Yoshiki Nakamura

Going into this manga, I had no idea what it was about. I just knew that I had seen it a few times before and that the Goodreads recommendations recommended it to me (which usually I don't think they get my literary tastes, but this time they did pretty good). Skip Beat! is about a girl who moves away to Tokyo with her childhood friend who wants to become a celebrity. Now that he has become famous however, Kyoko is learning some new things about their relationship and soon has a strong show more motivation to want to join showbiz herself, though everyone believes her to be "too plain" for it.


This first volume of the series was very charming. I laughed out loud several different times at Kyoko's antics and her very expressive character. I love that instead of being the more typical shojo heroine of mangas I have read, she has a dark, bitter side. But it isn't only humor or revenge that drives this plot. We also see how broken Kyoko feels as she tries to put her life back together in the only way she can think of. This is a main character who is funny, dark, sad, determined, and cute all in one. I loved the complexity of emotions and I am very intrigued to see how to the story continues.


I would probably say that this first volume has hooked me more than a lot, if not all, of the the other first volumes of manga I have read. It's pace is perfect, not too slow and not too fast, setting up the motivation of the plot right away. The main character is already going through some character development and I can't wait to see more of it as well as learning more about the other characters that have been introduced. The drawing style is a bit different than what I am used to, particularly for Sho and Ren, but I like it, it almost seems like their characters were particularly drawn different to set them apart in their "celebrity" status. Glad I took this Goodreads recommendation. show less

The most disappointing aspect of this volume is that it featured less of Kyoko and Ren working than I would have liked. I love seeing them at work. Even so, I still enjoyed this overall. There are snippets of Ren's past, indications that maybe he killed someone. I think it's probably more likely that he was indirectly responsible for someone's death and ended up blaming himself. There are worrisome hints that Ren may soon get himself hurt trying to do his own stunts. Maybe his emotional show more turmoil causes him to lose focus at a crucial moment?

On the lighter side, it looks like the romance aspect may be inching forward. Kyoko freaked out upon accidentally seeing Ren naked. Unfortunately, she hid her freak out too well, and Ren became depressed because he assumed she was unaffected. Ha! If those two could only peek into each others' heads.

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

Kyoko accepts that she loves Ren. She also accepts that her desire that he continue to be alone so that she doesn't have to see him fall in love with someone else is kind of ugly, because accepting and examining her feelings will make her a better actress in the long run. Lory splits up Kyoko and Ren for a while, but the two are reunited in Guam. Unfortunately, Ren wasn't expecting to see Kyoko quite so soon, sohe's still his natural blond-haired, green-eyed self. Kyoko sees him and show more immediately thinks he's Corn, all grown up. However, she gradually begins to realize that he's amazingly similar to Ren (whose physical stats she knows down to his bones).

This volume was incredibly cute for so many reasons. I loved Yashiro's horror at the thought that Ren didn’t get Kyoko a White Day gift – he continues to be a fabulous reader stand-in. I'd be perfectly happy reading a filler volume featuring nothing but Yashiro lurking in the background, reacting to Ren and Kyoko's interactions.

Then there's Kyoko, poor girl. Anyone with half a brain knows that Ren won't react nearly as badly to the knowledge that Kyoko loves him as she thinks he will. I imagine she's going to have a meltdown once she realizes that Corn and Ren are the same person. Although she technically did something similar, back when she acted as a sympathetic ear for Ren while dressed as a giant chicken. Ren still doesn't know the chicken was Kyoko.

Ren is adorable in this volume, getting his nose nibbled by fish and freaking out over Kyoko seeing him without dyed hair and contacts. I like seeing him when he's happy/relaxed and slightly off-balance, and there's a good bit of that here. He hasn't quite caught on to Kyoko's recent revelation yet – I'm looking forward to seeing what the next volume will bring.

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

So strangely enough, I feel like Vol. 5 is now my favorite of the series so far, even though I did also really like the first one. The budding friendship between Kyoko and Moko is so heartwarming
I got so excited about the development of the Kyoko and Moko relationship and particularly with their 2nd group audition when they really got put on the spot and had to totally rely on each other...it was such a beautiful moment
Of course the shifting dynamic between Kyoko and Moko was the primary show more plot of this volume, but there were other parts of this one that also really shined. The girl that kept trying to one-up Moko their whole life basically, really really got on my last nerve. Her expressions and actions were just perfect at showing her character. I feel like when the person that is supposed to be getting on the main character's nerves is getting on my nerves even more, that is just good character portrayal on the creator's part. Which leads into one of my favorite parts of the Skip-Beat! Series: none of the characters seem like just "stock" characters. I figured from the beginning that we would be getting a different impression of Ren across the series, but having characters like Moko, and the LME president's granddaughter, and Ren's agent, all have this deeper development-- I wouldn't be surprised if we learn later that super annoying girl changes her attitude after these experiences.

Once again, Skip-Beat! has delivered a whole spectrum of emotions, from funny, to serious, to sad, to angry, to determined. This series has been a journey of discovery for Kyoko that is just beginning, and while she is on her way to finding out who she is and what she really cares about, I can't wait to see all the other characters that come to change from interacting with this girl that is just so honest, both to others and herself. And though she seems to take "plain" as a bad thing, just being as true to herself as possible and giving everything her best try, while giving others the benefit of the doubt: I'd say, having someone "plain" like that in a celebrity world full of actors, is rather refreshing. show less