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Pita-Ten Light Novels #1
Pita-Ten Vol. 1
Higuchi Kotarou is just a normal sixth grader—until an insanely perky angel named Misha moves in next door! Misha makes it her life’s work to make Kotarou happy so she can pass her angel exams. In the meantime, Kotarou also has to cope with Misha’s freaky roommates: a kind-hearted demon and her mysterious black cat.
Pita-Ten is a bestselling manga series in the US, published by Tokyopop. It is a hit franchise in Japan, that has enjoyed tremendous success as a manga and anime in North America. Seven Seas is delighted to introduce the Pita-Ten light novel series to a North American audience.
380 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 13, 2024
I picked this up on a whim for $3 at a used bookstore, but I found out when I got home that it was a spinoff. Unshaken, I decided to simply put it on hold while I watched the 26 episode anime. It just got better and better and became one of my favorite series. Shortly after the finale, I went back to my bookshelf and picked this book up again and I can confidently say it is one of the best books I have ever read.
It is a collection of backstories for the main characters, and they were all done so well that they almost transcend the main series. The amount of emotion packed in this light novel is palpable. I have never had so much fun reading. Even though I couldn't read it immediately after I bought it, it was worth the extra steps to enjoy such a decadent dish.
It is a collection of backstories for the main characters, and they were all done so well that they almost transcend the main series. The amount of emotion packed in this light novel is palpable. I have never had so much fun reading. Even though I couldn't read it immediately after I bought it, it was worth the extra steps to enjoy such a decadent dish.
December 15, 2022
Tengo 2, pero no recuerdo si leí el 2° vol por lo cual solo subo este.
March 17, 2018
Pita-Ten Volume 1, a light novel based on the manga series of the same title, is really a collection of prequel short stories. Each one focuses on different characters, and each one is independent of the others. And in true Pita-Ten fashion, it follows the "off-the-wall-humor that makes little-to-no sense followed by despair" formula that the manga specialized in.
This is not a good entry into the Pita-Ten universe, so if you haven't read at least a couple volumes of the manga, you should go looking at those first. Not that you'll be able to find any of these. The series has long been out of print in the US.
Some of the short stories were better than others, so I'm going to break my review up by the different tales.
Prologue/Epilogue (AKA "the framing story"): This doesn't serve much purpose. It sort of introduces the characters involved, but really, this could be skipped and the only jokes that would be missing are Misha's bad cooking and the godlike cooking skills of Shia. 3/5 stars because it was short, but amusing.
How to Make Friends: This story centers on how Kotarou, Koboshi, and Takashi became friends. It's meandering and encompasses a time frame of at least a year, so it wears a little thin at points. It was tooth-achingly sweet and cute at first, even if I'm not entirely convinced these characters are in Kindergarten like it says (of course, I've never been convinced these characters were only 6th graders either, so there you go). Then there was the "Oh yeah, we need to make you cry now" section of the story, and it did make me cry. Then it eventually got to a resolution of a sort. 3.5/5 because while the idea was good, it should have been a little tighter on the writing. It got really slow in parts.
How to Laugh It Up in Heaven: It's a bit weird to say that the Misha story was more focused than the Kotarou one. It has a definite beginning, middle, and end. It has character development. It doesn't introduce important characters in the last 30 pages. It has a clear goal from the start. It's a good mix of sweet, silly, and serious. I did get tired of the "su" at the end of all of Misha's sentences, though. It's a hold over from the Japanese where she (according to the Wiki) would say "su" instead of "desu," a childlike way of speaking, but with all the baby talk that's already in there, it's a bit much and was probably only left in because of the Tokyopop translation. 4/5 stars
How to Meet People in the Human World: This one, though not as clear in its goal, was also well-laid-out like the Misha story. This one focuses on Shia in her first days on Earth. She ends up living with a family who has just lost the mother/wife, and ends up getting so much love that another family member gets jealous. It's semi-sweet like the Misha story, a little less silly, but probably one of my favorites. Then again, I've always been a fan of Shia. 4.5/5
How to Defeat Your Rivals: Yuck. I've never liked Hiroshi. After all the sad, sweet, slightly serious stories, I think this was meant to be a pallet cleanser of batshit insanity, but it stuck out like a sore thumb. I found myself face-palming more than I was laughing, and I had to set it aside a few times even though this story is so short. Way to ruin things, Hiroshi. 1/5
The artwork is full of sparkles and warm fuzzies. It's like if you could distill that Sound of Music song, "A Few of my Favorite Things." Well, except for the Hiroshi chapter. That art is just... Hiroshi. Blech.
