairement un talent inné pour être actrice. C’est ainsi qu’il décide de la prendre sous son aile, afin de lui apprendre les ficelles du métier.
Pourquoi j’ai autant adoré ce manga ? Car la manière qu’elle a de jouer est basée sur le système de Stanislavski. C’est-à-dire, puiser dans ses expériences et sentiments passés, pour interpréter son rôle.
Cette manière qu’elle a de prendre chaque rôle à cœur, comme si elle était le personnage. De se sentir impacté par la suite, par la scène qu’elle vient de jouer. Me rappelle énormément ma façon de jouer quand je fais du théâtre. Donc je ne pouvais qu’être en empathie avec le personnage. De ce fait, j’ai adoré cette histoire.
L’histoire est prenante et on y découvre petit à petit les ficelles du métier en même temps que le personnage principal. On voit les castings, la difficulté de ce monde. On voit que le talent ne suffit pas toujours pour réussir malheureusement.
En bref, c’est un manga vraiment intéressant, intrigant avec un personnage principal qui m’a beaucoup ému pour ma part. Après, je suis peut-être biaisé, car je m’identifie beaucoup trop à ce personnage et donc je ne peux m’empêcher de me sentir proche de cette dernière. Si vous l’avez lu, j’espère que vous apprécierez cette histoire et ce personnage autant que moi !
Dès que j’ai vu un manga parlant du métier d’actrice j’ai eu très envie de le lire. Moi-même faisant du théâtre depuis des années, j’avais très hâte de découvrir ce qu’on pouvait voir dans ce manga.
On y découvre le personnage de Kei Yonagi. Depuis la mort prématurée de sa mère, elle vit seule avec son petit frère et sa petite sœur. Elle se doit de les éduquer, de les nourrir. C’est pour cela qu’elle enchaîne les petits boulots tout en allant en cours.
Mais une nouvelle idée lui vient en tête. Elle a toujours voulu devenir actrice et justement un casting à bientôt lieu. Autant essayer. Sauf qu’une fois là-bas, un des jurés est en admiration devant cette fille. Elle est exactement le diamant brut qu’il cherchait. Elle est amatrice, cela se voit, mais elle a clairement un talent inné pour être actrice. C’est ainsi qu’il décide de la prendre sous son aile, afin de lui apprendre les ficelles du métier.
Pourquoi j’ai autant adoré ce manga ? Car la manière qu’elle a de jouer est basée sur le système de Stanislavski. C’est-à-dire, puiser dans ses expériences et sentiments passés, pour interpréter son rôle.
Cette manière qu’elle a de prendre chaque rôle à cœur, comme si elle était le personnage. De se sentir impacté par la suite, par la scène qu’elle vient de jouer. Me rappelle énormément ma façon de jouer quand je fais du théâtre. Donc je ne pouvais qu’être en empathie avec le personnage. De ce fait, j’ai adoré cette histoire.
L’histoire est prenante et on y découvre petit à petit les ficelles du métier en même temps que le personnage principal. On voit les castings, la difficulté de ce monde. On voit que le talent ne suffit pas toujours pour réussir malheureusement.
En bref, c’est un manga vraiment intéressant, intrigant avec un personnage principal qui m’a beaucoup ému pour ma part. Après, je suis peut-être biaisé, car je m’identifie beaucoup trop à ce personnage et donc je ne peux m’empêcher de me sentir proche de cette dernière. Si vous l’avez lu, j’espère que vous apprécierez cette histoire et ce personnage autant que moi !
December 22, 2020
As much as I wanted to like this manga I just couldn't get into it. The plot is a little weird and the characters are even weirder. Most of the time this wouldn't bother me as manga characters typically get that way sometimes but this time they just didn't mesh with me. I did feel for the main character in the beginning.
Kei's dad is gone, her mother is dead and she is responsible for two young kids. It makes sense that she wants to loose herself in movies, but at the same time she can't fully remove herself because her acting needs to be able to relate to the experiences she has in life. It's not really acting (although they are mostly talking about method acting in this and I am not a actor so who knows?) to me, it's just her rating her scenes to her life.
