What do you think?
Rate this book
こどものおもちゃ [Kodomo no Omocha] #6
Kodocha: Sana's Stage, Vol. 06
Take one young actress used to getting her way, add a handful of ruthless bullies, some humorous twists, and a plastic toy hammer, and you've got the recipe for one crazy story Kodocha follows the antics of Sana, a spoiled 11-year-old TV star, and Hayama, a 6th grade Machiavelli who terrorizes both his teachers and his classmates. In their classroom war of wills, Sana and Hayama find there is more to both of them than meets the eye.
184 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 1997
7 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Miho Obana
45 books114 followersMiho Obana ( 小花美穂, born April 26, 1970) is a shōjo manga artist born in Tokyo, Japan.
She began her manga career as an assistant to Momoko Sakura, creator of Chibi Maruko-chan. She debuted in 1990 with the (one-shot manga) Mado no Mukō, which was published in the autumn 1990 issue of Ribon Bikkuri. Soon, stories from her started appearing in Ribon Original and in the regular Ribon magazine too.
Other notable manga by Miho Obana include Kodomo no Omocha (10 volumes, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1998; the official English title is Kodocha), Partner, (3 volumes) and Andante (3 volumes). Partner is especially noted for its dark, mature, and almost disturbing tone, which is very rare in a Ribon series.
Her most recent manga is Honey Bitter, which has run in Cookie since February 2004. Also in 2004, she made a foray into the world of josei manga, writing several manga for the josei magazine Chorus. She has been on maternity leave for the past year, but will be returning soon, as Honey Bitter is expected to start up again in the Dec. 26 issue of Cookie.
Other works include Mizu no Yakata; a spin-off of Kodocha, Neko no Shima, Pochi, Setsunai ne, and Shiranami no Gensō.
She began her manga career as an assistant to Momoko Sakura, creator of Chibi Maruko-chan. She debuted in 1990 with the (one-shot manga) Mado no Mukō, which was published in the autumn 1990 issue of Ribon Bikkuri. Soon, stories from her started appearing in Ribon Original and in the regular Ribon magazine too.
Other notable manga by Miho Obana include Kodomo no Omocha (10 volumes, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1998; the official English title is Kodocha), Partner, (3 volumes) and Andante (3 volumes). Partner is especially noted for its dark, mature, and almost disturbing tone, which is very rare in a Ribon series.
Her most recent manga is Honey Bitter, which has run in Cookie since February 2004. Also in 2004, she made a foray into the world of josei manga, writing several manga for the josei magazine Chorus. She has been on maternity leave for the past year, but will be returning soon, as Honey Bitter is expected to start up again in the Dec. 26 issue of Cookie.
Other works include Mizu no Yakata; a spin-off of Kodocha, Neko no Shima, Pochi, Setsunai ne, and Shiranami no Gensō.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 23, 2022
I think i am gonna have a heart attack! That cliffhanger! Akito Hayama demanding Sana to tell him about her feelings for him,ahhhhh my heart just can`t take this!
March 3, 2013
~3.5/5
[Also available on my blog.]
So, Naozumi was rightfully pissed at the girls for beating Sana up, but she stops him from hitting them. Sana screamed, so everyone else comes running to see what happened, and Rei immediately takes Sana to the doctor. Turns out those jerks cracked her leg, but she refuses to quit the film. Her legs hurts, and isn’t healing very well because of her constant use of it, and she ends up having to take a few days off from filming, making her feel depressed and useless.
She wants to show up those girls, prove that she can do it despite their hurting her and hate. Her mother immediately flies in upon hearing that something has happened to her daughter, and she succeeds in making her feel better. From there, Sana does pretty well, until they have to set the house on fire for the last scene and Sana has to come outside of the house.
This is crazy, and throughout it, I kept thinking about what their interviews could have been like, what with them saying how crazy and secluded and dangerous the filming was. But anyway, her getting out with a hurt leg doesn’t work out quite as well as it should have, and she almost gives up twice, but it does work out in the end, and the last scene turns out perfect. The cast and crew celebrate, and Sana has one last talk with the girls who beat her up. I am glad that there wasn’t a big lesson-learning moment with the bullies, and that it showed us that Sana wasn’t just going to let it slide. She joked a bit, as she usually does, but she also got serious and didn’t just brush it off; she was mad about it, but she wasn’t going to make it a big thing. Instead, she wanted to show them up with the movie.
