High School Debut, Vol. 1

Every girl wants to fall in love, but not as much as Haruna Nagashima. Haruna, loves to read her comics, and thinks that every girl is suppose to suddenly have a boyfriend when they enter high school; however, Haruna is doing it all wrong! Dressed in unflattering outfits she tries her hardest to get hit on while out and about, only to go home defeated. While walking she falls, and like Cinderella loses her shoe. Enter Yoh; a popular high school student who hands her, her shoe. This is one of the best series I've picked up in a while. It's almost as good as Love*Com. Be prepared to laugh out loud at the efforts poor Haruna makes in order to get a boyfriend.

So, you're an older (ahem) proffesional woman, at work in your fancy suit and you can't stop giggling over Kazune Kawahara's 'High School Debut'. What do you do? Keep reading! And stop everyone that looks at you funny and show them how great this little pink book is. The art is simply lovely, the lead characters are so cute and funny and the writting is totally endearing. I can't wait for #2 and 3 to come out. Shojo Manga is my guilty pleasure but HGD is a real treat! I you liked Lovely Complex you'll definetly love this one.

I am very picky when it comes to manga, especially the drawing style and if the story is interesting. This book is both! :-)

High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara is a great manga to read. What I like about it is that it is refreshing in comparison to other romance manga. For one thing, the main heroine is actually likable. She is honest and not your typical (girly, shy, emotional, etc.) character that you see a lot in girls manga. The hero too is likable and so they make a good pair or couple. Usually for me, I am left wishing that the guy or girl was with someone else, but this couple is pretty good together. The other thing I like is that while most other romance manga's spend volumes about how the girl or guy try to hook up with one or more individuals they like, this manga actually is about what happens after a guy and girl are bf/gf. And how they get there is so interesting! Usually manga even ones for girls concern stories, scenarios or situations that are not realistic at all. However, High School Debut does have a realistic story. The characters seem real, they act real, and realistic things happen to them. It's great how the author puts the time and effort to set up these scenarios that make sense (unlike let's say in 'For you in Full Blossom', where the things that happen just are ridiculous at times)! What I am trying to say is that the author does not use the typical cliche' gimmicks to make the story flow (if you have read a lot of shojo manga you know what I am talking about). If such common scenarios are used by the author such as when Haruna is confronted by bullies, or rumors, etc, the way she deals with it is interesting (that's why I like her so much as a character!). The story is a really good read and I can't wait for more volumes to come out. If the initial idea in the story where Haruna gets tips from a guy to get a bf sounds interesting it gets even more interesting and complicated but, with good results! Enjoy!

I first read this manga through online scanslations as "Koukou Debut" (a far better title, if you ask me), and instantly fell in love with it. Of course, I was very excited when I heard that Viz had licenced it under its Shojo Beat line. The story is about a high school freshman named Haruna Nagashima. She devoted herself to playing softball in middle school, but in high school, she decides that she wants to get a boyfriend like the characters in the shojo manga she's so fond of. It may sound shallow of her, but Haruna's wish comes from a purehearted desire to really connect with someone. Unfortunately, Haruna has a hard time attracting a guy despite, or more likely, because of, her determination. So she decides that, like in softball, she needs a coach to point out her weak spots and help her along. Enter Yoh Komiyama, an attractive upperclassman who seems to know what guys like in a girl. Haruna decides that he's the one she needs to help her become attractive... The romance here is pretty predictable. However, even though you know where you're going to arrive, the ride is a lot of fun. "High School Debut" kept me laughing throughout, especially Haruna. She's a simple, strait-forward girl, and her enthusiasm for finding a boyfriend is often hilarious. She excites easily and says a lot of unintentionally funny things. Yoh is a more stereotypical character, but he's interesting too. He dislikes being attractive because it's given him trouble in the past and he hates the attention, but he seems to admire Haruna's effort and the willingness she has to take both the tears and the laughs that come with a relationship. The romance between them is sweet and innocent, and it moves along at a good pace. The other characters have personality too and add to the story a lot. The art is not as sparkly as in most shojo manga, but it fits the tone. It's nice to look at and brings out the characters' personalities extremely well. This manga is also well translated, a relief after being a little disappointed with "Love Com." All in all, I'd say that "High School Debut" is one of the best shojo titles Viz has picked up. I've read through volume four, and it deals with some interesting themes, such as akwardness and differences in maturity between couples. I especially recommend it to fans of "Love Com" since it has a similar tone and sense of humor (and if you haven't read "Love Com," I highly suggest it). "High School Debut" is definitely a title to look out for.