I lost my connection with Kei after her 'second' role and I just couldn't get the connection back. I like connecting to characters even if it's not on a personal level. Yes, I understand she is weird, it's mentioned a lot in the manga, but when she wanted to return a check for a commercial because she didn't do exactly what it said in the script, I just found it ridiculous.
The manga isn't bad at all, I can see it being very funny, especially with all the hi-jinks Kei gets into but I just don't think this is for me.
*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest and unbiased review*
Kei's dad is gone, her mother is dead and she is responsible for two young kids. It makes sense that she wants to loose herself in movies, but at the same time she can't fully remove herself because her acting needs to be able to relate to the experiences she has in life. It's not really acting (although they are mostly talking about method acting in this and I am not a actor so who knows?) to me, it's just her rating her scenes to her life.
I lost my connection with Kei after her 'second' role and I just couldn't get the connection back. I like connecting to characters even if it's not on a personal level. Yes, I understand she is weird, it's mentioned a lot in the manga, but when she wanted to return a check for a commercial because she didn't do exactly what it said in the script, I just found it ridiculous.
The manga isn't bad at all, I can see it being very funny, especially with all the hi-jinks Kei gets into but I just don't think this is for me.
*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest and unbiased review*
June 19, 2020
3.5/5 stars. Very promising.
August 26, 2020
Marcata come "Serie completa" perché ho letto tutti i volumi disponibili e l'interruzione è dovuta a cause di forza maggiore non dipendenti da me. Era sfuggito al mio radar e l'ho comprato solo dopo aver saputo che era stato interrotto perché uno degli autori aveva l'hobby di molestare ragazzine nelle stazioni.
Non mi piacciono i "nuovi" manga, quelli fatti direttamente in digitale: tutta la ricchezza data dai retini è sparita per far posto a un diverso grado di puntinatura dei grigi. Tanti dicevano che la disegnatrice era brava ma... No! È un tratto troppo approssimativo e digitale per i miei gusti.
La storia potrebbe anche essere interessante con la protagonista che cerca in tutti i modi di diventare un'attrice famosa per mantenere i fratellini dopo la morte di entrambi i genitori. Ma lei è un po' strana e il regista che l'accompagna ancora di più. Mi piacciono i fratellini e il tipo di nome Shimizu.
Probabilmente rimarranno tre soli volumi ma non credo che la cosa mi dispiaccia più di tanto.
Non mi piacciono i "nuovi" manga, quelli fatti direttamente in digitale: tutta la ricchezza data dai retini è sparita per far posto a un diverso grado di puntinatura dei grigi. Tanti dicevano che la disegnatrice era brava ma... No! È un tratto troppo approssimativo e digitale per i miei gusti.
La storia potrebbe anche essere interessante con la protagonista che cerca in tutti i modi di diventare un'attrice famosa per mantenere i fratellini dopo la morte di entrambi i genitori. Ma lei è un po' strana e il regista che l'accompagna ancora di più. Mi piacciono i fratellini e il tipo di nome Shimizu.
Probabilmente rimarranno tre soli volumi ma non credo che la cosa mi dispiaccia più di tanto.
August 20, 2020
"Movies and acting aren't art. It's a business. The world doesn't need people who are just good at acting."
Off to a curious start if I'm already agreeing more with the presumed antagonist than any other character introduced thus far in this manga. I watch a lot of films, but I don't really watch any film to see x actor. Examples would be guys like Daniel Day Lewis or the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, both of whom I really know through my respect for Paul Thomas Anderson as a director. I was interested in seeing Joker last year for Joaquin Phoenix (actor) rather than Todd Phillips (director), but that's also because I like Phoenix from PTA's works. (Indeed, it can be argued I like PTA because of Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, but that's getting too far away from my point here). I've always viewed actors as little more than "familiar faces" who entice viewers to watch certain movies simply because the audience are used to seeing them in other things. I think Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange more because of the popularity of Sherlock than for his own acting ability, as one example. Actors are puppets who happen to have lives outside of the film reel. An otherwise decent film can be dragged down by shitty acting, an otherwise decent film can be slightly elevated by stronger acting, but at the end of the day it's a question of direction, and anyway a decent director should be able to get palatable performances out of his human puppets so bad or good acting should be the director's responsibility regardless. That said, it makes infinitely more sense for a Weekly Shounen Jump manga to follow the life of a teenage actor than if this manga were to be called e.g. "Direct-Age." This story isn't too different from Bakuman., and a problem I had with that manga was that it didn't feel too believable to have a grounded story about fuckin' kids making it big in Jump, whereas I'm more used to seeing teen actors in media (well, not really, since I don't watch too many things starring actual children, but I know such things exist, is what I'm saying. Like Teen Nick shows.).
