Chigusa Kawai
Auteur de La Esperanca, Volume 1
Séries
Œuvres de Chigusa Kawai
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
Membres
Critiques
Georges is well-liked by everyone at his school. He helps everyone feel at ease, but he also keeps everyone at a distance due to feelings of guilt about the lives his father has ruined. Then a transfer student named Robert arrives and begins shaking everything up. Robert seems determined to dislike Georges, telling him that he knows his purity and perfection are only a mask and that he's going to rip away. Even so, Georges is determined to befriend him, forcing Robert to confront the things about his own past that Georges reminds him of.
I only bought this volume because I found volume 2 in a used bookstore clearance section - I didn't realize at the time that they were the first two volumes of an out-of-print 7-volume series. This could have been tragic if I'd read this first volume and loved it, but (thankfully) it was only so-so.
This was melodramatic Catholic schoolboys shouting at each other and having emotions. I'm not sure why the author decided to set things at a Catholic all-boys school rather than just a regular all-boys school. Maybe for extra guilt plus the whole "purity" thing? From the look of things, it might even be set in an alternate universe - in the afterword, the author wrote "The common language spoken in the story world is (supposed to be) Esperanto." My guess is that the author wanted to avoid setting it in a real-world location so as to not have to worry about accuracy as much.
This volume was pretty much nonstop drama. First, Georges met Robert, who seemed to view unmasking Georges' negative side as a personal challenge. Then another transfer student, the son of a duke, arrived, and Georges was made his "official friend" - yet another character determined to provoke Georges into revealing that he isn't as good and kind as he seems. Excepthe is - his "dark side" is just guilt over the lives his loan shark (?) father ruined. After that, it was back to Georges and Robert, but digging more into Robert's past, which seemed to involve a girl whose death he may have been responsible for and who Georges apparently resembles.
It wasn't boring, but it was a lot. And unfortunately the artwork sometimes made things more confusing than they needed to be. Georges' friend Henri looked an awful lot like Robert - there were a couple times when I thought Georges was walking with Robert when it was actually Henri, and the primary thing that helped me tell the two apart when they shared a scene together was their ties. Henri kept his neat, while Robert's was usually untied.
As far as DMP's "Yaoi Manga" line on the cover goes: If you're looking for steamy BL, you won't find it here. So far there's some tension between Robert and Georges, and Robert kissed him once (which both he and Georges later passed off as nothing). Unfortunately, I tend to prefer sweeter/more romantic BL, and Robert and Georges' interactions have been primarily angry due to whatever baggage Robert is carrying. We'll see if that improves or gets worse in volume 2.
Extras:
The volume has a removable jacket. The cover underneath includes some extra artwork and a one-page extra comic in which one of Freddy's classmates teases him by pulling his hair up in pigtails while he's napping. There's also an 11-page preview of the next volume (which confusingly includes several panels from volume 1 - why??) and a 2-page afterword by the author that includes four character profiles. Georges' age at the start of the volume was apparently 14 while Robert's was 17, which honestly makes Robert look even more like a bully.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (plus d'informations)
I only bought this volume because I found volume 2 in a used bookstore clearance section - I didn't realize at the time that they were the first two volumes of an out-of-print 7-volume series. This could have been tragic if I'd read this first volume and loved it, but (thankfully) it was only so-so.
This was melodramatic Catholic schoolboys shouting at each other and having emotions. I'm not sure why the author decided to set things at a Catholic all-boys school rather than just a regular all-boys school. Maybe for extra guilt plus the whole "purity" thing? From the look of things, it might even be set in an alternate universe - in the afterword, the author wrote "The common language spoken in the story world is (supposed to be) Esperanto." My guess is that the author wanted to avoid setting it in a real-world location so as to not have to worry about accuracy as much.
This volume was pretty much nonstop drama. First, Georges met Robert, who seemed to view unmasking Georges' negative side as a personal challenge. Then another transfer student, the son of a duke, arrived, and Georges was made his "official friend" - yet another character determined to provoke Georges into revealing that he isn't as good and kind as he seems. Except
It wasn't boring, but it was a lot. And unfortunately the artwork sometimes made things more confusing than they needed to be. Georges' friend Henri looked an awful lot like Robert - there were a couple times when I thought Georges was walking with Robert when it was actually Henri, and the primary thing that helped me tell the two apart when they shared a scene together was their ties. Henri kept his neat, while Robert's was usually untied.
