Mars, Vol. 4

Mars [マース] #4

by Fuyumi Soryo

When old friends of Rei show up at the school fair, Kira finds that she may have some heated competition for his love. His old flame, Shiori, confesses that she never gave up loving Rei, and she now wants him back. To make things worse, Kira uncovers more about Rei's dark past and his brother's suicide. Would she be better off if she just let Shiori have him?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Young Adult, Comics, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 1997

About the author

Fuyumi Soryo (惣領冬実) is a Japanese manga artist from Beppu, Oita, Japan. She is a graduate of the Oita prefectural Geijutsu Midorigaoka High School.

She was born into the home of a master of the Kanze school of Noh. In her childhood she liked to draw pictures of horses and things but had no special interest in manga. While enrolled in fashion college, she happened across Shogakukan's Rookie of the Year Contest and applied to raise money for the Sōen fashion contest. There she received an honorable mention, and debuted with "Sunspot Visitor" (Hidamari no hōmonsha) published in the April 1982 edition of Bessatsu Shōjo Comic (now Bestucomi).

Her works translated abroad include Mars and Eternal Sabbath. In 1988, she was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga for Boyfriend. Currently her last manga series is Cesare which centers around the infamous Borgia family of the Italian Renaissance and Cesare Borgia himself.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whereas the previous volume was all motorcycle racing hebetude, this installment is oure teen melodrama. Exes! Guilt! Tears! Misunderstandings! Slap fights!

We learn more about Rei's past and Kira is lamer than ever. It almost feels like the author is being seduced by the reductive blurbage of her concept or something.

[a · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I don't like all this drama around his ex and I really didn't like that Kira reminds Rei of his twin Sei. I was already struggling to understand why he likes her (or why she even likes him to be honest, besides how handsome he is), and now I'm even more wary of their "feelings" for each other.

Also I know this manga is super old but Rei literally slapped a female character across the face and yeah...that is not ok. This volume was just messy, messy, messy.

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was emotionally draining but managed to pave path for moe in some ways

Enters a new character, Shiori, that becomes an accessory to deepen Rei's characterization by unraveling his past.

The stories told about his twin brother aren't actually the actual events—and the truth remains vague and buried deep in Rei's unconscious memories. He forced to alter his memories because of his terrible past the reason why he's kind of neurotic now.

Shiori on the other hand is a greedy, self-centered soul wanting to take back the world that was stolen from her by one awful and depressing incident (Sei, Rei's twin brother's suicide.) Making it harder for Rei to deal with her.

And Kira remained the good little lamb, understanding the situation and maturely treating it. Asking Rei to confront the issue and not run away from it. Kira's character should be that way or Rei will seriously lose himself. (This set-up reminded me of Kyo and Tohru from Furuba)

Rei is one hell of a troubled soul. And Kira's pure intentions are what will help him recover and free himself from the shackles of the past. It may also be the case that Rei might only be with her because he found comfort in her arms given that she reminds him of his twin brother a lot. But everything is still too early, they are still developing themselves and I don't really want to judge it prematurely by saying she's a rebound because it really doesn't feel that way and I don't want to think it's like that. Also, the cliffhanger is a shocker!

By the way, I haven't talked about this one in the previous volume, but I love that Harumi and Kira are friends now. 4 stars because Shiori really drained the hell out of me. I don't like that kind of drama. And I started this not really feeling anything good at all—Shiori's appearance is the reason why. But I love how Rei just wouldn't let her push or drag him around anymore.

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shiori, kindly f🤬ck off

[Kinsey Breland .: avid_midnight_reader :. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rei may have “stolen” Sei’s girlfriend, but you don’t kill yourself to “get even”. Sei was going through his first broken heart, and it was probably made worse because it was his twin brother that the girl left him for. He didn’t commit suicide to “get even”. Sei killing himself over a broken heart is a possibility. I can imagine that it would have hurt to see someone who looked just like him with the girl he liked.

I hated Shiori. Her character was so annoying. And the fact that now, after two years, she returns to try and win Rei back . . . You would think after everything that went down in Junior High, with Sei killing himself, that Shiori would want a fresh start as well and leave Rei alone. Why would she want to come back and start stirring up all of these bad memories for Rei again?

And none of that was even the reason why Sei killed himself. I can’t wait to continue with this series to find out more about what actually happened in the next one.

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rei's ex girlfriend turns up and we learn more about Rei's and his twin's past. Did the fact that Rei stole his brother's girl push Sei over the edge and cause him to commit suicide? This one ends with the shock reveal that the man Rei always calls his father isn't his biological dad.... Teen melodrama at its finest. Gets a little wearing, sometimes you just want to give timid Kira a slap.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/1L5Z0wV0UwQ

This was a lot heavier volume the previous volumes and with a lot more potential trigger warnings I think.

