Ranked #26

Dengeki Daisy (Manga)

“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

Where have I read this line? Wait. Let me think.

Oh right, from oodles of shoujo mangas I read. I remembered dropping a lot because they were a lot too similar to each other. It just differs from the art to its supporting characters and leads. There’re a lot of arcs being used over and over and over again. Hotsprings, going on field trips, getting locked in a gym storage room and whatnot.

Of course, Dengeki Daisy springs out the cliché plots at its peak.

As another fan of the shoujo genre, I am once again amused on how Motomi Kyousuke handles his way of manga clichés. I never imagined myself loving another shoujo manga to this point. And to add up to that, the author is male. A he, making a shoujo manga that gets a high popularity, now this is something.

So what makes it differ from the others?

Is it the art?

The art is dramatic and humorous often times. Fully detailed, from emotions to bony structures. One thing I noticed was the eyes for every character describes what they are. For instance, Teru’s eyes. They were set to kill. It helps her give the impression of a strong and honest girl. For Kurosaki’s, his eyes gives off the mysterious and arrogant feel. Not that it isn’t cliché, but it gives the characters a sense of individuality.

Is it the storyline?

It follows a story of Teru, a smart girl who lives alone with a cellphone as a memento from her late older brother and Kurosaki, some weird janitor slash programmer who is actually in imminent danger of having his head bald. Joking aside, the cellphone serves as a communication device between Teru and an unknown guy who he calls himself as DAISY. Teru finds him as her security blanket and often emails him on what is going on with her everyday life. Kurosaki, however comes up and treats her as a servant because Teru, as we all know, is poor. She agrees to be his servant to pay off a debt. The story goes on and eventually, this two, seems closer than before. So at the end of reading a short sneakpeak, you end up questioning yourself, who is DAISY? What happens to Teru and Kurosaki?

Dengeki Daisy is actually easy to predict, at first. But then, when you are at the point of making sure that this event is going to happen, it surprises you with another blast, and this is what makes the story interesting.

Is it the humor? The drama?

There’s always a page or two that you can’t help but laugh. A dramatic or romantic scene abruptly shifts to a comical scene makes it double the laughs. It just pops out when you least expected it. I avoid comparing a manga from another but for Dengeki Daisy, in terms of comedy is one of the best I have read. It feels all natural and not too much of a trying hard.

Dengeki Daisy clearly defines what the word drama means. Its emotionality and depth makes the characters more realistic and melodramatic. Though I say it is dramatic, it can be more of mysteric.

Motomi’s good sense of humor and drama makes every chapter healthy in a theoretical sense. He knows what shoujo manga fans look for and he blends it amazingly well together.

Taking a quick look of another shoujo manga wouldn’t hurt, why not give it a try for a change? You’ll never really know unless you give one. You might end up getting bald if you don’t. read more

I recall my initial thoughts on Dengeki Daisy as I first came across its information page: Another overrated shoujo manga with a simple plot and the cliche catch phrase "I'll protect you".

Oh, how wrong was I.

Shoujo is known for its obscenely perfect guys as well as the air-headed heroines who fall for them. On the outside, our cast here seems to be no exception. However, the protagonists contain a surprisingly high amount of depth. In essence, we follow the lives of two characters at the same time. Teru, who is cheered on by a text-friend whom she has never met, and Kurosaki, who lives a double-life of a school janitor and a hacker. Teru is a girl with a strong will and great sense of justice. She also maintains the common sense that shoujo girls tend to lack. Kurosaki protects Teru behind the shadows, both insuring her safety and comforting her when she feels down. Behind his cruel, extortionist attitude, lies a side of him that is kind, determined, and thoughtful. What is really special about this situation is the fact that we know more--yet less--than both of the main characters.

The plot is, without a doubt, original. If so, what makes it so special? To put it in simple words, it is the pacing in which the story progresses. While the pace of the manga seems trivial to it's overall enjoyment, it is one of the important elements that make Dengeki Daisy truly great. Instead of a sudden twist that tries to force the readers to gain interest, it discretely leaves us hints and slowly reveals the secrets that we are so dying to know. It does not unveil high amounts of information at a time, and yet it does not make us wait for it. The execution is flawless. In this manga, we start out knowing nothing. Conflicts continue to arise as we are given pieces to a puzzle which will explain just what exactly drives the characters to act as they do.

What are DAISY's motivations? How will the character's relationships evolve? What is the truth behind the secret surrounding Teru? For a manga that has so well exceeded many people's expectations so far, there is no doubt that it will continue to deliver a unique and interesting story here on out. Definitely a recommended read. read more