Arisa, Vol. 01

Arisa [アリサ] #1

by Natsumi Andō, Andria Cheng (Translator)

Tsubasa thinks that her pretty and popular twin sister, Arisa, has the perfect life. Everyone at school loves Arisa—unlike the hot-tempered Tsubasa, whose nickname is “the Demon Princess.” But when Arisa attempts suicide, Tsubasa learns that her seemingly perfect sister has been keeping some dark secrets. Now Tsubasa is going undercover at school—disguised as Arisa—in search of the truth. But will Arisa’s secrets shatter Tsubasa’s life, too?
 
Includes special extras after the story!

Genres: Manga, Mystery, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

安藤なつみ, Andō Natsumi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for Zodiac P.I. as well as Kitchen Princess, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2006.

Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the blurb, I was a bit surprised at how fast the source of Arisa's troubles are being revealed and they seem so weird in origin (I was expected some more standard school woe like mean girls). I'm not wowed by the quality of the art or writing but am interested enough in the plot to get at least one more volume.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at the library the other day and just happened to stumble upon this. The cover looked pretty, and after reading the synopsis, I thought, "Ooh. Twin impersonating a twin for secrets after a suicide attempt. Touch of mystery, too. Interesting."

Honestly, you don't see too many books that bring up suicide. Bullying? Very common in shoujo manga and novels for teen-aged girls. But in both, the story is typically about how to deal. Find good friends who like you for you, believe in yourself. Blah, blah, blah. Kinda like reading a book that Dr. Phil advised on. Yeah, it's great if you're being bullied and can give you something to aspire to be (and this is from someone who was bullied in high school), but to tell the truth, the whole "This is what you should do" thing gets really old really fast. Sometimes it's better just to have a character break down.

In this story, the suicide attempt actually helps the anti-bullying argument without telling people "commit suicide" like everyone seems to think featuring a bullying-induced suicide attempt would do. Instead, you see the story from Tsubasa, Arisa's twin sister whom she hasn't seen three years, and see HER determination to help her sister and others like Arisa by stopping the source of the bullying. You see the effect of Arisa's suicide attempt on Tsubasa. It gets the point across without being preachy. And since it's from the point of view of someone who isn't the one being bullied but is trying to help the ones being bullied to the point of suicide, it's very easy to empathize with Tsubasa if you have been bullied or are a friend to someone being bullied.

This series is beautiful. I actually didn't recognize it as Natsumi Ando's work, though I liked Kitchen Princess, Vol. 1 well enough. This work, to me, is a lot more grown up than how cutesy Kitchen Princess started.

I like Natsumi Ando. The two works of her that I've read so far deal with deep subjects like suicide or the death of a loved one without glazing over it for plot device or seeming preachy. It's a lovely story so far and I can't wait to read more.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hail to the King

Just as quick warning this series has bullying, inflicting harm to others, and suicide attempts so readers sensitive to such subjects might wish to steer clear. There is also a creepy cult like mob mentality that shows up that might bother some so use your own best judgment if you try to read this book.

Tsubasa Uehara is not a girly type though she would like at least some female friends. However with a nickname like the Demon Princess of Higashi Junior High the best she can hope for is some boys who respect her strength. However she has a twin sister named Arisu that she was separated from 3 years ago during their parent's divorce that she has been secretly been keeping in contact with that is coming to visit after so long. However regardless of how Arisu has talked about her life there is something wrong leading to some rather shady cult like action in the book. Now whether this is psychological or possibly occult the actions of her Tsubasa has triggered her morality driving her to discover the truth behind what happened to Arisu.