Some of the drama that takes place I felt was a little TOO much, but thinking on it, while there IS some drama, these teenagers are really struggling with trauma. Not all of the story, but all the parts that felt most heavy is when we see things coming out about the past and how people viewed certain situations. Just when I think nothing could be more painful than the previous knowledge we know about Sei, this volume unveils so much more.

I think in the beginning it can seem (on the surface) like a typical "shojo drama," but again, as we see more characters share and open up (and even some of their decisions), this volume stirs away from that "shojo drama" and instead we see and reflect how each character is going to react to new "information."

I'm not sure how I feel moving forward. This series reminds me of Fruits Basket in a lot of ways in that its so much more than a simple shojo.

[elif sinem · Rating 5 out of 5]

You get yourself a boy that is so handsome that you need a justitfication, and what you do with this male character is you stuff him with mystery, always upending what is known about him to make him sadder, more dramatic, more tragic than the last time. And to balance this, the girl opposite just has to cry, or realize some things about him that makes her sad. See, then when they're together, they're happy and in love. They only have each other to figure him out. It's a setup so perfect it's entertained me the past four volumes. But what Soryo gets at better than nearly everyone else I've read in the shoujo realm so far is that she makes Kira a girl that thinks. Meek yes, passive yes, but she thinks, she has feelings, she can come to conclusions. "He sees me as Sei" -> "You're just like Sei!" really impressed me.

Anyway amnesia arc next volume queen?

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that Harumi and Kira are friends now, and the building of other friendships is nice. There is a good bit of character development in this one as well. I could not stand Rei's ex though. She was a spoiled brat, although at the end you do find some things that kind of show why she is still such a child. Actually starting to get into this one now.

[Sofía · Rating 2 out of 5]

Realmente la autora quería darle todos los problemas mentales posibles a Rei. Algunos tienen excusa porque son a causa de hechos que el protagonista no pudo remediar ni elegir (issues con su madre y con su "padre") pero todo el asunto con la ex de su hermano gemelo me parece negligencia y estupidez. Sé perfectamente que en la adolescencia uno es un idiota crónico pero ya es pasarse. ¿Continuaré la historia? Tal vez. Me molesta que me vendieron esto como un shojo psicológico pero está más dramático que Bokura ga Ita, lo que es decir mucho.

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread - An annoying character was introduced and the plot became so dramatic it was annoying at parts, but I still love the main characters and how grounded they are through all the things that other people throw at them

[Laysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the least favourite because of how much Shiori tires me. That girl just sucks everybody’s energy. And usual it’s a story filled with complex issues like, grief, closure, responsibilities and many layers that these teenagers are going through and dealing with.

[Vera Neves (Sinfonia dos Livros) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hum......

[♡ zuly ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excited to see where this is going :)

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kira is a cute character. She's very sweet towards Rei, which he really needs. His backstory is kind of scary, and I hope we find out more about his relationship with his Aunt and Uncle in L.A.

[samarina]

o gatinho tem mommy issues daddy issues brother issues mental issues e contando

[cc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, pick-me ho, gtfo of my face with your bullshit.

This was so annoying. It’s only getting three stars for finally giving some insight into Sei’s death and Rei’s mental state. Other than that? 👎🏻

[ℒ₊˚⊹ · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much drama and we’re just on volume 4

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. I hated half of this volume. This is where I almost ditched reading the series, but that ending got me. It reeled me back in and made me consider picking up volume 5. I did not like the two characters introduced here and I definitely did not care for the issues that one of these characters caused for the sake of causing relationship drama. It was so ugh.

[n [larrythelatypus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO much tea was spilt this volume

[Ross Wilcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still really love this series for the over-the-top teen melodrama, but the gender dynamics are pretty ridiculous (to put it nicely). The girls are all way too obsessed with Rei and their fawning over him is just too overdone. Maybe you could argue the boy-craziness is supposed to be comedic, but even if that's the case, it just keeps hitting the same note.

In this volume, Rei's ex-girlfriend shows up and wants to get back together because she simply can't go on without Rei. But Rei is with Kira now, and when Rei shoots his ex down, she tries to kill herself - again, the gender dynamics are absurd. I know you could argue that attempting suicide because of unrequited love is unfortunately a reality in teenage culture (and people in general), and while I wouldn't disagree, I had to roll my eyes at this aspect of the plot because all the girls in the series are basically presented this way: willing to give up anything to be with Rei, even if it's their own lives.

Even Kira is a bit one-dimensional in this aspect. She's an aspiring artist, but once she gets with Rei, her own ambitions take a backseat to Rei's needs and ambitions. For example, Kira feels this overwhelming responsibility to support Rei in his motor cycle racing endeavors, essentially to the point where she derived self worth from how well she can support Rei. And okay, you should support your partner in their pursuits, but Rei does not reciprocate the support for Kira's art. He's not unsupportive, but he does not compromise his motor cycle racing to ensure Kira feels validated in her artistic work. To me, there is an imbalance there.

