Suzuka 1 [Paperback]

 

 

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Yamato comes to the big city of Tokyo, hoping that his life will change, on the first day there, he watches a girl practicing the high jump and his heart is captured.

Yamato lives with his aunt in an all girls hotel in Toyko, while attending school there. Little does he know that the girl that captured his heart stays in the room next to his and all the crazy goings on moving to Tokyo will bring him!

This manga is truely one of the greatest romance manga's in my opinion. It is the only manga that I have been so sucked in by, I have had to leave the room to build up the courage to turn the next page. Through heart rendering moments and cringy moments, this manga is for anyone who likes a good bit of romance, with a funny side.

I usually tend to read manga that has a fair amount of violence, action, and in many of the cases stories that have a dark mood. Therefore, manga like the one I am reviewing provides for a much needed break from that pattern. Here we find a light read with plenty of good humor and an interesting plot. There are not a lot of cases of good mature humor in the manga market, so "Suzuka" really fills that void.

Yamato is a teenager that goes to Tokyo to live with his aunt and cousin and attend high school. This seems like a pretty typical setting, but what makes it special is that the building in which he is going to live, and which his aunt owns, is an apartment complex and bathhouse for ladies. Of course, living in a place like this has its benefits, but there are also some issues that come with the territory. The poor guy frequently gets thrashed by the ladies, and at times he looks like a punching bag that just yields to their commands. His cousin seems to be his only ally, but does not come even close to being a good enough defense.

Upon arriving in Tokyo, Yamato is struck by the beauty of a girl he sees practicing high jump, named Suzuka, and fate has it that she lives in the same apartment complex, in the bedroom next to his! Unluckily for him though, the first impression she gets is not a good one, since it has to do with a misunderstanding in the baths, which involves nudity and some odd posses. Suzuka is a track and field star and is really focused on this aspect of her life, while trying to survive the pressure that comes with it.

The development of this story is pretty typical, with the two main characters becoming friends and seeing hints of more, having disagreements, hating each other, etc. There are a few additional characters that give this series a special flavor though. First there is the two girls that work as escorts, one that looks at men as her ATM, and the other one bothered by the interest males show in her breasts. As you can imagine, these two provide for some funny scenes involving sexual innuendoes. Then, we have Yasunobu, which is an old acquaintance of Yamato, who used to get him in trouble with his aunt. He certainly has not lost this quality, but now it is not limited to problems with the aunt, and extends to getting Yamato in horrible messes all across the board.

Beside the fine humor, this series counts with some excellent drawings, much better than I ever expected before opening the volume. These are crisp and the use of shadows is excellent, providing the characters with a life seldom seen. Another positive element is the extras we get in-between chapters. The author shares some of his life experiences in short strips, especially in what relates to some of his interactions with his best friend, who is the inspiration for the character of Yasunobu.

As is always the case with manga published by Del Rey, the use of the honorifics remains intact in the translation, which is a very positive aspect, and there is a guide for the newcomer to the genre on how these terms are used. Also, at the end of the volume there is a detailed explanation of some of the terms used in the story and of their cultural significance. Finally, I need to mention that I was surprised by the fact that this manga was classified as for ages 18 and up in the US, since it was published in Weekly Shonen Magazine in Japan, which is read by adults, but whose main demographic target is high school boys and above. There is some nudity and some risqué humor, but this is not enough to merit the rating.

I am extremely happy to have found this series, since it provides for a very entertaining reading. I am eagerly looking forward to exploring the next volume!

As a fan of the Suzuka manga, I should stress that the first volume really does not do the story as a whole any justice. Most of the intrigue comes from dealing with a very typical story and set of characters and breaking numerous conventions in order to bring something special. The manga actually starts as a boringly typical romance manga for guys (high school setting, main character has to live in an otherwise all girls apartment complex (that is to say there's a fair amount of random fanservice), in love with a tsundere girl who he immediately gets on the bad side of, another much more submissive girl is in turn in love with him from a distance... the list goes on), and it is not until near the end of volume 2 that Kouji Seo actually breaks out of this suffocating construct.

Suzuka is great. Don't judge it by its tepid first volume.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Like sports? Like romance? Like Manga? Get this.
As someone fairly new to manga and anime having only read/watched a few different series (mostly action), I have been fairly dissapointed at the crudeness/childishness of some of... Read more

Published on 28 Jan 2008 by Azlas Tigerclaw

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