Shojo Beat

Publisher
Viz
Country of origin
Japan
Year
2005

Shojo Beat V. 2, Issue 3

By David Rasmussen
23rd Apr 06

Well another month has passed, and with that another issue of Shojo Beat has hit the newsstands. Yeah, the title is still a month behind considering it’s the Hawaii newsstand (and why Hawaii is so behind I don’t know) but that doesn’t mean I can’t review this title… might as well.
And, with that, we’re jupming right into the review of Shojo Beat V. 2, Issue #3.
First the not so beloved by me titles of Shojo Beat, then the THREE favorite pieces of the title… what? Three? I have 3 picks? Yes, yes I do. Check it out.

Kaze Hikaru
Sei is in big trouble. After freezing up on the person who was part of the group that killed her father and brother she ends up tracking them down again with the help of somebody who dies for helping her.
She gets captured, then gets trapped in a vocal debate that rages for awhile until the cavalry comes to save Sei and everyone but the guy she’s hunting is dropped like a bad habit.
She, in turn, shows mercy and lets him off (because of the family he’s got to look over) only for the loser to throw away her mercy by deciding to off himself like a pinhead. Good one, guy, so nice move there.
Anyway that shakes her resolve and she begins to question her future. Guess we’ll have to listen to her whine and bellyache next month, boo hoo.

Absolute Boyfriend
After Riiko’s “friend” dropkicks her to the curb like a bad habit you’d think there’d be no way that this “friendship” can ever be healed. However slap together a been there done that scenario which leaves her former friend’s “Fate” in her hands, which has her rushing to her “friend’s” aid and you have a disappointing predictible end to what could have (and probably should have) been a story with promise.
Let’s hope next month isn’t as predictible or obvious.

Baby & Me
Behold a scary, frightening, and completely terrifying love triangle that would make even Chuck Woolery hide under a couch and cry bitter tears of fear!
Two females have set their eyes on the male lead of this title, and they both will do anything and everything possible to win his heart, no matter what the cost! Their goal? The walk down the aisle of marriage!
As for Takuya? He would rather avoid the entanglements of such romantic pitfalls, which may not be possible especially since these two won’t stop until they win… Minoru’s heart!

Pre-school romance hijinks turns scary as tomboy (scary) Hiro (related to that “Gon” guy who once sent “Letters of Misfortune” to Takuya) and pretty girl Ichika (whose family may be a complication to this weird scary triangle) are ready to go to Toddler War over “heartthrob” Minoru… wait, wait, Minoru’s a heartthrob? Well I’ll be! Who could possibly have seen THAT coming!
Well, yes, believe it or not Minoru does seem to rise to the occasion as the focus of these two girls’ romantic intentions even if he’s not clear on what all the fuss is about, especially since he seems to propose his love for EVERYONE from Gon, to his brother, to his father… weird. And that’s all I’m going to say about that! Anyway be afraid, people! Be very afraid!!

Godchild
……
And that’s it. Don’t even read this, do I. So pass this without caring, I will.

Now the stuff I like.

Aishiteruze Baby
Yeah, this is just a preview. You’ll have to buy the graphic novel if you want to get a full dose of the title.
Anyway yes, while this is just a preview I do see potential in this read, which is why I’m going to be reviewing this in the near future (already ordered it as of this review).

Ok, here’s the short of it.
Kippei Katakura is a wannabe ladies man, and by that I mean he wants to be a ladies man but falls short of expectations time and time again. Loser. Yet it looks like he might get a 101 in womankind (and himself ultimately) as an unexpected family dsyfunctionality problem may place the ultimate “teacher” in his presence that could teach him a lot about women… and maybe something about himself.

Cute little Yuzuyu is in a bit of a bind. She’s a cute yet spunky 5 year old cousin of Kippei whose family has experienced a dysfunctional breakdown after her father died, and her mother ran away from home… weird, it’s usually the child that runs away from home… go figure.
Anyway this dysfunctional breaking of her family has landed her in the family environment of the Katakura family which is so sad… for Yuzuyu!
People? This is the WORST CHOICE POSSIBLE for a family to be left with! Being a runaway might be a healthier choice for Yuzuyu than the dysfunctional “family” she found herself in!
We have a family with… what… FOUR geriatrics?!? Two obviously old people, and two people who look worn out and old before their time… weird. Next we have a brainy smaller brother who seemingly is good at passing the buck upwards to the older brother (Kippei), and a chain smoking disciplinarian of an older sister (who I mistakeningly thought was the mother from her dysfunctional grumpiness and chain smoking) who is VERY VERY GOOD at passing the buck downwards to her younger brother (Kippei) despite the fact she‘s supposed to have a “heart of gold“… would that be tarnished gold? She does seem to have tarnished gold vital organs with her tobacco addiction and all that.
That seems to be no good for Kippei, who obviously can’t pass Yuzuyu upwards or downwards to dysfunctional family, because he ends up stuck with Yuzuyu in his care. Anyway since the rest of the family seems incapable of caring for Yuzuyu it falls upon the only possible candidate for caretaker, Kippei, even if he is the lesser of evils in this dysfunctional family tree.

