Nazish Reads

I love this anime so much, so I decide to read the manga and see what the differences were and what I like better: the manga or the anime. It’s weird since it’s not paranormal, which is what I usually read and like.

Release date: September 24, 2002 (1994 in Japan, I didn’t know that this was that old)
Publisher: Tokyo Pop
Format: Print (from library, but I’m hoping to buy my own copy soon)
Type: Manga (in most cases these are read from right-to-left)
Age Group: 13+ (but I think that it’s ok for kids under that age too)
Pages: 190 (176 not counting extra story, at least I think it’s an extra story) It’s hard to tell how many pages there are since there are rarely any page numbers, I hate it when publishers do that.
Source for Synopsis: back of book
Challenge: (personal) 2012 Reading Challenge, The 50 Book Pledge, Support Your Library Challenge 2012

Series and Volume 3

What is Kodocha? It’s the smash-hit comedy series from Japan about what happens when child star Sana Kurata tries to “fix” the problems of everyone around her. And there are a LOT of problems to solve. Her mom just announced she’s going to publish a new book sharing all of Sana’s family secrets with the world. Even though Sana initially gives her blessing, she soon begins to doubt herself — and her mom’s devotion. When her main man Hayama, offers his unexpected support, she feels loads better…until a hottie named Naozumi enters the picture and threatens to bust their bond. There are going to be a few brawls in the halls what the controversial page-turner hits the streets.

Some Quotes

No page numbers since it’s hard to tell how many pages there are since there are rarely any page numbers in this book. I hate it when manga publishers do that.

Sana: “What’s wrong with you, Hayama! You pervert!”
Akito: “Well…it was right there in front of me.”
Sana thinking: I can’t let my guard down for a second with him! Now no one will ever marry me!

Lol Sana, as usual, she’s being over dramatic about it.

Sana: “Tsuyoshi, is there anything I can do to help?”
Tsuyoshi: “Really?”
…
Tsuyoshi: “MM Marry me?”
Akito kicks him: “Forget it!”
Tsuyoshi: “I’m kidding!”

Akito is so in love with Sana, lol.

Aya saying this to Sana: “Hayama’s really nice.”
Sana thinking: Hayama nice?

Sana: “I’m dividing them up!
So each of us has $5 worth. Come help me!”

She gets excited over the weirdest things…

Don’t they use yens in Japan, It must’ve been a translation mistake or something.

A friend of Sana’s, I forgot her name, it’s been a while since I saw the anime: “I brought a curling iron!”
Another one of her friends: “Ooh, can I borrow it?”

Since when did 11 year olds use curling irons? Weird.

Sana: “All right! We’re off!”
…
Sana: “So…where are we going?”
One of Sana’s friends: “District F…to climb mount B.”
Akito: You are so dopey sometimes, Sana.”
Sana: “Look who’s talking, I’m surprised you even showed up.”
Akito: “So, how long is this trip?”
Tsuyoshi: “3 days.”
Sana thinking: I am almost as dopey as him…I gotta try harder…

That idiot Sana, why would she want to be dopey? How could you go on a class trip and not know where you’re going and for how long you’re staying. Characters in mangas and anime are so clueless sometimes.

Akito thinking: She really isn’t normal. Maybe she’s an alien…
…That’s so stupid.

For once Akito acts like a fool.

Akito says to Sana: “I just want you…
…to know
If you need help… I’m here for you.”
…
“So if you need…
…a shoulder to cry on…
Please come to me.”

Review

This is the third book in the Kodocha series. I read and finished this a few days ago.

Gore: No
Magic: No (This is a story set in a world that is the same as ours, I normally don’t read these kind of books, I’ll explain why this one is different and why I love it so much).

Romance: Yes (Even though there’s no kissing, you can still see that Akito and Sana love each other, more will be explained below).
Action: (This one’s hard to rate since it depends on what kind of action, Sana and Akito do fight a lot, like when Sana gets mad, she pulls out a rubber hammer or whatever it is and hits him)
Pacing: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Drawings/Art: 4.5 stars

It’s been a while since I last read a shojo manga, I’ve mostly been reading Kekkaishi nad Fullmetal Alchemist, and I’m almost finished the FMA series.

Warning, Spoilers

I’m kind of confused with the chapters in this series, there are no title pages for the chapters, yet there are more than one, since I checked online and found how many chapters are in each volume. I wonder why the mangaka did that. Only the last chapter has a title page, and from what happened in it, it looks to me like it is a bonus/extra chapter.

This volume starts off with Sana and Akito running to Tsuyoshi’s house to see if he’s ok because his parents got a divorce. But by the time they get to his house, only his dad is there, since Tsuyoshi, his mom, and his little sister are already almost at their new house by then. Akito and Tsuyoshi’s dad get into an fight (wow, Akito really sucks at defence), and then Sana drags him out of there before something really bad happens. Sana’s wiping Akito’s forehead because it’s bleeding and then Akito touches her chest and she immediately kicks him (I love the humour and violence in animes and manga), this is what he says after she calls him a pervert.

