Hana-Kimi:
For You In Full Blossom volume 1
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(quoted from the back of Hana-Kimi volume 1)
THE PRETTIEST BOY IN SCHOOL...ISN'T A BOY! Japanese-American track-and-field star Mizuki has gotten herself a transfer to a high school in Japan... but not just any school! To be close to her idol, high jumper Izumi Sano, she's going to an all-guy's school... and disguising herself as a boy! But as fate would have it, they're more than classmates... they're roommates! Now Mizuki must keep her secret in the classroom, the locker room, and her own bedroom. And her classmates-and the school nurse-must cope with a new transfer student who may make them question their own orientation... Plus a bonus story, "The Cage of Summer!"
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Hana-Kimi volume 1 contains:
Hana-Kimi Chapter 1
Hana-Kimi Chapter 2
Hana-Kimi Chapter 3
Hana-Kimi Chapter 4
The Osaka High School Dorms
The Cage of Summer
Bonus: Everyday life
About the Author
Storyline:
As crazy and messed up as this series sounds from the description, everything seems to pull together. The author does a great job making a crazy idea work. This series pretty much redefined the cross dressing genre (which paved the way for books like Girl Got Game and Kill Me, Kiss Me). Not only is it pretty much the original cross dressing manga, it currently happens to be the best one out in America. None of the other series can match Hana-Kimi for the twisted storyline and crazy plot twists. Sure, other series have tried but this one does it the best.
Artwork:
The artwork in Hana-Kimi volume 1 is great. The characters and their expressions all match the feel of the series. Their may not always be something going on in the background but the character designs easily makes up for this.
Characters/Character Development:
Ah....The best part about this series. The characters make this series one of the best out there. This series has excellent character interaction and very deep characters. Mizuki may be the main character but the other characters in the series also do a terrific job pulling the whole story together. Everyone from the mysterious track athlete, Sano Izumi, to the hilarious Dr. Umeda do their part in pushing the story along. In future volumes the number of characters grow and the author manages to give each one surprising depth and moments to shine.
Summary (Warning: May Contain Spoilers)
Ashiya Mizuki transfers to Osaka High School in Japan so that she can meet her track idol, Izumi Sano. In the first chapter she accidentally runs into him on her way to class and later finds out that not only does she have the same class as Sano, but she also shares a room with the guy! Ashiya not only proves her motivation to be with Sano in the first chapter, she also proves that she is an excellent track runner when she beats the school 100 meter dash record. At the end of the first chapter Mizuki accidentally gets knocked out by her friend, Nakatsu Shuichi, and is taken to the doctor's office. Dr. Umeda finds out she is a girl and confronts her.
In chapter two Mizuki has a lot to deal with. Sano has figured out that she is a girl, her friend Nakatsu has started to develop feelings for her, and Mizuki has to find a way to make Dr. Umeda stay quiet. Mizuki convinces the doctor to stay quiet simply by stating her true feelings for Sano and stating that no matter what he did she would never leave Osaka school. After that Umeda tells her she chose her words correctly and tells her it is none of his business.
In chapters three and four Sano and Mizuki get into a fight and no matter how hard she tries Sano just shrugs her aside. Mizuki hasn't realized that Sano knows she is a girl and he is just pretending not to know because...he likes her??? Also, Nakatsu is going through his own hell trying to figure out if he's gay because he likes Mizuki (which at least one guy goes through in every cross dressing manga for some reason). At the end of chapter four Sano realizes that if he doesn't stay close to Mizuki some people might try to take advantage of her (even though they think she's a he), plus he has realized that Mizuki and him have some sort of connection and he doesn't want to lose that, so he and Mizuki make up and go onto class.
Extras:
For the first volume of Hana-Kimi the author gives us plenty of extras. The biggest extra is the short story The Cage of Summer. I really liked the cage of summer but I wish that it wouldn't have cut into the Hana-Kimi time. This story really took out a lot of the overall length of the first volume, but oh well... Also, the author gave us some commentary and a walkthrough through the Osaka high school dorms. Finally, you get a short comic over the author's everyday life which is pretty funny. The extras in this volume are definitely good but if I had to choose between them and an extra chapter of Hana-Kimi I would easily pick Hana-Kimi (still good though).
Content Warnings:
-Language: Yes
-Violence: Yes
-Nudity: Yes
-Sexual Situations: Yes
Overall:
Hana-Kimi volume one is a great series that only gets better. The art is good, the characters are strong, and the storyline is just crazy enough to work. The only problem would have to be that this series definitely isn't for everyone (but hell, most mangas aren't), and that Viz is taking its sweet time releasing volumes past number three. Honestly it's been four months sense volume three was released and volume four is no where to be found!!! Ahem, anyways... This is a great series for shoujo and romance fans, and if you have the patience of a monk in between volume releases, then this is a definite series to add to your collection.
+ Strong characters, strong (and crazy) story, and can easily become an instant favorite in any shoujo/romance person's collection.
- If you aren't into this type of series then just walk away right now. Sure you may like it, but the super long waiting period in between volumes is evil in its purest form (or you could be mean, go to eBay, by the scanlated versions for $0.99 and read all 23 volumes that are out right now).
Score: 9/10
