Going into this manga, I had no idea what it was about. I just knew that I had seen it a few times before and that the Goodreads recommendations recommended it to me (which usually I don't think they get my literary tastes, but this time they did pretty good). Skip Beat! is about a girl who moves away to Tokyo with her childhood friend who wants to become a celebrity. Now that he has become famous however, Kyoko is learning some new things about their relationship and soon has a strong motivation to want to join showbiz herself, though everyone believes her to be "too plain" for it.


This first volume of the series was very charming. I laughed out loud several different times at Kyoko's antics and her very expressive character. I love that instead of being the more typical shojo heroine of mangas I have read, she has a dark, bitter side. But it isn't only humor or revenge that drives this plot. We also see how broken Kyoko feels as she tries to put her life back together in the only way she can think of. This is a main character who is funny, dark, sad, determined, and cute all in one. I loved the complexity of emotions and I am very intrigued to see how to the story continues.


I would probably say that this first volume has hooked me more than a lot, if not all, of the the other first volumes of manga I have read. It's pace is perfect, not too slow and not too fast, setting up the motivation of the plot right away. The main character is already going through some character development and I can't wait to see more of it as well as learning more about the other characters that have been introduced. The drawing style is a bit different than what I am used to, particularly for Sho and Ren, but I like it, it almost seems like their characters were particularly drawn different to set them apart in their "celebrity" status. Glad I took this Goodreads recommendation. ( )

Volume 1-30 finished.
Funny, sad, fantastic slow romance I really love this series. I cant wait to see the further developments of the characters as I go. ( )

Read Harder 2019: A book of manga.

A young girl gets her heart broken, and decides the best method of revenge is becoming a celebrity more famous than the guy (her best friend) who broke her heart. Fantastic characters, a great plot, and show-biz! I can't wait to read more! ( )

26:32 ( )