Aya Kanno (菅野文; Kanno Aya) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist.
Former assistant of mangaka Masashi Asaki of Psychometrer Eiji fame, she made her debut in the January 2001 issue of Hakusensha's magazine "Hana to Yume" with Soul Rescue. Her works include Otomen.
I still love it. All of the new teachers end up converted by the end of this one and The school is slightly more normal until Asuka's mom comes back to Japan. We also get to see more about the supporting characters who aren't in the main group of friends in this one like Asuka's home room teacher and Chef. It's such a cute story.
The substitute teachers that Kasuga hired are proving to be supremely twisted. The next to force his ideas on Ginyuri Academy is Mifune Naito. Ostensibly born in America, he has exaggerated notions of ancient Japanese living that puts the academy into serious danger.
But strangest and possibly most disturbing of all is the new nurse, the slinkingly seductive Suzaku Oji. Where O-Tan’s giddy girlishness had a cutesy charm that made her pick all the boys as her favorites (much like Juta), she refrained from actually wooing them. Suzaku has no such scruples; in fact, he seems determined to seduce both the male and female student bodies. While he refrains from assaulting them sexually, his behavior is simply beyond the pale and no decent parent would stand for it.
Complicating matters are the mysterious interventions by Mr. Amakashi, a school teacher that seems to root for Asuka and his friends, and the reticent owner of Patisserie le Violet. They seem to swirl in and out of Asuka’s lives while remaining on the periphery of it and the roles they are meant to play in the otomen’s lives are very uncertain. They’re too old to be friends and contemporaries. Their interferences tend to be rather passive, each ostensibly sticking in their own niche and never assuming a role other than that of their chosen professions.
So what is their connection to Asuka and why do they both take such keen interest in his welfare? Questions to be answered in future volumes, no doubt.
What I liked best in this volume is the continued growing assurance of Asuka and his friends. Placed in actual peril, they rise magnificently to the occasion, putting their individual and unique talents to good use to save their schoolmates. After this, you’d think that the question of what constitutes true manliness and femininity would be settled. Again, a question to be settled in future volumes.
The anti-otomen campaign at Asuka's school continues, but I think I see a light on the horizon. By the end of the book, Asuka & co. have converted all of the teachers brought in to drive the campaign, and gotten Kasuga fired. But that just means that Asuka's mother is now in charge. I have to say, I really disliked the Valentines Day storyline. I thought Oji was actually pretty creepy, but I guess it's another example of how broken the school environment has become in single-mindedly pursuing the anti-otomen agenda.
🌸SYNOPSIS When the most charming of teachers challenges Asuka to a challenge where losing means expulsion, would he be able to collect the most valentines’ chocolates off his fellow peers? Though, he only ever wonders who Ryo is giving her chocolate to? You find out about shortly. That’s not all, when Asuka feels trapped with no place to be himself, a chance comes in the form of a cooking class, just when he needs it. Does he have a guardian Otomen? Is there more to this chef then we realise? Found out in the next volume cause volume 11 sort of ends in the middle of the baking arc.
🌸OPINION I enjoy the cover of the manga because I have a weak spot for guys like Hajime. The progress of the story is good, but some things bug me as usual. I feel like a lot more will happen now, like with the Chef, Asuka and his mother, gradual growth between all characters, such as Oji changing after the challenge. I really like this “The Poet” character and would love to know more about them. I think it’s a male, probably a teacher. I honestly rarely get tired of character development but the story is a bit slow but glad to see it finally picking up in this volume and I hope it continues on with little to no filler feeling chapters but I am not putting much hope in that.
🌸PRO The story is really now picking up and a lot more information seems to be flowing The bonus comic that shows what Love Chick is really nice
🌸CON Cliff-hanger Wish they did more Love Chick bonuses cause it’s so cute
🌸FINAL SAY “You’ll know once you fall in love” This volume seems to focus on what love can do to change a person and their perspective on things. I love how love brings all these sorts of characters together whether it’s due to hobbies or even each other and I can’t wait to see what the next 7 volumes bring.
Today's post is on Otomen volume 11 by Aya Kanno. It is the eleventh in her Otomen series. It is 200 pages long and is publishes by Shojo Beat. As this is the tenth volume in this series, you need to have read the first nine volumes to understand the story. The cover is pink with Hajime Tonomine looking at the reader as he does a girl's makeup. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, humor, and love stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character with moments of the other characters added in for plot development. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- Asuka engages in a battle with Suzaki Oji to see who will get the most Valentine's Day chocolates! As Oji seduces girls left and right into giving him chocolates, Asuka wonders one thing--who will Ryo give her chocolates to?
Review- We finish with teacher obsessed with everyone acting like they are from the Warring States period by him learning the true samurai spirit, which is of course Asuka's otomen ways. Then we get into the Valentine battle. Ryo is the only girl who is immune to Oji's pheromone's. That makes Oji question everything and now he on the hunt for true love only. Because nothing is working Asuka's mother has come back to try and get everyone in line. Asuka is really stressed out in this volume because it is becoming harder and harder for him to have any place that is safe for him to be himself. But him and Ryo are going strong and I'm pulling for Asuka to make it out as himself.
I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.
This is a mass review from volumes 1-11 since I read them all in sequence. The more I read this series the more I love it. I especially love that it concentrates on the boys and their habits/hobbies rather than their relationships (or lack thereof) as traditional shoujo manga does. If you are the type that gets frustrated when the 'main' relationship progresses slowly then this will drive you nuts. Perhaps it is because I read them so fast that it doesn't face me, but 11 volumes and it hasn't really gone past hugging in the physical aspect. Fine by me. I'm just invested in the boys at this point lol
In a nutshell Asuka has been drilled by his mom to be a man's man since his father left them declaring he wanted to become a woman. But Asuka loves cute things, sewing, and cooking which he hides from everyone. The other boys have similar situations. Asuka falls for a girl named Ryo who is the exact opposite so the running joke is that Asuka is the princess while Ryo is the prince lol It somehow works and it's just funny funny funny! I laugh at random things every other page in every single volume.
