Skip Beat!

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

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 "This pacing is rather slow," thought I. "The clothing and hairstyles are a bit outdated as well, I noticed.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 ... coming up on 20 years now?!"

Before we get into actual series content/quality, my preliminary advice is to put off starting this series for as long as you can so that you aren't left waiting for monthly updates of chapters that are unfailingly short. There it is, I can't do more for you on that front, let's get to critique.

Skip Beat! is sublime, despite its mediocre artwork. A long-running series ought to boast of (1) an expansive storyline and (2) notable character development; Skip Beat! succeeds in both.

We achieve the former through the realm of entertainment. As an actress, Kyoko's ongoing improvement in her acting range translates directly to the environmental expansion viewed by the reader. It's historical drama, it's an action flick, it's shoujo within shoujo (so meta!). I most likely would have dropped the series upon reaching the latest chapters, except one of these subplots hooked my interest and I remain hopeful for more content like it.

The latter benefit, character development, is the author's particular--and possibly indirect--skill. Without this, the series would be truly unbearable. Truthfully, characters' big "realization" moments are somewhat overblown and fairly trite. However, the underlying pace of the story actually results in subtle shifts for the story's leads that are very satisfying to consider at large. I wonder how much this effect is derived from the author's own maturing over 2 decades of work.

To conclude, Skip Beat! holds a unique place in the ranks of shoujo manga for a reason. I think you'll find something to enjoy in its many pages, but if you like conclusions (like me), then hold off for "another minute."

= Story =
- I have to say, it's rare to find a plot where a girl goes all out to get revenge on some guy she thought she loved (in manga that is). Fuwa betrays Mogami who then does a 180 on him. That's basically it. The story itself has different events, but they all somehow connect to the fact that Mogami is out for revenge by becoming more popular than Fuwa. It's basic enough to understand the characters at least which some times can get out of hand in Shoujo mangas.

HOWEVER, I may love the story, but only certain parts. Skip Beat starts off ... slow. REALLY, REALLY slow so the point where you literally have to stop reading. I honestly only read the series b/c I wanted to see what Fuwa and Mogami would do next if they were to meet. I don't care much for anything else b/c I feel that the pace is inconsistent and there's absolutely nothing to keep you reading. Mogami and Fuwa have a connection and their actions are what keep me reading. So yeah... the plot itself is rather inconsistent to my discontentment. -

= Art =
- Nakamura Yoshiki has a very unique style. She doesn't tend to... sharpen the chin's of her male characters. So their chins are basically... a parabola. Compared to her previous work 'Tokyo Paradise,' her art has changed significantly. But when you see how she draws their side profiles, it's... different than how you see her characters front and center. Another thing that makes her art style unique if the ratio of torso to legs. When you look at a full scale drawing of someone, you can see that their legs are incredibly long and their torso is literally half the size of their legs. Some times it does look really... out of place, but her art in general in amazing. -

= Character =
- I absolutely love Mogami. In the world of Shoujo manga, the female heroine is almost always useless in some degree or another. Mogami is one of those rare female heroines that don't cry about everything and who actually are able to defend themselves. Plus she has these mini demon Mogami's who defend her. They represent her thoughts.

Skip Beat fans, or the majority of them anyways, LOVE Tsuruga Ren. He's handsome, an actor and a model. It's also been hinted that he's an American with problems. People pair him with Mogami as well b/c a) ___________________ and b) _______________________ (spoilers). But I don't like him. It's not b/c I'm a Fuwa - Mogami fangirl, but b/c he's not my type of ideal character. He's that one well known guy who hides his true feelings (not enough to call him tsundere though) and who is the ideal guy for every girl. I don't like him as a character even after learning about his back story.

People will hate me for saying this, but I like Fuwa a lot more than Tsuruga. He's an arrogant douche who... you can love and hate. Again, the chemistry (if you can call it that) b/n him and Mogami is enticing. It makes you wonder what they'll do next time when they meet. Or how far Mogami will go to surpass Fuwa. But Fuwa doesn't get as much 'screen' time as everyone else... which saddens me. But he is a decent douche and if Mogami isn't as thickheaded as she is then the story would've turned in my favor.

