Basically this is my apology for being "gone" for the first two weeks of November even though I promised a lot of posts. As life plays it, I have work, work, and more work, and then I have homework. In the coming year, I will also be quite busy as more school work comes to me in the form of a new degree program.
And since I have no pressing readership duties, I figure that I can put off this blog if necessary. After all, this is basically something for me to do while I'm bored anyway. Right?
Aside from that, while I have at least two items I would like to post during December, I know that I may have to stall for a while. And so depending on my status, there may be no posting in December, and if so, there will only be two items... three at the most. I will try my hardest to create a spotlight for December as well, but I promise nothing.
Thank you for all you support up to now... for anyone who actually reads this blog. This week will be full of thoughts and first impressions. And the November spotlight may be scooted to the last week of the month, as has been the issue.
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Creator: Yoshizumi Wataru
Genre: josei, romance, shoujo, comedy
Volumes/Chapters: 2 volumes (12 chapters)
Endou Sakura is a twenty-six year old shoujo mangaka who, after a serious relationship ended with her high school sweetheart, never bothered with another boyfriend. But then one night, her friend, Misono asks her to help fill a seat at a goukon and she agrees. It is there where she meets Koreeda Iku, a plastic surgeon who gives her a bad first impression by telling her what she should do with her face to look prettier.
Determined that she would happily never see him again after that night, she is surprised to find him surprising her with a visit as she sits at a local cafe planning her next manga. He tells her that he fell for her and that he would like her to be his girlfriend. Wanting a little bit of romance in her life in order to aid her in writing shoujo manga, Sakura agrees. She later learns that he too had had a reason for wanting a girlfriend, and on top of that, other complications arise as the two go through the relationship.
This particular manga was fun to read through because it was more down to earth than a lot of the other shoujo manga I've read (as oneshots or short stories); and this one is also filed under the genre of josei, which is a demographic aimed at older women and their love lives.
Yoshizumi-sensei not only draws her characters and settings to detail, but also creates characters and situations that are a little easier to grasp. Character's feelings are conveyed in a clearer, more precise manner.
In Spicy Pink, our two main characters are always at each other's throats when they aren't being lovey-dovey, and that's because Sakura is depicted as a stubborn yet carefree girl who has accomplished her dream of becoming a mangaka. Koreeda Iku is a plastic surgeon, and whether or not he likes this profession is in question since he had inherited his family's business. He is rather condescending in his tone when speaking with Sakura, and he's also rather aloof when it comes to their relationship.
It's a fun little combination, and the whole story basically follows the two as they learn to fall in love, learn more about each other, and go through the happy times and the complications together. Even though this is labeled as shoujo manga, and all shoujo romances are entitled to a happily ever after with the main characters, it was a little hard to predict how the end would come out when a third party joined for romantic interference.
But alas, happily ever after did happen and I'm grateful for that.
On the side, Koreeda Iku's younger sister, Risa, meets Sakura with glee as she is an eternal fan of Sakura's shoujo manga. Through Risa, Sakura learns about Koreeda's ex-girlfriend who passed away, Natsuko, and because of this incident, one of their obstacles forms. Also through Risa, Sakura meets her ex from highschool, Akira who is interested in dating Risa.
Another side story involves Sakura's mangaka friend, Misono and her relationship with Sugioka who had lied to her about being a doctor. The reasons that Misono always wants a rich boyfriend is because she has expensive taste as a mangaka, and whenever a man realizes this, even though Misono can afford everything she wants, they don't want to bother paying for it. So they leave her. Sugioka turns out to be a bookstore clerk and afraid that he'll leave her one day after learning about her expensive living, Misono leaves him first.
The story of Spicy Pink is full of twists and turns and makes for good drama if it would ever be adapted into live action. On top of the complicated romances, we also get a sneak peek into a "manga" version of mangaka lifestyle from brainstorming ideas, getting ideas rejected, receiving inspiration, and finally meeting deadlines at the last minute.
I, for one, have always enjoyed Yoshizumi Wataru's work due to the stories, the artwork, and how cute some of the characters can be. Much like many others, Yoshizumi-sensei is an excellent bishoujo/bishounen artist.
As of present, I am still waiting for some of her other works to be translated in order to be able to read them. I would suggest Spicy Pink to anyone who is interested in a cute love story.
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