Shy, Vol. 1

シャイ [Shy] #1

by Bukimi Miki

In an age when superpowered defenders from each country have brought peace to the world, Japan's representative is a timid young girl known as "Shy." She may be embarrassed by the mere thought of slipping into spandex, but she'll prove that despite it all, she still has the heart of a hero!

Genres: Manga, Action, Superheroes, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comics

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2019

About the author

実樹ぶきみ

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s an age of heroes and every country has one. Japan’s is the painfully, well, shy Teru, whose alter ego is known as Shy. An accident leaves her with little faith in herself, but, when the real problems start happening, will she have the strength to go back to doing her duty?

Hey, this was a little bit of all right. It reads like a genre mash between superhero and magical girl, with a sprinkle of sentai stuff on top (Shy’s transformation is a noted homage to an old show that got rolled into the Power Rangers franchise). Since I’ve consumed all five seasons of Symphogears I was pretty on board from the get-go.

Shy’s the very definition of reluctant hero and she truly wants to help, but she sure doesn’t want any possible trappings of fame that come with it. Her initial appearance is embarrassing, at best, and it’s really easy to root for her as she tries to do the right thing while paralyzed with social anxiety.

The first couple of crises get her through the usual ‘oh, but I don’t want to be a hero’ beats and on to the thrust of the story, where your typical evil boy decides to open people’s hearts and that means they turn bad and go rampaging. It’s the most magical girl turn in a story full of them.

It’s all just enough. The action is good enough, the characters are just enough (in some cases, more than, as Shy and her friend are really great), you get a little plot and lots of heart. The book recognizes the strength of having our hero’s secret identity matter and she’s almost more interesting out of costume than in - great balance.

I think the heart is what bumps this up for me. This is such an earnest story, one of those where the hero is going to yell at somebody to fight at the evil taking them over and the power of heart can thus save the day. And, y’know, these days I don’t mind a little of that. It’s of a simpler time, but not a worse one.

There are some iffy bits. Of course Russia’s hero is a woman in a fur hat who has the power of booze and the British one is a hard rocker. It’s some real on the nose stereotyping. The plot isn’t moving forward at great speed until the end, and even then it’s not hurrying or anything and doesn’t necessarily feel as urgent as we’re told it is.

As for Shy, her powers are… uh… heroic strength and… a thing. She’s really ill-defined, partially so she can discover her hidden talents, but a little more clarity wouldn’t have hurt as far as where we’re starting from.

At the heart of it, though, a girl learns to believe in herself (and her costume is stylish yet not overly sexualized, thank you manga gods!) and makes a new friend via one of the most awkward sets of circumstances. It’s got to iron itself out, but if you buy into Shy’s struggle it’s a solid read.

There are worse examinations of heroism than the one where it’s anybody who either simply tries to do the right thing or pushes themselves outside of their comfort zone to help others. Both are pretty great concepts for this manga to mull over.

3.5 stars - this is just an enjoyable book. I read it and really liked the character and I want to see her learn to be a better hero and achieve her goals. It’s got a foot in both magical girl (the bonus manga jabbing at transformation sequences is on point) and superhero genres and balances them both well. Definitely coming back for another.

[Thomas Wickinghoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It certainly is an interesting new approach and a nice softer, more female version of My Hero Academia. We don't have a focus on fights (so far), but rather on feelings and character development. Opponents are beat, because the protagonist understands them and feels for them, not because she thinks of another super special move to knock their teeth out.

I was never a fan of the Japanese shy archetype, but it is somewhat interesting to see it here as a main conflict rather than for comedic purposes.

After volume 1 I'm missing a clear direction the story wants to go towards, I'd like at least a little more action and most of all I would love to see some more word building. Where do those powers come from? I don't even properly know yet, what superpowers Shy is capable of - of any of the other superheroes for that matter.

I will continue reading, but I really hope for some serious development in general.

[Little Red R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un premier tome très intéressant! On entre directement dans l'action, le dessin est vraiment très agréable! La seule chose qui m'a dérangée, c'est l'âge du personnage. Je trouve qu'elle fait beaucoup plus!
Autrement, je suis POUR les histoires de super héro! J'ai très hâte de lire la suite (et fin) de cette histoire!

[sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ✨ rounded to 4 ⭐

[Diana H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 round up, it’s like trying to write mha from memory, with dementia

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this was really cute!
Shy is precious!
Can't wait to see how this develops!

[Federica Gelmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho comprato questo manga più per istinto, che per altro. Il titolo e la copertina mi hanno fatto intuire che tipo di storia sarei andata a leggere e mi sono lasciata ispirare da questo.
Sono felice di dire di aver trovato una protagonista nella quale non ho faticato molto a identificarmi, come avevo sperato nell'acquistarlo. Condivido diversi pensieri con lei.
L'unica pecca, che dipende solo dal mio gusto personale, (piccolo spoilerino innocente) è la scelta di usare come "mezzo" per le trasformazioni in eroi l'energia del cuore (fine piccolo spoilerino innocente); una scelta un po' infantile dal mio punto di vista, ma che è ben collegata con gli avvenimenti della storia.
Per il resto, lo sviluppo della trama è appena iniziato e io sono curiosa di continuare la lettura!

[pia · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's so cute

[LaPommequirougit · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://lapommequirougit.com/2021/01/...

Je remercie les Éditions Kana pour l’envoi de cette lecture. C’est une histoire des plus touchante et drôle à la fois que j’ai eu l’occasion de découvrir et que je vais vous présenter aujourd’hui.

Dans chaque pays, il y a un héros prêt à sauver toutes personnes en danger. Shy, est celle du Japon, mais à un gros souci. Tel son surnom, c’est une grosse timide. De plus, elle est très jeune. De ce fait, elle fait des erreurs et n’est pas aussi douée que ses collègues des autres pays.

Pourtant, Shy va devoir prendre sur elle et apprendre à vaincre cette timidité. En effet, une menace commence à pointer le bout de son nez. Pas pour le Japon, pour un pays en particulier, non, pour la planète entière. Elle devra apprendre à mieux se servir de son pouvoir, si elle veut pouvoir aider les autres héros à sauver le monde.

J’ai A-DO-RÉ. Shy est un personnage auquel on s’attache très rapidement. Elle est drôle de par sa timidité, mais touchante, car elle a un grand cœur. Sa personnalité m’a beaucoup touché, elle m’a même émue !

Je trouve l’histoire originale. Une héroïne timide. Normalement, les mangas avec des héros, souvent, ils sont sûrs d’eux, mais manque de pouvoir surtout et doivent gagner en puissance. Ici, même si elle doit apprendre à mieux maîtriser sa force et gagner en expérience, son plus gros problème se trouve dans sa personnalité et j’ai aimé ce point de vue de l’histoire.

En bref, c’est un manga qui m’a beaucoup plu. Je suis impatiente de voir ce que la suite de l’histoire donnera. Le manga est prenant, on se laisse porter par le petit bout de chou qu’est Shy et on s’attache très rapidement à elle !

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a great first chapter, having Shy dealing with the consequences of her actions, when she fails to save someone. It's something we haven't seen superhero manga look at, My Hero Academia, Vol. 1 and One-Punch Man, Vol. 1 both focus more on the comedy side of thing. This has more in common with Cardcaptor Sakura, Vol. 1.

The rest of it dealt with the high school setting and making a new friend, as well as introducing a new villain . Whilst it was decent read nothing really grabbed me or caught my attention. It just felt like stuff either the American comics or other series have done before and a lot better.

[Niche · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

I get that this wants to be a different kind of superhero story, but it really just feels like a high drama magical girl series (the enemy is the darkness in people's hearts), but with superheroes and unsexualized transformations. I like the focus on friendship and understanding that forms, but it felt like it just dove right into the drama deep end before getting me endeared or sympathetic to the characters. It pretty much opens with the "you can't save everyone" plotline and the antagonist monsterizes people's emotional trauma.

It feels like its going to have a rather somber and heavy tone. I don't really do drama unless it's fascinatingly introspective and rational, heartwarming, or I laugh at it (whether I'm supposed to or not).

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shy is a superhero story. Mysteriously, some people have been given superpowers and use them to save people. Shy is Japan's superhero. She's so named because she's really shy. She isn't a great or popular superhero. She's shy and scared all the time. But she tries her best to overcome her fears and to help people.

