Sep 5, 2015
Reading through mathematic books can be a tedious task for most people, though some enjoy it; for the people who don't, there is the manga Suugaku Girl, or Mathematics Girl, which treats with different mathematical subjects with a romantic story to maintain the narrative interesting.
The story is quite simple: a boy meets a girl, Milka, who is gifted and very immersed in mathematics. The boy itself is learned in mathematics, being able to teach Tetra, who has problems with mathematics. Milka often seeks and meets the boy giving him mathematical problems to solve.
From here on different mathematical subjects are treated, such as the Fibonacci
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numbers, Moivre theorem, factorization, you name it. The first few chapters are dedicated to introduce simple problems, but as the story progresses, more difficult problems are introduced, while at the same more theory is shown and explained. The strong point of Suugaku girl is that most of the mathematical problems are explained well and detailed, while sometimes a bit more explanation would be appreciated for the younger readers or those that have little understanding of mathematics.
To keep the story interesting while introducing the reader to different mathematical problems and theorems can be very difficult; to adress this problem, romance is introduced. Though it was a good idea, it didn't fully fulfill the purpose. The romantic course of the story was very predictable, making it more like an interference with the story rather than helping it.
The characters of Suugaku Girl are shallow and simple, being Milka the most interesting one with her mathematical complex. Nevertheless it was interesting to see how mathematics affected the relationships between the three protagonists.
The art style is the biggest drawback of the manga. The characters are drawn exactly the same way, being the only change the hairstyle and clothes. Expressions and movements don't seem to be correctly drawn either. There is a lack of backgrounds, and it is only drawn when absolutely necessary.
Suugaku Girl was overall enjoyable, with an interesting theme that certainly came as a surprise. The art hindered the story too much, making it feel like it was just a book. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in mathematics, otherwise I certainly can't recommend it as it can get tedious and boring. The main focus lies on mathematics, so reading this manga slowly would be advisable.
Thank you for reading.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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