Monkey High! Volume 1
by Shouko Akira
VIZ Media, 2008
Genre: Manga, Romance
Honors:
- Kliatt 05/01/08
- Publishers Weekly 01/07/08
- School Library Journal 09/01/08
- Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10
Review: Shouko Akira's first manga series is about a slowly blossoming love between two unlikely high schoolers. Haruna Aizawa, who just transferred from a prestigious school to one where everyone seems to her like monkeys, is determined to stand outside of the crowd and remain friendless. But the one boy in school her reminds her of an actual baby monkey, Macharu Yamashita, manages to put himself on Haruna's radar, and the two of them become friends. And then, when reminders of her father's professional scandal follow her to her new school, Haruna immerses herself in the perceived safety of childlike Macharu's playful antics, only to find herself forming a confusing romantic attachment to him. Akira's two characters confront issues of size, beauty, and popularity when faced with their extremely obsessive, assuming, and judgmental peers.
Opinion: A pretty cute and fun manga. Normally I do not go for high school romance stories, and yet I liked the way Akira creates a balance of innocence and intensity in her characters' interactions. There are several strips that focus on the facial expressions of Haruna and Macharu that aim to express those moments where words and ideas are being passed between two people through their stares. There are a few minor sexual references to making love and using condoms in the manga, and for that I might avoid recommended this to a tween that is under thirteen.
Ideas:
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