Skip Beat!

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsType  

When I first heard about Skip Beat, I (sadly) wasn't one of the first people who loved it from its summary. In fact, after reading the brief summary I went "Psshhh, what's so great about this? No originality at all! The art isn't even that great either!" and walked away.
The reason I first started to read it was because
1) I had finished my favorite manga at the time
2) I was extremely bored and it was ranked quite high
Horrible reasons I know, and I really didn't think I would enjoy Skip Beat at all. In fact I don't know why there were so many ... people that love this series.

After the first chapter, I was hooked. The main girl at first was just like any other but the comedy and sarcasm and carefully drawn out eyes got my attention. Plus, the originally "not so original" plot began to seem much more interesting. After that, I read every single chapter up to 139 in about 3 days.

Story: It's not that high on the originality style because I can probably name a couple of stories that revolve around revenge and etc. However, the plot after the beginning, although a bit cliche, is still quite different and makes you crave more. That's the important thing, sure plot is necessary but even if the plot isn't "original" so long as the characters are good, then the story will automatically be good. Which is why this is 9.

Art: Okay, so the bodies are a bit exaggerated and elongated to show how "beautiful" they really are. Even though this a bit of a turnoff for me at first before I read the manga, I grew to be able to ignore the bodies and focus more on the facial expressions and eyes. Her eyes are amazing, it shows you all of the emotions and feelings. Since you can grow to ignore or later like me now, enjoy the exaggeration then art goes to 10. If you can't, it's more 9 since you cannot deny that most shoujo manga art is quite beautiful.

Character: No matter what anyone says, characters are JUST AS or even MORE important than the plot. No matter how unique or original your plot is, if your characters don't match up to it, the book or manga is not going to fare well. What Skip Beat lacks in it's originality department, it shows up in the characters. I won't go into great detail at the people because it would border on spoilers but as you read you can greatly identify each of the character's inner thoughts. Since this is told in Kyoko's perspective, you get to see how crazy she gets and laugh your head off at her "misfortune"! Truly an interesting main character.

Enjoyment: It's great. That's all I can really say. You laugh, you sympathize, you cry and you get angry along with Kyoko. It's amazing when a manga can get you going that much. This manga really is great and I'm sure even the worst critics (like me) can enjoy this.

Overall: 10. Simply (almost) perfect. A great read!

(Man that really was long! But I hoped this helped at least someone!)

Skip Beat isn’t your classic Shoujo, The cover is deceiving, on the outside it looks cute and fluffy, you open it up expecting a pleasing little love story with the usual clichés of a cute protagonist and her knight in shining armour.
But Skip Beats protagonist is not a mere Mary sue… Not at all, she’s dark, vengeful lacking in essential emotions such as love and her knight in shining armour Shoutaro, is an egotistical user.

Story: I first started reading this manga after being dumped in a foreign country for a local Thai girl, so for me this was like medicine… I could really relate ... to the character, and laugh with the story as it puts light on a dark subject.
It isn’t fun being used by the person you love, but instead of Kyoko rolling up in a hole she deside’s to get her revenge on Sho by entering his scene, the entertainment world.
The only possible down side to the story line could be the length, if you like the couple to be together within the first five chapters, Skip Beat might not be for you. But I found in this Shoujo I didn’t need them to be together for this to be one of my fav’s. Factors such as the humour, the characters personalities, and the story arcs all make up for this.

Characters: it’s a pleasure to read about these Char’s, Kyoko may be on a mission for revenge but her char grows throughout the story, she’s abit of a dork and lovable, you’ll be laughing during every chapter.
All the chars do advance during the story, at first you see Sho as the bastard he is… But later on he starts to grow on you… and the reader starts to forgive what he had done.. Its an emotional journey when you start to feel bad for the villain.

Art: To be honest, I did not like the art so much at the start.. (This proves how good the story line must be.) But I find now… I really like it… Why…. Well… I think her drawing is flawless in that style. It isn’t exactly a style I see a lot, but she can express things so well in the story. Hand actions, facial expressions, I even find the main man Ren quite attractive. This is Strange seeing as I didn’t like the art style to be gin with… I deduce that It must grow on you. But something I loved right from the start was her chibi’s! They are so very cute!

It's always a shock when you start submerging yourself in a story that you don't think will be that interesting and suddenly find yourself completely lost in it. Being a big fan of stories about the underdog, I'd have to say, Skip Beat! definitely captivated me; you're pulled in and can't stop reading wondering what will happen next.

The characters themselves are very unique and well developed. The main character turns out to be a young heroine, Mogami Kyoko, probably one of my favorite characters. Her natural frankness and unsurpassed perseverance makes you just want to root for her even though the way ... she was introduced into the entertainment world is so unusual. Despite being undermined and looked down upon, it's just amazing how much she achieves and shines. Besides Kyoko, there are so many characters that you meet in the story, each with their own complex story and background. The characters are so dynamic, each in their own way that it just makes you want to know more about every single one of them.

It's no surprise that the characters themselves are so well developed since even those characters have to try act out other characters within the story, almost like a story within the story. The main storyline is quite simple, but the complexity lies within the background of each actor, each character. As you read on, you find out that everyone has a secret that they don't wish to be revealed, and that must be how it is in the entertainment industry.

As far as art is concerned, I must say that I have no complaints at all, although the author does tend to "chibi" forms a lot probably because of the difficulty and detail involved with each character. However, when it comes to the crucial moments, the expressions and looks on the faces of each character are amazing. When a character looks angry, it sends chills down your spine. The author certainly breathes life into each character. A smile can be from genuine to cruel to down right evil.

Overall, I loved the characters and the story development of Skip Beat! If you enjoy stories about the underdog, someone with a little bit of talent and a lot of perseverance, then I definitely recommend giving Skip Beat! a read.