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こどものおもちゃ [Kodomo no Omocha] #2
Kodocha: Sana's Stage, Vol. 02
12-year old Sana Kurata is used to getting what she wants - even in love. Ever since she hired her manager, a man 10 years her senior who she calls her "gigalo," she thought it was true love. When Rei shows his feelings for a woman his own age, Sana realizes that Rei's feelings for her are anything but romantic. Sana has romantic problems at school, too, as now former-bully Hayama and mama's boy Tsuyoshi are vying for her affections.
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
201 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.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 22, 2022
This volume is dear to my heart as well, and we also see how hard it really is for Sana to tackle her job and school work. Poor girl is getting exhausted. I am however also glad that she realized her relationship with her manager was only a thing in her head. She fussed over him like you do with a toy and she lets him go to be with the woman he loves.Ahhh Sana.You`re growing up. Hope she soon realizes the blue eyed Akito Hayama is there...always there. Waiting for her patiently.
March 3, 2023
The second volume in one of my favorite manga series! In this book, we get to watch Akito Hayama fall for Sana. Now that she has improved his family life, he feels very grateful to her. But he's still not completely tamed from being the bad boy! On a class field trip, he steals a kiss from Sana, which throws her into emotional turmoil, to put it lightly. Akito then goes on a quest to take down his two rivals in love, Tsuyoshi and Rei. Tsuyoshi, Akito's best friend, has liked Sana for a while, but it doesn't take a whole lot to get him to like a different girl in the class. And when Akito finds out that Sana has an innocent crush on her twenty-year-old manager, Rei (she's a TV star), he works to convince Sana that Rei doesn't see her as being a woman--just a little girl. At first she doesn't believe him, but then when Rei's high school sweet heart, Asako Kurumi, comes back into the picture, Sana's mom decides it's time to put some sense into her daughter, telling her she's being childish. A heartbroken and humiliated Sana runs away from home, planning to never return. Akito happens to be in town buying something when he sees her run by. He catches up to her, and is startled to see that she's crying. In a gesture that's very unlike him, he listens to her problem and tries to help her, albeit in his own, strange way! :D Finally, he gets Sana to go home. But before they part, she asks him, "Why did you kiss me? I just can't stop thinking about it." To which Akito replies, "Because I don't hate you." Sana leaves feeling more confused than ever.
Later, Sana is finally getting over her crush on Rei, when she runs into Akito's father, who is out buying sushi for the family. He tells her that the last time he got sushi, he asked Akito if he liked it, to which he replied, "I don't hate it."
"And that means he loves it!" says Mr. Hayama with a smile. Understanding slowly dawns on Sana. "Akito likes me...?" She starts to freak out. Later that night, she gets a phone call from Akito. She nervously answers it, only to find out that he's calling to tell her his dad is in the hospital from overwork. Sana rushes over to the hospital and ends up comforting the reformed bully, who looks vulnerable for the first time. Luckily, Mr. Hayama turns out to be all right (he had a stomach ulcer) and everything ends up well. But Sana learns several important lessons in this volume--"Me and Hayama may act mature, but without our parents, we're really lost;" "Even though we fight all the time, Hayama and I really are there for each other when times are tough;" and "Sometimes it's better not to give someone a false dream when you know they'll just discover the truth later."
It all sounds extremely dramatic, but the whole story is told very tongue-in-cheek, with laughs and zany jokes at every turn! I am so in love with these wonderful, unique, funny characters, and the relationship slowly unfolding between Akito and Sana is so fun to watch.
Later, Sana is finally getting over her crush on Rei, when she runs into Akito's father, who is out buying sushi for the family. He tells her that the last time he got sushi, he asked Akito if he liked it, to which he replied, "I don't hate it."
"And that means he loves it!" says Mr. Hayama with a smile. Understanding slowly dawns on Sana. "Akito likes me...?" She starts to freak out. Later that night, she gets a phone call from Akito. She nervously answers it, only to find out that he's calling to tell her his dad is in the hospital from overwork. Sana rushes over to the hospital and ends up comforting the reformed bully, who looks vulnerable for the first time. Luckily, Mr. Hayama turns out to be all right (he had a stomach ulcer) and everything ends up well. But Sana learns several important lessons in this volume--"Me and Hayama may act mature, but without our parents, we're really lost;" "Even though we fight all the time, Hayama and I really are there for each other when times are tough;" and "Sometimes it's better not to give someone a false dream when you know they'll just discover the truth later."