The only thing I would gripe about a bit is that I wish one of the boys was gay, but that may be my BL (yaoi) brain nagging at me. Though it seems . And it's no secret that Juta is Asuka's #1 fan.
It's made clear in this volume that the romance aspect of this series, though still important, isn't nearly as important as Asuka's journey in accepting himself and what he truly loves.
The story is still good. In fact, it gets better in this volume because the plot advances nicely with more information given about a mysterious poet at the school, the baker who allows the gang to use a private room in his shop for conversations they can't have at school, and Asuka's mother, whose paranoia is starting to impose itself on Asuka's life again. Great stuff, and a very fun read.
Also, this volume contains a "chapter" from Jewel Sachihana's manga, Love Chick. It's essentially a reframing of Asuka and Ryo's meeting at the beginning of Otomen, switching gender and a few of the motives to keep the story in tune with the changed roles. I enjoyed it.
The beginning: We never really get a feel for how long they are stuck nor how they finally get back to "normal" civilization. I do like how it once again, reminds us that females can like hunting/fishing and can rescue a male. And how the males can be good at cooking, decorating and lifting others moods. Sad that it is still a battle for others to accept. Follows way to close to real life today. The main story for this volume: What the hell is with that nurse? How can the school allow him to flirt with students?! This really irked me. Gotta stick to stereotype gender roles but we don't care about a teacher flirting with girls, deliberately causing them to faint or react to him and give him chocolates for Valentines...so wrong.
Things are getting weird, lol. Not that they were ever normal, I suppose. This volume has the same cute nonsense as before with a little less structure.
This review is part of a personal challenge to: 1) read more French books; 2) improve my French; 3) read all the French manga novels from my mom's manga collection. Seeing as I read this book in French, the rest of this review will be in French (duh). ---------------------------------------------- Cette critique fait partie d'un défi personnel: d’améliorer mon français!
Cette tome continue là où le volume 10 s’est arrêté (avec l'excursion scolaire en montagne). Ceci est suivi par un chapitre où Asuka est en compétition avec le beau infirmier d'école pour l'affection de tous les étudiants, et de voir qui peut recevoir le plus de chocolats lors de la Saint Valentin (je pensais qu'un infirmier qui flirte avec les étudiantes était un peu inquiétant et très inapproprié, mais d'accord...). Le livre se termine avec le retour définitif de la mère d'Asuka, avec le but de diriger le lycée lui-même pour mieux imposer ses règles à l'école (parce-que les autres professeurs . Asuka se sent donc étouffée chez lui!
J'ai aussi vraiment aimé l'histoire bonus 'Love Tic' à la fin du volume, qui était une version 'genderswapped' (échange entre les sexes) de l'histoire initiale d'Otomen. Dans cette histoire, Asuka (la fille), aime les choses féminine mais essaye de la cacher parce que son père a toujours voulu un fils. Alors elle se comporte comme un garçon et rejette tout ce qui est mignon et féminin. ---------------------------------------------- Note moyenne de la série: 4.1/5 Critiques pour le reste de la série: Tome 1 | Tome 2 | Tome 3 | Tome 4 | Tome 5 | Tome 6 | Tome 7 | Tome 8 | Tome 9 | Tome 10 | Tome 11 | Tome 12 | Tome 13 | Tome 14 | Tome 15 | Tome 16 | Tome 17 | Tome 18
The battle against Otomen continues in this addition to the series as Suzaki Oji is introduced and later challenges Asuka to a duel. The plot thickens as Asuka's mother returns from overseas and decides to live in Japan again, to watch over her son and make sure that he doesn't return to his Otomen ways. Understandably, this causes much stress in Asuka, who soon finds a safe haven in an all-male cooking class that is taught by the chef of the bakery that Asuka and his friends frequent.
An excellent addition to this series. I can't wait to see what goes on in the next book. Some tentative predictions: The reporter is Asuka's father; the chef is Asuka's paternal uncle.
Whether or not I'm right, I can't wait to read the next volume!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In this volume, they finally end the mini-boss arc with the Anti-Otomen teachers that were brouht in, but it's amping up Asuka's mom to be the major antitagonist and made her even more of a dislikable character, during the breather chapter, where Asuka just wants to get out of being under his mother's watch and bake. I was hoping that they would have to deal with Asuka's cousin, before they dealt with his mom. But this was still a pretty awesome volume.
finished in one sitting! last competition with a teacher! this probably is the best one because it just really shouts Asuka and it gives you a lesson to be yourself at the same to be honest to other people too! the last chapter though! new speculations!!! it's so cool and i'm looking forward to it! there was also the chapter for love chick which is kinda weird... but it reminded me of the first chapter.
Asuka manages to win over the teachers' appreciations of his more sensitive lifestyle. Now it's up to the final thwart of the student council's anti-otomen campaign: his mom. I'm extremely happy to see the emergence of new characters, and the reveal of Asuka's dad on the horizon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This volume of Otomen was a lot of fun to read. The Valentines Day chapter was really cute and all the characters are developing in a fun way so far. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
Ich mag das Cover hier sehr gerne! Zudem haben wir hier den nächster Lehrer, gegen den man arbeiten muss, und den man zur Liebe bekehrt. Weiterhin hat man hier auch noch eine Gruppe für Männer die backen wollen! Sehr nett anzusehen.