우라카타!! 1

ウラカタ!! [Urakata!!] #1

by Bisco Hatori

초 네거티브 사고의 소유자, 시치코쿠 대학 1학년 란마루는
대학 구내에서 영화 동아리가 촬영하던 좀비와 맞닥뜨린다!
피바다에 놀라 기절한 란마루가 눈을 뜬 곳은 「미술팀」
즉, 영상동아리 미술제작팀의 방이었다.
독불장군인 부장 고다를 비롯한 개성 넘치는 미술팀 멤버들과 만나
란마루의 그늘진 생활은 하루아침에 변한다!!
좌충우돌 하이퍼☆청춘 DAYS, 대망의 제1권 등장!!

「미술팀이란?」
영상 장르의 준비작업(대도구, 소품, 의상, 분장 등)을 담당하는 팀을 말한다.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Humor, Slice Of Life, Young Adult, Contemporary, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Name (in native language): 葉鳥ビスコ

Bisco Hatori is a Japanese manga artist. Bisco Hatori is a pseudonym; she states that the name has special meaning to her. She has worked for such magazines as LaLa. Her manga debut was A Moment of Romance in LaLa DX. Her first series was Millennium Snow. However, the comedy Ouran High School Host Club is her breakout hit.

Reviews

[Jyanx · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really adorable. The characters are fun, and I can really empathize with Ranmaru's insecurity, and desire to blend into the woodwork. The plot is fun, and more than a bit over the top in a good way. I love the art style. Bisco Hatori is one of my favorite creators. Perfect read for a snowy day. I have to admit my favorite is defiantly Ryuki, the club president, for, you know, reasons.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind the Scenes!! was a big surprise. There are so many manga out there that focus on becoming an idol or a singer or an actor, but this is one of the few about the people who work, as the title suggests, behind the scenes. As someone who loves to watch those "Making of" documentaries and enjoys facts, trivia, and commentary stuff, this was a dead ringer.

It centers around a college student who has zero self-confidence, but he's got an attention to detail and a talent for DIY recycling projects that would make Martha Stewart green with envy. He gets caught up in the Art Squad's activities and is pulled into this crazy club of amateur set, costume, and prop designers who make things for the various film clubs on campus.

What shines here is the ensemble cast. You mostly see things through Ranmaru's point of view, but stories will center around others in the group, like with the chapter focusing on Ruka's costume making for a picky, vengeful director. They get themselves into jams and then use teamwork and each person's talents to fix things.

This is also a shoujo manga that's blessedly light on romance, if there's any at all. We'll see if any love blooms in future volumes, but for now, it's hard work and movies.

I'd also like to add that I didn't realize this was by Bisco Hatori until I read an author's side-panel comment about her past work, Ouran High School Host Club. Once I knew, I could see some of Hatori-sensei's style, but I really had no idea until I saw that (somehow, I missed the name on the front of the book and the stamp on the back). I give Hatori-sensei a lot of credit that her characters in this series don't look at all like clones of previous works'. I think the art has improved as well, but I haven't read Ouran in a long time to say for sure.

So, tl;dr, if you're the type who's just as interested as what's going on behind the camera as in front of it, this is a manga you might like. Or if you like ensembles of crazy characters, you'd probably like this one too.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Bisco Hatori of Ouran High School Host Club fame has a new series! Ranmaru is a super-pessimist who ruins everything, but hopes to change that in college. When he runs afoul of one of the many movie clubs while filming on campus, he encounters a mysterious drama group, the Art Squad! Forced out of his comfort zone in the most dramatic way possible, Ranmaru is finally able to use those artistic skills that make him feel so inferior back home. Along the way he comes to admire each member of his new family?!

This is a review of volumes 1-2 which I read together back to back. See the plot section for my thoughts on the individual volumes.

I totally didn't realize that Ouran Host Club was already over?! HOWWW?!? Well, Bisco Hatori is not one to sit around! No she jumped right into a new series and Behind the Scenes!! vol 1-2 is about college!! I love that she's taken on an older character set but still stayed with a coming of age environment. And I was super happy to see Ranmaru is so, so different from Haruhi... as the most unconfident of persons he creates a totally different vibe for us to explore. Right away I was as drawn to the art squad as Ranmaru was... and yes, it was because of Ryuji Goda, the club president! He is a bit of a bully but is so super confident that its fun in an overbearing way...

I really love how Behind the Scenes!! vol 1-2 focused on Ranmaru and what he brings to the table of the art squad. Bisco Hatori has always used a short story sort of narrative flow and that doesn't change here. We start by meeting directors and the squad jumps in to save their movies in different ways... and Ranmaru is allowed to shine for us. Then as the squad starts to close around Ranmaru to lock him into their club clutches we start to meet the team members and get to know them more. It becomes about more than movie sets as the squad uses their skills to help a girl being stalked and we even see them help out his perfectionist cousin, Soh!

