It revolves around a mother and daughter living under the constant glare of the spotlight. Shouko's mother is a celebrated actress, and Shouko takes pride in being her daughter. However, their bond falters as jealousy surfaces.
The character development was likely the sole redeeming aspect. Shouko—oh, what a journey. Thank heavens she seemed to mature by the end. Despite arguably being the shallowest and vainest character I've encountered, she does discover her sense of self-worth. Shouko's mother begins seeing her daughter as an adult when her relationship with her boyfriend hits turbulence. Her perception of herself as uniquely superior dissolves into the shared vulnerabilities of humanity. The two women bicker like high schoolers over a man who feels nothing for either of them. Shouko resents her mother for hogging the limelight and seeks superiority by stealing her boyfriend. Meanwhile, the mother appears driven by a need for control.
Ujou, the man they quarrel over, was the only relatable figure to me. He’s good-looking but adrift, showing no genuine emotions toward anyone or anything. Only after losing something significant does he exhibit any passion.
Shouko's friend Miu has her subplot. I’m uncertain about her purpose other than highlighting Shouko's indifference or obliviousness to her friends. From the start, you can predict Miu's situation, and she might be the only character you genuinely care about.
Perhaps I missed something profound, but I derived little from this manga. It left me discontented and irritated throughout most of it.
Ok, since there are no reviews for this manga, I'm going to write one.
Oh, by the way, this review may contain spoilers, so don't read it if you haven't read the story. Don't say I didn't warn you.
I'll start by saying that this manga, at least to me, seemed REAL. It's not complicated or confusing but rather simple to understand. It starts with Shouko, the daughter of a famous actress, who has been outshined by her mother all her life. At first, she is proud of her mother, but as the story unfolds, she becomes jealous of her. Everyone sees her only as her mother's daughter. She only realizes this after meeting Ujou, her mother's new boyfriend. Then, she begins to realize just how jealous she actually is of her mother and thus wants to hurt her. She sleeps with Ujou, but when she sees that even this doesn't work, she plans to enter the entertainment world as well. Simple and clear.
I've read other reviews that were dissatisfied with the ending. But hey, maybe they expected some typical shoujo happy ending where the two protagonists get together. To be honest, I was expecting this too. So I found the actual ending good, a bit unexpected if you want, and realistic—something that happens quite often in real life. (I'm not talking about the girl stealing her mother's boyfriend; I'm talking about the two of them NOT getting together.)
And here we are, the characters. The main ones: the girl, her mom, and her boyfriend. They are all conceited and self-centered and mainly think only about their own problems. They aren't depicted as bad in the manga, and they are similar to people from real life. For example, Shouko, the daughter. As I said, she has been outshined all her life by her famous mother, and nobody except for her two friends actually saw her for who she is, but for her mother's daughter, which isn't exactly something pleasant. She only realizes that she is jealous of her mother after she meets her boyfriend, Ujou. And what does she do after that? She rebels against her mother and, in order to hurt her and win against her, she sleeps with Ujou. Then, she goes into the entertainment industry to win against her mother on her own. I believe she does fall in love with Ujou, but she doesn't realize it. And I think that all she had done was in order to step back from her mother's shadow and shine on her own. Again, pretty simple to understand.
Now let's take Ujou. He is a cold person and a talented pianist. He doesn't particularly like playing it though; he rather does it out of obligation. He has to get his left arm stabbed in order to realize how much he actually loves playing the piano. And I don't think he loves either Shouko or her mother. More like, he accepted being Hisako's boy-toy out of convenience, as she was willing to pay his tuition. As the story goes on, he starts to get annoyed by this and thus plans to hurt Hisako, using Shouko. In the end, I don't think he loves either of them. He was just causing them to quarrel, as they both loved him. He leaves in order to have his arm re-operated, but he doesn't come back afterward. And why would he? He is just as self-centered as Shouko, actually more than her in my opinion, only caring about his arm and his piano. Yeah, I agree, in the end, I think he did notice and acknowledge Shouko, but this doesn't mean he fell in love with her. So there was no reason for him to return to Japan after the operation.