This story is an interesting concept. I like the idea of a shy superhero overcoming her fears and saving everyone. I think that's a good message. Overcoming your weaknesses to do your best anyway. I like the idea of it, but I just couldn't connect with the story or the characters. Honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the artwork either.

This one just isn't my cup of tea.

[Mahault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bon début de série, qui à mon sens - et même si je ne l'ai pas encore lu - dépend trop de son tome 2 pour se montrer pleinement efficace. Néanmoins, l'idée de se servir de la figure du super-héros pour interroger la confiance en soi est excellente, avec en vedette une héroïne adorable.

Lien vers ma chronique complète ICI

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très sympathique et mignon !!

[ash ⋆˚꩜｡ (ITS TIIIMMEEEE) · Rating 5 out of 5]

what got me into manga. this was so incredibly AMAZING i've read it like 5 times already.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn on this one. Shy seems to focus more on the psychology of superheroes than anything else. And while their frailties, their misgivings, and their self-doubts can be interesting to explore, something just feels...off, here. Maybe it's the fact that we have no idea why Teru was chosen(?) to become a hero, when she's so unsure of herself. Early in the first chapter, a sidebar promises to explain how and why these heroes can do what they do at some later point, but I really felt the absence of any explanation as this volume went on. And something about the core of Teru's credo to help those in need feels very off the mark: Her grandfather explained to her as a child that nobody can live alone, and that "even our clothes...each and every thing we have is made by someone out there in the world." So we're all interconnected, that's a good message...except, he immediately follows with: "People feel their happiest when they live for others." I hesitate to use the term "sweat shop," but a lot of clothing is made by people in less than great conditions. There aren't suicide nets surrounding some buildings in China because people are so happy to work there. Just saying. And it really makes the grandfather--if not the author--seem really out of touch.

Still, the art is good, and that kept me going, but there's an air of...flippancy to some of what goes on that just doesn't work. Like the whole secret hideout in space, and the robot(?) alien(?) who runs it. The robo-alien who's totally fine with bringing a civilian to the secret hideout of all the heroes of the world, and who's wearing an apron and making soup when they arrive. Maybe it's supposed to be funny, but it just feels kind of dumb, especially when everyone's been assembled to talk about a dire situation. I did genuinely laugh here and there, like when the Russian hero declares "Getting the whole world drunk...is impossible!" during what's supposed to be a pep talk, but the attempts at humor fell flat, more often than not for me.

The villain's potentially interesting, in an evil Lantern Corps kind of way, but he seems to be acting more or less at random, and at too small a scale to be the world-ending threat that he's implied to be. It's like those stories about how the devil spends days trying to get one person's soul; it's like, dude, there has to be a better approach than that.

So, there's some potential in this series, but I can't help but feel that at this stage, everything we see has been done better somewhere else. Maybe it improves as time goes on, but I have enough on my to-read pile that it'll be a long time before I find out.

[Sunread26 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2021/...

Extrait :
Shy est un shonen écrit par Bukimi Miki et édité chez nous par Kana éditions. Tout comme un autre titre désormais très connu, ce manga à pour thème les super-héros, mais son approche est assez différente. En effet, on suit la jeune héroïne, Shy, représentant le Japon (car oui, il n’y a qu’un héros par pays!) qui est plus que timide, rude combat pour elle qui devra donc se surpasser au quotidien afin d’être à la hauteur.

Le tome commence par présenter les différents héros connus ainsi que le pays qu’il représente, on peut largement dire que certains représente un sacré cliché de leur pays… Mais personnellement, j’adore Spirits l’héroïne représentant la Russie, malgré son taux d’alcoolémie, elle sait garder la tête sur les épaules dans les moments où c’est nécessaire, et elle grandement notre héroïne à s’affirmer malgré ses défauts. Quant à Stardust, il n’apparaît qu’en fin de tome, également pour aider Shy, mais à sa façon… plus que discutable d’ailleurs…

Malgré le côté simple et peut-être slice of life qui ressort aux premiers abords, on a tout de même droit à notre super-vilains, plus que mystérieux et dangereux pour le coup. Son but, plus qu’étrange, mais surtout ça manière de le réaliser mais nos héros aux aguets. En effet, ce vilains fait ressortir les émotions refoulées (un peu comme dans Jagaaan tiens) transformant ainsi ses victimes et les rendant violents plus ou moins contre leur grès. Bien sûr, nos héros, ou du moins Shy, a trouvé, par pur hasard, un moyen de sauver les victimes autrement quand les blessant.

[...]

[Stephanie Yuzuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where superheroes, one for each nation, have put an end to war, Teru Momijiyama is Shy, Japan's very own costumed hero. True to her hero name, she's also debilitatingly shy. It becomes tremendously worse when a girl's badly injured during a rescue attempt, Teru growing so insecure that she can't activate her hero powers. It takes a disaster and some pep talks to get her powers working again, just in time to experience a sinister evil that forcibly draws out the negativity of the heart to transform people into monsters. Fortunately, Shy's belief that people must help each other for everyone to be happy makes her well-suited to restoring the victims, but she's still got an uphill battle ahead of her. An excellent start to the series that has me craving more! Teru's a great, relatable protagonist and the mysterious antagonist is deeply eerie and twisted. The artwork is appealing and the character designs delightful. Using therapy in a superhero story's a great concept, especially in a Japanese story. I don't like how easily Iko Koishikawa's crippled leg is healed; I wanted her to adjust to her disability. I'm also not fond of the stereotypical traits of some of the other heroes, like Spirits being a hard-drinking Russian or Stardust being a British rock star; the characters are likable but those are such obvious characteristics to give them.

[Nicol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante... Shy tiene un estilo de dibujo bonito.

En un mundo al borde de la guerra, aparecieron de la nada personajes variopintos con habilidades que se hicieron llamar "heroes" y llevaron a la tierra a una nueva etapa de paz y prosperidad... Hasta que... Bueno, está en progreso.

Lo que sabemos del mundo de Shy en este primer volumen es poco. Conocemos la historia desde el punto de vista de Shy: una chica de 14 años que lleva varios meses siendo heroína, la heroina de Japon. Tiene el paquete de: mas resistencia, fuerza aumentada y con un ayudante robotico, parece que puede crear portales para teleportarse. Parece que los otros heroes: Spirits, la heroina borracha rusa (por ahora, habilidad adicional es volar) y Stardust, la estrella de rock (solo salio brevemente).

No sabemos como adquirieron los poderes, el proceso de seleccion y apenas vemos un vistazo al primer villano: Un niño llamado "Estigma"; que con anillos vuelve extrema las emociones de la gente, corrompiendolos y materializando sus sentimientos en mineral negro que refuerza su cuerpo y se puede usar como armas, garras, etc.


En ese sentido es un shonen normal y superhéroes... Incluso, tiene parecidos con Miraculous xD

Así que... Shy, una heroína primeriza va... Mejorando sus habilidades y progresando para salvar a más personas de la oscuridad de su corazón?

[Vail Chester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the blurb, you'd think it would be another look at something similar to the world of "My Hero Academia" what with superheroes being more well-known, but not numerous enough that there's a lot of em. After reading, it seems like the author was trying to go for a "Sailor Moon" meets "MHA" kinda vibe, with several magical girl elements being present, but still kinda poorly executed.
What really kills it for me is a complete lack of even a cursory explanation on why she has superpowers and heck, what even ARE her superpowers! Same with the other international heroes; they exist, they fight crime, but nobody mentions nothing about what they can do or even if they've told each other their secret origins (because they are both "of the cloth" lol).
So not a great hook, no real explanations, and I cannot stand this doormat of a main character. At least Fluttershy managed some scenes of assertiveness in Season 1 of MLP: FiM, but this chick? Truly a cosmic joke that she has been tasked as Japan's superpowered defender when she seems like the type that would startle at her own reflection.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this is a really interesting story!

From the description, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this story. It sounds like a standard superhero manga—and, in many ways it is. But, it also has a female lead and a number female superheroes at the front. Also, the focus is much more on the interior lives of the heroes and their beliefs than on some sort of overarching ideology. Which, I find unique.

That said, this is still a dynamic story with a lot of heart. There’s a central conflict introduced as well—with a fairly interesting villain. There are still these very standard, superhero story elements.

I’m pleasantly surprised by this series so far.

If you are a fan of My Hero Academia, I think you’d enjoy this series—it’s a different tone but it has a lot of shared DNA that I think would appeal to readers~

[Adam Rodgers · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this world many countries have their own superheroes (UK, Russia, USA etc), and Shy is Japan's. She very much lives up to her moniker as the titular superhero and is equally timid as her alter ego high school student. She also seems to have a heavy case of imposter syndrome as she doubts whether she is up to the job of saving people.

Miki's artwork is decent but his storytelling is mediocre. There are some interesting enough story-points but they are laboured in execution to the point of boredom. Similarly the superhero genre is already well represented and there is little original ideas being put forward here. That said, there is the potential for a stronger story, but a lot of fat needs trimming, with a greater focus on action than dialogue.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious about reading another story about heroes and this doesn’t necessarily disappoint. The “villains” appear in the form of hatred. Possessing people to use their inner thoughts & demons. It’s a nice concept that I think can go many ways.

My problem is the main character. Maybe I’m just not into the shy stereotype. She’s literally named Shy, she’s still developing as a character and hero. I’m not even entertained by the way she handled the villain.

She has powers like other heroes in different countries after some random cosmic event. I’m not sure what her powers are exactly, she doesn’t describe them. Just sort of reacts to situations.

The other heroes have more personality than her but this first volume isn’t about them much. They’re the reason I wanna continue reading but I’m in no rush to continue this.

[Kyle Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

With My Hero Academia complete, a large super hero manga sized was left in my chest. So I went and bought this first volume to fill the hole. It has all the standard heroic tropes through the Japanese lense: crazy costumes, a secret & nefarious organization with machinations for the planet, the shounen spirit to get up when the chips are down. But instead of a hot-headed Deku we have a super socially anxious Teru.

All-in-all, I enjoyed what I read. There's a lot of mysteries and setup the creator did really well, enough to get me to catch up. I'd recommend for people looking for something familiar in something new.

[Liz Weasleyhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Am Anfang war ich mit dem schnellen Einstieg in die Story ein wenig überfordert und dachte mir oft Wer? Wie? Was? Wo?
Das wurde dann später besser, dennoch hätte ich mir zu Beginn gerne mehr Infos über die Herkunft und das Dasein der Helden gewünscht.
Die vielen Charaktere bleiben zunächst sehr oberflächlich.
Im weiteren Verlauf wurde die Story sehr melancholisch und tiefgründig und beschäftigt sich mit Themen wie Tod von Angehörigen und wie die Betroffenen damit umgehen. Auch der moralische, fast philosophische Touch hat mir sehr gut gefallen 🥰
Ich bin wirklich gespannt wo die Story noch hingeht und wie sich die Charaktere noch entwickeln.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to pick this one up (my first real vacation read, whoo) and I am quite happy I did. Yes, our MC was a bit too much shy at times, but I loved seeing her conquer her shyness and try to be better. I also love the idea of a world full of heroes, one for each country (though I wonder about the logistics of that, haha). The art was quite fun. I hope that Shy gets better at fighting and being less shy! I need to read on~

[Soobie is expired · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'ho comprato perché ho visto che era un numero uno ed ero curiosa di vedere cosa fosse.

Anche se solitamente preferisco eroine un po' più decise, la storia non mi è dispiaciuta. Anzi, per il momento promette bene.

Bellini anche i disegni, per quanto siano un filino meno puliti di quanto non piaccia a me.

Continuo, continuo!

[Nguyễn Vy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bộ truyện siêu anh hùng với main là nữ, tuyệt vời. Mỗi nước đều có một anh hùng đại diện và cùng nhau họ chống lại một thế lực đen tối mới với âm mưu là "giải phóng ước mơ sâu thẳm trong tim" của con người.

Truyện chia arc và xử lý rất mạch lạc và rõ ràng, không hề thiếu các phân cảnh cảm động, nhất là đợt arc của chị Nga

[~✰Faerie✰~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so so good!!! The art, the story, the action!!! I had trouble bringing myself to put it down. It was an adorable story and I can't wait to get the next book in the series! 10/10 would recommend this book to a friend :)

[Ray Rappisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a now familiar story, heroes. I’m loving Shy as the protagonist with a friend who knows her identity. The other heroes are interesting and I’m looking forward to their backstories. Add great character artwork and this has the making of a fantastic series.