Skip Beat!

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Japanese: スキップ・ビート!

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: Feb 15, 2002 to ?

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Themes: Love Polygon, Showbiz

Demographic: Shoujo

Serialization: Hana to Yume

Authors: Nakamura, Yoshiki (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.55¹ (scored by 40,045 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #122²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #170

Members: 94,775

Favorites: 9,165

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8.55

Ranked #122Popularity #170Members 94,775

MangaHana to YumeNakamura, Yoshiki (Story & Art)

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Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Kyouko Mogami followed her childhood friend and love interest Shoutarou "Shou" Fuwa to Tokyo to support him while he works toward his dream of becoming a top idol in the entertainment industry. But after finding out that Shou considers her as little more than a mere housekeeper, she swears to enact revenge by entering the entertainment industry herself and beating him at his own game!

However, Kyouko's revenge plan suffers a setback almost immediately when she is rejected by the talent agency of her choice. Fortunately, the president of the agency gives her a second chance, and places her in the newly made "Love Me" section. Kyouko then begins her long journey to stardom, cultivating her skills as an actress and forming relationships with new friends along the way.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Skip Beat! has been published in English by VIZ Media under the Shojo Beat imprint since July 5, 2006, and a 3-in-1 omnibus edition since March 6, 2012.

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Characters

Mogami, Kyouko

Main

Tsuruga, Ren

Main

Fuwa, Shoutarou

Main

Yashiro, Yukihito

Supporting

Kotonami, Kanae

Supporting

Takarada, Lory

Supporting

Reino

Supporting

Hizuri, Kuu

Supporting

Takarada, Maria

Supporting

Ogata, Hiroaki

Supporting

Reviews

Nov 18, 2022

SenpaiSkye

Recommended

Preliminary (3/? eps)

***mixed review manga/series***

This is a pretty funny take on a shojo. I really like the comedy, which balances out the more 'mushy' parts of a traditional shojo. The main character has traits that make her strong and diverse while maintaining realism (ie she's "basic", not overly talented without hard work, clumsy but not a vapid airhead, etc.). There are some ~questionable takes in the series (ie age differences), but they are smoothed out really well by wholesome logic that keeps it realistic and not too icky.

The only thing I didn't like was being left with a feeling of incompleteness. Whether it was part of ...

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Aug 27, 2022

pumpkinnmayo

Recommended

Preliminary (307/? eps)

This review stops at chapter 233, where the series starts to rapidly decline in quality. Since the manga spanned over 15 years and nicely ties up most loose ends by that point, the story can end at that point and stand on its own merits. If I were to review the entire manga up until the time of this review, its rating would drop significantly.

Kyoko, abandoned by her mother at the age of 6, grows up with her childhood friend, Sho, before leaving to Tokyo to help his dreams of becoming a celebrity come true. After learning Sho's been using her for rent and as ... his personal maid, she vows to get revenge by surpassing him in the entertainment world. In spite of her plain looks, she harasses a manager at a major entertainment company to a chance at an audition, only to fail because she cannot understand romantic love. The president, seeing her unparalleled potential, gives her a second chance, but only if she learns how to love again. Becoming the founding member of the "Love Me Section" and sporting a hideous neon pink jumpsuit, she needs to complete tasks to recover her suppressed emotions. Her antics intertwine her with a famous celebrity Ren who dislikes her because she acts not out of self-fulfillment but out of revenge. The story focuses on her growth as a person and the love triangle between her, Sho, and Ren.

Sound familiar? The execution is anything but generic and the characters are masterfully drive the story. Kyoko's thirst for blood makes her an expert at crafting voodoo dolls to curse her enemies. Her knowledge of Japanese traditions and ceremonies and surprising versatility as an actress gives her opportunities rarely afforded to an aspiring actress. Ren's affected smile and gentlemanly behavior hints at a darker personality. Sho has trouble forgetting his affection for Kyoko as a child, unconsciously drawn to her. The president has a flair for the dramatic and is obsessed with love, even rescheduling important business calls to play otome games.

The story itself is expertly crafted. Kyoko's eccentric personality lands her her first job as a mascot for a talk show. Her empathy to those with a traumatic past propels her into Ren's orbit, and her recovery from grief slowly affects her and those around her. Nakamura focuses on a select few characters, tying their growth to their strained childhood. Kyoko's quick rise in popularity is organic and is given roles that match her strengths. Skip Beat excels at interweaving character growth with comedy, drama, growth, and romance.

The art underscores your emotional connection to the cast. Eschewing realism for a highly expressive style allowing the audience to read the characters' emotions. Kyoko's tears soften even the most jaded reader, and you can feel the malice behind Ren's smile. Although it initially appears grating, the art quickly grows on you and you appreciate just how excellent the art is.

Skip Beat is sarcastic and hilariously, instantly drawing you into its world. You sympathize with Kyoko's pain at being used and her supernatural ways of exacting revenge, and want to see both her growth and vengeful traits. Although Sho is introduced as a user and playboy, his portrayal is never one dimensional. Kyoko's simultaneous grunt work for Love Me coupled with her increasing stardom grounds the story.

However, I'd recommend dropping the story after chapter 233. A shift decline in the artwork, shifting from an expressive to a glassy look hints at an increasingly incoherent plot divorced from its characters. Images of Kyoko sobbing feels impersonal, with her eyes wide and a cold frown, rather than breaking down. A deluge of characters tangentially related to the plot are introduced, and key characters effectively disappear altogether. Numerous problems are introduced and feel unlikely to ever be resolved. Kyoko's unconventional excellence quickly changes into her becoming a Mary Sue. Rather than have her adapt to new roles through her pained past, her mastery of stage combat in less than a month defies logic. The strong bond you feel to the main characters quickly breaks and the few instances of character growth feel contrived.

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Jan 30, 2021

jcrayz

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (290/? eps)

Is this the One Piece of shoujo manga?

It's been a minute since I last wrote a review, but it's been many more minutes since Skip Beat! began. In the simple words of a fellow reader of this series:

"Either we will die or the author will die before this manga is completed"

Honestly I've faithfully followed Skip Beat! for several years now, with the intent of postponing my review until its completion. But what is this? "This pacing is rather slow," thought I. "The clothing and hairstyles are a bit outdated as well, I noticed. Just when did this begin? ...I'm sorry, does that say 2002?!? We're ...

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Poll: Skip Beat! Chapter 336 Discussion tsubasalover - Jun 2	0 replies	by tsubasalover »» Jun 2, 7:25 AM
Poll: Skip Beat! Chapter 335 Discussion tsubasalover - Jun 2	0 replies	by tsubasalover »» Jun 2, 7:16 AM
Poll: Skip Beat! Chapter 334 Discussion tsubasalover - Jun 2	0 replies	by tsubasalover »» Jun 2, 6:48 AM
Poll: Skip Beat! Chapter 333 Discussion tsubasalover - Jun 2	0 replies	by tsubasalover »» Jun 2, 6:34 AM
Poll: Skip Beat! Chapter 332 Discussion tsubasalover - Jun 2	0 replies	by tsubasalover »» Jun 2, 6:25 AM

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