Is, Vol. 5

The genre of boy's romance comics in Japan tend to be pretty formulaic. Shy boy is in love with beautiful girl. Beautiful girl is obviously interested in shy boy, but a series of misunderstandings and accidents ends up with shy boy seeing beautiful girl naked, or in her underwear, and so beautiful girl thinks shy boy is a pervert, and shy boy gets more shy. Sassy girl then comes into the picture, aggressively throwing herself at shy boy. Hijinks ensue. However, even formulaic stuff can be good if you like the formula, and if the writer serves up some good characters. I won't say that "I''s" revolutionizes the genre, but for what it is it is really good. It plays the formula, but plays it with virtuosity. Masakazu Katsura ("Video Girl Ai") is a breath-taking artist who can draw a beautiful girl better than anyone else in the business, and is no slouch on the fan service either. The covers are really stunning, almost photogenic. As a writer, he breaths life into the characters as well, and shy boy comes off as much less of a wimp, and seems like someone who actually deserves to wind up with beautiful girl. The set-up for "I''s" takes you into the story right away. High school student Ichitaka Seto, a typical shy Japanese teenager, has a massive unspoken crush on his gorgeous classmate Iori Yoshizuki. She is a sweet girl, a member of the school drama club. Then out of the blue, she poses for a series of sexy swimsuit shots for a girly magazine. Hijinks ensue. This first issue sets the tone for the rest of the series. It is more darker and "hard edged" than something like "Pastel" or "Love Hina," with Iori getting into some serious trouble due to her photo spread. Seto risks much more than a bloodied nose to help out his dreamgirl, and he realizes that if he is going to win the heart of this angel than he is going to have to shape up and be a man. Its a good inner battle. On the one hand, he wants to buy the girly book and oogle Iori's body, but on the other hand, he sees how much pain her mistake is causing her, and he doesn't want to be one of "them." He loves the girl, not the photograph. It's unfortunate that Viz chose to censor the book, although the censorship doesn't distract from the story at all. It is just a reality of the American marketplace, where nudity is far more taboo than it is in Japan.

I-the ninth letter of the modern English alphabet; the first person singular pronoun in the nominative case; the self, the ego. Ai-Japanese word for love. For the beautiful 16 year old Iori Yoshizuki, posing in her swimsuit for a magazine may have been the worst mistake she's ever made, even though she thought they were for a girl's teen magazine. When word of this hits Wanda Private High School, she's subjected to catcalls by a whole hoard of jeering male students-"sex-crazed morons" according to Yasumasa Teratani-who jeer at her, asking her to put on a strip show or to show them her undies. In fact some seniors try to get compromising shots of her in the guise of a Miss Wanda contest, by putting a hidden camera in a makeshift changing room. Ichitaka Seto has had a crush on Iori, all of which is amplified when he sees the magazine, but unlike the hyenas lusting after all-well, okay, he does have some risqué fantasies involving her, meaning there's quite a bit of fan service-he sets out to defend her from them, even though he risks being beaten up. But he figures a princess like her would never go out with a loser like him. His best friend, Teratani, keeps trying to push him to go after her, but also saves his rear whenever things get hot. More on that later. The self-defense mechanism Ichitaka uses to protect himself is understandable. We learn that because he was harshly turned down by a girl he had a crush on when he was in sixth grade, he decided to hide his true feelings. "I totally implode around girls I like. I act like I hate them so they won't know that I really like them." However, he was cheered up by a childhood friend, Itsuki Akiba, who told him, "If you really like someone, go after her with everything you've got." Luck smiles on him, when Ichitaka and Iori are chosen to put on a presentation to welcome new students. Both turn out to be shy and uncomfortable, but for Ichitaka, it is a chance to be close to her, and Iori's actually nice. In fact, she's one who writes "I's ideas" in the sketchbook for their project, as both their names begin with "I." And it's quite a struggle for Ichitaka to try to act normal and treat Iori like a normal girl, as well as trying to find a balance between that and preserving his ego. What follows is a series of misunderstandings that get cleared up, only to have another one smash upward, like a series of W's. Ichitaka sinks into a depressive mood, only to be brought back up when Iori tells him she knows of the misunderstanding, particularly when she accidentally lumps him in with the seniors who devised the bogus contest. The aforementioned definitions of "I" can be found in I's (Aizu). The narrative is first person from the point of view of the hero Ichitaka, his name and that of Iori begin with I, and part of the story is about his ego, which got and gets quite a drubbing. But it's also about his mad crush on Iori, and how and when that crush will turn into love. The first sto

This is only the first volume out of 15. I have read this manga online, when it wasnt licensed, and it is THE best shonen i have ever read. It is simply amazing. Yes, i will admit, that the first few volumes are quarky and goofy, but PLEASE TRUST ME when i say that later on in the story, it gets very deep, and addicting. There were times when i was reading it online, that i had actually yelled/talked to my screen. And a few times, when i was reading, that i was so shocked and stunned, that i minimized the window, thought for a second "no way", and then opened it back up. This story, if you continue reading, will capture you. As the story progresses over the years, you can see the people change and age. There are happy times, there are sad times, and the entire thing is a work of art.

I loved the book. But seriously I got in trouble for bringing the older teen version. ALERT FOR YOUNG READERS: If you want a safe buy then check the back and make sure it is not older teen or else you'll regret it. Especially if you go to middle school. Overall: the book is great but I am biting my finger nails just to wait for the next one. Please i really hate waiting Masakazu Katsura. Characters: Iori is my favorite character. She is like everything a boy dreams about cept the real sleezy stuff. Basically if I could I would Rate this a 10 out of 5.

I used to think that Maison Ikkoku was the best romantic comedy ever. Well... that all changes after I read this one (yes, I have read the Japanese version until the end). This is a must buy for those who love romantic comedy series. But it's definitely not for those who like to see decapitations, fighting, and other gory stuff. Here are my rates: Story: 10/10 The best! The introduction is great and the progress is great. The original ending is too short, but that's all fixed by the alternate ending, which is top rated. I really hope VIZ will include this alternate ending. Characters: 10/10 There are not many authors who can create characters that you can fall in love with. But Masakazu Katsura has done just that in this series. As you progress through the story, you WILL fall in love with the main characters and really care for them, especially Ichitaka, Iori, Itsuki, Izumi, and Aiko. Graphic: 10/10 We are talking about Masakazu Katsura here. He draws the most beautiful women in manga. Not many manga can come close to this one in the graphic area. Translation: 8/10 VIZ does a decent job here. On the bad side, it does sensor some conversations that may not be suitable for young children/teens. On the bright side, it translates a lot of conversations, which probably do not make sense or are not logical for average American readers. Overall: 9.5/10 A definite buy for those who love romantic-comedy stories.