Then they all go home and do the rest of the filming on a set.
Sometime through all this, Naozumi confesses and Sana is forced to say no, and they say they’ll still be friends, and they are. Back home, her friends see an article and hear from the boy Sana told, that she’s going out with Naozumi, and they believe it. Akito is obviously upset and gets all moody. Fuka, seeing her chance, asks him to be her boyfriend, and he says yes.
Sana finds out and she’s devastated, and has to fess up to the fact that she loves him. When she finally goes back to school, though, she acts as normal as she can. She gets along with Fuka just fine, is a little awkward around Akito, who has grown four (or two?) inches while she was gone, and who’s voice has gotten deeper.
Sana hangs out with her friends, AkitoandFuka and TsuyoshiandAya, where she finds out that her friends believe she’s going out with Naozumi. She tries not to show how upset she is, but this news crushes her and she excuses herself and runs off. Akito chases after her, but she slaps him and he goes back. At first, I thought she overreacted, and for their part, they weren’t able to get ahold of her and ask, but she did get beat up because of those rumors, so she has her reason for being upset about it.
Fuka asks Akito what this changes, and while I don’t like them going out, I do respect him for responding that it doesn’t change anything because he’s going out with her. Then, in an interview, Naozumi says that Sana turned him down because she likes someone else, and gives a hint of who it is. A hint that only Akito and Sana would understand, so of course Akito sees it and finds out. (After she hears this, Sana charges over to see Naozumi, where they have a small fight, because she’s upset he let out her secret, and he tells her that he’s a little hurt by her rejection. I found his hurt feelings made sense, and liked that it was brought a bit of attention.)
She tries avoiding Akito, but the volume ends with him asking her to tell him if she likes him or not. Horrible ending. I have the feeling that they’re going to get interrupted or she’s going to lie or something, which won’t be nice.
There’s also a short story about when Akito was little, and how his sister hated him and how he first turned spiteful and mean because of some miscommunication and mean words from his sister. The ending was good, though, and overall I just love seeing little Akito. He was so adorable when he was younger.
Now, onto the next volume.
Sidenote: The cover. It really bothers me that this is the cover for volume 6 and not 5, since she's holding up 5 fingers. I feel like it would make more since for it to be the cover of volume 5. Is that just me? Or do other people think so as well?
[Also available on my blog.]
So, Naozumi was rightfully pissed at the girls for beating Sana up, but she stops him from hitting them. Sana screamed, so everyone else comes running to see what happened, and Rei immediately takes Sana to the doctor. Turns out those jerks cracked her leg, but she refuses to quit the film. Her legs hurts, and isn’t healing very well because of her constant use of it, and she ends up having to take a few days off from filming, making her feel depressed and useless.
She wants to show up those girls, prove that she can do it despite their hurting her and hate. Her mother immediately flies in upon hearing that something has happened to her daughter, and she succeeds in making her feel better. From there, Sana does pretty well, until they have to set the house on fire for the last scene and Sana has to come outside of the house.
This is crazy, and throughout it, I kept thinking about what their interviews could have been like, what with them saying how crazy and secluded and dangerous the filming was. But anyway, her getting out with a hurt leg doesn’t work out quite as well as it should have, and she almost gives up twice, but it does work out in the end, and the last scene turns out perfect. The cast and crew celebrate, and Sana has one last talk with the girls who beat her up. I am glad that there wasn’t a big lesson-learning moment with the bullies, and that it showed us that Sana wasn’t just going to let it slide. She joked a bit, as she usually does, but she also got serious and didn’t just brush it off; she was mad about it, but she wasn’t going to make it a big thing. Instead, she wanted to show them up with the movie.
Then they all go home and do the rest of the filming on a set.
Sometime through all this, Naozumi confesses and Sana is forced to say no, and they say they’ll still be friends, and they are. Back home, her friends see an article and hear from the boy Sana told, that she’s going out with Naozumi, and they believe it. Akito is obviously upset and gets all moody. Fuka, seeing her chance, asks him to be her boyfriend, and he says yes.
Sana finds out and she’s devastated, and has to fess up to the fact that she loves him. When she finally goes back to school, though, she acts as normal as she can. She gets along with Fuka just fine, is a little awkward around Akito, who has grown four (or two?) inches while she was gone, and who’s voice has gotten deeper.