Behind the Scenes!! vol 1-2 was a roller coaster of emotions as we see Ranmaru start to get comfortable with the Art Squad... I wouldn't say there is much tension even though I enjoyed it immensely. There doesn't seem to be any loverly relationships forming quite yet and actually I kind of like that... College should be all fun and friendships that last a really long time. I can see though that there are possible directions to go for the romance side... I'm not invested in those quite yet, but I DO totally care about Ryuji, Ruka, Izumi, Maasa and Tomu!

Behind the Scenes!! vol 1-2 is certainly a love story to Bisco Hatori character creation! I LOVED the art and all the details that give the Art Squad life and richness. I feel like the way she frames the action has actually improved in this series and love that the humorous bits take up more of the page and its balanced between the dramatic moments and the outrageous reactions. The characters though are where this series rocks... they are so different but all bring unique skills and heart to the team.

Behind the Scenes!! vol 1-2 is so fun! I love Ranmaru and the entire Art Squad and want to see more of their movie magic and how they apply all of their skills to their real life efforts. This is totally different from The Ouran High School Host Club while banking on Bisco Hatori's BEST skills... I can't wait to jump into the next volume of Behind the Scenes!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art


This is a multi-volume series and there may be references to the plot of those volumes... SO READ WITH CARE! Here is my review of 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...

Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!

[Sylwia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dropping after one chapter. I like the main secondary character and I like the premise, but I'm bored watching it play out.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this is EXACTLY what I was looking for!

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yay it is here! Though I have to say I am a bit disappointed in this first volume. :(

I absolutely adored Bisco Hatori’s Ouran High School Host Club (and was so so sad when it ended), I loved Millennium Snow (still need to read the other 2 volumes though), so you can imagine my excitement when I heard about this new series. I just had to have it!
But after reading the first volume, really struggling to get through it, I am just not sure if I want to continue this one. This isn’t the fault of the art, or the story (in fact the story is what kept me going, it was funny), but it is the fault of the characters. Well, especially one of them. The main.

Yep, Ranmaru, or should I call him Mr. I am sorry. Mr. Excuses Excuses. Mr. Insecure. Mr. Annoying? Sorry, instead of sympathizing with the guy I just wanted to smack him on his head with a prop. Dear Lord guy, this is just so frustrating. Sure, he does get a bit better at the end, but he has A LONG LONG way to go, and I am not entirely sure if I want to continue to see him get better.
He was also whiny, absurd, silly, stupid. OMG sorry sorry, in the mean time he fixes everything and does amazing stuff, but does he see that? No. No he doesn’t. He only sees what he does wrong, even if he wasn’t even in the neighbourhood to have anything to do with it.

The other characters were quite fun, interesting, and I would love to learn more about them. Though I also saw clear signs of Ouran High in them. I was like: OMG Kyouya!! or OMG Tamaki!

I also loved that this one takes place in college/university, so many manga take place in High School/Middle School, so I am delighted to have one do something different. All the various clubs (and all the characters belonging to them) were great.

The art was brilliant, I really missed Hatori’s art, she really has a great style of drawing, one that stands out so brightly.

Also I have to give + points to the fact she added the origin story for Behind the Scenes. How she came up with the idea, what made her pick the title and much more!

All in all, it was a pretty decent volume, but with Ranmaru being who he is, I think I might just wait a bit longer before I pick up the next volume.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Silence · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am a huge fan of Bisco Hatori and the concept "Behind the Scenes!" is interesting, this first volume was a bit too chaotic for my taste. With any initial volume of a series it's expected that there will be a lot of character development, but I felt like the emphasis was more geared towards explaining how special effects are achieved, rather than building a connection between the reader and members of the Art Squad. However, I have a lot of faith in Hatori as a mangaka. The scraps of personality that we do see in characters, such as Ranmaru and Ryuji, are quite charming and reminiscent of what made Ouran High School Host Club so special. Fans of her previous works will most likely be willing to stick it out and see where the series goes. I know I am.

*I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review*

[Leeann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this manga very much. This was recommended to me by a friend and i happily enjoyed reading this story. This manga was created by the author of Ouran high school host club and you can see the similarities with both series.

In this manga we meet the MC who is clumsy and always says sorry but when he stumbles upon a school play shoot in the middle of the street he ends up in a whole new situation. I love the art and the story plot is pretty cool very excited to read more of this series.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is tots better than Ouran, the art style improved a lot. I've always wanted to know more about behind the scenes for Uni Drama Clubs, this is one of the best! All of the characters are unique and fun! 4.5 stars!