And finally, Hisako, the famous actress. She was a rather good mother to Shouko, until she and Shouko met Ujou and started to quarrel, becoming aware of their most hidden feelings for each other. She doesn't want to lose to Shouko, not realizing that Shouko feels the same way, being another self-centered character. She portrays the seemingly perfect woman—beautiful, elegant, and successful—but in reality, she is only another ordinary woman, with worries and fears like anyone else's. After Ujou was out of their life, I believe that she and her daughter went back to how things used to be.
And the last character I'm going to talk about, a supporting one this time, Miu/Umi. In my opinion, she was the only character that actually cared for other people's problems and feelings, besides her own. She was a good friend, better than how Shouko was to her. She was sexually abused by her stepfather and might be a lesbian. If you ask me, enough problems for somebody to get conceited and think only of herself. But no, she actually thinks of other people, even if her problems might be more serious than Shouko's, for example. She doesn't do anything to her father even though he rapes her every night or so, because she knows how happy her mother is because of him. She prefers to endure it than to take away her mother's happiness. Also, she wants to protect Shouko from Ujou, a thing I believe is right, since Ujou was using her anyway. In the end, she is able to tear them apart, which may be a good thing. I think her character is the saddest one of the manga, because she doesn't solve her problems or find happiness, like the other characters. She is unable to tell someone about her stepfather, and she doesn't find happiness, even though she is the one that deserves it the most.
The art is fine, nothing special, but somehow different from the standard shoujo art. It's not the worst I've seen out there, but not the best either. The profiles of the characters could have been drawn better, but aside from this, I don't have much I can complain about. The expressions and the faces were okay; you can see when the characters are surprised or sad.
In the end, this manga was a good read. For me, it seemed like a touch of realism, where the characters are different from the ones usually seen in shoujo manga. They seem real, and the choices they make don't feel weird or unreal but real—something we could also do if faced with similar situations. If you want a rather realistic manga that has its drama and that has a rather sad ending—not the usual happy one but one that could also happen in real life—then you could read this. It might open your eyes a bit that not always things go the way we want them to.
When we're kids, we see our parents as perfect beings. Some of us even dream of growing up to be just like them because the love they provide feels almost tangible. As we mature, we begin to notice imperfections that challenge this idealized view, and the people we once admired and aspired to become shift away from our parents. In the process of our own growth, our parents seem to fade into the background. By the time we reach adulthood, if we're fortunate enough to still have them, we come to see them for who they truly are—flawed yet earnest humans doing their best, and we may rediscover our admiration for them.
Reflecting on this manga now, the concept of flaws takes on a whole new significance.
The plot is straightforward: Shouko, a high school girl with a celebrated mother, grows weary of being overshadowed as merely her mother's daughter. When her mother insists she move into an apartment due to paparazzi swarming her current home, Shouko complies. There, she encounters her mother’s new boyfriend, Ujoi, who also resides there. It's not that she's immediately attracted to him; rather, she's enticed by the idea of stealing him away from her mother—a petty act of rebellion to finally outdo her. And so, she proceeds.
Shouko is, after all, just a teenager. She can act spoiled and bratty at times, but ultimately, she's just a young adult craving maternal attention and recognition. Instead, she's continually eclipsed by her celebrity mother, living in her shadow until she snaps. Her character is shallow and impulsive, self-centered, yet these traits make her portrayal strikingly realistic.
As for the mother, I found myself wanting to slap her every other scene. This highlights that aging doesn't automatically equate to maturity. She sets a terrible example as a parent, lacking any redeeming qualities toward her own daughter, though she does cater to her material needs, if that counts for anything. Her behavior alone warrants a point deduction in my rating, as she plays a significant role in damaging her daughter. I refuse to believe mothers behave this way, perhaps naively so.
Ujoi's role remains somewhat ambiguous beyond being the man involved with both mother and daughter. His issues intrigue me briefly, but his dialogue quickly loses my interest. He appears indifferent to both women while carrying an empty, lost expression in his eyes. Maybe that was his intended role—to symbolize someone with untapped potential outside the bedroom, only realizing its value when it's no longer an option. Life has a cruel way of making us aware of what we truly want.