I guess to be fair, this series is from the 90s, and though that isn't that long ago in the grand scheme of things, gender identity and gender relations have changed a lot in that time. So if you're going to read this in 2019, just know that some aspects will read very dated. I do find it curious that this manga is written by a woman for an audience of teen girls. That to me speaks volumes about how much times have changed. Because maybe I'm wrong, but I really don't see a woman writing this kind of thing in 2019 and having a bunch of girls liking it. Again, I could be wrong.

That said, I still really like this series. The gender dynamics bother me, but I'm not one to completely discount something just because it's steeped in the cultural norms of its time. Granted, the line has to be drawn somewhere, but I guess I don't think Mars' sins are so unforgivable as to warrant "canceling" the series.

[Jessica-Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had written more reviews for individual volumes back when I was reading this. I don't think I start giving initial impression till around Volume 8. For a lack of better content I did write a overall review of the complete series which can be read on my blog Reading Robyn!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know what to make of the characters when I first started reading the series. Overtime I grew to love them and went through their ups and downs and all the drama they faced. I ended up loving the series!

[cEe beE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is VERY melodramatic.

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mars Band 04 von Fuyumi Soryo

Zum Inhalt:
Der erfolgreichste „Shojo“ (Mädchenmanga) im Programm! Mars erzählt in zarten, ruhigen Bildern von der jugendlichen Halbwaise Kira, die in die zwölften Klasse des Gymnasiums geht. Sie wird von den anderen ausgegrenzt und hat sich daraufhin in ihr eigenes Leben zurückgezogen, in dessen Mittelpunkt die Malerei steht. Als der „Schulheld“ Rei sich nach und nach für sie zu interessieren beginnt, ruft dies sofort die Rivalität der anderen Mädchen auf den Plan, die natürlich diese Beziehung gerne selber hätten – und sie nun terrorisieren... Hat die sich entwickelnde Liebe zwischen Kira und Rei eine Chance? Ein romantisches Schuldrama also, in Japan mit 15 Bänden abgeschlossen. Im Anschluß wird bei Planet Manga auch noch der unabhängige Sonderband veröffentlicht. Altersempfehlung: Ab 10 Jahren.

Cover:
Bei diesem Cover hat sich die Mangaka scheinbar auch wieder einem Modemagazin bedient und zeigt hier die Protagonistin Kira in einer typisch schüchternen Pose, aber ohne sämtlichen Makel. Sie scheint scheinbar keine Gefühlsregung zu haben. Irgendwie wirkt sie dadurch wie ein Geist, aber es sieht trotzdem hübsch aus.

Eigener Eindruck:
Nachdem Kira das Bild von Rei als Kriegsgott Mars in der Ausstellung präsentiert hat, anstatt die Madonna mit dem Kind, bekommt sie einen mysteriösen Anruf, bei dem sich ein Mann nach Rei erkundigt. Das verwirrt Kira, aber sie vergisst es auch schnell wieder. Doch bereits am nächsten Tag in der Schule erlebt sie ihr blaues Wunder mit Rei. Dort taucht das Mädchen Shiori mit ihrem Kumpel Takemuro auf und macht Rei vor versammelter Mannschaft eine riesen Szene. In dem ganzen Wirrwarr erfährt Kira, dass Shiori scheinbar die Exfreundin von Rei ist und ihn noch immer liebt. Außerdem eröffnet ihr Takemuro, dass Reis Zwilling Sei keinen Selbstmord begangen haben soll, sondern Rei ihn vom Dach gestoßen haben soll… Doch damit fängt das Drama um Shiori eigentlich erst richtig an…

Das war wieder ein sehr spannender Teil der Reihe und ich muss ehrlich gestehen, dass der langsam mehr als Suchtpotential für mich hat, obwohl ich die Geschichte ja schon aus früheren Zeiten kenne. Es macht Spaß die Hintergründe der Charaktere zu erforschen und ich bin begeistert, wie verzwickt die Beziehungen unter den Charakteren langsam werden. Wer hätte gedacht, dass Reis bester Freund Kida auch Gefühle für die schüchterne Kira hegt und das Rei völlig aus dem Konzept bringen könnte. Außerdem gibt es den ersten Streit zwischen den beiden Protagonisten, den es zu lösen gilt. Nebenbei bekommt man noch mehr Informationen über die Umstände zum Tod von Reis Zwilling und weiß auch eine Weile nicht so Recht, was man davon halten soll. Das ist raffiniert gemacht und macht die Geschichte natürlich noch spannender. Einzig der Charakter der Shiori ist echt eine Zumutung, da hat die Mangaka dann doch ein bisschen übertrieben, denn durch ihre überdramatische Art geht sie dem Leser bei Zeiten wortwörtlich richtig auf den Keks. Ich denke, dass damit die Geschichte mit Shiori auch noch nicht beendet ist und wir werden das durchgeknallte Weib wohl noch ein paar Mal hier im Manga erleben dürfen. Ich freu mich jedenfalls schon auf den nächsten Band!