Protagonist Kei Yonagi is eerily similar to Medaka from Medaka Box. She's more or less a budding genius actor despite no formal training, and she's apparently accomplished in other fields (background characters remark on her excellent athleticism). Most significantly, Kei is absolutely schizoid or something. Bitch doesn't understand human emotion, and can only emote in the context of acting inasmuch as she can draw on her past experiences, being heretofore unable to put herself in other people's shoes for a given role. If I wanted to run the comparison into the ground, I could mention how Kei's inhumane reflexes against the sword-wielding actor in the Edo-period drama scene recall a plot-point in Medaka Box, but that's basically coincidence. My point is that Kei's stoicism and superhuman talent smack too much of the parody character of a NISIOISIN manga. Contrast Soma from Food Wars, who has the same hotheadedness and lust for the fun of battle as a Son Goku or Monkey D. Luffy. Act-Age is like someone wrote a manga about Piccolo mastering martial arts. That is, the disconnect between Kei and the world-at-large is a rhetoric relationship to allow author Tatsuya Matsuki a means of logically informing the audience of the ways of the acting world without it standing out too much in-universe. Kei is good at acting, but she paradoxically doesn't know how to act. Thus, director Sumiji Kuroyama can teach her how to act (put words to concepts she can subconscious enact) so author Matsuki can teach us how acting is done. Or something.
I may sound over-critical of Kei's characterization, but I don't dislike her. I'm more interested in Kuroyama as a character, but I am still also interested in following Kei's journey. But I also think Kei's pretty cute, with her puffy sleeves and shin-length socks and Danganronpa eyes. But I also think Hiiragi's cuter, so whatever.
It's too funny/poignant that Kei calls Kuroyama a lolicon. It's like that thing when a criminal tries to flaunt his sins with enough ambiguity that they seem non-existent, only to be caught later and everyone can look back and see there was evidence from the start. The author of a manga is quite a lot like a film director, and if the artist is a separate person we could very well consider her to be representative of a cast of actors. The author/director organizes what will happen in the course of the story, and the artist/cast acts it out through illustration. It's probably not much of a leap to view Kuroyama as a stand-in for Matsuki himself, and so the minute examples of Kuroyama appearing as a pervert, or being suggested as a pervert in Kei's goofy accusations, could possibly me Matsuki outing himself in typical sociopath fashion. Maybe Kei is partly a stand-in for Usazaki in some sense, being a young artist making her breakthrough with this director, but I don't think anything's been said of Usazaki getting molested, only the vague statement that she didn't feel comfortable around Matsuki before his arrest.
It's a shame Matsuki got caught, because I'm intrigued enough to want to continue the manga, therefore my balls are already blue because I know there's not a proper ending. Joke's on me for waiting until some real-world controversy cropped up before deciding to check this shit out. Ah well. I'm also a bad enough person that I bought some Japanese volumes of the manga just in case their value skyrockets in the future. On that note, why didn't VIZ ever co-opt the pirate-face logo for Jump in the West?
