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Ran the Peerless Beauty #1

高嶺の蘭さん(1)

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勉強もスポーツもできてその上クールビューティーな蘭(らん)は、周りから“高嶺の花”と呼ばれ、一目置かれている。だけど同じクラスの晃(あきら)だけは、普通に明るく接してくれて…!? 高嶺女子×お花屋男子のピュアラブストーリー、第1巻!

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2017

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Ammitsu

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5 stars
263 (37%)
4 stars
288 (40%)
3 stars
137 (19%)
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20 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
Profile Image for Christine.
600 reviews22 followers
March 23, 2019
A few years ago, I cleared out my manga shelves using one simple rule: take out anything I would actually be ashamed to show that I owned. Anything I could not stand by with a few good reasons.

A lot of my manga survived, but some did not. Example: the ones that included fan-service with girls (supposedly 14 but drawn like Victoria's Secret models) in skimpy bathing suits where the girls are then harassed by creeps and then the main love interest blames the girl for being off her guard (and throws a towel over her because "don't show yourself to any guy but me" oh my god NO. NO.) Lucky for me, I didn't enjoy those series for that aspect, so it didn't hurt to cull them out. Some of it was a RELIEF (see the previous example).

And I also never liked the teacher-student relationship trope, so I never had to even throw those out. You'd be surprised at how common that crap is in manga aimed at teen girls. Great. Just great.

So I want to thank Kodansha* for bringing over a series that stars a teen girl crushing on a guy who (a) isn't an adult and (b) isn't a creep. That sounds like a low bar but it's not. The only way a lot of other shojo manga could clear that bar is if I frisbeed them over it (and out the window).

Ran is a pretty student who works all the time and appears to enjoy it. She worries that she comes off as unfriendly or snobby but she doesn't want to hide what she is either. She doesn't brag about her grades but she doesn't play dumb either, which YES is something else I've seen characters do in shojo manga because smart girls are the worst, apparently? I can relate to stories where the main character is a bad student or even just an average student doing their best, but we rarely see good students who just... work a lot and go with it.

In any case, Ran's not a caricature, as in, she's not totally naive or some repressed teen who can't IMAGINE life without studying. She's also not a recluse or the subject of horrific bullying (a worthy subject but it doesn't always make for light reading). Her habits are all part of her lifestyle and she admits that she can't understand lovey-dovey teen couples' experience. She's honestly new to the idea of romance because she's never been in a relationship, and no one has really treated her as an object of attraction before. She's just living her life.

Then she meets a new boy at school, Akira, and BEHOLD! He is not a creep! At least not so far. I hope I didn't just jinx it. He's a kind, laid-back sort of person who likes to laugh and has a passion for flowers because he works at his parents' flower store. Akira also genuinely enjoys gardening but feels uncomfortable with how people judge him for his "feminine" hobby. (Never mind that it's his dad's store and, my god, his dad is a MAN. WORKING WITH FLOWERS. GASP.)

Ran also loves to garden and runs the near-empty gardening club at school, which basically means she (a) has something in common with her crush and (b) tends to the little flower patches lining the school by watering them in the morning. There's also a hilarious moment when the boys kick a soccer ball into the flowers and she has a minor heart attack--and before she gets there, Akira is checking them for breakages and smiling in relief when he finds none.

So what we have here is a sweet romance between two young people who aren't star-crossed lovers or trying to drag the other out of their comfort zone (like, WAY out of their comfort zone "Taming of the Shrew"-style). Nope. "Ran the Peerless Beauty" is a story where a girl not only gets to experience a nice relationship, but also finds a new friend. You might even say she finds a true peer. I love it.

5 stars for expectations and enjoyment. I can't wait for the next volume. Recommended to anyone who likes a romance that resembles "When Harry Met Sally" minus the 90s-era "arguing is romance" stereotype. Just two kids getting to know each other and becoming close.

*Kodansha and every other major manga publishing house like YenPress or VizMedia all license some pretty gross material under the shojo flag. Like, Kodansha has a series where this 16-year-old girl has never had a boyfriend because her teacher is just so strangely protective. Wow. By volume 3, the summary says they're in love but have to keep it a secret. Ah yes what a plot twist. (I'm going to be sick.) So yeah, this series is a breath of fresh air. I just wanted to enjoy shojo again.
Profile Image for Ren (A Bookish Balance).
979 reviews104 followers
November 1, 2023
Nov 1, 2023
3.5/5 stars

This is fine, but I want more doki-doki feelings from my shoujo, also, something about the facial expressions feels way too exaggerated, it's kind of distracting.