Sana hangs out with her friends, AkitoandFuka and TsuyoshiandAya, where she finds out that her friends believe she’s going out with Naozumi. She tries not to show how upset she is, but this news crushes her and she excuses herself and runs off. Akito chases after her, but she slaps him and he goes back. At first, I thought she overreacted, and for their part, they weren’t able to get ahold of her and ask, but she did get beat up because of those rumors, so she has her reason for being upset about it.
Fuka asks Akito what this changes, and while I don’t like them going out, I do respect him for responding that it doesn’t change anything because he’s going out with her. Then, in an interview, Naozumi says that Sana turned him down because she likes someone else, and gives a hint of who it is. A hint that only Akito and Sana would understand, so of course Akito sees it and finds out. (After she hears this, Sana charges over to see Naozumi, where they have a small fight, because she’s upset he let out her secret, and he tells her that he’s a little hurt by her rejection. I found his hurt feelings made sense, and liked that it was brought a bit of attention.)
She tries avoiding Akito, but the volume ends with him asking her to tell him if she likes him or not. Horrible ending. I have the feeling that they’re going to get interrupted or she’s going to lie or something, which won’t be nice.
There’s also a short story about when Akito was little, and how his sister hated him and how he first turned spiteful and mean because of some miscommunication and mean words from his sister. The ending was good, though, and overall I just love seeing little Akito. He was so adorable when he was younger.
Now, onto the next volume.
Sidenote: The cover. It really bothers me that this is the cover for volume 6 and not 5, since she's holding up 5 fingers. I feel like it would make more since for it to be the cover of volume 5. Is that just me? Or do other people think so as well?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2010
ohmyy, this volume is super exciting ! :DD
Sana came back from movie-shooting knowing that Hayama is suddenly dating Fuuka! She's so surprised by that news and sad at the same time (even though she doesn't want to admit it). Everybody at school also thinks that Sana is dating Naozumi because of the article in the magazine.
But Naozumi suddenly said something on TV that shocks both Sana and Hayama!!! I'm going to read the next one now. :):)
Sana came back from movie-shooting knowing that Hayama is suddenly dating Fuuka! She's so surprised by that news and sad at the same time (even though she doesn't want to admit it). Everybody at school also thinks that Sana is dating Naozumi because of the article in the magazine.
But Naozumi suddenly said something on TV that shocks both Sana and Hayama!!! I'm going to read the next one now. :):)
January 14, 2016
The bonus chapter "An Egg Full of Thorns" was so cute in this!
November 16, 2016
Finally. C'mon, let's go. Get together already dangit.
October 25, 2017
I've just read three books in a couple of hours. I love this series. Each book keeps getting better and better.
December 4, 2020
Ho acquistato tutta la collana di “Rossana” durante il periodo dell’adolescenza (in quanto da bambina apprezzavo il cartone), ma poi, inevitabilmente, sono rimasti ad ingiallire in libreria. Li sto leggendo pian piano, perché, ordinariamente, non mi piace abbandonare nulla.
Questo volume mi è piaciuto abbastanza, in quanto segna la svolta nella relazione tra Rossana ed Erik (sì, continuo a chiamarli con i nomi con cui compaiono nel cartone, quelli del manga mi confondono).
Non apprezzo invece i trafiletti a margine con varie considerazioni dell’autrice e, soprattutto, i continui riferimenti di natura sessuale, che trovo inopportuni, soprattutto considerando l’utenza alla quale il manga si rivolge.
Questo volume mi è piaciuto abbastanza, in quanto segna la svolta nella relazione tra Rossana ed Erik (sì, continuo a chiamarli con i nomi con cui compaiono nel cartone, quelli del manga mi confondono).
Non apprezzo invece i trafiletti a margine con varie considerazioni dell’autrice e, soprattutto, i continui riferimenti di natura sessuale, che trovo inopportuni, soprattutto considerando l’utenza alla quale il manga si rivolge.
December 22, 2022
the nerve of those girls to show up after giving sana a fracture,, do they not have any dignity lmao??
also, i rlly like the pacing of the story! it feels vry natural to me , tho i do wonder if we’ll see the characters all grown eventually?
“Enjoy [yourself] even under adversity.”
also, i rlly like the pacing of the story! it feels vry natural to me , tho i do wonder if we’ll see the characters all grown eventually?
“Enjoy [yourself] even under adversity.”
September 24, 2020
喜歡附錄短篇
然後呀，這本的簡介跟內容實在搭不太上耶...
