The monthly spotlight can be a tribute to anything in the anime and manga world. In fact, there are a plethora of spotlights I've been planning already, but here is the very first one. There is no limitation to what the spotlight can be and I don't even really have a set guideline for how to draft this particular feature.
All in all, I just happen to find something of interest and end up favorite-ing it to the point of obsessive love and doting. It's quite fan-girl-ish and very appropriate for an otaku's anime and manga and shoujo demographic blogging experience.
But anyway, enjoy...
I know very little about this infamous mangaka except that her creation of 'Lovely Complex' is probably one of the best contributions to shoujo manga (and the manga and anime world) ever. As per Nakahara-sensei's Baka-Update's page, I know only that she is female, born on July 28 and loves to read manga as a hobby. A list of her manga can be found there as well.
My personal favorites include (but not limited to):
1. Lovely Complex
2. Hanada
3. Tokimeki Gakuen Ouji Kumi
4. Nanaco Robin
Granted these are all not completely translated and made available to us westerners, I still found what little of Hanada and Nanaco Robin I've read very enjoyable. I think I've basically loved everything of hers I've seen so far.
Her artwork isn't at all ordinary when I compare it to others. Granted, it's not the most beautiful, but it is very pretty. Her bishounen's are gorgeous, her girls are delicate and pretty-looking, and her characters aren't over exaggerated.
The storylines of her manga are very... "real life"-like, is how I want to put it. Her characters can range from all sorts of different personalities: cool, ditzy, rough, weird, cute, and most importantly, REAL.
I absolutely love how her main female characters are not distinctive of how the majority of shoujo heroines are stereotyped. They don't have to be utterly cute and beautiful 100% of the time to be lovable -- a la Koizumi Risa.
As a repeat, 'Lovely Complex' is a prime example of how the main characters are not the normal shoujo manga romance couple. On a physical sense and on a personal level, they look anything but like a couple in love. They are not lovey-dovey all the time, they spend their dates insulting and making fun of each other, and as their trademark, Risa is even 16 cm taller than Otani by the end of the series.
Unlike other shoujo manga heroine, Risa doesn't sparkle with a flowery background and neither does Otani. Risa is not cute by any manga standards, but has her own beauty and charm. She is a very pretty girl with a gorgeous personality. Otani does not fit the description of a bishounen by any standards because he is short and he is NOT charming nor is he handsome. He is good-looking in his own way and has that hidden heart of gold that makes him so likeable. This couple is not typical of cute shoujo demographic romance couples, but they work out very well because of all the development put into bringing them together, and because of their own unique personalities.
As another example, her volume of oneshots, Himitsu Kichi consists of stories with very oddly paired couples. So as not to spoil the surprises, I won't summarize any of the three oneshots I've already read.
Nakahara-sensei has excellent comedic timing and it shows in all of her works, especially in Lovely Complex. She doesn't exhibit slapstick, laugh-out-loud, make them spurt milk out of their nose comedy like most of this genre do. Her comedic presentation is very subtle and weaves itself smoothly into the storyline, making you just stop and think and then laugh out loud when you realize what's going on -- all in the same split second. Sarcasm and the element of obviousness is a huge factor in her works, and she will even throw in a lot of unexpected surprises that just makes your jaw drop.
You will end up commenting, "Huh... that was really funny." And then you will laugh about it and think about it more. No matter how many times you read her manga again and again, those same comedic moments never cease to amaze you.
In the end, for me, it is mostly her storylines and her comedy that make me love her so much. Although Lovely Complex is her most popular, I think the rest of her manga should also be given a chance to shine, because ultimately, they will outshine a good majority of the shoujo mangaka out there.
As an end of post note, I had recently read the first story in Tokimeki Gakuen Ouji Kumi and found it to be one of my most favorite oneshots. I can't wait to read the rest of it and, as another side note, this particular first story will be given a post of its own. After all, the two main characters are also atypical shoujo manga protagonists.
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