It all sounds extremely dramatic, but the whole story is told very tongue-in-cheek, with laughs and zany jokes at every turn! I am so in love with these wonderful, unique, funny characters, and the relationship slowly unfolding between Akito and Sana is so fun to watch.
December 13, 2018
I LOVE IT!
Read
September 3, 20243.25!
Chica de verdad nunca sé x donde me va a salir este manga.
Me alegro de que hayan cerrado ya lo del Rei porque me estaba empezando a incomodar (?) un poco y lo del amigo me temo lo peor.
Chica de verdad nunca sé x donde me va a salir este manga.
Me alegro de que hayan cerrado ya lo del Rei porque me estaba empezando a incomodar (?) un poco y lo del amigo me temo lo peor.
October 21, 2021
FINITO ANCHE QUESTO VOLUME.
MOLTO DIVERSO RISPETTO ALL'ANIME.
SI, CI SONO DELLE SCENE ICONICHE CHE MIODDIOO IL MIO CUORE 🥺
SCOPRIAMO ANCHE MOLTO SULLA STORIA FAMILIARE DI SANA.
INSOMMA, BELLISSIMO ❤
MOLTO DIVERSO RISPETTO ALL'ANIME.
SI, CI SONO DELLE SCENE ICONICHE CHE MIODDIOO IL MIO CUORE 🥺
SCOPRIAMO ANCHE MOLTO SULLA STORIA FAMILIARE DI SANA.
INSOMMA, BELLISSIMO ❤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2022
the mom listening in on sei’s conversation💀💀 also i like him w/ his glasses LOL
alright, hayama grew on me. i have adopted him. he is my precious son now. along with hayama, i also grew fond of the other characs, especially sana! she’s a great MC to follow around, and i love the way she approaches many issues—-some showing her maturity, others reminding us that she’s still a child.
im glad to see that whole manager arc resolved, tho i believe her mother should have told her of the situation beforehand. some things may be better to hear when you’re older (i did like that quote!) but there’s certain matters that aren’t…this being one of them ajdjjdjd.
alright, hayama grew on me. i have adopted him. he is my precious son now. along with hayama, i also grew fond of the other characs, especially sana! she’s a great MC to follow around, and i love the way she approaches many issues—-some showing her maturity, others reminding us that she’s still a child.
im glad to see that whole manager arc resolved, tho i believe her mother should have told her of the situation beforehand. some things may be better to hear when you’re older (i did like that quote!) but there’s certain matters that aren’t…this being one of them ajdjjdjd.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2017
Such a cute story.
August 21, 2018
Ma che bello! Leggerlo è stato come tornare indietro di 13-14 anni!
September 23, 2018
Stessa atmosfera del cartone, mi sono emozionata e ho riso tanto!!!
September 23, 2020
還是個小孩，只是半個大人而已
June 6, 2021
her mom is so mean in the manga, especially compared to the anime - the manga is just so much more harsh/dark
April 22, 2024
The things these characters say LOL. Sana’s mom is hilarious… and Hayama… so blunt sometimes.. I died when he asked about the chipmunk hahaha
March 18, 2012
~3.5 or 4/5
I am really enjoying this series. (And am hoping that it's not going to become harder to find the other volumes, as the store I usually go to seems to be running out of out-of-print volumes.) (Also, the anime should be on instant on Netflix, because then I would have more of a chance of watching it.)
This volume starts with closing up Akito's unhappy family life, and moves on to Sana and Rei. Rei, who she claims to be her gigolo (which is terribly inaccurate, but a word she learned from one of her moms novels), she found homeless several years ago. Now he's living with her, and is her manager, and Sana believes they are in love. Sana does love him, but not in that way; and he loves her in a different way, and is only entertaining the idea.
Sana finds out that their relationship is not what she thinks when she discovers that her co-worker from the previous volume is also Rei's old girlfriend. They'd broken up because she couldn't focus on him and her career, but they still have feelings for each other. She deals with it pretty well, and later helps them get back together. Part of it is probably because she's also obsessing a bit over Akito, who kissed her during a field trip. (She asks him later why he did it, and he states “Because I don't hate you,” which we find has deeper meaning, and is so sweet.) It's cute seeing their feelings for each other grow. Akito realizes his feelings for Sana in this volume, calls Tsuyoshi his rival, and they both have a talk with Rei at one point. Sana hasn't realized any of it yet, though. Sana has helped him quite a bit, including when his father gets seriously sick in this volume, and he helped her through the Rei debacle and when her friends at school isolate her because of her being busy with work.
