Papillon, Volume 1

The question at the heart of Papillon is what attraction really means. Is love at first sight really a good start? Is love all about looks, and will beauty always win the day even if we like to pretend it doesn't? Or can self-confidence, intelligence, and sincerity make someone beautiful? High school is a time of surface, where people are judged harshly by first impressions, but at the same time, it is a time of transformation, where everyone is trying to figure out just who they want to be. Ageha is beginning her transformation, but life has a way of throwing up roadblocks--how she deals with them will be her true test. Ageha feels she will never escape her twin's shadow. Even though she and her identical sister, Hana, share the same basic looks, Hana is the school's social butterfly, adored by all who see her, while Ageha fades into the shadows. The two were raised apart, one in the countryside and one in Tokyo, and in a question of nature versus nurture, they could not be more different. Hana inspires her sister at the same time as she sets a seemingly impossible standard--how can Ageha compete with a girl whose glamour is so enchanting? Hana, even if she is dazzling, is not an angel--she seems to thrive by outshining Ageha, and she relishes keeping Ageha in her place. Ageha, despite years of being a willing pawn in Hana's little game, is beginning to think that it's time to get a bit of the spotlight herself. Ageha has one secret she hides from Hana--her crush on her childhood friend Ryusei, a boy she adventured with during her life in the countryside as a tomboy when she was more worried about how to catch bugs than what a boy might think of her. Now that she's found him again in high school, and he doesn't connect this wallflower with the partner in crime of his summer vacations, she's trying to figure out how to confess her feelings in just the right way. Enter Ichijiku, the oddball guidance counselor who, through various tricks and machinations, pushes Ageha to speak up before she loses her opportunity. His advice is sound, if presented in quirky ways, but through a series of misunderstandings and tricks, the worst happens: Ageha's crush is announced to the entire school, including Ryusei, and she wants nothing more than to hide in her room for the rest of high school. She screws up her strength and faces her embarrassment head on, but what can she do when Hana decides that Ageha's favorite is just the type of guy she's looking for? Ageha works for every teen who's been outdone by a sibling and every girl who's felt crushed by someone else's obvious beauty. There's a resignation that threatens to take over Ageha's attitude, that she's not worthy of much, and this first volume already has you wishing you could shake some sense into her--happily, Ichijiku is there to do it for you. Miwa Ueda's Peach Girl is one of the first manga I ever read, and her style is over-the-top shojo, full of dewy, giant eyes, bursts of flowers, and dreamy gu

I truly enjoyed the first volume and I can see that it has the potential to be even better than Peach Girl. I liked the main character, Ageha and it seems that her twin sister, Hana is going to be another Sae. I can't wait to see what's gonna happen between Ageha and Kyuu, the guidance counselor. Very good read.

Papillon: Miwa Ueda The creator of Peach Girl, Miwa Ueda has journeyed into the tumultuous world of high school with Papillon one more time. This time, it's the story of twin sisters Hana, and Ageha Mizuki. Hana is more popular than Ageha, and with a growing dissatisfaction, she is granted the wishes of her heart. A visit from a customer interrups Ageha's cleaning, and his strong suggestion that she repeat "My life is perfect...we're madly in love with each other" and a confident assertion on a photo will change her life leaves her slightly confused. "I'm seeing Ryusei" she exclaims, and sure enough. Hana, Ageha, and Ryusei go to visit the girls grandmother in the hospital, and the man of Ageha's dreams joins them. Hana tries to interfere, and the differences between a country girl and city girl become evident. Will this country girl transform herself into the beautiful butterfly she is? The competiton between sisters for the affection of a man are interesting and beautifully drawn with the talent (artistic and writing) that Miwa possesses. Www.delreymanga.com Tim Lasiuta