“Well…it was right there in front of me.”

Oh Akito, he’s so funny and acting like it’s no big deal, lol.

Anyways, after that they decide to go visit Akito’s dad who is in the hospital and guess who they find there…Tsuyoshi, the person they’ve been looking for and were worried about. Although he seems fine, he tells that they’re currently moving into their new house, so Sana immediately decides to help him and makes Akito come too, she even calls Rei to help as well. Akito doesn’t end up being much help. Then Akito and Sana leave. On the ride home, Akito asks Sana about her dad, she says she doesn’t have a dad and that she promised her mom that she wouldn’t talk about it, which just confuses him. When Sana arrives home, Aya’s there, she wanted to know what happened with Tsuyoshi since he didn’t come to school that day, although she says that she came because Sana left her book bag at school. After Aya leaves, she wonders why Aya was so worried, and being the dense idiot that she is about love, she thinks, “Aya is a big worrywart!!”, which is wrong since it’s so obvious that she’s in love with Tsuyoshi.

The next day at school Tsuyoshi tells the whole class about the divorce and that his last name changed, then some of the boys start making fun of him, calling him a mama’s boy and saying that now he has his mom all to himself, they’re so mean, it made me feel bad for poor Tsuyoshi, it was obvious that after that both Sana and Akito would be very pissed, which they were, they were about to do something (it’s obvious that the boys are scared of them when they’re angry), and suddenly Aya yells, “Cut it out!” Which shocks everyone, since she’s always so quiet. Then she admits that she likes him. Although everyone knows that Tsuyoshi’s likes Sana, so Akito tries to convince him that Aya’s better for him and asks him why he likes Sana? Later on, Aya gives Tsuyoshi an early birthday present since his birthday is tomorrow. The next day Tsuyoshi says that he’s in love with Aya. Aya tells Sana that the birthday gift was Akito’s idea, and then she says that he’s really nice, Sana finds the part about Akito being nice hard to believe. While Akito’s walking home, he’s thinking, “Well, I’ve shot both rivals down.” That confirms that he’s in love with Sana, even though it was obvious before too, I love those two, they’re so cute.

The next day or a few days later, I’m not sure which since it doesn’t say, Sana and her mom talk about the promise they made when she was 5 years old and that it’s time to fullfil it. Her mom explains that she just needs to put the book together which should take about three days and that it would probably be out after her summer break.
Then the day after that she goes on a class trip, which is going to be three days and two nights. Sana seems happy, but then later she’s worried, but no one except Akito notices (aw, they’re really close friends). The next few days Sana and her class go mountain climbing and do some other stuff. On the second day when they’re having a campfire, Sana’s worried again and sees a firefly and she follows it with a crazy look on her face. Akito notices that and follows her and falls down a small cliff/hill (whichever it is) and sees Sana there. Then Akito and Sana talk about what’s bothering her which is has to do with the book that her mom is writing. (I won’t explain it in detail, you’ll just have to read the book to find out). Then Akito says something and smiles for a second, Sana’s cheered up and she wants him to smile again so she ends up chasing him up the cliff and they didn’t even notice (they’re weird kids).

When everyone gets back home, it’s the summer holidays and Sana’s really busy. Another rival shows up (meaning another boy that’s in love with Sana and this time it’s serious unlike with Tsuyoshi, his name is Naozomi Kamura and he and Sana are doing a commercial together. He tells her that he knows everything about her and that he’s the same as her. On the next few pages, Akito meets Naozumi at a play that Sana’s in and they both get jealous of each other because they both like Sana. Later Akito decides to do karate, which shocks everyone since he’s so lazy.
In the next few days rumours are spreading in magazines and other media that Sana and Naozomi ae in love and Akito ignores Sana because he thinks they’re true and he’s jealous (so much drama for 6th graders).

Finally, when Miss Kurata’s new book is out, the truth about Sana’s birth and childhood is revealed, which of course shocks everyone (it’s so sad even though it happened when Sana was a baby). Akito and Naozomi want to go help Sana in her time of need. Sana’s mom and Rei have an argument about the book which makes Sana cry and then Akito suddenly shows up at her house and takes her to his house. She finally lets it all out and Akito tries to calm her down.

I think the last chapter is a bonus chapter, and since this review getting way too long, so I’m not going to summerize it, plus it’s not important to the story as a whole anyway.

Those are the major incidents of this volume, of course more happened, I tried to condense it but I got carried away and now I’m not sure what to get rid of. It’s my first reviewing a book that is not paranormal, even if I did review one in the past, I don’t remember if I did, so it’s kind of new to me.

Overall, I’m not sure if I like the manga as much as I love the anime, since it feels like some of the scenes are rushed, I liked them better in the anime, like when Miss Kurata’s ex husband comes over to beg for money.

I rated this book: I decided to rate this 4.5 stars. (I didn’t make any half star pictures yet, but I might soon).

If you read this book, then tell me what you thought about it and or the series. Tell me in the comments section.

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