As part of my determined attempt to finish all of my so-called backlogs, I saved a bunch of manga scans in my PSP and brought them to work. One of the titles is Koukou Debut (aka High School Debut), which is a 13-volume manga by Kawahara Kazune published in 2003-2008. It tells the story of a high school freshman named Nagashima Haruna who has decided to fall in love in high school and get herself a boyfriend. However, Haruna is totally clueless on fashion and love, and so to achieve her goal, she asks the cold but dashing Komiyama Yoh to coach her on how to become attractive. This is then the start of an odd relationship which eventually blossoms into a beautiful love story of a very unlikely couple.
Four years ago, my online friends Fangli and Piercing Sword, gave me a few chapters of this manga. It was still unfinished back then but it was so good! It was only about a year ago when I downloaded the completed volumes but I still didn't read it... UNTIL YESTERDAY. And then I went into my crazy raging fangirl love-love mode! :)
*sighhhhhhhh...*
Seriously, I enjoyed this manga series uber-tremendously not just because of the killer looks of Yoh, but actually because of everything that makes Koukou Debut the manga it is. The artwork by itself is awesome. The drawings are clean and consistent, and the panels are structured so strategically. I swear there were a lot of instances when I turned the page and I was in for unexpected (and yummy) surprises! The character designs are very pleasing to look at, with dynamic facial expressions and really cool outfits! And the story is just so wonderful! Although it is fast paced and straight to the point, yet it doesn't fail to pull out various emotional responses from the reader. And despite the many twists and turns of events, there is something very concrete about the plot and the characters. Yoh, Haruna and their circle of friends each had solid personalities which never changed but rather matured amazingly throughout the series. Even supporting characters were developed in a way where you can't hate them but can somehow sympathize with them.
I laughed and cried when I was reading Koukou Debut. I felt Haruna's excitement and her pain, I experienced Yoh's confusion and his affections, I drowned with them as they immersed in their love. I just couldn't help but connect with the story and be reminded of the highs and lows, the joys and pains, the triumphs and frustrations of high school life. And then I wished I also lived and loved like Yoh and Haruna did. I wished everyday for me was like a debut too.
Despite all of these long and incoherent ramblings, I am honestly at a loss to describe how perfect this shoujo manga is. Koukou Debut is sweet and funny. It is a wholesome kind of sexy romance that does not stoop to smut. It is marvelously crafted and superbly entertaining. I have nothing else to say but pure praises and admiration for this series, and I highly recommend this to anyone who just wants to fall in love. I couldn't stop turning the pages at all, and as the series came to its inevitable end, everything was wrapped up perfectly and I was left with a warm sense of satisfaction and pleasure in my heart.
P.S.
I wish they'll do an anime adaptation of this manga but I really don't know if it's possible. A live action movie is in the works though, and although I'm skeptical but I'm also quite excited. :)
3 comments:
when it boils down to this, who would you pick? kazehaya or yoh? there could be only one. :P
YOU CANNOT MAKE ME CHOOSE!!!! XD
wow..naalala ko tuloy yong txt mo about gumiho, "gusto ko lng din na kiligin ka"..hehehehe...ito naman..mainlove..hehehehe...pwede!?
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