Fazit:
5 von 5 Sterne

Daten:
ISBN: 9783899212037
Sprache: Deutsch
Ausgabe: Flexibler Einband
Umfang: 180 Seiten
Verlag: Panini
Erscheinungsdatum: 01.09.2002

[Brianna Jo♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume had a lot of information to take in. It was all centered around a common plot device in shoujo manga -- the return of a heartbroken ex. But, with that being said, as much as Shiori is a tenable obstacle in Kira and Rei's relationship, I still think her past with Rei and Sei really did help shed some light on their story. I mean no matter how much you feasibly try you'll never know the real reason why a person decides to commit suicide. But learning about all these things really does paint a picture about Rei and Sei's complicated former lives.

I don't know how I feel about Rei. I don't exactly hate him but he has a questionable past and is very much a questionable person who makes bad decisions. But it turns out he isn't this way because of some trauma leftover from Sei's suicide but perhaps may have always been like this. I mean we see just that in the flashback where he stabs his brother's bully. Then he "steals" his brother's girlfriend. It's not great tbh. I guess I'm waiting to see what happens next because so far, Rei has a lot of unlikeable attributes and Kira seems to not care at all. He could do anything and she'd be okay with it. That's not empowering to read at all. In fact, it's pretty sad.

The final scenes were nicely woven together and had a beautiful fine finish to them. I'm curious to see the impact the final revelation holds, about Rei and Sei's father, Sei's suicide, and Rei's relationship with both Kira and Shiori.

[givememycheetos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

El manga tiene un dibujo muy bonito, la verdad que se me hace estéticamente precioso.

Aunque no sé si es porque es muy “antiguo”, que siento que la narración es bastante dispersa y MUY DRAMÁTICA, te cuentan un poquito con cada volumen y cada vez que avanzo siento angustia, es medio oscuro.

Me molesta que Kira sea demasiado imparcial y soft PORQUE EN LA REALIDAD DEL MANGA NO PUEDES SER ASí😫.

Rei está bien quemado y me recuerda un poco a Jace de Cazadores de Sombras, cuando hace puras cosas que lo ponen en peligro y hace como que no le importa nada. Un martir.

La historia es interesante, pero el romance es muy básico y no he visto el desarrollo. Son tiernos juntos, pero me hubiera gustado ver más razones de porque realmente son especiales el uno para el otro.

Voy a seguir con la historia, pero poco a poco, PORQUE COMO DIGO ME ESTRESO Y ME DEJA UN SABOR EN LA GARGANTA MEDIO AGRIO. 🤷‍♀️

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turn that drama dial up, otakus!
The story of Rei and Kira is just dripping in teen angst and I'm LIVING for it! Rei's ex is in town, and boy is she a piece of work. Saiori is spoiled and manipulates the situation to get what she wants, mainly Rei. She also knew Sei back in the day and her and Rei flip-flop over who was actually responsible for Sei wanting to kill himself. Kira sort of floats around looking sad and even her BFF tells her she is just a convenient girlfriend and needs to stand up for herself but that also makes her cry. There's also some more exploration of Rei's past, specifically truth about his parents.

Kira kinda really sucked in this one and I do wish she'd like, say something...anything. She just forgives Rei without him knowing what she was actually upset about in the first place. Let's be honest, Harumi is the true hero of this series.

[Mahou Tofu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The drama is kicked up the drama to 11 once again. Kira takes a call with a man asking if the model of her Mars painting is Rei. We are soon created by students of. A prestige academy who introduce themselves as Rei’s friends from his previous school. The girl, Shiori, seems to be completely smitten with Rei and happy upon they’re reuniting. For being in high school Kira is written so emotionally mature. She loves Rei, but is open to him spending time with Shiori because of what it means to Rei and his past.

With reading this volumes I switched to reading the original Tokyopop prints, I’ve been working on finishing the set since I only ever bought 1-2 back in the day. Mars really has that chaotic messy drama of 90s shojo manga, but these over dramatic events seem to have weight in the store and effect on the characters. Fuyumi is able to handle it with such grace.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters from Rei’s past are introduced, and with their arrival comes more drama and exposed secrets. I will say That I find Kira’s behavior fickle. One moment she is just along for the ride and is okay with anything Rei says/does and then the next minute she’s confronting/questioning him. I think this is a very human reaction to the situation she was put in. Not a bad thing necessarily, just something I noticed in this volume. I do not care for some of the new characters. One is a… attention seeking mess and the other is very bland. He’s just a worry wart who’s role is to move the story along. I still enjoyed reading.