Cult like horror which this one has that kind of feel to it can be pretty chilling with dangerous thinking being enforced by either a group of people or by certain individuals that are not stopped by the majority such as books like Another. Of course it is possible there is a supernatural element at play too such as the rather gruesome Tohyo Game: One Black Ballot to You: One Black Ballot to You but whatever the truth about the King happens to be there is that creepy vibe like Children of the Corn in manga form. I for one am looking forward to checking out the next volume after this to see who the King might be and if Tsubasa truly found an ally mixed in the ongoing madness. :)

[m ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

going back to my roots☝🏽
i loved this manga so bad when i was a kid

[Shaun Winters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first volume of this manga series. It sets up the premise nicely and creates an interesting mystery. I am looking forward to seeing how this progresses in subsequent volumes. This first volume seems pretty tame, but has a few moments that lets it clearly be known things could get a lot more sinister in the future.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has potential. In this first volume, we meet two twins (Tsubasa and Arisa) who were separated at a young age when their parents divorced - one girl went to live with mom, the other with dad. But the girls have always been close and kept in touch with letters. Tsubasa has grown up to be a bit of a tom-boy, always better friends with guys than girls and always wishing she had the girly-perfect life of her twin, Arisa. According to Arisa's letters, she's popular, she has a boyfriend, and she has tons of girlfriends to pal around with. However, when Arisa and Tsubasa reunite for the first time in 3 years, Arisa attempts suicide. This leads Tsubasa to question everything she thought was perfect in her sister's life and to embark on a bold plan of impersonating her sister in an attempt to experience her day-to-day school life to figure out what drove her to attempt suicide. At this point, the story takes a bit of a spin. There is something strange going on at Arisa's school for sure - a strange sort of bullying instigated by a mysterious cyber game created by someone called "king." I actually think the story could be a little more successful with a realistic exploration of bullying in schools - rather than this strange mystery cyber presence. Nonetheless, I think the story has potential and I'll keep checking it out...

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

Chapters 1-4.

I was really intrigued by the premise of twins separated by divorced parents. I liked how Arisa setup her twin, Tsubasa, to learn about her life. Its hard to share when you work at hiding your unhappiness so long. I really liked Tsubasa's personality - her "demon princess" nature and insistence on doing what is right.

The king's room was so unexpected as everyone welcomes the Arisa posing Tsubasa. The Shiori event with Manabe as the instigator was quite confusing - I just wanted to understand what all this really was about!

I was happy we got to see more of Takeru (Tsubasa's best friend) and that he knows about her sister so he can help Tsubasa out. Midori, Arisa's best friend has a crush on her!

BOTTOM LINE: Compelling if a little confusing!

[Pastels Passions · Rating 5 out of 5]

realistic but with a spooky cult like twist about it. interested in seeing where this goes

[Yasmeen Asha · Rating 4 out of 5]

الاسم الياباني : アリサ
الأنجليزي : arisa
العربي : اريسا
الحالة : مكتمل
التصنيف : دراما/غموض/نفسي/رومانسي/حياة مدرسية/شوجو

تاريخ صدور المانجا : ٢٠٠٩

عدد المجلدات : 4
عدد الفصول : 44

القصة :
اعتقدت تسوباسا أن أختها التوأم أريسا تحظى بحياة مدرسية ممتعة خالية من المشاكل.لكن سرعان ما تتغير تلك الفكرة عندما تُقدم أريسا على الانتحار فتقرر تسوباسا انتحال شخصية أختها لتعرف من السبب وراء هذا. لكن ما تكتشفه من أسرار سوداء عن أختها و عن المدرسة يجعلها تُدرك أن كل ما كانت تعرفه كان مجرد وهم...

رأيي :

ماذا سوف تفعل تسوباسا وماذا ينتظرها ؟! لتعرف الحقيقة ؟!
ومن هو الملك ؟!
وما قصة هذا الصف
الغموض يغلف هذه المانجا لتنكشف الحقيقة واحدة تلو الاخرى ولكن هناك بعض العوائق الخطرة

احببتها لانني احب الغموض واتشوق لمعرفة ماذا سوف يحصل ولتنكشف الحيقيقة
مانجا جميلة انصح بقراءتها .

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
That was fun. An interesting story and a good reminder that a life that seems perfect rarely is. Everyone has secrets. Twins that have been separated for 3 years reunite only for Arisa to have Tsubasa pretend to be her for a day. After which Arisa tells how everyone has secrets and intentionally falls out the window in a suicide attempt. She is now in a coma and Tsubasa decides to find out what has been going on by continuing to pretend to be her sister. Something is going on in the class with the 'King' answering wishes and making people disappear. If anyone speaks out against them they become known as a traitor and are considered trash.
There's some potential here. On to the next.