So all in all, worth a read if you enjoyed Pita-Ten the manga. If you can find it anyway.
This is not a good entry into the Pita-Ten universe, so if you haven't read at least a couple volumes of the manga, you should go looking at those first. Not that you'll be able to find any of these. The series has long been out of print in the US.
Some of the short stories were better than others, so I'm going to break my review up by the different tales.
Prologue/Epilogue (AKA "the framing story"): This doesn't serve much purpose. It sort of introduces the characters involved, but really, this could be skipped and the only jokes that would be missing are Misha's bad cooking and the godlike cooking skills of Shia. 3/5 stars because it was short, but amusing.
How to Make Friends: This story centers on how Kotarou, Koboshi, and Takashi became friends. It's meandering and encompasses a time frame of at least a year, so it wears a little thin at points. It was tooth-achingly sweet and cute at first, even if I'm not entirely convinced these characters are in Kindergarten like it says (of course, I've never been convinced these characters were only 6th graders either, so there you go). Then there was the "Oh yeah, we need to make you cry now" section of the story, and it did make me cry. Then it eventually got to a resolution of a sort. 3.5/5 because while the idea was good, it should have been a little tighter on the writing. It got really slow in parts.
How to Laugh It Up in Heaven: It's a bit weird to say that the Misha story was more focused than the Kotarou one. It has a definite beginning, middle, and end. It has character development. It doesn't introduce important characters in the last 30 pages. It has a clear goal from the start. It's a good mix of sweet, silly, and serious. I did get tired of the "su" at the end of all of Misha's sentences, though. It's a hold over from the Japanese where she (according to the Wiki) would say "su" instead of "desu," a childlike way of speaking, but with all the baby talk that's already in there, it's a bit much and was probably only left in because of the Tokyopop translation. 4/5 stars
How to Meet People in the Human World: This one, though not as clear in its goal, was also well-laid-out like the Misha story. This one focuses on Shia in her first days on Earth. She ends up living with a family who has just lost the mother/wife, and ends up getting so much love that another family member gets jealous. It's semi-sweet like the Misha story, a little less silly, but probably one of my favorites. Then again, I've always been a fan of Shia. 4.5/5
How to Defeat Your Rivals: Yuck. I've never liked Hiroshi. After all the sad, sweet, slightly serious stories, I think this was meant to be a pallet cleanser of batshit insanity, but it stuck out like a sore thumb. I found myself face-palming more than I was laughing, and I had to set it aside a few times even though this story is so short. Way to ruin things, Hiroshi. 1/5
The artwork is full of sparkles and warm fuzzies. It's like if you could distill that Sound of Music song, "A Few of my Favorite Things." Well, except for the Hiroshi chapter. That art is just... Hiroshi. Blech.
So all in all, worth a read if you enjoyed Pita-Ten the manga. If you can find it anyway.
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November 4, 2013I loved this series, but for this book spisificly, this book was a joy to read and I have many reasons why!
Firsty: I love the idea! It is so uneek, and different. I always had a smile on my face when reading this! (spoilers! that will soon change when you find yourself hitting the deepressing wall the comes out of no were and takes you by suprise so be warned! but that means it only gets better!) They took a simple idea
Firsty: I love the idea! It is so uneek, and different. I always had a smile on my face when reading this! (spoilers! that will soon change when you find yourself hitting the deepressing wall the comes out of no were and takes you by suprise so be warned! but that means it only gets better!) They took a simple idea
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2008
This was a very quick, cute, and enjoyable read. It's perfect for people who have read the Pita-Ten manga, but if you haven't.. I highly recommend that you do before you pick up the novels. The first novel features nothing but past stories of the characters, so reading this book is alright without reading the manga, but any further installments require that you've read the manga.
May 13, 2008
Great start to a great manga. It was fun to read all of them. Fun, giggly angel follows a boy, what could happen? =]
June 22, 2013
Okay, so, this was ridiculously pure-hearted and lovely. Quick read, and it just makes you feel good.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews