| | |  | ART BOOK | Home » » » » Otomen, Vol. 1 (v. 1) | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | R to L (Japanese Style)Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things--sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Ryo Miyakozuka, on the other hand, is a girl who can't sew or bake a cake to save her life. Asuka finds himself drawn to Ryo, but she likes only the manliest of men! Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to the girl that he's falling for? Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things--sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Ryo Miyakozuka, on the other hand, is a girl who can't sew or bake a cake to save her life. Asuka finds himself drawn to Ryo, but she likes only the manliest of men! Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to the girl he's falling for? | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Aya Kanno | | Paperback:
| 208 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| February 03, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1421521865 | | Product Length:
| 7.4 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.39 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.7 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.35 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 12 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 12 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 I want one of Asuka's bento lunchesMar 04, 2009
By F. Caldwell
"mixedpaint"
Otomen is the story of Asuka, manliest of manly high school students on the outside, but on the inside he's a romantic, shojo manga reading, cooking, sewing dynamo. He would like nothing more than to sew cute stuffed animals and make delicious bento lunches. Unfortunately because of past events he feels that he has to keep his "girly side" locked away and put on a front of extreme masculinity. So begins our story. Asuka is hard at work being his manliest when he meets Ryo, the new girl in school. He likes her and it awakens his inner romantic. Suddenly he's buying shojo manga and making pot holders. He just can't help himself. If Asuka is the romantic then Ryo is the clueless one. She has absolutely no idea that Asuka likes her as more than "just a friend." Then we add Juta, the school flirt, to the mix to make things more interesting. Juta has decided to pursue Ryo too. He comes right out and tells Asuka even.
This could be pretty cliche and to some extent it is. However, there are some interesting insights into what is and is not "manly" in Japanese culture (apparently real men don't like sweets) and there are some legitimately entertaining and funny parts. A lot of the best parts are in the latter half of the book. Namely Asuka's attempt to win over Ryo's father and the bit about fortune telling. Asuka is just adorable when Juta catches him being "girly". It's very endearing when he blushes. In fact, Asuka and Juta are my favorite parts of the manga. Ryo just seems a little TOO clueless. She has two gorgeous boys around her all of the time and she doesn't feel ANYTHING? Seriously. Poor Asuka. So I give volume 1 of Otomen 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. I would knock off a half of a star for what's lacking in Ryo's character.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
top 5 manga I've ever readDec 13, 2009
By Tamera Thomas
"littleclaws"
I read a ton of manga, but I recently stumbled across this one & picked it up because of the cutsey artwork. The characters are very well made, it is very funny, and the relationship aspect is very sweet. I wouldn't be into it if the main character acted 'girly' but he just has girly hobbies.. he is actually quite manly in the way he speaks and treats others.
I HIGHLY reccommend this manga to anyone looking for something funny with great characters. The artwork is just great too :)
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Dude Acts Like a LadyMay 24, 2009
By Hakajin
"Ecclectic Student"
Everyone knows that Asuka Masamune is the manliest man around. He's cool, good-looking, and expert at martial arts. Girls want him, guys want to be him. But what they don't know is that Asuka has a secret- underneath his masculine exterior, Asuka is a girly man who likes cooking, sewing, and shojo manga. He keeps his true self hidden to please his mother and to avoid criticism from his peers. But things get more complicated when Asuka falls for a tomboyish girl named Ryo who brings out his girlish side...
The plot is a little stereotypical, but somehow, these shojo cliches take on new life when the protagonist is a guy. There's something very funny and endearing about seeing Asuka comparing his own life to his favorite shojo manga.
The characters in this manga are good. Asuka is funny, awkward, and sweet. You almost can't help but like him. Juta, a boy who befriends Asuka, is a light-hearted playboy, but he's more serious than he seems. He gives Asuka helpful advice along the way. The least developed character was Ryo. She's has more masculine interests than Asuka, and she's oblivious to his feelings. She's a funny, sweet character, but she's not given enough scenes to really get any development. It gives me the feeling that Asuka may end up with someone else...
Despite some cliches, "Otomen" is a funny, cute manga about a guy who just wants to be himself. It's very entertaining, especially to those familiar with shojo manga who will pick up on the twisted cliches. Great for a light read.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Cute, funny and entertainingNov 27, 2009
By kaya j
Otomen is about Asuka, a cool, handsome high school student, who's been forced by his mum to do `manly' things all his life. At heart, he actually loves cute things, cooking, shojo manga etc, so he's always had to suppress his true nature. The story is about Asuka slowly coming to accept himself, trying to reconcile what seem to be conflicting interests.
Overall, the series is really light-hearted and fun. The characters are all well developed and likeable- especially Asuka, whose innocence and sincerity are really cute. The two other main characters are Ryo, a new girl who Asuka befriends and has a crush on, and Juta, an outgoing classmate who knows Asuka's secret.
I really enjoy reading this series. It always makes me laugh- somehow watching Asuka strive to accept himself is inspiring, moving and hilarious all at once. The storylines are sometimes a bit crazy and exaggerated but I think that's part of the series' charm. The artwork and characters are beautiful as well. As far as I'm concerned, everything just comes together and something about this series really works.
If you're looking for a shojo series that's light-hearted, fun and entertaining, I definitely recommend picking this up!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Highly recommended to shojo manga fansApr 13, 2009
By Midwest Book Review
Part of Viz's "Shojo Beat" line of manga (Japanese comics) aimed at girls and women, volume 1 of Otomen introduces readers to an unlikely teenage trio. Asuka Masamune is a decidedly heterosexual guy who loves girly things, from sewing and knitting to making stuffed animals and reading girls' manga; he has a severe crush on Ryo Miyakozuka, a girl who can't sew or bake at all, and who likes guy things such as martial arts. Their mutual friend is a playboy who secretly uses them both as inspiration to create his own best-selling shojo manga! Trapped in a culture that values men who act manly, how can Asuka learn to accept his own "otomen" (i.e. guy who likes girl stuff) nature, when almost no one else will accept it - not even his own mother or Ryo's father? Otomen is a lighthearted romantic comedy with a serious underlying message - that it's okay to be secure in one's gender and sexuality without conforming absolutely to rigid gender roles. Highly recommended to shojo manga fans.
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