然後呀，這本的簡介跟內容實在搭不太上耶...
August 9, 2022
"Vivi divertendoti, soprattutto nei momenti di difficoltà."
April 23, 2024
I want these two 7th graders to be together RIGHT NOW. lol. I do wish that the characters were a little older in this series though
January 6, 2025
GIRL I CRIED WTF😭😭😭😭
May 11, 2025
what a volume this was
January 7, 2016
Hhh.... as I expected since the beginning, itu cewek baru bakal jadi sumber masalah kisah cinta segitiga *rolling eyes*
Hayama bodoh!! -_- *sebel*
Udah mulai gak demen nih saya cerita yg beginian, makanya bintangnya berkurang.
Tapi mungkin ada bagusnya buat ngasih sedikit pelajaran ke Hayama, yg mana dia harus ngerti bahwa perasaan itu perlu ditunjukkan terutama dgn kata-kata. Lihat.. kalau cuma kode-kodean kan repot kan jadinya? Timbul kesalah pahaman *sigh*
Tapi sedih... mau nangis bacanya.... karena aku bisa ngerti sih bagaimana perasaan Sana, Hayama, Fuka, dan cowok yg satu itu.... ^^; Sebenarnya nggak ada yg bisa disalahin dari mereka. Begitu lah cinta.. huhuhu...
Hayama bodoh!! -_- *sebel*
Udah mulai gak demen nih saya cerita yg beginian, makanya bintangnya berkurang.
Tapi mungkin ada bagusnya buat ngasih sedikit pelajaran ke Hayama, yg mana dia harus ngerti bahwa perasaan itu perlu ditunjukkan terutama dgn kata-kata. Lihat.. kalau cuma kode-kodean kan repot kan jadinya? Timbul kesalah pahaman *sigh*
Tapi sedih... mau nangis bacanya.... karena aku bisa ngerti sih bagaimana perasaan Sana, Hayama, Fuka, dan cowok yg satu itu.... ^^; Sebenarnya nggak ada yg bisa disalahin dari mereka. Begitu lah cinta.. huhuhu...
July 10, 2023
La mia recensione sarà identica per tutti i volumi di questa serie manga.
Sono veramente stupendi, l'anime è identico per moltissimi aspetti, cambia solo verso la fine, dato che almeno in Italia il finale è stato censurato.
Tornando ai volumi devo ammettere che li ho divorati.
Sono molto scorrevoli e pertanto li consiglio veramente tanto!!
L'intreccio che si crea tra Sana, Heric, Charles e Alyssa è un qualcosa di stupendo essendo dedicato principalmente verso un pubblico giovane.
Sono veramente stupendi, l'anime è identico per moltissimi aspetti, cambia solo verso la fine, dato che almeno in Italia il finale è stato censurato.
Tornando ai volumi devo ammettere che li ho divorati.
Sono molto scorrevoli e pertanto li consiglio veramente tanto!!
L'intreccio che si crea tra Sana, Heric, Charles e Alyssa è un qualcosa di stupendo essendo dedicato principalmente verso un pubblico giovane.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2012
She's only twelve, but I like her professionalism towards her work. She does so much even though she was beaten up by jealous fans, continued working despite a fractured bone and had to deal with stupid sensationalist journalists!
June 16, 2013
I soo loved this manga. I loved the art though it looked pretty much old for today’s generation. I loved the story. I laughed, became sad and even shed one to four drops of tears haha. I really enjoyed it!!
April 15, 2011
It keeps on track! I¡ll finish it when I'd had time... but my schedule stinks!!! xDD
Read
August 5, 2011What a cute and funny little series! :D I enjoyed reading this, though I was out of the target age group by the time I got to it.
February 5, 2014
This volume is so intense!! I really love this manga! Can't wait to begin the next one! :)
July 9, 2021
Mi piacciono i volumi pieni di angst!! Questo e quello precedente hanno degli ottimi sviluppi nella trama. Molto carina anche la breve storia finale sulla famiglia Hayama.
January 14, 2020
Questa mattina ho divorato in poche ore sia il volume 6 che 7! Non riuscivo a smettere di leggere anche se conoscevo la storia
July 19, 2020
這集的結尾實在讓人太想繼續看下去了！但我又要出門了啊啊啊，只好把mooink Pro帶出門了……（本來是想帶kindle看碟形世界的）。
December 24, 2025
Excellent one as always, it really picked up in the second half.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews