Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 1, 1

Contains Chapters 01 - 04: This series looks really good and has a lot of fun and interesting characters as well as a unique and intriguing plot.

I came into this novel expecting shojo fluff. Based on the cover I assumed there would be a cute romance between the heroine and the popular guy that has a secret. This manga is nothing like that! there is a wonderfully deep plot within these pages driven by a girl who has suffered more than she deserves and who still manages to care about others with a smile on her face. A smile that the quirky, often sadistic, but, ultimately kind hero has helped preserve. Kurosaki's expressiveness is one of the best parts of this manga. His facial expressions are both humorous and dark. I can't wait to pick up the next volume!! I just wish the cover art portrayed Kurosaki more accurately. That's the only change I would even think of making.

I won't lie. I read the scanlations of Dengeki Daisy first so I came to the book prepared to enjoy it. My scanlations have served me well but nothing compares to holding an actual paper copy of the manga in your hands. I think it speaks volumes that I actually paid money for something that I could have continued to read for free. I preordered it even. And got excited when it came in. Dengeki Daisy is the story of poor high school student Teru. And lets face it, she's got the worst luck. Orphaned at a young age, she had been living with her elder brother until he died a year before. On his death bed, he gives Teru a cell phone and a mysterious benefactor named DAISY. DAISY sends Teru text messages and offers support but Teru has never met him in person or even heard his voice. Despite the rather somber setup for the story Dengeki Daisy is actually hilarious and sweet. Teru is just trying to make it through high school despite constant bullying when she accidentally breaks a school window. The next day she meets Kurosaki, the bleach blond hoodlum school custodian. He demands that she pay for the broken window. Since she can't, he has her pay with her body. In other words, she does all the work while Kurosaki plays mahjong on his laptop. The two of them argue constantly but seem to get along strangely well. And when Teru gets in trouble, she starts to wonder if maybe, possibly, Kurosaki could be her DAISY. Despite its firm placement in the land of shojo manga, Dengeki Daisy is surprisingly UN-girly. Sure, Kurosaki is nice looking and there is certainly some romantic interest there but it's not the main point of the story. Teru is actually surprisingly strong willed, smart, and opinionated. She just forgets her common sense sometimes. But there's plenty of humor to go around and I love to read the banter between Teru and Kurosaki. It keeps me interested and entertained. I've already reread my REAL paper copy of volume 1 two or three times and I'll be happily waiting to get my paper copies of the next volumes as well. Volume 2 and 3 are already scheduled for release (the 3rd isn't out until early next year, unfortunately.) I guess it'll be a bit of a wait on the rest but I will gladly endure it. Last time I checked the manga was up to volume 5 or 6 in Japan and the story continues to entertain with its mix of romance, humor, and character development.

What's really great about this series is that the main character, Teru, is a strong girl who knows how to take care of herself but also finds she needs help as well. Kurosaki, the mysterious school janitor who knows more about her than she realizes, has a challenging mystery to his character and great tenderness hidden under a lackadaisical attitude. And a cast of side characters that make the book very funny but also very touching. The series feels very much like a mix of the best parts of HanaKimi (humor and wild characters) and Hana Yori Dango (strong heroine and humor). It's at parts very funny and very romantic - but also very serious. But unlike Hanakimi and HYD, Dengeki Daisy has a strong plot revolving around several mysteries. Just when one mystery is solved, you find the story runs much much deeper. Who is Daisy? What is Kurosaki's secret? What happened to her brother? Was her brother really the good guy she thought he was? What is her brother's connection to the hacker society and Kurosaki? Is Daisy really the good guy she thinks he is? Even Daisy's nickname has very serious and deadly origins. Throughout the overall big plot mysteries, Teru has to solve life's challenges and smaller myseries - bullying, friendships, and balancing home/school life alone. And she has to do it while alternately being bossed around and protected by the enigmatic school janitor Kurosaki. The deeper into the volumes you get, the better the series gets. This manga has been one of the most enjoyable reads of any manga I've owned. And it'll immortalize the phrase, "Go bald, Kursoaki!" forever for me.

This is a sweet and nice manga. The characters in looks are almost identical to Beast Masters' but the personalities are different. Teru's brother died a year ago, on his death bed he gave her a phone and said 'Daisy is going to always look out for you now'. Daisy is the alias for one of his friends, who also turns out to be a hacker. Every day Daisy and Teru text back and forth about school, boys, dreams and everything else. Teru never lets Daisy know, but life at school is difficult for her along with other 'scholarship' students. Its a rich school and bullying happens everyday. One day she breaks a window, and can't pay for it, so the custodian (who is too delinquent and hot to be true) makes her his servant in exchange for the window. It turns out he never works, yet works Teru to the bone. There are a few stories that happen in the first volume, most Daisy helps remotely with, but one Daisy can't. One of her brother's old friends is back in town, but is he really a friend? Then some one breaks into Teru's house and she finds herself running to Kurosaki (custodian) when Daisy can't be there phsyically. I liked how much stuff happened in this volume, and I love Beast Master, so I know this is going to be a great series. I only hope it's longer than Beast Master (only two volumes two!!?!). The next two volumes are already up for release dates in the states.