Forum - View topicREVIEW: The Secret Sakura Shares GN
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Calsolum
 Posts: 906 |
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while the story doesn't excite me to go out and look for it, i am interested in the "If nothing described above bothers you, you'll be able to spot the underlying charm and appreciate that Hagio does touch on some subjects other authors don't, albeit fleetingly."
Out of curiosity since this manga doesn't have a strong willed female protagonist are there any others that you'd recommend? |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 2658 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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Sadly shoujo romances aren't always great with the confident, strong-willed heroines, but I do think Aoi is unusually weak. Some titles I like better in terms of heroines are:
Horimiya (which is technically shounen, but still straight romance) LDK (still has the living together premise but much less creepy) From Far Away (fantasy adventure along with romance plot) Say I Love You (heroine grows with the story; so does the hero, for that matter) My Little Monster (gives new meaning to the term "awkward romance") That's just off the top of my head, but there are definitely others out there that I'm blanking on! |
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VampireNaomi
 Posts: 146 |
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Ouch, sad to hear the case with the heroine is that bad. I bought this immediately upon release because for some reason I had it on my list of titles I want in English. Maybe a rec from a friend. I haven't read it yet, but the review makes it sound like it has most of my shoujo pet peeves in it.
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Vikio
 Posts: 60 Location: tropical volcano |
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After looking at the cover image and reading the review...
I have a sudden urge to watch/read Fruits Basket. Anyone else? |
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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Wasn't it our Zac what classified a character like Aoi as a "door mate"?
This versus Fruits Basket? Your talking apples and oranges there mate. |
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Calsolum
Posts: 906 |
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oh cool, with the exception of My Little Monster i don't think I've heard of any of these, some more stuff to add to the list 
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Animechic420
 Posts: 1733 Location: A Cave Filled With Riches |
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Mind if I add Takane to Hana to your list??? I also recommend people go check out this manga's heroine. You will not believe it. 
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lys
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 1017 Location: mitten-state |
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@animechic420, Takane to Hana is a lot of fun (I'm importing every volume as it comes out) but it's not available in English.
How about Skip Beat!, though? Kyoko is anything but a doormat :D And Oresama Teacher's former-gang-leader Mafuyu :) And going back a few years, Toru Fujieda has a couple series out here (Oyayubihime Infinity, Dragon Girl) with interesting, likeable heroines. (Oyayubihime's Kanoko is my favourite but I'm not sure how available it still is after CMX's demise). I'm still planning to check out Secret Sakura Shares myself. Most of all, I am super happy about Yen Press publishing Hana to Yume manga! |
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Ali07
 Posts: 3333 Location: Victoria, Australia |
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Out of these, only ones I'm not currently reading are From Far Away and LDK. From what I've been able to glean of LDK, the female protag doesn't seem like one I'd enjoy. If people are interested in My Little Monster, that one finishes up at volume 13, which I believe will be released (in English) sometime next year. I love that series, and hope more people check it out. Same goes with Horimiya, hope more people get behind that one! I may look into From Far Away, but I will mention that it seems like the art style in it isn't one I typically enjoy (judging from covers). As for the topic at hand, I was thinking about getting this omni. The premise isn't one that I steer clear of, but to know that the female protag remains a doormat...saddens me. Think I'll skip on this one. And, since some have shared series with a good female protag, I'll throw out A Devil and Her Love Song. |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10035 Location: Virginia |
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Rebecca Silverman wrote:(in the review)
You say that like it is a bad thing. Aoi is 16 and has been separated from her mother for 10 years. It would be surprising if she didn't respond to kind treatment for a change. One thing I noticed is that having made her decision she manages to make it stick. The problem with wanting a more self reliant heroine is that you are essentially asking for a completely different story. The author makes a point of showing just how helpless Aoi is, it is a central plot point. It is stated on a couple of occasions that she has been trained to be useless. Being strong willed and confident is usually an ingrown personality trait. It can be encouraged and enhanced but does not come naturally to everyone. Most manga show strong attempts by classmates to completely suppress or discourage such a person. If they make it to high school without learning to at least hide these traits they become isolated if not completely outcast. Someone who is not naturally outgoing is certainly not going to learn how. I suspect that having a lot of rather passive heroines in manga simply provides the audience with people they can identify with. The more outgoing heroines provide something to look up to (like a superhero). |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
Posts: 2658 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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I suppose I feel that it's a bad thing because I don't see Kei as helping her to become more self-sufficient - he enjoys taking care of her too much, and that reads like a recipe for (emotional) abuse to me. At 16 she should have someone to care for her, yes, but in a healthy way, and I see their relationship as inherently unhealthy but being played for romance.
I agree that many shoujo heroines are passive as a way for readers to identify with them; sort of the same theory as the everyday joe as the harem lead. What my issue with this heroine in this book is that the author takes such pains to show us how Aoi has been beaten down and then sticks her in a relationship unlikely to lift her up. She's a victim of her upbringing to the last page, and that doesn't sit well with me. I'm not naturally outgoing by any stretch of the imagination. All I really wanted was for Aoi to at least start on that path rather than putting herself even more into the role of a house pet. |
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rinmackie
 Posts: 1040 Location: in a van! down by the river! |
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But what if the heroine does manage to become less passive? It's not something that happens overnight and this only the first volume. I would give it a chance and if she doesn't show signs of evolving by the end of volume 2, then drop it.
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10035 Location: Virginia |
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@Princess_Irene
I agree it would be nice if Aoi were more self sufficient. However, I don't see anyone offering her any better deal. Of the other two the kid has too much baggage and her cousin would probably just put her away in a velvet box to "save" her. I think Kei is just amusing himself and will probably progress to a more equal relationship in the future. I think this is his way of coping with the situation without pushing the sexual angle. He is, after all, no older than she is. At least he is interacting with her as an equal as opposed to staff and classmates which were her only human contacts previously. I hope interacting with his parents and meeting her mother (which involves international travel) will push her growth. Regardless, is think that her passiveness and helplessness falls within what is expected for an upper-class bride, at least in theory. I was surprised when Aoi's grandfather said he thought she was living alone. He left her with no word, no money, no home, no contacts, and no coping skills. Just where and how did he expect her to live? She probably would have ended up at school as it was the only other place she was familiar with. Did you get the impression that Aoi may have been the girl that gave him the kitten years before? @rinmackie This volume, which includes both Japanese volumes, is the whole series. There is no volume two. Basically life goes on, you have to imagine the rest of it yourself. |
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4829 |
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Doesn't sound like a winner to me. I dislike unbalanced romances like that. Both characters need to be giving something back to each other.....but this premise sounds so.....ugh. :/
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rinmackie
Posts: 1040 Location: in a van! down by the river! |
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@Alan45
Well, that's a bummer. That would be reason enough to pass on it, then. I wouldn't like such an inconclusive story. |
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