(This seemed a little dumb to me. Her friends got upset because she was always working and couldn't hang out with them after school. She didn't explain to them that Rei had set her up with too many commercials, and said that it was fine when Tsuyoshi and Akito ate with her instead, even though it was obviously bothering her. She should have explained it to them, and they shouldn't have been so abrupt with their decision, especially considering it took one apology for them to make up.)
A few times throughout the volume it's shown that something is wrong with Tsuyoshi, (also, that one of Sana's friends has a crush on him). When it's pointed out to Akito that Tsuyoshi, and his sister, aren't at school, he talks to the teacher, and then grabs Sana and they hurry away as the volume ends.
I think I remember something happening with him in the anime, but I don't remember exactly what, so I'm looking forward to finding out.
I'm really enjoying reading this series, and already have the next volume, so will be reading it soon.
It does still bother me when the author write notes within the story, though; a little differently in this volume, she'll have the characters reference Obana. It just seems... unprofessional, I guess? She did put little comics between chapters, though, where she had characters be weather reporters, which were cute and entertaining.
Also, it's funny to me that they're all sixth graders, when they act a bit older than that. They seem a little mature, while their humor doesn't. I'm not sure if it's accurate for them to be sixth graders, but it might be a bit more inaccurate for them to be older. But whatever.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]
I am really enjoying this series. (And am hoping that it's not going to become harder to find the other volumes, as the store I usually go to seems to be running out of out-of-print volumes.) (Also, the anime should be on instant on Netflix, because then I would have more of a chance of watching it.)
This volume starts with closing up Akito's unhappy family life, and moves on to Sana and Rei. Rei, who she claims to be her gigolo (which is terribly inaccurate, but a word she learned from one of her moms novels), she found homeless several years ago. Now he's living with her, and is her manager, and Sana believes they are in love. Sana does love him, but not in that way; and he loves her in a different way, and is only entertaining the idea.
Sana finds out that their relationship is not what she thinks when she discovers that her co-worker from the previous volume is also Rei's old girlfriend. They'd broken up because she couldn't focus on him and her career, but they still have feelings for each other. She deals with it pretty well, and later helps them get back together. Part of it is probably because she's also obsessing a bit over Akito, who kissed her during a field trip. (She asks him later why he did it, and he states “Because I don't hate you,” which we find has deeper meaning, and is so sweet.) It's cute seeing their feelings for each other grow. Akito realizes his feelings for Sana in this volume, calls Tsuyoshi his rival, and they both have a talk with Rei at one point. Sana hasn't realized any of it yet, though. Sana has helped him quite a bit, including when his father gets seriously sick in this volume, and he helped her through the Rei debacle and when her friends at school isolate her because of her being busy with work.
(This seemed a little dumb to me. Her friends got upset because she was always working and couldn't hang out with them after school. She didn't explain to them that Rei had set her up with too many commercials, and said that it was fine when Tsuyoshi and Akito ate with her instead, even though it was obviously bothering her. She should have explained it to them, and they shouldn't have been so abrupt with their decision, especially considering it took one apology for them to make up.)
A few times throughout the volume it's shown that something is wrong with Tsuyoshi, (also, that one of Sana's friends has a crush on him). When it's pointed out to Akito that Tsuyoshi, and his sister, aren't at school, he talks to the teacher, and then grabs Sana and they hurry away as the volume ends.
I think I remember something happening with him in the anime, but I don't remember exactly what, so I'm looking forward to finding out.
I'm really enjoying reading this series, and already have the next volume, so will be reading it soon.
It does still bother me when the author write notes within the story, though; a little differently in this volume, she'll have the characters reference Obana. It just seems... unprofessional, I guess? She did put little comics between chapters, though, where she had characters be weather reporters, which were cute and entertaining.
Also, it's funny to me that they're all sixth graders, when they act a bit older than that. They seem a little mature, while their humor doesn't. I'm not sure if it's accurate for them to be sixth graders, but it might be a bit more inaccurate for them to be older. But whatever.
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]
January 7, 2016
Sulit digambarkan kesukaanku pada komik ini ^^; Pokoknya yg bisa kubilang, kalian KUDU WAJIB BACA!