I empathized with Shouko's predicament, but Miu, her best friend, left an even deeper impact on me. Early hints of her hostility toward men foreshadow the truth revealed later in the story: she's a survivor of sexual abuse, one of the most harrowing experiences anyone could endure.
Describing Miu proved more challenging than Shouko, not because Shouko's struggles were insignificant, but because Miu's pain felt more profound. Unlike Shouko, who vocalizes her frustrations, Miu remains silent, hoping others will notice her distress without her having to articulate it. Unfortunately, even her best friend, preoccupied with her own issues, fails to recognize the signs clearly present.
Being betrayed by those expected to protect you is devastating for anyone, especially a young girl. While I can't justify Miu's actions, having never experienced such trauma, I understood her motivations and empathized with her character more than the protagonist, who seemed self-absorbed.
The artwork here is average. Upon reflection, the visuals didn't significantly enhance the narrative. The focus remained on the emotional turmoil of these four individuals. Credit to the mangaka for effectively conveying despair through their eyes—it was unmistakable.
The ending didn't wrap things up neatly with bows or cherry blossoms falling. For some characters, the events were mere speed bumps in their daily lives. For others, it felt like the phrase "To be continued" at the end of a book. And for the less fortunate, overcoming one nightmare only led to another quest. Overall, the conclusion was unsatisfying, leaving many questions unanswered. People simply moved on as if nothing happened, except for those metaphorically scarred.
What I took away from this manga wasn't necessarily tied to its subject matter but instead made me appreciate my own family more deeply. So, cherish what you have today, because it may not be there tomorrow. That includes the people in your life.
The additional story, "Angel Night," offers a lighter yet still poignant tale. A recurring theme with this author seems to be bittersweet narratives.
It revolves around a girl whose life isn't unfolding as hoped. On the verge of suicide, she encounters an angel sent to collect her soul. The characters here are more likable, less hostile and malevolent compared to the main story.
I won't delve too deeply into this one. If something comes free with your purchase, just enjoy it.
It was a good book but the ending was very abrupt!! Would like to know more of what happened to Blake and Allen. Also her brother as well. But keep writing because i really liked it!! Good job on your first book.
Popular Reviews
It revolves around a mother and daughter living under the constant glare of the spotlight. Shouko's mother is a celebrated actress, and Shouko takes pride in being her daughter. However, their bond falters as jealousy surfaces.
The character development was likely the sole redeeming aspect. Shouko—oh, what a journey. Thank heavens she seemed to mature by the end. Despite arguably being the shallowest and vainest character I've encountered, she does discover her sense of self-worth. Shouko's mother begins seeing her daughter as an adult when her relationship with her boyfriend hits turbulence. Her perception of herself as uniquely superior dissolves into the shared vulnerabilities of humanity. The two women bicker like high schoolers over a man who feels nothing for either of them. Shouko resents her mother for hogging the limelight and seeks superiority by stealing her boyfriend. Meanwhile, the mother appears driven by a need for control.
Ujou, the man they quarrel over, was the only relatable figure to me. He’s good-looking but adrift, showing no genuine emotions toward anyone or anything. Only after losing something significant does he exhibit any passion.
Shouko's friend Miu has her subplot. I’m uncertain about her purpose other than highlighting Shouko's indifference or obliviousness to her friends. From the start, you can predict Miu's situation, and she might be the only character you genuinely care about.
Perhaps I missed something profound, but I derived little from this manga. It left me discontented and irritated throughout most of it.
Story: 6 [unique premise]
Art: 6 [quirky at times]
Character: 7 [well-developed]
Enjoyment: 4 [mediocre]
Overall: 6 [average]
Oh, by the way, this review may contain spoilers, so don't read it if you haven't read the story. Don't say I didn't warn you.
I'll start by saying that this manga, at least to me, seemed REAL. It's not complicated or confusing but rather simple to understand. It starts with Shouko, the daughter of a famous actress, who has been outshined by her mother all her life. At first, she is proud of her mother, but as the story unfolds, she becomes jealous of her. Everyone sees her only as her mother's daughter. She only realizes this after meeting Ujou, her mother's new boyfriend. Then, she begins to realize just how jealous she actually is of her mother and thus wants to hurt her. She sleeps with Ujou, but when she sees that even this doesn't work, she plans to enter the entertainment world as well. Simple and clear.
