[Categories: Manga Reviews]
Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) volume #1
As you may be aware, the animated series of His and Her Circumstances (or Kare Kano to its fans) is one of my all-time favourites. My only criticism was the sudden ending, which will hopefully be solved by reading Masame Tsuda’s original manga - at twenty-one volumes in length though, I’m in for the long haul! Hopefully I’ll be able to give accurate impressions of the series without falling into fanboy rave territory.
The initial premise is of the standard shoujo high school romance type: told largely from the perspective of the female protagonist, in this case Yukino Miyazawa, it follows the day-to-day events and her relationship with the male lead, Souichiro Arima. Yukino is quite an ‘extreme’ character, whose defining characteristics - namely her overwhelming desire for admiration and attention - are probably more exaggerated than those of people most of us will meet on a regular basis but nevertheless are believable and true-to-life. The story picks up at the point where Yukino’s position as the most successful and popular student is threatened by Souchiro, who turns out to be a serious rival and a threat to her untarnished reputation as the top of the class; although Yukino is resentful of his presence at first, as they get to know each other better the two of them realise that they have more in common than they thought…
What makes Kare Kano outstanding in a crowded genre that I’m not normally interested in is the meticulous way in which the characters’ thoughts and feelings are portrayed (although I must admit that Hideaki Anno’s direcing skills made me aware of the story in the first place). Because Yukino puts on such an act in front of her friends and classmates, it is only her family who see her true self - this makes her narration all the more intimate and powerful as the reader gets to know exactly what makes her tick. Similarly, Souichiro has some dark secrets that are unknown to even Yukino at first; examining both the male and female main characters makes it more balanced and prevents it alienating male readers too.
To that end, this opening volume is neatly divided into three chapters or ‘acts’ that examine ‘Her Circumstances’, ‘The Secret’ between the two of them that kick-starts their relationship and ‘His Circumstances’ that shows Souichiro’s side of things. Thanks to Tsuda’s impressive grasp of pacing and page layouts, the story plays out comfortably and naturally, providing information and flashback sections without any of it being confusing - I found it to be undemanding yet rewarding late-night reading!
Because my experience in manga is relatively limited I can’t say how the artwork stands up to similar fare, but it comes across as clear and pleasant, if a little rough in places; being the start of the series, I can’t criticise Tsuda too much for that though. There are flowers in the backgrounds, cute girls and dashing bishounen but overall the femininity isn’t too overdone. There are some personal notes and cartoons in the margins from the author as well which don’t exactly add anything to the story but are fun and personal so it’s good to see Toykopop have retained them. There’s also a short story, The Tiger and the Chameleon, which is a cute little extra that has enough potential to develop into a full series in its own right.
Summary
For fans of high school rom-com manga I think it’s fair to call Kare Kano essential but anyone who appreciates character-driven series with depth, introspection and a deft touch for balancing humour and emotion should do themselves a favour and give it a try. As I revisit the heart-rending tale of Yukino and Souichiro, I feel like I’m falling in love all over again!
Posted on June 14th, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Wow, what a coincidence. I’m reading this currently (having all 21 volumes too). Hope to see you write more about it. (:
Posted on June 15th, 2007 @ 12:20 am
I saw the anime, loved it, felt bereft by the hurried non-ending, and turned to the manga. Sounds familiar? Three years of ‘waiting for the next issue’ ensued, which sounds frustrating but in retrospect was really, really nice. It was reassuring to know that across the ocean, Tsuda-sensei was working on another one.
Funny how the pacing and the artwork of the manga was difficult to settle into at first (after the anime) but became very satisfying after an issue or two. And unlike the anime, it winds up in a very satisfying manner - ’nuff said. Read slowly. Enjoy.
Posted on June 16th, 2007 @ 6:08 pm
This series is a keeper for sure - finances permitting, I’ll try to pick up each intalment on a weekly basis. 21 volumes does sound like a lot (my bookshelves look pretty crammed as it is) but Love Hina clocked in at 14 or so and as fun as that was, I’m already enjoying this more. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one following this series!