June 9, 2020
3.75/5 stars

Ran Takamine's peers find her hard to approach as she appears to be the perfect student. She's beautiful, smart, athletic, and kind, and boys are too intimidated by this to talk to her. One day Ran accidentally sprays a fellow classmate, Akira Saeki, with a hose as she is watering flowers. This incident leads the two to becoming closer.

My initial impression of Ran the Peerless Beauty was that it would make for the type of anime I like best. I love me a relaxing feeling slice-of-life story that gives me a sense of calm. This has a very soft, feminine, easy going atmosphere that reminds me a lot of Kimi ni Todoke, and the art style and personalities of the main characters also really help add to this atmosphere. In terms of manga though, I tend to want something a bit more, and I found myself wishing this had more humour or cute moments or drama or something else.

In terms of romance, I really like that the relationship between Akira and Ran is progressing slowly, and that they're becoming friends first. I also really appreciate that what is bringing the two together is a common interest in flowers. I find that common interests rarely play a factor when it comes to romances in shoujo. I do have to say though, that flowers play a large role in the story and unfortunately I'm not that interested in them. I'm also not completely sold on the chemistry between the two main characters, though Akira does bring out a cuter side to Ran. I think what's holding me back from really rooting for the romance is that I don't find Akira particularly charming and there's nothing that really stands out to me about his character. I do plan to continue on in the series though, so I'm hoping he'll grow on me as I get to know him better. As for Ran, in my experience the most common shoujo protagonist I come across is a wallflower girl, and I like that Ran really deviates from this.

As for the art style, while Ran is very pretty, I'm not super fond of how the mangaka draws guys. I also find her proportions to be a bit awkward at times. I by no means dislike the art style though, and I'm hoping the art will grow on me a bit more as I continue on in the series.

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Profile Image for Laura A. Grace.
1,980 reviews313 followers
January 16, 2023
Oh my goodness, this was SOOOOO good!!

Definitely another digital manga that I really wish Kodansha would get out of digital jail because this was everything I had hoped it would be and more! I think the one thing I was MOST caught off guard by though is Saeki's smile because it's like looking at the sun and I could not get enough of it! That smile is gold and is so precious!

And Ran! I absolutely loved her! She lowkey reminded me of Sawako from Kimi ni Todoke, which is always exciting to me since I love Kimi ni Todoke!

The flower theme was beautiful! I really loved learning about some of the meanings of flowers and how it's playing a huge role in this story.

Truly, this was absolutely delightful to read and desperately wish this was in physical print!
Profile Image for Hali.
280 reviews3 followers
May 30, 2023
4.5 ⭐️ ?

this is my first shojo manga and it was pretty cute!! and really funny! ran and akira are adorable 🩷 i think i’ll pick up the next volume, although i’m not sure how a romance series can last for 10 volumes 😵‍💫 i’m new to this genre of manga though so i guess i’ll find out
Profile Image for Nikki.
120 reviews23 followers
August 28, 2021
it was cute and wholesome; but I don't feel the need to read the rest of the series.
Profile Image for nelly_tales.
17 reviews1 follower
May 26, 2022
Not bad! 💕
It's exactly what I expected it to be. But I give points on how adorable both the MC are! Their chemistry is what we like 💖
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15.1k reviews455 followers
July 31, 2023
An adorable and cute manga with gorgeous art and fun characters!


In this one we meet Ran, a girl who is very beautiful and often admired by everyone. Not just in school, but also outside of that. I loved that Ran wasn’t haughty or anything. Oh no, she just works hard, studies, and well, doesn’t seem to do anything for her beauty. Haha, which seems unfair but some people are just blessed with good looks. I loved that through Akira she gets to see a whole different world (she is quite innocent in points), it was just adorable to see her get flustered or stutter when he got close.

Akira is such a sweetheart and I love that he treated Ran as a normal girl. A girl he is very much interested in. I loved the things he did for her. How he made her smile.

The romance between the two, or I should say, the blossoming love/romance was adorable. These two have IT and I was just rooting for them. Reading Ran say this after a very wonderful day in the sunflowers: “I think.. I’m falling for Saeki-kun.” And that she had the guts, at the end of the volume, to ask him THAT. I was just delighted and they are so cute!