[balqis · Rating 4 out of 5]

the rating is my average rate for the entire series.

I'm so glad I found this series and decided to picked this up. I hesitated at first because I thought it'll be kind of boring with the premise of twins switching place, but wow... I finished this in one sitting. such a page turner.

it's unrealistic at times, though.
I feel like kudo is there because natsumi ando sensei need to put someone to make us go 'they're the king!' to the point I feel like it's unnecessary at the end. and I feel like explanations we got later near the end doesn't match up with kudo and arisa chat. if arisa is the original king and she planned it with midori later, why kudo said hell grant arisa's wish? did kudo already met with midori? that's what bothering me lol.

but the most important thing!!! I love tsubasa!!! she deserve all the love and credits!!!

and I'm sad I can't see tsubasa and takeru relationship development ;____;

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

THAT'S WAY DARK FOR A T RATING!!! Interesting premise, way creepy and curious. Rather heartbreaking too.

[bug · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is good! and creepier and more suspenseful than i was expecting.

[Erica Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has definitely got me intrigued. I want to know who the king is and how Arisa is a traitor.

[Ines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tsubasa and her twin sister Arisa have been separated for three years, ever since their parents got divorced. They’ve managed to keep in touch via letters, but Tsubasa is still understandably excited about getting to secretly visit her sister soon. Tsubasa, whose habit of getting into fights has earned her the nickname “the Demon Princess of Higashi Junior High,” absolutely idolizes her seemingly perfect and popular sister.

During the visit, Arisa convinces Tsubasa to pretend be her for a day. The experience is just as wonderful as Tsubasa expected it to be, so it’s a complete shock when Arisa tries to kill herself. Her tipping point appears to have been a note she was given by someone at school: “Arisa Sonoda is a traitor.” What does it mean, and what secrets have Arisa and her classmates been hiding? Tsubasa decides to continue pretending to be Arisa while Arisa is in a coma, in order to solve the mystery and protect her sister.

I don’t think I’ve ever read any of Ando’s other works, but I’m pretty sure her Kitchen Princess series is cutesy romance. In general, her artistic style screams “generically cute." I have no idea how she ended up doing a series like Arisa, a mystery with a distinctly dark and disturbing edge. I was reminded a bit of Higurashi: When They Cry, except that Ando’s artwork didn't push the creepy moments far enough - it was just too cutesy, on the whole, for the subject matter.

Then there was the premise itself, which required a lot of suspension of disbelief. What kind of parents would completely separate their twin children for three whole years? And then their mother was conveniently unreachable when Arisa tried to kill herself and ended up in a coma, while their dad seemed perfectly fine with Tsubasa essentially no longer going to school and instead pretending to be Arisa. And everyone instantly accepted Tsubasa’s weak explanation for why she no longer remembered the class’s creepy “King time.”

Complaints aside, this was a surprisingly gripping first volume. Tsubasa expected to learn that her sister had been bullied and instead discovered that the entire class was taking part in something called “King time.” Every week at the same time, everyone in the class enters their wishes into a website. One person’s wish is chosen and granted by the “King,” whose identity no one knows. The King doesn’t seem to care if anyone gets hurt, and anyone who speaks out against them (the gender of the King is also unknown) risks being ostracized. Ostracized students receive a note: “[Student’s name] is a traitor.”

By the end of this volume, Tsubasa has identified one particular student as potentially being the King, having some connection to the King, or knowing who the King is. While I’m kind of annoyed at her decision to meet with him in private even though he’s already demonstrated that he can’t be trusted, I’m intrigued enough to want to read more.

If I had more shelf space, I’d probably order a couple more volumes right now - the story is interesting enough to make up for the improbable situation and incongruous artwork.

Extras:

- A 6-page comic designed to show off a few of Ando's early character design sketches for Arisa.

- A 4-page comic in which Ando talks about getting a dog. It's adorable.