Off to a curious start if I'm already agreeing more with the presumed antagonist than any other character introduced thus far in this manga. I watch a lot of films, but I don't really watch any film to see x actor. Examples would be guys like Daniel Day Lewis or the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, both of whom I really know through my respect for Paul Thomas Anderson as a director. I was interested in seeing Joker last year for Joaquin Phoenix (actor) rather than Todd Phillips (director), but that's also because I like Phoenix from PTA's works. (Indeed, it can be argued I like PTA because of Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, but that's getting too far away from my point here). I've always viewed actors as little more than "familiar faces" who entice viewers to watch certain movies simply because the audience are used to seeing them in other things. I think Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange more because of the popularity of Sherlock than for his own acting ability, as one example. Actors are puppets who happen to have lives outside of the film reel. An otherwise decent film can be dragged down by shitty acting, an otherwise decent film can be slightly elevated by stronger acting, but at the end of the day it's a question of direction, and anyway a decent director should be able to get palatable performances out of his human puppets so bad or good acting should be the director's responsibility regardless. That said, it makes infinitely more sense for a Weekly Shounen Jump manga to follow the life of a teenage actor than if this manga were to be called e.g. "Direct-Age." This story isn't too different from Bakuman., and a problem I had with that manga was that it didn't feel too believable to have a grounded story about fuckin' kids making it big in Jump, whereas I'm more used to seeing teen actors in media (well, not really, since I don't watch too many things starring actual children, but I know such things exist, is what I'm saying. Like Teen Nick shows.).
Protagonist Kei Yonagi is eerily similar to Medaka from Medaka Box. She's more or less a budding genius actor despite no formal training, and she's apparently accomplished in other fields (background characters remark on her excellent athleticism). Most significantly, Kei is absolutely schizoid or something. Bitch doesn't understand human emotion, and can only emote in the context of acting inasmuch as she can draw on her past experiences, being heretofore unable to put herself in other people's shoes for a given role. If I wanted to run the comparison into the ground, I could mention how Kei's inhumane reflexes against the sword-wielding actor in the Edo-period drama scene recall a plot-point in Medaka Box, but that's basically coincidence. My point is that Kei's stoicism and superhuman talent smack too much of the parody character of a NISIOISIN manga. Contrast Soma from Food Wars, who has the same hotheadedness and lust for the fun of battle as a Son Goku or Monkey D. Luffy. Act-Age is like someone wrote a manga about Piccolo mastering martial arts. That is, the disconnect between Kei and the world-at-large is a rhetoric relationship to allow author Tatsuya Matsuki a means of logically informing the audience of the ways of the acting world without it standing out too much in-universe. Kei is good at acting, but she paradoxically doesn't know how to act. Thus, director Sumiji Kuroyama can teach her how to act (put words to concepts she can subconscious enact) so author Matsuki can teach us how acting is done. Or something.
I may sound over-critical of Kei's characterization, but I don't dislike her. I'm more interested in Kuroyama as a character, but I am still also interested in following Kei's journey. But I also think Kei's pretty cute, with her puffy sleeves and shin-length socks and Danganronpa eyes. But I also think Hiiragi's cuter, so whatever.
It's too funny/poignant that Kei calls Kuroyama a lolicon. It's like that thing when a criminal tries to flaunt his sins with enough ambiguity that they seem non-existent, only to be caught later and everyone can look back and see there was evidence from the start. The author of a manga is quite a lot like a film director, and if the artist is a separate person we could very well consider her to be representative of a cast of actors. The author/director organizes what will happen in the course of the story, and the artist/cast acts it out through illustration. It's probably not much of a leap to view Kuroyama as a stand-in for Matsuki himself, and so the minute examples of Kuroyama appearing as a pervert, or being suggested as a pervert in Kei's goofy accusations, could possibly me Matsuki outing himself in typical sociopath fashion. Maybe Kei is partly a stand-in for Usazaki in some sense, being a young artist making her breakthrough with this director, but I don't think anything's been said of Usazaki getting molested, only the vague statement that she didn't feel comfortable around Matsuki before his arrest.
It's a shame Matsuki got caught, because I'm intrigued enough to want to continue the manga, therefore my balls are already blue because I know there's not a proper ending. Joke's on me for waiting until some real-world controversy cropped up before deciding to check this shit out. Ah well. I'm also a bad enough person that I bought some Japanese volumes of the manga just in case their value skyrockets in the future. On that note, why didn't VIZ ever co-opt the pirate-face logo for Jump in the West?
March 26, 2020
For fans of Skip Beat, but way less drama and anime style art. This manga involves a family of actors and all their different challenges in the industry.
