Tenshi Ja NAI!! Vol. 1: I'm No Angel!

At first I thought I might not like it but it turned out it was really good. To many people want to put in some sort of hard thinking when it comes to books I just want to read and enjoy. It had a pretty good ending. I hope to see more from this author.

While browsing in the book store, reflecting sadly on how they still do NOT have the new Hana-Kimi I stumbled upon this nugget of gold. TJN is one of the best mangas I have read in a long time. The story is a common one, a cross dressing protagonist meets a member of the opposite sex and chaos ensues. This time, sort of in the strand of W Juliet, the cross dresser is a guy. And his alter ego, Izumi Kido, is a teen idol. He comes off somewhat ruthless, but he's definitely strong and smart. I have already read volume 2 and 3 so I can honestly say that he fleshes out a little more and becomes more human. Also, his reasons are explained a little more in depth which makes you start to like him more. As a girl Izumi may be beautiful but when he puts on his `disguises' and masquerades as a guy he is gorgeous! Bishounen are always a plus in my book! The main female is also a treat; Hikaru is a great foil for Izumi's coldness, because she is so warm and sweet. Even though she says she just wants to blend in with the scenery; she stands out of the crowd whether she wants to or not. She's great at sports and she becomes a loyal friend to Izumi although she is sort of forced into it. I can't wait to see where this series goes, from what I have already seen it has Romance, Intrigue, Scandal and Fun, all wrapped up in a gender-bender comedy. The Verdict: Anyone who is looking for a manga that can be romantic, funny and serious all at the same time, pick up Tenshi Ja Nai!! A+

After glancing through this book I thought it might be a rip-off of 'W Juliet' but I still went ahead and bought it. The two leads look a bit like the leads from that story but that's about where the resemblance ends as their personalities are totally different. Hikaru Takabayashi seems determined to pursue wallflower status but fails miserably when her roommate at her new school turns out to be TV idol Izumi Kido. Hikaru was a nice change from the overly spunky heroines I've seen in manga lately. Izumi was a little more difficult to like (blackmail and intimidation seem to come so naturally to him)but by the end of the book you can understand him better. They don't really explain WHY he's dressing up as a female pop idol when he seems hot enough as a guy but maybe they'll get into that eventually. The plot is more light-hearted and less emotionally gripping than 'W Juliet' but it was a pleasurable read and I've already ordered the next book in the series!

I too pick up this book while browsing the manga at a book store, actually it was in the wrong section and I was moving it to the right one and the the cover attracted me. After reading the first few pages (I'm very picky with books I buy)I decided it passed the test and I bought it. It turned out to be very entertaining. Hikaru was once featured in a famous commercial in grade school and after that her life became a nightmare, the kids took torture to a whole new level. Now years later Hikaru transferred to a super elite girls school, with the goal of being a tree, part of the scenery but still unnoticed, but poor Hikaru won't be getting her hearts desire, because her new roommate is not only the most beautiful and popular girl in school but famous teen idol Izumi! Hikaru is mortified when the girls swarm her everyday wanting to know more about Izumi and handing her gifts to deliver to the idol. But just when things couldn't get any worse, Hikaru shows kindness to the idol in need and finds out the she...is a he! Determined to keep his real identity a secret, Izumi and his personal body-guard will do what it takes to keep Hikaru quiet. Blackmail, death threats with a Samurai sword, and keeping her in their sights 24/7! All Hikaru wanted was a quiet school year, but now she's the center of attention both positive and negative, and the deeper she gets the more she learns of Izumi's life and why he would go so far as to pretend to be a female idol. What secrets is Izumi hiding? I'm looking forward to reading vol. 2 this book has a great start and I'd like to see where it goes. Go Comi has caught my attention and now I'm gonna check out their other books. I recommend Tenshi Ja Nai it's humorous and you can't help but love the characters, especially Hikaru!

I actually really enjoyed this manga. I picked it up out of curiousity because the gender-bender angle can be fun. It's irritating that so many of the girls in manga aren't sympathetic or interesting characters. However, I really liked the main female character in this story. I felt that she was a rounded, human individual that I could care about. This manga doesn't focus on some pre-ordained relationship, either, which is nice. The main male character is fun too. He's definitely got his own agenda and he isn't weak or constantly protecting the main female character. There are also a couple of other interesting characters, and I feel like the story is going somewhere, unlike the standard high school fare, which basically consists of some relationship that's always hinted at but never changes. I think there is slashy potential, which is nice, but since I like the main girl character, it doesn't much matter either way.