I Love HS by Mayumi Yokoyama

I'll admit it, I barely stopped watching Doctor Who to read this, I've been on a bit of a bender for a month now. Ever since something like two years ago, I've been trying to watch the series from the very beginning, but it is hard to catch up on 50 years worth of episodes. I caved and bought the first four seasons of the modern series, and I have to say, its amazing I've done anything beyond sit in front of the television. Its lucky that the second Doctor has so many lost episodes or I'd never had quit long enough to write this review.


I Love HS by Mayumi Yokoyama

Art and story (c) Mayumi Yokoyama

Genre: Shojo
Length: 2 Volumes – 9 Chapters plus a few extras

            The art is very polished, its the type with huge eyes and stylish hair, 2000's style. I was worried since they introduce six people in a row quite quickly that I'd have a hard time keeping them straight, but, thanks to them all looking completely different, it was no problem. I don't think there was a lot of variation to the face shapes, though. The main character's design is also a little generic, its nothing more than she has the same short bob that you see in every manga of this era, but that’s all it really takes to make her so. The backgrounds are a little more blank than usual, but it wasn't overly noticeable, and the clothes are cute and have lots of detail. The eyes, the huge eyes I should say, are well detailed with a hatching type of look, which most of the time were fine, but at times looked muddled instead of emotional. Body proportions and movement are really good. There isn't much to complain about, its all very professional looking.

           In elementary school there were six friends, all growing up together they had a bond they shared, that bond being that one of their group mercilessly bullied the other five. Once the terror moved away, though, the others went to different middle schools and drifted apart. Megu, who got the worst of the bullying, is a little malcontent with her boring life, mostly because she never sees those old friends anymore, is surprised when one of them approaches her with big news. That old terror, one Yamato the punk, is back in town! Megu is equal parts intrigued and frightened, shes' harbored a crush all these years, but is still traumatized by his pranks. And it doesn't help that his mother's house is still next to her own, and their windows still face one another, and, was that a light inside she just saw?
           Almost typical will-they-or-wont-they-have-sex plot from the third chapter onwards. A little disappointed there, actually, because it was cute and the couple were fun together, but I guess I should have seen it coming since the male lead is the lecherous type. I laughed practically all the way through this school romance, but it wasn't really memorable. The fist three chapters are fun, as the two childhood friends try to reconnect while avoiding being embarrassed by their known history. After that though there is two chapters of coercing the other two sets of friends together as couples, something that feels a little forced that

Uhm, what does that mean?

could have waited a little longer to address or been stretched out between the main couple's plots, because, frankly, it happens as a way to explain the characters instead of letting them become known though proper story telling. Then after those couples are promptly made and forgotten, the main couple becomes the 'someone is always interrupting them' trope by way of hastily introduced and hardly fleshed out older character. Which hardly pans out because there is a sudden climax (no pun intended) when the two end up doing the deed right before he disappears for half a year. Bad enough Yamato, who acts like the strong and jealous type, gets her in bed then runs off, but his triumphant return is crammed into ten pages in an unemotionally fulfilling non-ending. Considering the beginning of this manga, I feel like the second volume is a waste. I think the fact that they have been separated for so long would have been better prolonged, instead of just moving to instant couple status, there could have been more cute episodes of you've changed and you've stayed the same. Because it just seems like Yamato's only major point is the fact that he's a jerk, just like he was when they were little and there isn't any reason why Megu shouldn't ruminate on his good points a little more so the reader could see what's so great about him. I suppose its because he is drawn so damn sexy that she can't help herself.



2.5/5 Interesting hook, good art, but just generic high school manga romance.

Would be perfect if he just knew how to shut his mouth, cuz, hot damn!