Suzuka, Vol. 1

I usually tend to read manga that has a fair amount of violence, action, and in many of the cases stories that have a dark mood. Therefore, manga like the one I am reviewing provides for a much needed break from that pattern. Here we find a light read with plenty of good humor and an interesting plot. There are not a lot of cases of good mature humor in the manga market, so "Suzuka" really fills that void. Yamato is a teenager that goes to Tokyo to live with his aunt and cousin and attend high school. This seems like a pretty typical setting, but what makes it special is that the building in which he is going to live, and which his aunt owns, is an apartment complex and bathhouse for ladies. Of course, living in a place like this has its benefits, but there are also some issues that come with the territory. The poor guy frequently gets thrashed by the ladies, and at times he looks like a punching bag that just yields to their commands. His cousin seems to be his only ally, but does not come even close to being a good enough defense. Upon arriving in Tokyo, Yamato is struck by the beauty of a girl he sees practicing high jump, named Suzuka, and fate has it that she lives in the same apartment complex, in the bedroom next to his! Unluckily for him though, the first impression she gets is not a good one, since it has to do with a misunderstanding in the baths, which involves nudity and some odd posses. Suzuka is a track and field star and is really focused on this aspect of her life, while trying to survive the pressure that comes with it. The development of this story is pretty typical, with the two main characters becoming friends and seeing hints of more, having disagreements, hating each other, etc. There are a few additional characters that give this series a special flavor though. First there is the two girls that work as escorts, one that looks at men as her ATM, and the other one bothered by the interest males show in her breasts. As you can imagine, these two provide for some funny scenes involving sexual innuendoes. Then, we have Yasunobu, which is an old acquaintance of Yamato, who used to get him in trouble with his aunt. He certainly has not lost this quality, but now it is not limited to problems with the aunt, and extends to getting Yamato in horrible messes all across the board. Beside the fine humor, this series counts with some excellent drawings, much better than I ever expected before opening the volume. These are crisp and the use of shadows is excellent, providing the characters with a life seldom seen. Another positive element is the extras we get in-between chapters. The author shares some of his life experiences in short strips, especially in what relates to some of his interactions with his best friend, who is the inspiration for the character of Yasunobu. As is always the case with manga published by Del Rey, the use of the honorifics remains intact in the translation, which is a very positive aspect, and there is

In terms of manga, I'm not that up on the sports genre, e.g. Rebound or Prince of Tennis. So why get Seo Kouji-san's Suzuka? Maybe it was the cover of Sakurai Honoka on the cover of Volume 2 that got me. That and the "Mature content" label. Anyway, the story goes thus. Akitsuki Yamato has come to Tokyo all the way from Hiroshima Prefecture. He is staying at the Asahiyu Heights, a super-spa and all-girl apartment complex owned by his aunt, Ayano, rent-free. There are two other tenants, the voluptuous dark-skinned blonde Saotome Yuuka, who contributes the skin scenes here, and Matsumoto Megumi, who is well-endowed in the chest department. When drunk, she complains that that is all men look at her for, and raises her sweater for Yamato to see. One day, he sees a pretty girl practicing the high jump on a bar and is smitten. Turns out that the girl is Asahina Suzuka, also a tenant at Ayano's recruited by a track team talent scout. She has set a record 169 cm and has possibility of representing Japan in the Olympics. However, she is a bit aloof, and due to unintentional accidents on the part of Yamato, she looks down on him. Moreover, she's so under pressure from her parents to jump higher, she goes into a sauna past the 12 minute limit and passes out, only to be rescued by Yamato. Yamato is not only accident prone and clueless, but his attempts to make a good impression on Suzuka go awry. Tokyo has changed so much, that when he and Suzuka go shopping for Ayano, they accidentally go to a fashion massage parlor instead of a restaurant Yamato used to know. She seems okay when the two eat croquettes at Shusse Inari Shrine, a nice restful place compared to the hustle and bustle. However, one serendipitous event is that Yamato accidentally sets the bar higher than expected during Suzuka's practice, result being that Suzuka sets a new record without knowing it, something she grudgingly credits him for. Things aren't made easier by the reintroduction of Hattori Yasunobu, someone who got Yamato in trouble back when they were little tykes. Hattori was always a "natural at getting attention from girls" and Yamato recounts an event when Hattori got away with going inside a girl's shower room and not get in trouble. And then there's cute childhood friend Sakurai Honoka, who seems to have a crush on him. Hmm... better get out that well-worn three-sided plot structure out...the love triangle. It wasn't until reviewing this that I noticed the parallels to a more famous manga/anime series. Okay, we have a man staying at an all-girl housing complex run by his aunt. Hmmm, can anyone say Love Hina? Like Kaolla Su, there is a dark-skinned girl--here--Yuuka, and a younger girl, Yamato's cousin Miho. In LH, it was Shinobu-chan. There's also a hole in the wall between rooms as opposed to the ceiling. Again Love Hina. Still, the drawing style is above average despite the usual clichés. Who knows how much the anime will parallel the series, which i

This first volume does a decent job to start off the series, but it's really the later chapters where the story truly begins. I originally wrote off this series as too cliche and didn't bother with it. I decided to give it another go a few months later and got hooked! The trick is to get past the impression you get from the beginning. The setting is the typical guy-living-in-all-girls-dorm/bathhouse scenario and the plot has been done to death (guy wants girl, girl not interested), but don't let that lead you to thinking it'll be another Love Hina wannabe. I thoroughly enjoy those types of anime/manga, but I felt that Suzuka's plot execution was much much better, and that's what made it stand out. The way the plot unfolded and how the characters (especially Yamato) interacted, is believable and relatable. There were many times I found myself absorbed into the story because I was thinking the exact same things as Yamato. I wondered the same questions, felt the same feelings, expressed the same thoughts. The author does a great job telling the story by drawing on his own past experiences. Character development is a big plus in Suzuka. Since we see mostly from Yamato's point of view, I'll review his growth. We start off with Yamato being a bumbling idiot who has no experience with girls. He says things that are sometimes hurtful, but has no idea at the time. Or he does something for Asahina with good intentions that normally would win some points, but somehow messes up and gets her mad. From a guy's point of view, it's something we've done before (and maybe still do...), so we can relate to it. This makes Yamato a believable character in which we can understand what he's going through. As the story progresses, Yamato gets (a little) better by being more aware of others' feelings and is more decisive, making decisions based on what he truly wants, instead of always going with the flow. Of course, there are also some dislikes in this series. Asahina can be an interesting and irritating character at times. She's an independent and fiercely proud girl who doesn't open up much to others, but there's a cute side to her when she's vulnerable. However, she tends to be moody, cold and unreasonable, perhaps a little too often, which is distracting to the story flow and we see Yamato go through the same old drama again. This cycle can get tiring for some. Yamato can also be annoying at times. Sometimes he does things that makes me wonder why he did what he did. Sometimes he's just plain dumb. I was told that sometimes guys really are that dumb. Are we? I don't see it... =\ Anyway, fortunately his/her reasons are explained later, but that's for the reader to find out. To sum it up, this series is a love story. Suzuka's charm lies in the characters and the later parts of the plot. There are harem situations here and there, but that's usually for comic relief or to add a break to the story. The manga would be too serious without them, and this could deter som