While the world has always been heavily attracted to strong action packed sequences and fiery explosions, girls usually prefer a softer approach to entertainment. In Japanese manga culture, this is called shoujo. Today, I’ll be “interviewing” three great stories which revolve around the shoujo genre.
Language: Bahasa Malaysia
Publisher: Anjung Taipan Sdn. Bhd.
Cartoonist: Washio Mie
Category : Shoujo (love)
One book which has captured my attention is Erti Kedewasaan, a hardcore shoujo manga which focuses heavily on the love lives and experiences of teenage girls. Unlike most manga, the book isn’t one complete storyline; rather, it combines 3 one-shots in one book. The first story is about pretty lass Tsubaki, who wants to cross into the threshold of adulthood by experiencing her “first time”. She gets chastised by her homeroom teacher, who protects her from making numerous mistakes, until eventually they fall in love.
The second story revolves around Shian, a young so-so girl who falls for popular guy Sumiyoshi, but discovers that Sumiyoshi is less of a prince than she’d imagined. It tells of how Shian learns that not everyone is perfect, including herself, and how to find love through compromise and mutual acceptance.
Finally, the third story is young Riko, who pines for the attention of her longtime childhood friend Tomohiro. Unfortunately for her, Tomohiro has grown to be quite a charming lad, and has girls surrounding him all the time. While Riko and Tomohiro get along well as friends, Riko is unable to express her feelings for him, and tries to get him jealous by dating the school jock Ozawa.
Language: Bahasa Malaysia
Publisher: Art Square Creation Sdn. Bhd.
Cartoonist: Obata Yuuki
Category : Shoujo (love)
Kau Menang is about Ayu, a shy girl who isn’t very confident in her abilities to hook popular guy Kataoka as her boyfriend. She doesn’t really like his attitude, but feels that he can change with time. The story dives into an environment where teenagers are consumed by the emotions of love and hate in a school setting, and mangaka Obata Yuuki has taken pains to explain the scenarios in detail with sensitivity to the characters. If you’ve read Meteor Garden before, it’s something like that.
Language: Bahasa Malaysia
Publisher: Art Square Creation Sdn. Bhd.
Cartoonist: Nakahara An
Category : Shoujo (love)
Another nice manga with chibi characters is Nakalnya Setan Cinta. Compared to the first 2 mangas, this manga is much more light-hearted and makes for a fun read. The story begins with Yui’s father giving her a teddy bear for her birthday present. Unbeknownst to her, the king of the devil kingdom, Setan, has accidentally been killed following a meager traffic accident while he was in human form. He proceeds to stuff his soul into said teddy bear, and as the situation progresses, Yui finds herself fighting for his attention with other girls from the demon kingdom!
Ratings:
Erti Kedewasaan: 3.9 out of 5
Kau Menang: 3.2 out of 5
Nakalnya Setan Cinta: 3.5 out of 5
The characters in Erti Kedewasaan will appeal to many different girls who might have experiences somewhat similar to those depicted in the book, and thus form a connection with them. Love can be a very difficult thing to learn, and shoujo fans will find this book absolutely delightful. In addition, as with all shoujo manga, the artwork is delightful to behold.
Kau Menang does have more simple drawings, but the plot is saturated with an intense storyline that keeps readers glued to the book. For a lighter read, Nakalnya Setan Cinta provides a good dose of laughs in an adventure filled world with plenty of love thrown in!