Note: Mogami is a girl motivated by hatred. She literally has common sense, but lack any sort of emotion when it comes to Fuwa. She's naturally naive and ignorant, but not like Misao (Black Bird). Also, she's fairly gullible. -

= Enjoyment/Overall =
- The series is still fairly decent. I am still reading it now, but the past chapters... well.... I had to force myself to read them. The story is really slow at this point. 'Why not drop it?' you may ask. Chapter 199 was just updated and after going through all those chapters, I'm not just going to drop it. This manga is a 'droppable' manga so if you don't like it the first few chapters, I HIGHLY encourage you to force yourself to read it a little more. It starts getting more interesting around chapters 20 and 30. -

I've taken up reading Skip Beat after having watched and immensly enjoyed the anime. I just had to know what happens next in Mogami-san's turbulent life. The manga is good, I'll give it that much, but it's not great. In my opinion there are too many chapters that are nothing more than fillers. To tell you the truth, I thought about giving it up altogether. However, I couldn't. It's all Mogami-san's fault!
Mogami Kyoko is one of the best female characters I've encountered in a shojo manga. She starts out as a passive, innocent-beyond-innocence-itself girl (read: anoying as hell). She looses that trait as she is ... betrayed and she strives to reinvent herself and to regain the trust in people and in love. She becomes a rising actress, working her way to the top.
It's a rather new experience for me to keep reading a shojo manga because I like the female character so much. Don't get me wrong, I do like the male characters, Tsuruga-san and Fuwa-san, but the motivation behind my sticking like glue to Skip Beat is Mogami. She is fun and smart, and she gets herself in all sort of impossible situations. Once a meek little lamb, she turns into a ferocious, unyielding girl. A worthy cause, which, unfortunately, gets a bit sidetracked as the manga continues on.
However, every once in a while, Mogami-san shines in all her ferocity and all is right with the world. It's actually somewhat easier to digest all the seemingly meaningless chapters, knowing that you'll get what you want.
Tsuruga Ren is, sort of, the main male character. I said sort of, because he gets fewer pages as the manga continues, which is rather irritating. I really like the fact that he is a nice guy, supportive, and ready to help when help is needed.
I believe Skip Beat is a manga worth reading. It's fun and witty, just like it's main character, and although it sometimes wanders off to a place I don't understand or like, I think it's still worth going through that place. I know that the overall grade seems to be rather harsh when taking the review into account, but I just can't forgive all those boring chapters.

Some people are going to come at me with pitchforks after reading this review, but remember it's only my opinion and you can ignore it.

Story
I loved where the story was going. It had a strong female lead who didn't mop around and do nothing when she was tricked. She was going to show the world what she was made of.
I don't love the story anymore; I don't hate it, but I'm indifferent to it. I could care less about what is happening right now (I'm probably several chapters behind because I dropped it) and the story is dragging itself.

Art
The proportions can be ... very distracting sometimes. The art isn't consistent as in when Kyouko is acting, not only her facial expressions change, but her whole body structure does. However I overlook this fact because I guess the mangaka is trying to emphasize how great Kyouko's acting is. The bishounen's of this series are sometimes look like alien creatures with their elongated faces. I never once thought Ren looked attractive. However the art is not sloppy and once you get used to the strange proportions it's alright.

Character
I loved Kyouko but the way the story is advancing right now just makes me want to cry. I know reviews are not supposed to contain spoilers, but I'm not a fan of Kyouko and Ren's relationship. I mean I can understand you want to be praised by a top actor senpai but the way Kyouko acts seems as if she is trying to get Ren's approval. I get she deeply respects him, but on other hand she seems almost scared of him (e.g. of his criticism, getting him angry). I don't feel as if they are equals in this relationship; it feels more like a stern parent-child relationship for me. Heck I feel more comfortable with Sho and Kyouko (throwing insults at each other), and Sho is the antagonist (a.k.a biggest asshole there is) here.

Enjoyment
Though my harsh words, I do (or did) enjoy reading Skip Beat!. It was nice to read about a shojo character who was not such a pushover for a change. I loved how a lot of the time the manga was focused on Kyouko's growth as an actress. How she developed with each acting gig. However ever since the pigtails and lip piercing (trying to avoid spoilers here; people who have read you know which acting gig I'm talking about) I just... can't. The only enjoyment after that was Sho & Kyouko's bickering, that's it.

Overall
It's a good read with some faults.