I received a free e-arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free e-arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read
September 22, 2020Keeping this unrated, as I can no longer separate my feelings for the series from my feelings on the author's criminal actions ( https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news... )
April 10, 2020
Advanced Reader Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this manga. This has become one of my manga favourites and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series! I would highly recommend this manga if you are a fan of Skip Beat! I'm actually currently reading Skip Beat! But I've taken a bit of break as I did read almost 30 volumes in a month. Act Age Volume 1 is very reminiscent of the earlier volumes of Skip Beat!, so if you particularly like that period you should pick this manga up. I would say that it is slightly more realistic and slightly more serious than Skip Beat! though and it's a shonen manga as oppose to Skip Beat! being a shojo one.
I've started to realise that one of my favourite themes in mangas is fame, specifically people trying to become famous in acting. What I like most is having ordinary people thrown into the world of fame. This manga is working towards that as Yonagi is just going through her first few auditions in this volume. It's also fascinating to see Yonagi work as an actress because she's like the ultimate method actor. When she acts she transforms herself into that role so well that she take centre stage no matter what she does. As this is volume one in a continuing series it'll be so much fun to see how Yonagi will grow as a character. Especially seeing that she is motivated by her young twin siblings that she's essentially become the mother of.
This manga is a lot of fun and seeing Yonagi go through the training of becoming an actor is gripping because you want to see if she will make it. You also want to see what her mentor, the famous director Sumiji Kuroyama has in store for her in the future with his mysterious role.
Overall, I highly recommend this manga. It's a light, fun read, which will hopefully make you smile and laugh. I can't wait to see what's next in the series and see the person Yonagi will become!
I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this manga. This has become one of my manga favourites and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series! I would highly recommend this manga if you are a fan of Skip Beat! I'm actually currently reading Skip Beat! But I've taken a bit of break as I did read almost 30 volumes in a month. Act Age Volume 1 is very reminiscent of the earlier volumes of Skip Beat!, so if you particularly like that period you should pick this manga up. I would say that it is slightly more realistic and slightly more serious than Skip Beat! though and it's a shonen manga as oppose to Skip Beat! being a shojo one.
I've started to realise that one of my favourite themes in mangas is fame, specifically people trying to become famous in acting. What I like most is having ordinary people thrown into the world of fame. This manga is working towards that as Yonagi is just going through her first few auditions in this volume. It's also fascinating to see Yonagi work as an actress because she's like the ultimate method actor. When she acts she transforms herself into that role so well that she take centre stage no matter what she does. As this is volume one in a continuing series it'll be so much fun to see how Yonagi will grow as a character. Especially seeing that she is motivated by her young twin siblings that she's essentially become the mother of.
This manga is a lot of fun and seeing Yonagi go through the training of becoming an actor is gripping because you want to see if she will make it. You also want to see what her mentor, the famous director Sumiji Kuroyama has in store for her in the future with his mysterious role.
Overall, I highly recommend this manga. It's a light, fun read, which will hopefully make you smile and laugh. I can't wait to see what's next in the series and see the person Yonagi will become!
June 12, 2020
GREAT, AMAZING, IMPRESSIVE, STUNNING, those are my instant expression as soon as I finished reading this manga.
The story reminds me of Glass Mask and Skip Beat! where the main character is a teen girl, high school age, had a sad history of her life and really loves acting. Not just like but love. However the plot is totally different, Kei Yonagi has been discovered by underrated famous director which successfully bring her total talent to become an actor. Starting from there, the world of Yonagi become more and more impressive, while she’s also learned how to “act” for real. She also had to learned a lot of acting method in order to give her best in a highest level.
The energy from the main character really brought me to the limit where I did feel really sad when she’s crying or shared her sad life along with her two siblings. The drawing also impressive, this is not a new thing for those who enjoying reading manga, it’s like watching a real movie while we also sinking into deeper conversations between characters, I didn’t read it, I jumped into the story.
While the theme is about pursuing Yonagi’ dream (which is act), it’s also inspiring the readers to do anything on your best to reach your dream. I had a feeling that there’ll be more competition between Yonagi and her fellow friends as an actor, and I am truly looking forward for what happened with her twin siblings and the director himself. Will she going to reach her passion for real, and how hard will be is her journey to reach that moment.