- Two pages of translation notes.

- A preview of Arisa volume 2.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[⭒Christie ☽✯➳✯☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this manga back in Nov 16 2010 at Boarders in Thousand Oaks, California according to the receipt I left inside the book. sitting on my shelves never read since 😳😱🤯📖 and I finally read it today. 😆

Four stars ✨🙌🏼 fun teen bully mystery 🤔📖🤷🏻‍♀️😌

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tsubasa and Arisa are identical twins but they haven't lived together since their parents divorced. In the three years since they've become very different people, Tsubasa a tomboy and Arisa a girly-girl. They've kept in touch through email and Tsubasa believes she knows what kind of life her sister leads, but she learns how wrong she is when she goes to visit Arisa.

Arisa suggests they pull a twin switch so Tsubasa can see what her life's really like. At first it seems as shiny and happy as Tsubasa imagined, with lots of cute guys panting around after her and cute girls who want to go out for parfaits after school, or whatever it is popular girls do. But then Tsubasa finds a note in her locker warning her that snitches get stitches. When she goes back to see Arisa, Arisa attempts suicide by jumping from a window.

After that Tsubasa decides to go undercover at Arisa's school and learn just what's going on. She discovers that her sister's class is involved with something called the King, a website where students can post wishes. The King will choose one and make it come true. And those who oppose the King are dealt with harshly.

Conceptually there's an interesting idea here and I'll keep reading the series, but the execution in the first volume is problematic. There's a loner bad-boy in class whom Tsubasa immediately singles out as her prime suspect and the volume ends with a cliffhanger involving him. But this is only the first volume in an ongoing series. Story logic dictates that we can't find out who the King is this early, therefore the bad-boy is just a redherring and the cliffhanger will end up as a misunderstanding of some sort. The plot would've been better served by establishing all the students in class and introducing suspicious elements about each of them, building up a paranoid thriller.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arisa is an amazing teen manga series. The story focuses on Tsubasa, who has been separated from her twin, Arisa, for many years and has only stayed in contact with her through secret letters. When the pair finally meet up again, Tsubasa (Who's also known as the 'Demon Princess' at her school and who only has male friends) can't stop talking about how great her sister's life seems. Arisa thinks otherwise though, and soon jumps out a window. Arisa lives, but she's thrown into a coma, and now Tsubasa wants to find out what could have caused her sister's suicidal behavior.

Once Tsubasa starts acting like her sister, she finds that her sisters class practically worships an unknown person known only as 'The King'. The King can grant wishes, from anything like giving somebody the answers to a test or to getting rid of somebody. Yikes. And now it's up to Tsubasa to find out who The King is.

The story is very exciting and has many twists and turns that leave the audience guessing. The overall feel of the story is very tense and there's constant threat of danger. Though it's a shojo manga, and there is a little romance, it is by no means a promenant theme of the story, and I see how the plot can appeal to many people. If you haven't picked this one up yet, I highly recommend this series.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic premise: Tsubasa pretends to be her twin sister, Arisa, attending school and fooling classmates in order to find out why Arisa would attempt suicide.

After four volumes, I still don't really know where this story is going. I am going to need to request my library to pick up volumes 5 and 6. I'm interested enough to continue the story, just not interested enough to actually buy the series myself.

This is the same mangaka that wrote Kitchen Princess, which was a cute enough story if not a bit on the melodramatic side. My issues with Arisa aren't so much about the drama so much as the choppy pacing of the story. I feel like things jump around a bit too much and situations that I would expect to take more time to develop resolve quickly - or rather, the story just moves on to the next twist or reveal.

Manabe is cute, though, so I hope he ends up being a good guy. :P

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Kitchen Princess, so naturally I was excited to read Arisa. It starts out as a fairly standard, fairly cute high school book, with the typical twin trick of switching places for a day. And then there's a huge shift of tone at the end of the first chapter. That marks the beginning of what is, so far, a strange and sometimes deeply creepy story. The central mystery has almost no clues so far, and there's still quite a lot left unexplored about it. I think I'm hooked.

