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.