BRILLIANT manga!!
The story reminds me of Glass Mask and Skip Beat! where the main character is a teen girl, high school age, had a sad history of her life and really loves acting. Not just like but love. However the plot is totally different, Kei Yonagi has been discovered by underrated famous director which successfully bring her total talent to become an actor. Starting from there, the world of Yonagi become more and more impressive, while she’s also learned how to “act” for real. She also had to learned a lot of acting method in order to give her best in a highest level.
The energy from the main character really brought me to the limit where I did feel really sad when she’s crying or shared her sad life along with her two siblings. The drawing also impressive, this is not a new thing for those who enjoying reading manga, it’s like watching a real movie while we also sinking into deeper conversations between characters, I didn’t read it, I jumped into the story.
While the theme is about pursuing Yonagi’ dream (which is act), it’s also inspiring the readers to do anything on your best to reach your dream. I had a feeling that there’ll be more competition between Yonagi and her fellow friends as an actor, and I am truly looking forward for what happened with her twin siblings and the director himself. Will she going to reach her passion for real, and how hard will be is her journey to reach that moment.
BRILLIANT manga!!
April 5, 2020
Warnings: poverty
A story about a teen actress trying to break into the industry, Act-Age has Kei Yonagi, a poor high school student who is bringing up her siblings on her own. She loves movies, and acting, and the way she can escape into another world; when she enters into an audition for a popular agency for their next movie, she makes it until the final rounds based on her method acting. An acclaimed director, Kuroyama, sees her talent and wants to mold it, but the CEO of the agency worries that acting might lead to an eventual breakdown for a girl like her who gets so into it, and rejects her for the movie. Kuroyama, however, decides to mentor her on his own, securing her gigs and opportunities to practice and hone her skills, but with her being attached to the roles she plays, it is a question as to whether it will really lead to reality blurring for her.
Kei's psyche is a central player in the story - when she plays a role, she inhabits the character and draws on personal experiences to evoke emotion. She is good at acting in situations she is familiar with, but she also has a tendency to momentarily forget that it is only a role, and not real. At first, I was wary of Kuroyama, who is more concerned with her talent and the possibility of her starring in a story that he hopes will be his masterpiece. I was more surprised by the CEO, who was concerned that an acting career would acerbate her psychological issues, and not wanting to destroy a young girl's life, rejects her audition. Later on, however, with Kuroyama teaching her to round out her performance, showing her that there is more to performing than method acting, I was a bit relieved. So far, in the first volume itself, the story has established a good momentum, and I am interested in what comes next for Kei.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Viz Media LLC, via Edelweiss.
A story about a teen actress trying to break into the industry, Act-Age has Kei Yonagi, a poor high school student who is bringing up her siblings on her own. She loves movies, and acting, and the way she can escape into another world; when she enters into an audition for a popular agency for their next movie, she makes it until the final rounds based on her method acting. An acclaimed director, Kuroyama, sees her talent and wants to mold it, but the CEO of the agency worries that acting might lead to an eventual breakdown for a girl like her who gets so into it, and rejects her for the movie. Kuroyama, however, decides to mentor her on his own, securing her gigs and opportunities to practice and hone her skills, but with her being attached to the roles she plays, it is a question as to whether it will really lead to reality blurring for her.
Kei's psyche is a central player in the story - when she plays a role, she inhabits the character and draws on personal experiences to evoke emotion. She is good at acting in situations she is familiar with, but she also has a tendency to momentarily forget that it is only a role, and not real. At first, I was wary of Kuroyama, who is more concerned with her talent and the possibility of her starring in a story that he hopes will be his masterpiece. I was more surprised by the CEO, who was concerned that an acting career would acerbate her psychological issues, and not wanting to destroy a young girl's life, rejects her audition. Later on, however, with Kuroyama teaching her to round out her performance, showing her that there is more to performing than method acting, I was a bit relieved. So far, in the first volume itself, the story has established a good momentum, and I am interested in what comes next for Kei.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Viz Media LLC, via Edelweiss.