I really like Natsumi Ando's art in general. Here, it's even sharper than in Kitchen Princess. I admit to missing the tempting-looking food displays, but I'm pleased with how the character work has progressed.

[Megan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a surprisingly exciting read. I randomly picked it up at the library and found myself absolutely spellbound by the first volume.

Tsubasa's twin sister attempts suicide and ends up in a coma after confessing to some "terrible" secrets. To uncover what could possibly make her otherwise perfect sister try to kill her, Tsubasa disguises herself as Arisa.

The storytelling is fast-paced for a school drama. I was so glad that I had volume 2 sitting next to me when I put this one down. I would have been so frustrated if I had had to wait. I would compare this in tone to something like Pretty Little Liars.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was filled with interesting and complex characters as well as having an interesting plot that keeps you guessing about what will happen next. This story does a great job of keeping your interest and I am looking forward to the next volume.

Contains Chapters: 1 - 4
1.) Tsubasa & Arisa
2.) Himetsubaki Junior High Class 2-B
3.) King Time
4.) Akira Manabe

[DonutKnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consumed within half an hour. Very intriguing storyline.

The Arisa's classmates are acting like freaky cult followers, but I'm glad that Tsubasa can handle herself. That Manabe guy was cute, but creepy as all hell.

The cliff-hanger was also quite genius in that it has left me hanging on the edge, at the end of my tether to know what happens next.

And now I can't wait to get the next volume!

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's like a dark, twisty, less ridiculous version of Gossip Girl! LOVE IT! Hope I can get my hands on more volumes soon!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of PLL but in a better way. Quick & fun read!

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I was gonna to enjoy Arisa when the summary reminded me of the drama Bump Off Lover. I was a fool to leave the library with only one volume in hand...

[(• ֊ •)੭ amyfish ~ love2love · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG best book ever! LOLLLOLOLOL

[Rereader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty solid first volume. It establishes the characters, story, and conflict pretty well. As someone who has read the mangaka's previous work, Kitchen Princess, I will say that there is a slight similarity between Tsubasa and Najika. Both can be strong-willed and violent but are good people who have no time for bullies. I won't know if Tsubasa is an exact copy of Najika until I read more, but honestly I really liked Najika so it doesn't bother me a whole lot. While the drama and the story itself made this volume a fast read, I have a few concerns with where the series is going. The biggest issue I had was that there didn't seem to be a lot of build up for any of the dramatic events. I understand that the mangaka wanted to get a lot of the background information about Arisa and her situation with her classmates established but there was no dramatic payoff because each event was rushed. I am also concerned about the "King" as the concept. Considering that this is the only thing that seems supernatural or otherwordly it concerns me as to whether supernatural elements will be thrown in to tie up loose ends or have something make sense that ultimately doesn't. Again, this is speculation based off of the first volume, so I am getting ahead of myself here. It was a fast-paced, enjoyable read and hope the next volume is just as good.

[Kitty Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hovering between 3-4 stars for this, 3.5 basically. I enjoyed Zodiac P.I. by this mangaka so I was thrilled to try this series. The art seems rougher than expected though the characters are nonetheless cute and distinctive. It's not overly impressive in terms of art or sequencing but the story is highly unusual and puzzling. It's about twins, Tsubasa is the aggressive and outspoken tomboy while Arisa is the delicate, sweet and girly one. After being separated by their parents divorce, they decide to switch places one day- and Tsubasa discovers that her sister isn't as she seems and is hiding dark secrets and traumatic events from her new school life. The switch was supposed to be just for fun but now it's becoming a harrowing mystery of sorts, almost dabbling in horror as the students at Arisa's school come off as quite creepy and obsessed with a wish-fulfilling app created by one of them. After this and the second volume, I'm no closer at guessing the whole plot as there seem to be more winding turns and false starts in Tsubasa's journey to suss out a true mastermind behind the school's issues. The plotting seems too chaotic and the overarching storyline is not as smart as it could be- but I'm intrigued enough to continue. Also, Tsubasa is a fantastic shoujo heroine. Just very energetic, determined, and fun to watch.