Tapi jgn jatuh cinta sama Akito yaaak :p
Walaupun ini anak SD, banyak hal-hal positif yg bisa diambil, banyak juga kata-kata keren (yg kebanyakan sih keluar dari mulut Akito yg dingin itu dan mamanya Sana yg aneh bin ajaib itu ^^;)
Ada hal-hal mengharukan juga huhu...
entah lah. Pengarangnya ini pintar banget mengemas cerita yg bisa jadi komedi tapi juga mengharukan di saat yg bersamaan ^^; (bisa loh dalam satu scene aja Mamanya Sana itu normal dan bikin terharu/menyentuh, lalu sedetik kemudiam ngelawak lagi ^^;)
Dan yg aku lihat, dalam satu seri aja, itu si pengarang bener bener bisa mengemas cerita dgn rapi dan adonannya begitu pas. Timing bersambungnya juga bagus. Ceritanya jadi gak bertele-tele dan jelas 'arah'nya.
Btw tadinya aku sempat was was kalau teman baik Sana suka sama Akito. Tapi syukurlah, ternyata dia suka sama Tsuyoshi ^^; hehe (kalau cinta segitiga kan malas banget jadinya.. apalagi sama teman baik sendiri).
Tapi jgn jatuh cinta sama Akito yaaak :p
Walaupun ini anak SD, banyak hal-hal positif yg bisa diambil, banyak juga kata-kata keren (yg kebanyakan sih keluar dari mulut Akito yg dingin itu dan mamanya Sana yg aneh bin ajaib itu ^^;)
Ada hal-hal mengharukan juga huhu...
entah lah. Pengarangnya ini pintar banget mengemas cerita yg bisa jadi komedi tapi juga mengharukan di saat yg bersamaan ^^; (bisa loh dalam satu scene aja Mamanya Sana itu normal dan bikin terharu/menyentuh, lalu sedetik kemudiam ngelawak lagi ^^;)
Dan yg aku lihat, dalam satu seri aja, itu si pengarang bener bener bisa mengemas cerita dgn rapi dan adonannya begitu pas. Timing bersambungnya juga bagus. Ceritanya jadi gak bertele-tele dan jelas 'arah'nya.
Btw tadinya aku sempat was was kalau teman baik Sana suka sama Akito. Tapi syukurlah, ternyata dia suka sama Tsuyoshi ^^; hehe (kalau cinta segitiga kan malas banget jadinya.. apalagi sama teman baik sendiri).
September 1, 2016
This is kinda boring book but, funny. Sana, she is an actress and her mother is a writer. Sana goes to school but booked with interviews and stuffs like what celebrities deal with. When she went to her interview. Rei, Sana's manager waited for her outside as he did, Sana had an interview with a girl name, Asako. When they were done with the interview, Sana got out and was looking for Rei. While she was, Rei saw his girlfriend, and that girl was Asako. They met face to face, as they did, Sana came and ran to Rei, when paparazzi came, they put on funny glasses. When Rei told Sana about his girlfriend, Asako, she ran away and came across her friend name, Hayama. Hayama then comforted Sana. Next day, Sana was casting the weather cast, while Rei is the forcast. She forgot what happened last night and lost interest with Rei. 2 days, Sana and Hayama hold hands and went to visits Hayama's father at the hospital. After, the day at school is as usual. Hayama being a mean person while Sana talks about her interview. Lastly, Hayama and Sana ran away together, holding hands.
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.
December 17, 2011
It's pretty hard to like a series when you hate the main character, but over all Kodacha seems to be quite enjoyable. One of my best friends swears by it, so I tried it. I hated the first volume, but the second one is better (thank God!).
I actually bought this for her for Christmas... I read it first though... XD (I'm a horrible person)
I actually bought this for her for Christmas... I read it first though... XD (I'm a horrible person)
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!!
August 25, 2014
I really like where this series seems to be going, though I have decided to completely ignore the set age of these characters they act more like 15-16 year-olds then 12 year-olds. This one also has a really mean cliff-hanger, which I love and hate
November 20, 2008
Funnier!
April 15, 2011
It keeps on track! I didn't even realized I've picked third already!! I'm about to end 3d volume so xDD it's a great (til now) manga ^^.
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.
July 4, 2021
Tsuyoshi che perde le staffe mi fa morire dal ridere! Adorabile anche la suo sorellina, ed è bello come si siano avvicinati Akito e Sana in due soli volumi.
July 11, 2015
4.5 stars
December 15, 2019
Sto rileggendo la serie dopo 4 anni dall'ultima volta e, devo ammettere che la amo ogni volta di più!
December 17, 2011
Emiri -2011
August 22, 2012
sure, 4, why not
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews