ココにいるよ！4

Koko ni Iru Yo! #4

by Ema Tōyama, 遠山えま

Hikage is a reclusive 8th grader who no one seems to notice. She finds comfort in her blog, and the the people who comment on it. Everything changes one day when two cute boys notice her. These boys are the most popular kids in the entire school. When one of them tells her something that she's always wanted to hear, she might not be as invisible as she thought...

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Young Adult, Slice Of Life, Manga Romance

168 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2008

About the author

Japanese Name: 遠山 えま

She made her debut in September 2003 in the monthly manga magazine Nakayoshi with her story, Tenshi no Tamago ("Angel's Egg", no relation to the anime movie of the same name). Gokkun! Pūcho is considered her best representative work. Tokyopop has licenced it under the title Pixie Pop. All of her works are published by Kodansha, and they are enjoyed mainly by preteen and teen girls. None of her series have yet become anime.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hikage Sumino war bisher immer ein unscheinbares Mauerblümchen. Niemand hat sich für sie interessiert. Jetzt steht sie plötzlich zwischen zwei Jungen: Hinata Muto und Teru Mikami. Hinata hat Hikage schon immer gemocht, und die beiden sind sich in den letzten Wochen immer nähergekommen. Doch Teru hat Hikage auch immer Mut zugesprochen - online auf ihrem Blog. Sie möchte niemanden der beiden verletzten, doch für wen schlägt letztendlich ihr Herz?
***
Mein Leseeindruck:
Dieser vierte Band der fünfteiligen Manga-Reihe hat mir recht gut gefallen. Hikage ist eine sympathische Figur, auch wenn ich ihre Unentschlossenheit nicht immer nachvollziehen konnte. Andererseits macht sie diese Unentschlossenheit irgendwie auch sympathisch, weil sie weder Hinata noch Teru verletzen möchte.
Die Zeichnungen haben mir gut gefallen; die Dialoge hätten gerne ein wenig ausführlicher sein dürfen für mich. Trotzdem hatte ich Spaß beim Lesen.

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice conclusion of the series, but a bit cheesy. The main character got a bit annoying as well. But the twist was interesting and the love triangle cute. The art was nice as well.

[Monika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es war von vornherein Klar, dass er sich in sie verliebt....
Nur für wen entscheidet Sumino - San sich? ~.~

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for complete series



Hikage has always found it difficult to make friends as she is too shy to speak to her classmates. After an accident, she misses the first days at her new school and finds upon her return that her new class has already formed clusters of friends. Not belonging to any of them or having other friends to call her own, she shares her thoughts on her online blog where two strangers comfort and encourage her.

I am no poet but the English blurb is awful. I Am Here! is a beautiful manga that seems to get a bit of undeserved hate and it definitely deserves a better marketing text. This manga does feature a couple of shoujo clishés - I know some people hate them like the plaque whereas I am usually not too bothered provided they are done well. There is much more to Hikage's story than just a bunch of clichés though.

Yes, Hikage is a complete outcast and her love interest Hinata is the most popular boy at school - haven't we all heard that one before. But a stark contrast to other series is that it's primarily Hinata who seeks Hikage out whereas all she is looking for is friendship. Hinata also has reasons for liking her beyond I-saw-her-and-I-liked-her. Hikage is so unfamiliar with friendships and social life that romance isn't even on her radar when the story starts and I think the development between the two is done just right. Hinata definitely did well by her by giving her the time and space she needed as well as helping her get out into the world.

Now, Hikage as a main character seems to get her fair share of criticism from readers. I can kind of see where people are coming from - she is shy and she cries a lot . But I absolutely do not see her as a weak character. People are different and there are so many different forms of strength. Even though it is only ever said that she is shy, I think it is safe to say that she has some form of social phobia. As someone who has gone through high school with social anxiety I can tell you: yes, it can seem like the hardest thing in the world to enter a classroom yet alone say something. Social anxiety can be downright crippling to the point that it makes you physically sick. If my assumption that Hikage is more than just shy is correct, I find the portrayal of her behaviour more than realistic. She is desperately lonely and yet terrified once eyes are turned on her. It makes her knees shake, cry and run home to hide under a blanket, not knowing how she will face the next day. By the end of the story, Hikage might still be a shy girl, but she grows a lot throughout the series and learns to stand up for herself and maker herself heard. It takes a lot out of her and I think it may be hard to relate to for some just how difficult those situations are.

While this is definitely a romance manga, friendship and belonging are an equally big theme throughout I Am Here!. This manga is filled with lovely metaphors that just seem to hit the nail on the head. I love how Hikage describes feeling the warmth of belonging to a circle of friends for the first time, the way friendship and companionship are shown throughout the series really raises this beyond your average romance manga. Hikage also tends a sunflower throughout the story which equals her own growth as she finds herself out in the open sky turned toward the sun.

I Am Here! might still not be Tōyama at her best, but the art is very pretty and I love how she draws emotion onto characters' faces. It's a beautiful and heartfelt story that can encourage shy readers to go out there and do their best as well. It's definitely a favourite of mine and doesn't deserve bad press just because Hikage isn't a kick-ass heroine - she's a heroine in her own right.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the art in this one and again it was adorable! I can't wait to read the finale!

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

[lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teru-kun is best boy.

[Karina Rari · Rating 5 out of 5]

ich liebe diese manga reihe einfach

[LM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Koko ni Iru Yo volume was for me a 3.5-star read for me. Here, the love triangle intensifies, even though Hikage is such a boring person. This is exemplified in the fact that she goes on a date with one guy, but the second guy is also there, and she randomly goes looking what he does lmao. I have to say that I like Teru more than Hinata, he has at least an interesting backstory. Hikage still annoys me a bit how the cries all the time. Nevertheless, the ending was so dramatic with the mean girl finding her blog which makes me curious how the fifth and final volume will wrap this series up.

[Sinai C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't...this manga series really is not what I signed up for, though I suppose I could have seen the love triangle happening...but I wish that it didn't. I really like both Hinata-kun and Teru-kun and just...seeing them so...AGHH because of a girl really makes me sad. I think she should just pick Hinata-kun and let that be the end of it!

Heh, the amusement park date--the MUST HAVE of shojou mangas and animes like these. MUST HAVES. But seriously, she was so cute here with Hinata-kun!! THEY HAVE A FUTURE.

I'm a mess of feels. But no, the artwork continues to be spot on amazing and I am going to finish this series simply out of duty. I don't usually finish love triangle stories unless my favorite comes out on top.

[Mikaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hahahah.. this will probably be a love triangle. ♡ lol Hinata-kun knows that Teru was Black rabbit because when they were kids he compared Teru with a black rabbit. Hahaha! Oh my gosh! Things are getting interesting. Teru is one of those people who stubbornly believes he doesnt like someone when they really do and they just keep on denying it. XD hahaha! How cute.

Ohhh.. so Teru was lonely too. Awww.. omg! I don't know which team am i anymore! (/.\) earlier i was like go team Hinata but now i'm not so sure anymore. Wahaha

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sumino's so dense. I can't believe she's flirting with another guy while she's on a date with Hinata and now she's wondering if it's her fault why Hinata and Teru are fighting. SIGHHHHHHH. I cannot with this stupidity.

[Priyam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wah! I just finished this today! It was such a cute story and secretly one of my most favorite mangas out there because of I think...the cuteness! XD

it was just awesome...yeah...

[Katie (Katie's Corner Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers Chapters 13-16

See full review @ Katie's Corner

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWW this manga is soooooooooooooo cute ^v^