|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima--at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy...somehow. This is...not the easiest series to drop into the middle of, despite a fairly detailed who's-who and synopsis of the story so far. It's a high school romance with a fairly large cast, and there's a complicated web of friendships and rivalries among them, so--unsurprisingly--the usual one-paragraph summary is no substitute for reading the preceding volumes. (Nor is it expected to be.) Given that, let's see what we have here. Most of this volume's events happen outside of school, so there isn't a lot of focus on the Special A group's academics. In fact, there isn't a lot of competition of any kind in vol. 5, other than in the romance arena. Hikari and Kei have feelings for each other, but since neither of them has made those feelings explicitly clear, they spend this book alternating between (mild) antagonism, uncertainty, and affection. Not unreasonable for childhood friends/rivals who're going through the messy process of figuring out their relationship. Complicating things is Sakura, a girl from another school who Kei's family has arranged for him to marry. Since Sakura is in love with Jun, another member of SA, she has no interest in the marriage; when she and Kei are set up on a formal date (which neither of them wants), she conspires with Hikari to humiliate him. It's just the opening gambit in a volume full of mixed messages and romantic uncertainties, set against backdrops like another school's cultural festival and a sudden trip abroad. The story didn't reach out and grab me, but there's certainly plenty to pay attention to: there's a lot going on in this volume, with plenty of subplot threads overlapping and working around each other. The artwork is equally busy, which may be because the pace of the story doesn't give the characters or the reader a chance to stop and absorb what's going on; it may not appeal to everyone, but it's not bad, either. If it sounds like your kind of story, it's worth taking a look. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. Comment on this review of S.A. v5 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