As far as DMP's "Yaoi Manga" line on the cover goes: If you're looking for steamy BL, you won't find it here. So far there's some tension between Robert and Georges, and Robert kissed him once (which both he and Georges later passed off as nothing). Unfortunately, I tend to prefer sweeter/more romantic BL, and Robert and Georges' interactions have been primarily angry due to whatever baggage Robert is carrying. We'll see if that improves or gets worse in volume 2.
Extras:
The volume has a removable jacket. The cover underneath includes some extra artwork and a one-page extra comic in which one of Freddy's classmates teases him by pulling his hair up in pigtails while he's napping. There's also an 11-page preview of the next volume (which confusingly includes several panels from volume 1 - why??) and a 2-page afterword by the author that includes four character profiles. Georges' age at the start of the volume was apparently 14 while Robert's was 17, which honestly makes Robert look even more like a bully.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (plus d'informations)
Originally posted here at Yaoi Radius.
Since its opening chapter a volume ago, Alice the 101st has been making some sweet sounds on the page with the dedicated and pretty young boys of Mondonveille School of Music. With the second book, it still brings the same bright cuteness as before but also something else: story development! We get to see more of the boys' study time, especially as Alice struggles to conquer his score for the periodic concert, and it levels out with the humor and drama already in the series to create a true music series with a fujoshi-friendly soul. Now that Alice has a goal to reach - mastering the score for "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" of all pieces - the series has entered into its first official story arc with much style and aplomb and boys tripping over other sleeping boys like only Alice can. It's a wonder he hasn't tripped and scratched up his hands before now!
Even as Alice the 101st continues to be a series that is big on humor and laughter, it is also broadening its scope in many ways, including adding some much needed dramatic edges as well as subplots for several characters, from Richard's struggle to exceed his own high expectations to Max's own alienation from the rest of the student body. Then there is the main plot for the series, which has temporarily eclipsed Alice's desires to find out more about his father, and that is the periodic concert debacle that has the whole school worked up. Kawai manages to turn what could have been a simple short lived idea into one that involves the whole cast and lets them shine in their natural environment - among their instruments, helping Alice on his score work as well as practicing their own pieces. There's also more Claire in this volume, and her character is destroying the terrible trope in many boys' love works that women only show up to be seen as screeching harpies or useless crybabies; Claire is independent and strong in a quiet way, and her developing friendship with Alice is interesting to watch.
Chigusa Kawai continues to crank out an entertaining series worthy of anyone's attention. The art is both gorgeous and adorable, especially when Alice gets into a tizzy and starts freaking out over everything; Kawai definitely knows how to draw some great humorous scenes. Once again in this volume, Kawai not only displays her skills at artwork but in fact-finding when it comes to the music world Alice and his friends live in. I doubt anyone who is a classical musician could find major faults in her research. On the whole, Alice the 101st is a charming series that has massive fujoshi appeal that can handle being both humorous and intelligent at the same time. As usual, I look forward to the third book with all my heart - thank you, DMP, for this gem of a manga!
… (plus d'informations)
Since its opening chapter a volume ago, Alice the 101st has been making some sweet sounds on the page with the dedicated and pretty young boys of Mondonveille School of Music. With the second book, it still brings the same bright cuteness as before but also something else: story development! We get to see more of the boys' study time, especially as Alice struggles to conquer his score for the periodic concert, and it levels out with the humor and drama already in the series to create a true music series with a fujoshi-friendly soul. Now that Alice has a goal to reach - mastering the score for "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" of all pieces - the series has entered into its first official story arc with much style and aplomb and boys tripping over other sleeping boys like only Alice can. It's a wonder he hasn't tripped and scratched up his hands before now!
Even as Alice the 101st continues to be a series that is big on humor and laughter, it is also broadening its scope in many ways, including adding some much needed dramatic edges as well as subplots for several characters, from Richard's struggle to exceed his own high expectations to Max's own alienation from the rest of the student body. Then there is the main plot for the series, which has temporarily eclipsed Alice's desires to find out more about his father, and that is the periodic concert debacle that has the whole school worked up. Kawai manages to turn what could have been a simple short lived idea into one that involves the whole cast and lets them shine in their natural environment - among their instruments, helping Alice on his score work as well as practicing their own pieces. There's also more Claire in this volume, and her character is destroying the terrible trope in many boys' love works that women only show up to be seen as screeching harpies or useless crybabies; Claire is independent and strong in a quiet way, and her developing friendship with Alice is interesting to watch.