I am a big fan of flowers and gardening so I was excited to see that flowers get such a big spotlight in this book. It plays a big role in both of their lives. Ran is part of the gardenclub and really loves taking care of plants and flowers. And Akira? Akira works at a flower/plant shop! I just loved that they could bond over this one and that Akira could tell Ran even more facts about plants and such. So sweet! Plus, I loved that each chapter had a little bit of info on the plants, like keywords or translations. That was just a nice touch. Plus, that flowers are mentioned in the chapters. LOVE.

And the art. OMG, the art. It was just so pretty and I love the style A LOT.

All in all, this was one manga that I loved and that I would love to keep on reading. I see it is available in German. Maybe by the time this review goes up (writing this late May) I will have one or more volumes~ I would recommend this one!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Profile Image for scarlettraces.
3,098 reviews20 followers
January 4, 2022
(3.5) Sweet. May need more salt.

--- series review

Pros: it's sweet and wholesome while still managing believable (if not particularly realistic) beats. Ran and Akira do indeed want to do more than kiss.

The art is skilled and the mangaka's care and affection shine through. It's pretty. There's lots of flowers.

Cons: not a lot happens. Really. Not a lot.

Read if: you're looking for sweetness and light over a satisfying number of vols. This one goes to 10.

Avoid if: you're looking for that endearingly weird ensemble cast (me. I'm always looking for endearingly weird. Sadly not everyone can be Robico.)
Profile Image for Rereader.
1,444 reviews207 followers
June 16, 2022
Even though there was nothing technically wrong with it, I didn't really care about the main leads or their budding relationship. I liked how wholesome it was and the art complimented the more romantic scenes perfectly, but I just felt nothing while reading it. I know this is a harsh score to give something that was inoffensive, but I can't ignore how bored I was reading it and can't count the number of times I put it down. Others will love this, I'm sure, but it didn't do anything for me.
Profile Image for Jillian -always aspiring-.
1,870 reviews534 followers
June 25, 2019
THIS WAS SO GOOD. I had all the feels, comparable to how I felt when I first started Kimi ni Todoke. I recommend this one if you love the trope of friends-to-lovers in a high school setting. I can’t wait to see where Ran and Akira go from here!
Profile Image for Brianna Jo♡.
123 reviews49 followers
September 20, 2021
A story about flowers...and the power of flowers to bring people together. This volume was too cute. Very refreshing. Zero drama so far. Relaxing to read. Both characters, Ran and Akira have charm in their own way. The art style is so so pretty and each panel is drawn with care (you can tell). I really like flowers, and flower symbolism so this was something I totally didn't expect. Gauging from the summary, I didn't realize flowers were going to be so instrumental in the plot line but I'm glad they are. It's so adorable like every chapter ends with an info card about the flower talked about throughout the chapter and everything. Ammitsu did a wonderful job! I'm looking forward to reading volume 2 and the entire series for that matter! :)
Profile Image for Mariána  K.
874 reviews1 follower
October 5, 2024
Average girl meets boy story

The story's not very original, I feel like it's been done over and over again in other series. The characters are sweet though. Basically a girl meets boy type of story. The main character is a girl who is basically put up on a pedestal by all her peers because she gets really good grades, is athletic, is attractive... But she seems kind of aloof probably because she doesn't know how to interact with people very well. Kind of reminds me of "komi can't communicate" or "Kimi no todoki". The male love interest is a boy who grew up with his family running a flower shop and doesn't want his classmates to know that he's into flowers. That's about as sophisticated as the story gets. It's just boy meets girl or girl meets boy. It's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't inspire me to read the next volume in particular.
Profile Image for Liss.
90 reviews2 followers
April 11, 2022
Ein wirklich wunderschöner Shojo Manga! Ich liebe Ran und Akira! Ihre Beziehung zueinander ist einfach so wundervoll und diese Atmosphäre im Manga macht mich einfach glücklich! Besonders toll finde ich die Zeichnungen der Blumen und wie die Bedeutung dieser in die Geschichte verwoben sind. Es macht einfach nur Spaß die Reihe zu lesen und ich werde sie weiterhin verfolgen🥰
Profile Image for Hisgirl85.
2,397 reviews52 followers
March 30, 2019
4.5 to near 5 stars. This was just so pretty and sweet. I loved all the flowers and both main characters.
Profile Image for Kat7177.
145 reviews
December 22, 2019
4.5
This is a warm and lovely start to a story. It's difficult to find shojo manga for my taste (I am quite picky haha). The main characters Ran and Akira are just so sweet! Additionally, I especially like the information provided on the meanings of the different types of flowers; it links well to each situation within the various chapters. On the topic of flowers, the art is pretty with attention to its flower details. It is just a shame this is only available on digital but I guess we have to make do :)
Profile Image for LaPommequirougit.
1,261 reviews51 followers
July 9, 2019
https://lapommequirougit.com/2019/07/...

