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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that if you're reading a review of volume 32 of anything, you're at least passingly familiar with it. And Boys Over Flowers is a well-known, long-running shoujo classic; personally, I saw the anime years ago, and while I've been reading through the manga slowly, I'm familiar enough with the series that I use it as a reference point when discussing other titles. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I love it. Structurally, it's painfully obvious that Kamio never expected it to run as long as it did, and that new plot twists just got added on as she went (to her credit, her author's notes are always very upfront about her surprise over reaching each landmark volume number). By this point in the story, every time it looks like things might possibly go the characters' way, you can set your watch by the next implausible plot development that's going to interfere. On the other hand, I have a positive bias towards the main characters from watching the J-drama TV series, which brought Tsukushi's rock-solid determination to life and also somehow managed to make Tsukasa endearing. (Full props to actor Matsumoto Jun for pulling that off.) So while I remember watching the anime series and being wildly unimpressed by the character, I now have a soft spot for him. Fortunately, the manga helps by making it clear that Tsukasa, despite his serious issues, is at least trying to improve himself--he's just kind of inept at it. Except when he's not. So: 32 volumes in, where are we now? In a hospital, where Tsukasa is unconscious after being stabbed (which happened, naturally, immediately after his decision to defy his mother, leave his family, and be with Tsukushi). While she waits to see if her boyfriend will survive the night, Tsukushi has to deal with his mother's typically cold attitude and apparent lack of concern. The good news is that all of their friends are there to offer support, including Rui, who only recently admitted that he has real feelings for Tsukushi. It's not much of a spoiler to say Tsukasa pulls through (there are a few more volumes, after all), but this volume is almost entirely about the aftermath of his injury and how Tsukushi tries to deal with it. And even this late in the series, Kamio is still introducing new characters who can either help or hinder Tsukushi and Tsukasa's turbulent (to say the least) romance. Again, if you're considering picking up this volume, you're probably already in it for the long haul. Vol. 32 is Boys Over Flowers continuing to do its thing, and if you've loved (or even just enjoyed) that all along, you'll probably be very happy with this volume. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. (Note to VIZ's licensing team: if you feel inclined to license the J-drama version of this, I will buy it in a heartbeat and encourage plenty of people to do the same.) Comment on this review of Boys Over Flowers v32 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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