Chigusa Kawai continues to crank out an entertaining series worthy of anyone's attention. The art is both gorgeous and adorable, especially when Alice gets into a tizzy and starts freaking out over everything; Kawai definitely knows how to draw some great humorous scenes. Once again in this volume, Kawai not only displays her skills at artwork but in fact-finding when it comes to the music world Alice and his friends live in. I doubt anyone who is a classical musician could find major faults in her research. On the whole, Alice the 101st is a charming series that has massive fujoshi appeal that can handle being both humorous and intelligent at the same time. As usual, I look forward to the third book with all my heart - thank you, DMP, for this gem of a manga!
… (plus d'informations)
Originally posted here at Yaoi Radius.
If I had to describe the first volume of Alice the 101st in one word, I'd say it would be cute. It is teeth achingly cute, with its dazzling gorgeous shoujoesque artwork and a main character that makes nearly knocking someone in the head with a violin case look downright adorable. This is not to say the manga is without drama or action - there's loads of that stuff, I assure you - but it seems the overall atmosphere so far is that of a boy born of sunshine and bubbles who refuses to give up without a fight even when people call him by a girl's name on a regular basis or make fun of his admittedly mediocre bow skills. Alice is not always genki-genki, mind you; he has no problem punching someone out if they get in his face and try to start trouble, something very much apparent in the first ten pages or so with his first encounter with the one and only Victor. But he keeps the series fun even when his own character is getting into trouble or feeling down, and that alone is something to praise him for; Alice is a main character I want to spend more time with which is usually the mark of a series' staying power with its readers.
Naturally, a manga centered in a musical academy needs to be all about the music. In this category, Alice the 101st not only doesn't disappoint but excels beyond most musically inclined series I've read so far. You can tell that Kawai put a lot of time and effort into researching what goes into musical training, as evident from Alice's lessons with Professor Dalberto, in which they go into great detail over things like scales and techniques without bogging down each scene in minutiae. The scenes in which they play their respective instruments are also very beautiful; I can imagine someone who is learning to play a string instrument will be relatively pleased at the amount of work Kawai put into to make the world of Mondonveille School true to a real music academy. Well, minus all the heavy boys' love overtones going on in this specific school, naturally (unless there is a school out there in which there is constant yaoi-tinged tensions going on between all the male students, in which case try not to tell all the fujoshi in the area about it, okay?). Any doubt in the readers' mind that this title deserves to be published under the Doki Doki line of books should disappear by the end of chapter one, in which an overactive shipper's brain could make the case for Alice/Victor, Alice/Theo, and Theo/Richard - at least. Even though (with the exception of Victor's constant mooning and teasing of Alice) the series hasn't gone into implicit boys' love mode, you can tell that it is getting very close to doing so. And when it does, it's going to be sweet.
In short, Alice the 101st is a sweet, endearing story about a boy growing up and finding the talents that lie inside of his heart. It sounds corny as heck, but it works splendidly on paper, and you'll be hardpressed not to like (if not love) Alice and his crazy academic exploits. It's a series with heart that looks to be going places, and I can't wait to see what those might be. Volume two can't come out fast enough for me!
… (plus d'informations)
If I had to describe the first volume of Alice the 101st in one word, I'd say it would be cute. It is teeth achingly cute, with its dazzling gorgeous shoujoesque artwork and a main character that makes nearly knocking someone in the head with a violin case look downright adorable. This is not to say the manga is without drama or action - there's loads of that stuff, I assure you - but it seems the overall atmosphere so far is that of a boy born of sunshine and bubbles who refuses to give up without a fight even when people call him by a girl's name on a regular basis or make fun of his admittedly mediocre bow skills. Alice is not always genki-genki, mind you; he has no problem punching someone out if they get in his face and try to start trouble, something very much apparent in the first ten pages or so with his first encounter with the one and only Victor. But he keeps the series fun even when his own character is getting into trouble or feeling down, and that alone is something to praise him for; Alice is a main character I want to spend more time with which is usually the mark of a series' staying power with its readers.