Ran est une jeune lycéenne, vu comme une magnifique fleur aux yeux de tous les autres. Ils la considèrent comme parfaite, intouchable. D’excellentes notes, jolie comme tout, tout pour plaire. Le souci, est que par conséquent, aucun garçon n’ose l’aborder, alors qu’au fond d’elle, elle rêve d’expérimenter l’amour. Un jour, par erreur, elle arrose Saeki, un garçon de sa classe. Étonnement, il ne réagit pas comme les autres, il est détendu en sa présence, ce qui la perturbe beaucoup. Alors qu’un jour elle se rend chez un fleuriste à la demande de sa mère, elle se rend compte que Saeki y travaille, afin d’aider son père. Il ne veut pas que ça se sache, il veut rester un garçon « viril ». Il lui demande alors de ne rien dire.

Je suis complètement devenue folle de ce livre et surtout de Saeki qui est trop mignon ! L’histoire et les dessins sont tout mignons. Je suis touchée en plein cœur. Tout comme Ran, je suis tombée sous le charme de la gentillesse de Saeki. On ressent que Ran voudrait être une fille comme les autres, elle n’aime pas ce statut de « parfaite », « d’intouchable », que les autres ont érigé autour d’elle. Elle n’est pas exigeante, elle cherche seulement à connaître les mêmes émois qu’une adolescente de son âge. Au travers de Saeki, elle va justement découvrir ce que c’est de se sentir normal. Pour une fois, un garçon ose lui parler. Il ne tremble pas et n’a pas peur, il est calme en sa présence, comme si tout cela était tout à fait normal et ça la rend heureuse.

Jardin secret est vraiment prometteur. C’est un Shôjo tout doux. Si vous osez ouvrir ce manga vous y découvrirez la signification des fleurs, leurs beautés. Vous tomberez sur un joli shôjo, qui vous charmera à coup sûr. Puis, si comme moi, vous aimez les beaux sourires et les personnes gentilles comme tout, vous deviendrez complètement dingue de Saeki !
Profile Image for Lectrice-lambda.
434 reviews8 followers
August 7, 2019
GROS COUP DE COEUR pour ce manga qui est une vraie surprise !
Des dessins magnifiques, une histoire touchante, des personnages tendres. On est loin des clichés des shojos classiques et j'ai adoré.
Profile Image for Scythe Rowan.
593 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2022
Der Manga ist recht seichte Unterhaltung. Das Zusammenspiel der Charaktere ist zwar süß, aber sie waren recht flach (wirkliche Schwächen und negativen Charaktereigenschaften haben sie nicht) und haben stellenweise eine recht widersprüchliche Charakterisation- einerseits soll Ran so kurzsichtig sein, dass sie am anderen Ende des Klassenzimmers nicht lesen kann, was auf der Tafel steht, andererseits trägt sie nie eine Brille (es wird übrigens extra darauf hingewiesen, dass sie keine Kontaktlinsen hat) und abseits von der einen Szene, in der ihre Kurzsichtigkeit offenbart wird, hat sie plötzlich keine Probleme mehr mit ihrer Sehkraft...
Profile Image for Maud (Books and Meteors).
91 reviews3 followers
April 24, 2019
Une jolie lecture tout en douceur qui reprend les codes du shojo sans tomber dans le cliché niais. J'aime l'importance que prennent les fleurs dans l'histoire ainsi que l'initiation aux langages des fleurs que l'on peut retrouver au fil des pages et aussi à chaque fin de chapitre. Bref, j'ai lu ce premier tome avec un grand sourire dessiné sur les lèvres.
1,054 reviews7 followers
April 21, 2019
Un gros coup de cœur ! Un pur manga feel-good qui aborde la thématique du jardinage. J'ai trouvé cela très original. Cela change de la romance classique que l'on peut voir habituellement dans les shôjo mangas.

A lire absolument !
Profile Image for Emilie.
101 reviews4 followers
May 19, 2019
Shojo classique dans la trame. J’aime beaucoup le récit qui tourne autour des fleurs. C’est mignon, feel -good, ça se lit tout seul.
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