Favorite Manga #8: Skip Beat

Synopsis:
When she is pushed aside by the boy she loves, the boy she gave everything up for so she could him achieve his dreams, Kyoko vows revenge.  The only way that she can think to achieve her goal, is to become even more famous than he is, so she seeks out a talent agency and convinces them to take her on as a client.  She never expected to enjoy her job or that she would make real friends in the process.


Review:

Character:
Kyoko: This is one girl you don't want to anger, because when she's upset her vengeance take the form of little spirits that surround her to the point that people can feel it (its not magic, its more the authors way of showing that when Kyoko is upset those around her sense that something is off, though they don't always attribute it to her).  This often leads to much amusement for the reader.  Really, though, she's a good girl, loyal and hardworking and always trying to do beyond her best.  Even when she's angry you can't help but like her.



Ren Tsuruga: A famous model and actor with a mysterious past that he keeps hidden from his fans and everyone outside his boss and his manager, and a secret connection to Kyoko's past that he keeps secret from her.  He's made it his duty to help her out in her career, though he doesn't know that her initial desire was to best Shō, he sees her abilities and the love that she's developed for career.  He also wants to protect her, and part of that is hiding his developing feelings for her.








Shō Fuwa: A selfish guy who didn't mind using Kyoko to help him get ahead, now that he sees her becoming famous and getting male attention he surprised at his own jealousy, and beginning to realize that he may have taken her for granted.  






Plot:
While her motives for becoming famous are far from pure, Kyoko quickly sees that she's doing this for herself as well.  Its great to watch her relationships bloom and her become a better actor.  While she may have been motivated in the beginning to due to vengeance you feel for her because she was so selfless at the time as used so poorly that her actions seem somewhat justified (I mean there are worse things she could have done), and later as she grows to love what she's doing you are rooting for her to succeed and sad that there are still those around her trying to cut her down, when she's such a good person at heart.  There are dark moments in the story as we are dealing with up and coming stars who will sometimes stop at nothing to get what they want, but we also have Kyoko's insecurities and vengeful nature that make from some great comedy and heartwarming moments as well.


Art:

I'd give the art for Skip Beat a 4 out of 5.  While this is a beautiful manga, I gave it a 4 because the lengthiness and slightly angular look to the character can be detracting at times.  Also sometimes Kyoko can look like two different characters (disregarding the times she is in costume for a part) depending how vulnerable she is.