Naturally, a manga centered in a musical academy needs to be all about the music. In this category, Alice the 101st not only doesn't disappoint but excels beyond most musically inclined series I've read so far. You can tell that Kawai put a lot of time and effort into researching what goes into musical training, as evident from Alice's lessons with Professor Dalberto, in which they go into great detail over things like scales and techniques without bogging down each scene in minutiae. The scenes in which they play their respective instruments are also very beautiful; I can imagine someone who is learning to play a string instrument will be relatively pleased at the amount of work Kawai put into to make the world of Mondonveille School true to a real music academy. Well, minus all the heavy boys' love overtones going on in this specific school, naturally (unless there is a school out there in which there is constant yaoi-tinged tensions going on between all the male students, in which case try not to tell all the fujoshi in the area about it, okay?). Any doubt in the readers' mind that this title deserves to be published under the Doki Doki line of books should disappear by the end of chapter one, in which an overactive shipper's brain could make the case for Alice/Victor, Alice/Theo, and Theo/Richard - at least. Even though (with the exception of Victor's constant mooning and teasing of Alice) the series hasn't gone into implicit boys' love mode, you can tell that it is getting very close to doing so. And when it does, it's going to be sweet.
In short, Alice the 101st is a sweet, endearing story about a boy growing up and finding the talents that lie inside of his heart. It sounds corny as heck, but it works splendidly on paper, and you'll be hardpressed not to like (if not love) Alice and his crazy academic exploits. It's a series with heart that looks to be going places, and I can't wait to see what those might be. Volume two can't come out fast enough for me!
… (plus d'informations)
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Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 11
- Membres
- 736
- Popularité
- #34,515
- Évaluation
- 3.8
- Critiques
- 6
- ISBN
- 28
- Langues
- 2
Next is a story about Georges meeting a boy named Chris who works for a charity. Robert and others warn Georges that the charity Chris works for is really a front for a group that's up to no good, but Chris seems like such a nice guy that Georges can't bring himself to doubt him.
After that are two stories still set in the same world, but starring, I think, very minor characters from the main story. Erwin accidentally runs into a girl named Cecile, who becomes convinced that he's her soulmate. The volume wraps up with a story about Erwin's friend Joshua, who has an unrequited crush on the dorm Patron.
I foolishly thought that volume 2 would continue on from where volume 1 left off, but no. Instead of digging more into Robert's baggage and whatever similarities he saw between the girl he knew and Georges, or in any way focusing more on Robert and Georges' interest in each other, a quarter of the volume dealt with Henri, a quarter of the volume with Georges and some entirely new character, and half the volume focused on a completely new set of characters. It's the kind of thing I might have expected to see near the end of this 7-volume series but not in volume 2.
Thankfully, I wasn't particularly attached to the primary story threads introduced in volume 1, but it was still a very confusing way for this series to continue. The best part of the volume was probably Henri's story, which developed his character a little more and showed him struggling with jealousy and hurt over whatever was brewing between Georges and Robert.
Unfortunately, things just went downhill from there. The story with Georges and Chris wasn't necessarily bad but felt like a waste of pages. Chris wasn't being introduced as a new recurring character, so the entire point seemed to be that Robert's automatic cynicism was smarter than Georges' idealism and trust.
As for the story with Cecile and Erwin, I'll grudgingly give the author points for including a prominent female character whose purpose wasn't to be the fujoshi who squealed over the possibility of the two guy characters getting together. However, aside from that I really didn't like her.
The final story wasn't awful in the way I was braced for, but it still wasn't great. Joshua had a crush on the dorm Patron (dorm parent, I guess?), a much older man. The Patron didn't encourage this, thankfully, and was actually completely clueless about Joshua's feelings. Instead of just being a story about a boy struggling with an unrequited crush, however, it turned into an exploration of the roots of that crush.
Spoilers from here on out:
This is the last volume in this series that I own, and that doesn't bug me in the slightest. I won't be continuing on with this series.
Extras:
The volume has a removable jacket. The cover underneath includes some extra artwork and a one-page extra comic in which a bunch of characters freak out after Erwin catches a cold. There's also a 2-page afterword by the author, which includes four more character profiles.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (plus d'informations)