Find out how Yuzuyu and Kippei meet, and their first day of trials and tribulations. Enjoy.

Crimson Hero
Just when it looked like the fledgling girls’ volleyball team is doomed to sit the season out (with their third year Senior member leaving before she has a chance to play) the last member of the team falls into place and the girls volleyball team is on for action!
Now that the team is “born” from it’s ashes, they’ll have to begin training hard for their first trial by fire with their first game in full competition. But as Nobara is chomping at the bit to get training for the first game she misses a few beats and ends up having to learn a rather harsh lesson about caring for her teammates more than her ambition to play the game, which is drilled home through her skull as Rena (the newbie girl who has a clinging fetish for Nobara) collapses from being overtrained.

Nana
Last time out Nana K was in deep trouble from being short on funds and worrying endlessly about death by homelessness and starvation. This however is quickly alieviated when her mom sends 300,000yen which comes to Nana K’s rescue. Of course it seems like such a nice thing, and so well timed, but maybe the timing is not so well… then I jumped to conclusions and thought Nana’s mom dropped dead : boy was I damn wrong about that!

Looks like we were not looking at the concept of death here but a misunderstanding about the circumstances of Nana’s “moving” to Tokyo. Apparently Nana thought the money was motherly intuition, but it turned out to be… a dowry?!?
Dowry. You heard that before, right? It’s the term used in old old fashioned (timewise) movies about marriages and girls get dowries… right? Anyway the mom jumped the gun and thought Nana K. ran off to elope with Shoji and… oh, her sister came home… wait, look at that! That is so… uh… wait a sec.
Anyway as you may have now guessed it was the sister (Nami) who spread the disinformation about Nana eloping with her dude, which turns out to be wrong… not that mom cares, Nana K can keep the money… as long as she doesn’t move back home again, which (yeah) turns Nana K’s brain to the off position and leaves her in a stupified condition for abit staring as if she’s about to freak out… wait, she’s freaking out.

Anyway if I thought Nana K was a hard sell in live action I can’t “wait” to see what kind of disturbing visage Nami K is going to be! A girl with the strange vibrant personality of Nana K (and her hair and so forth) is one thing, now how about a light colored (bottle blonde?) girl with dark dark fake tanned skin! Yeah, that should damn disturbing on a flesh and blood real girl! Apparently the Kagura look is only good on Kagura… on Anime form… so there.

Anyway the focus isn’t on the Nana K and her finding a new job with a publisher as a secretary.
And it isn’t about Nana O and the rebirth of Black Stone (BLAST).
It’s about Shoji and how he’s well on his way to falling off the sex wagon with hot little cutie whose such a little goofball aka Sachiko (but not virtual Sachiko whose a Tokyo player and not the innocent charmer that is schoolgirl work friend Sachiko) but I guess we don’t have to worry. I mean Sachiko is only the total package of cuteness and innocent and such a bundle of delightful wonderful energy… yeah.
As the title ends Sachiko ends up making a Nana K sized mistake by rolling in the sack with Shoji.
Now she’s going to be sexually scarred for life! Damn you Shoji! If she commits suicide before the end of the year you are so demonized you freaky whiney wishy washy character you!!
Uh… (cough)… let’s … ah… breakdown quickly.

Shojo Beat Breakdown 2-3
What’s Hot?
It’s still a fun title, always a fun read. I like Nana (which is getting better and better which each read, even if Sachiko… uh… bad thought, bad thought, bad thought), Crimson Hero (another hot title that is getting better and better), and Aishiteruze Baby… too bad it’s only a preview. Like what I saw though.
Get this, read this, enjoy this. Fun.

What’s Not?
Let’s see… not fun titles. I don’t like Absolute Boyfriend. I don’t like Godchild (never like it). Don’t like Kaze Hikaru. And I… well… mildly like Baby & Me (but I bet Aishiteruze Baby will rock over Baby & Me like nobody’s business).

Moments to Remember?
Nana is getting intense now that we’re dealing with not so faithful (wishy washy) “boyfriend” Shoji, and the rebirth of BLAST. Meanwhile Crimson Hero is moving towards it’s first game and things are getting hot.
These are memorable, but so is the preview of Aishiteruze Baby.

What to Ignore?
Hey! There’s a few recipes for good food here in this book… if you’re a mouse.
I’ll see if I can teach you some REAL food recipes, and some recommendations for storing your food that‘ll actually give you a serving that will actually feed you! Now… I just need to find a good food consultant.
Stay tuned for food talk in the near future, promise!

Overall?
Nana good. Crimson Hero good. Aishiteruze Baby good.
Godchild bad. Somebody else review it. Godchild bad. Thank you.
See you next month everybody! Bye… (-_-)… great, now I’m hungry. (leaves room)

-- David Rasmussen 23rd Apr 06