November 24, 2015

Manga Review: Flower in a Storm by Shigeyoshi Takagi


Title: Flower in a Storm

Author: Shigeyoshi Takagi

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC

Date of Publication: 2010

Number of Volumes: 2

Number of Pages: 200 (each volume)

Find it at: Book Depository (Vol.1), Book Depository (Vol. 2)


Summary

Love is like a storm. Riko Sassoku is trying to lead a normal high school life when Ran Tachibana bursts into her classroom carrying a gun and telling her that her life is now his. Ran, the richest, most powerful 17-year-old in Japan wants her as his wife, and he's not taking no for an answer! If Ran can't capture her by five o'clock the next day, he'll give up on her, but he has all that money can buy at his disposal. However, Riko has one trick up her sleeve--she has superpowers!

Review

It is the truth that I enjoy a lot a good shojo manga from time to time. Flower in a Storm was one of the titles that came up almost every time that I was trying to decide which one to read next. So, it was expected that I would pick it up at some point. It also had many other advantages, like an interesting premise and small size (only two volumes). What more could I ask from a light and quick read?

The story of Flower in a Storm wasn't that original. A rich boy came out of the blue and demanded to marry the protagonist. Everything happened so quickly that I was perplexed on how he met her and fell for her. They hadn't met before this incident, there wasn't a family connection, they basically lived in different worlds. Of course, an explanation is offered in the manga, but it wasn't satisfying enough. If there were a better one, the story would have been much more interesting.

The plot then became mostly episodic. In each chapter, something happened, like an assassin attacking Ran or Riko and while the two of them were trying to overcome these dangers they became slightly closer. At least Riko because Ran's feelings were already there. It was so swoon-worthy to watch Riko wonder why she felt so anxious for not seeing Ran! It might not be the first time that I've read a manga with a protagonist with these feelings, but it was certainly well executed.

What troubled me in Flower in a Storm and I couldn't enjoy it as much as I'd like to was the characters and their development. Both Ran and Riko felt more like some sort of archetypes, rather than original characters. Ran was the rich and eccentric kid, who would do anything to show off. Riko, on the other hand, was the one who had always been slightly different from everyone else and that's why she wanted to just be ordinary.

If you read the summary of this manga before this review, then you'd surely expect that Riko had some kind of superpower. Riko was just very athletic, she could run really fast and she could also beat anyone that came in her way. When I was reading Flower in a Storm it didn't bother me at all, but I found it really weird that I was supposed to consider it as something out of the ordinary.

All in all, Flower in a Storm was quite an enjoyable manga, although it was pretty generic. I could predict what was going to happen in the beginning of each chapter and I couldn't really connect with the characters. But, I have to admit that the idea with the clock was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read something light and quick.  

So, my advice is...

Get caught up in the storm!


4 comments:

  1. I do like a good manga, but this one sounds like it has a lot of wasted potential. In such a short series I suppose you can get away with having cookie-cutter characters but I prefer characters that are very human beneath that cliché exterior.

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    Replies
    1. That's true! When there is not enough space for character developement you are forced to make things work, just because they have to. Anyway, it was pretty enjoyable! :)

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  2. I've seen this at my local library and have been meaning to check them out. Now I really will!

    Carrie @The Book Goddess
    http://sweetcherry69.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. You should! It's a quick and enjoyable read :)

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