17.2.2016
I wish I joined the film club when I was in University. But I don't think my uni has a legit one, too bad. I really love how the mangaka introduce the staff behind the scenes, they are the ones that usually that prepare all the stuff needed(everything) for film-making and drama, the busiest people and yet their hard work sometimes are not praised or even acknowledge. Salute! and this is one of the occupations that I'm interested in. The characters are loveable, distinguishable, and awesome. I like Tom the most, haha, Ranmaru(main character) and him major in literature! Horray! I gave this volume 5 stars!

25/5/2020
It has been 4 years since my last re-read!! I enjoyed it a lot!

1/8/2021
Still having a lot of fun with the characters. I love Ranmaru's character development and his club members' passion towards art!

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read from Bisco Hatori. I checked this out on a whim when it crossed the check-in desk and didn’t realize who the author was until chapter two. (I knew the art looked familiar)

Needless to say, this is a wonderful start to a series and as an artist, I appreciate how it goes into detail, showing how much time and effort we put into the stuff we make.

The main character is adorable, but kinda pathetic because he keeps apologizing for everything. And I’m not sure if that last part was the ‘budding romance’ hook or just the tiny one getting happy about doing a good job. Personally, I think this story would be fine without a core romance. But it’s a Shojo story so we’ll probably get plenty of fluffy romance and angst.

This series has 7 volumes.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this book is irresistible but I found the execution mixed in this first volume. The art is not really my cup of tea, to the point that I often had trouble following what was going on. None of the characters grabbed me, and the protagonist is suuuuuuper annoying. I'll read one more volume to see if it grabs me, because I really do like the idea.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Bisco Hatori characters and story. If you like Ouran and Millennium Snow, you'll probably like this one, too.

[MargReadsManga · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just wasn’t for me.

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timid, insecure college freshman Ranmaru has always wanted to find a place where he can belong. Suffering from low self-esteem and having the tendency to overreact, he enjoys places where he can blend into the background. When he accidentally ruins a film scene, he is introduced to the Art Squad who work behind the scenes to bring movies, film, and theater to life. His observation skills and attention to detail are not lost on the members of the Art Squad. Could this be the place Ranmaru is looking for?
From the creator of Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori creates funny realistic story about belonging, acceptance, and the discovering yourself.
Recommended for grades 6-8. Lexile Level: N/A
Reviewed by Christine Hwang, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked the first volume, not completely sure if I would be interested enough in it to continue. But it turned out that I would love to read more of it. The art is exactly the style that I love the most, but the setting is what really triggered me to get back to the library and check out all the volumes that were on the shelf.
I mean, ever since I have started reading manga and manhwa seriously (3 years now) I have never come across one of them that deals with students in the university (some manhwa do, but the university is not the main setting of the story) so this really was a different setting I wanted to read about.
And it's not every day that you get a boy for the main character of shoujo manga, so I want to see where things go.

[Robin Banks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the followup series by the same author of the hugely-popular Oran High School Host Club. It shows what happens when the editor is afraid to edit. it's a good, original idea but the story-telling is choppy. There are too many characters and no clear direction. The drawings are needlessly confusing, as is the dialog. Future volumes might be a lot better -- if the editor gets a grip.

Among the odd story-set problems: In theory, this takes place in a normal college, not the super-focussed, super schools of many manga. Sorry to say, it doesn't read that way.

[Eyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like everyone who's read/seen it, I adored Ouran High School Host Club and as soon as I discovered this series existed, I knew I had to give it a shot. Now I've finally picked it up, and luckily, it's nice and short so it probably won't take long (if I can borrow all of the library copies :/). So far the characters are all full of fun and the idea behind the series is very cute, I really can't wait to continue!

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hatori Bisco is one of my favorite manga authors so I decided to finally check this series. The characters are pretty endearing and I can see part of myself in Ranmaru’s eagerness to please everybody so I can’t wait to see how he grows in the next few volumes! (Btw, Ryuji is like a more energetic devil Kyoya so he’s definitely mi favorite character until now).

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shy nervous college student joins the school’s art club and helps design sets, costumes, special effects, and makeup for the student films on campus. It’s a fun look at the life of the stage crew and their work behind the scenes.

[H.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute series!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotta read more

[MariaStefania - Маша · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quanto mi sei mancata Bisco Hatori?

[BreAnna (Bre'sBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alex Richey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and disappointing.