June 18, 2020
Rating 4.5
The manga “Act Age” written by Tatsuya Matsuki was a feel good story about a young girl pursuing her acting career while taking care of her twin siblings. Kei Yonagi is sixteen years old and is now the guardian to her younger twin siblings. They struggle to get by so Kei works multiple jobs before school and after school Kei goes to auditions. In the beginning of the book we can see how new to acting she is. She is full of potential but needed help increasing her acting skills because she was not getting hired. I love how passionate she is about acting and no matter how many rejections she gets she keeps trying. She is filled with drive for her dreams but also the dreams of her siblings. She would never want to let them down. The side characters were likeable and added humor to the story which was nice. It was neat seeing behind the scenes of the acting world. What one goes through in order to come out on top. Overall, this was a cute introduction story into Kei’s world. The art style was great for the story and I did not mind that it was in black and white. I’m looking forward to reading the next volumes as they come out.
Should you read Act Age?
Yes! Such a cute story about family, pursuing your dreams, and what skills are needed to become a great actress.
**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
The manga “Act Age” written by Tatsuya Matsuki was a feel good story about a young girl pursuing her acting career while taking care of her twin siblings. Kei Yonagi is sixteen years old and is now the guardian to her younger twin siblings. They struggle to get by so Kei works multiple jobs before school and after school Kei goes to auditions. In the beginning of the book we can see how new to acting she is. She is full of potential but needed help increasing her acting skills because she was not getting hired. I love how passionate she is about acting and no matter how many rejections she gets she keeps trying. She is filled with drive for her dreams but also the dreams of her siblings. She would never want to let them down. The side characters were likeable and added humor to the story which was nice. It was neat seeing behind the scenes of the acting world. What one goes through in order to come out on top. Overall, this was a cute introduction story into Kei’s world. The art style was great for the story and I did not mind that it was in black and white. I’m looking forward to reading the next volumes as they come out.
Should you read Act Age?
Yes! Such a cute story about family, pursuing your dreams, and what skills are needed to become a great actress.
**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
May 9, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley, VIZ Media, and Tatsuya Matsuki for the opportunity to read Act-Age Volume One in exchange for an honest review.
I like manga, and I have both been in plays and taught high school drama, so I thought this would be an applicable read to entice my interests.
Kei has no acting experience, but she's an amazing actor; she has to be! After the death of their mother, she takes care of two younger siblings and has to show them fun somehow. After a failed audition, Kei finds herself looking for a basic job once more. She needs to support the family somehow, even if she isn't working her dream job. When actor Akira pretty much shows up at her doorstep, Kei gets an unexpected second chance. No dice.
But director Sujimi sees potential in Kei's method of acting. He can tell she has been through a lot in life. While other directors might find this dangerous and unstable in an uprising actor, Sujimi sees the potential in using this skill. Method-acting is the use of a past experience and reenacting that experience. Because of Kei's experiences, this makes her acting genuine; she just needs a bit of proper coaching.
I enjoyed the exploration of the acting industry and craft, and the different views of how acting works as a career. This was certainly an enjoyable read and I sure wouldn't mind continuing this series!
I like manga, and I have both been in plays and taught high school drama, so I thought this would be an applicable read to entice my interests.
Kei has no acting experience, but she's an amazing actor; she has to be! After the death of their mother, she takes care of two younger siblings and has to show them fun somehow. After a failed audition, Kei finds herself looking for a basic job once more. She needs to support the family somehow, even if she isn't working her dream job. When actor Akira pretty much shows up at her doorstep, Kei gets an unexpected second chance. No dice.
But director Sujimi sees potential in Kei's method of acting. He can tell she has been through a lot in life. While other directors might find this dangerous and unstable in an uprising actor, Sujimi sees the potential in using this skill. Method-acting is the use of a past experience and reenacting that experience. Because of Kei's experiences, this makes her acting genuine; she just needs a bit of proper coaching.
I enjoyed the exploration of the acting industry and craft, and the different views of how acting works as a career. This was certainly an enjoyable read and I sure wouldn't mind continuing this series!
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