By REBECCA P.
“Haruna Aizawa thinks that school life is just like a monkey mountain — all the monkeys form cliques, get into fights, and get back together again. The school that she just transferred to is no exception. There’s even a boy called Macharu Yamashita who reminds her of a baby monkey!
It’s hard enough fitting in at a few school while dealing with family problems … Will Haruna remain jaded and distance herself from everyone around her? Or with Macharu win her over with his monkey magic?”
My thoughts
Haruna finds her family disgraced after a scandal her well-known father was in. As a result, she transfers to a low-key high school. To her, her new classmates are nothing but a bunch of monkeys. She retains a stubborn and stern outside appearance, which only results in being considered a snob and being rejected by many of her new classmates.
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“Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima — at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy … somehow!
In volume one we’re introduced to Takuya, Minoru and their father Harumi. We’re introduced to their daily lives not long after the death of Takuya and Minoru’s mother and Harumi’s wife, who struggle to deal with raising Minoru and moving on without her. Aside from the pain of loss, we see different aspects of Takuya’s life (and how much it has changed) as well as the effect Minoru has on all their lives. Japanese culture plays a huge role and we see pressures on the boy’s father to marry as well as how their relationships with others play a role in their lives.
My thoughts
“Meet Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, two girls with the same last name, but very different lives and personalities. Nana Komatsu is naïve, childish and not the brightest crayon in the box, but she knows about love. By moving to Tokyo, will she find happiness with Shoji?