[Newly Wardell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone suggested this top me and it's not really my ting. It's funny in a Debbie Downer kinda way. I dont understand the spiked level of intrigue needed for clubs. Really interesting style tho

[ㅡ Sam • The Reckless Fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is crazy! In the most amazing way. It's a little fast paced only because your introduced to so many characters in such a short amount of time.
This idea for a story is really really interesting! I also love the Mangaka's pun on Director names for the character's names.

As usual from Bisco Hatori, the art is fabulous. I love it so much.

I want to go pick up Volume 2, perhaps I should!.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Behind the Scenes!! is a slice-of-life type of story by the mangaka of Ouran High School Host Club. Like that previous series, it's all about slow character development; with this title, our main character interacts with a group of special effects artists helping out various film clubs at the school. Not a lot happens here: we have a story of a guy with no focus in his life who finds he has a talent for FX and making things. What he takes as deficits in his character are actually traits uniquely suited for film making.

Story: Ranmaru Kurisu has run to the university to get away from a life of failures at his home. Son of humble fisher folk, his artistic nature continually disappointed those around him. But when he accidentally walks into a zombie movie set, he becomes caught up in the university's FX club. The members are always frantic - keeping up with directors of six different movie clubs and their outrageous demands. But whether making costumes or painstakingly crafting miniature buildings to be monster-stomped, Ranmaru knows just what to do to save the day. If he survives their hectic pace, he may realize he just found his perfect calling.

Hatori's works are always about the characters and here we are given detailed introductions to several members and directors. Clearly there are a lot more to come but most of the novel is Ranmaru being introduced and then solving key problems - from a ruined model to a costume snafu. All under the direction of charismatic club leader, Ryuji Goda. Each of the side characters have unique and well developed personalities.

This is definitely a cinemaphile work: all the characters are named after movie stars or parts they've played (e.g., the dog is named 'The Don' and various other protagonists are named after Sam Raimi, Sophia Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard - and main character Ranmaru Kurisu is named after Christopher Nolan (Kurisutofa Noran). The pace is fairly frenetic to mirror all that goes on behind a movie production.

Most of this volume 1 set the story/characters but it looks like a lot of the plot will involve problem solving various things through the different movie clubs. I'm not sure how much of an interest the author can maintain for those not invested in the movie world but certainly Ouran High School Host Club proved successful on a similarly surprising tangent. For now, we'll see where this goes. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This series has a lot of promise - a college "art squad" who create the costumes, set designs, etc for the campus film groups. The squad has a fun variety of characters and I think it'll be interesting to see where their stories go.

The only draw back (and the reason I didn't give this a higher rating), and one I felt happened with the Ouran series, too, is that it feels like too much is jammed into the first volume. Not just story-wise - Hatori does have a lot of characters to introduce in this ensemble - but even visually. There are a few pages and frames that have so much going on that I can't really tell what's happening in the picture. In Ouran, this settled down after a bit, and then I was fully immersed, and I hope that's the case here as well.

So far this series is starting out pretty tame, even though it takes place in a college setting. It looks like it will be a good fit for artistic types, particularly high school students. I'd recommend the series for anyone who's interested in film making, particularly the "Behind the Scenes!!" work it takes to get the film made.

Looking forward to finding out what happens next and excited to start a new series by the only manga artist/writer I've really gotten into.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So begins another fun romp with an unusual school club. Unlike Ouran High School Host Club, Behind the Scenes is set at a college, and includes a more balanced male to female ratio in its main cast. However, that being said, this group is no less unusual than Bisco`s previous work, including plenty of characters with strange quirks such as the female special effects artist who loves gore. All of them are part of the Art Squad, a hardworking, creative group who assists the cmpus movie clubs, all while doing it on a tight budget and tight schedule no less. This hectic, high pressure world is what the timid, and apologetic Ranmaru Kurisu finds himself getting sucked into. Volume one is structured as an introduction for our sake, but nicely fits with the story`s reality, because the group members spend most of the time showing him the ropes. By the end, Ranmaru is drawn in by the charisma of their leader Ryuji Goda, and the promise of a chance to become a better person, and discover what he is good at. Bisco`s art is at the same standard, easily switching between the funny, serious, and other designs that are a trademark of her work. There is always a sweetness, and charm underlying her stories, and Behind the Scenes doesn`t look like it will be an exception.

[Nerys Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite nostalgic reading Bisco Hatori's work once again.
Behind the Scenes brings out the comedy, the camaderie and the once in a while quite insightful message of 'don't be negative, improve yourself step by step'.

The characters have their own quircky personalities as the author is known to create them as. I find the plot interesting, seeing how things are done in order to give that visual magic touch in film making is refreshing and fun with the way the story presents it, you can also see many ways that character development and relationships could start or take another path depending on their actions.

I hope the next vol comes out soon, the main character is charming in it's own wimpy way and I want to see him bloom under the others' care.