I've read other reviews that were dissatisfied with the ending. But hey, maybe they expected some typical shoujo happy ending where the two protagonists get together. To be honest, I was expecting this too. So I found the actual ending good, a bit unexpected if you want, and realistic—something that happens quite often in real life. (I'm not talking about the girl stealing her mother's boyfriend; I'm talking about the two of them NOT getting together.)
And here we are, the characters. The main ones: the girl, her mom, and her boyfriend. They are all conceited and self-centered and mainly think only about their own problems. They aren't depicted as bad in the manga, and they are similar to people from real life. For example, Shouko, the daughter. As I said, she has been outshined all her life by her famous mother, and nobody except for her two friends actually saw her for who she is, but for her mother's daughter, which isn't exactly something pleasant. She only realizes that she is jealous of her mother after she meets her boyfriend, Ujou. And what does she do after that? She rebels against her mother and, in order to hurt her and win against her, she sleeps with Ujou. Then, she goes into the entertainment industry to win against her mother on her own. I believe she does fall in love with Ujou, but she doesn't realize it. And I think that all she had done was in order to step back from her mother's shadow and shine on her own. Again, pretty simple to understand.
Now let's take Ujou. He is a cold person and a talented pianist. He doesn't particularly like playing it though; he rather does it out of obligation. He has to get his left arm stabbed in order to realize how much he actually loves playing the piano. And I don't think he loves either Shouko or her mother. More like, he accepted being Hisako's boy-toy out of convenience, as she was willing to pay his tuition. As the story goes on, he starts to get annoyed by this and thus plans to hurt Hisako, using Shouko. In the end, I don't think he loves either of them. He was just causing them to quarrel, as they both loved him. He leaves in order to have his arm re-operated, but he doesn't come back afterward. And why would he? He is just as self-centered as Shouko, actually more than her in my opinion, only caring about his arm and his piano. Yeah, I agree, in the end, I think he did notice and acknowledge Shouko, but this doesn't mean he fell in love with her. So there was no reason for him to return to Japan after the operation.
And finally, Hisako, the famous actress. She was a rather good mother to Shouko, until she and Shouko met Ujou and started to quarrel, becoming aware of their most hidden feelings for each other. She doesn't want to lose to Shouko, not realizing that Shouko feels the same way, being another self-centered character. She portrays the seemingly perfect woman—beautiful, elegant, and successful—but in reality, she is only another ordinary woman, with worries and fears like anyone else's. After Ujou was out of their life, I believe that she and her daughter went back to how things used to be.
And the last character I'm going to talk about, a supporting one this time, Miu/Umi. In my opinion, she was the only character that actually cared for other people's problems and feelings, besides her own. She was a good friend, better than how Shouko was to her. She was sexually abused by her stepfather and might be a lesbian. If you ask me, enough problems for somebody to get conceited and think only of herself. But no, she actually thinks of other people, even if her problems might be more serious than Shouko's, for example. She doesn't do anything to her father even though he rapes her every night or so, because she knows how happy her mother is because of him. She prefers to endure it than to take away her mother's happiness. Also, she wants to protect Shouko from Ujou, a thing I believe is right, since Ujou was using her anyway. In the end, she is able to tear them apart, which may be a good thing. I think her character is the saddest one of the manga, because she doesn't solve her problems or find happiness, like the other characters. She is unable to tell someone about her stepfather, and she doesn't find happiness, even though she is the one that deserves it the most.
The art is fine, nothing special, but somehow different from the standard shoujo art. It's not the worst I've seen out there, but not the best either. The profiles of the characters could have been drawn better, but aside from this, I don't have much I can complain about. The expressions and the faces were okay; you can see when the characters are surprised or sad.
In the end, this manga was a good read. For me, it seemed like a touch of realism, where the characters are different from the ones usually seen in shoujo manga. They seem real, and the choices they make don't feel weird or unreal but real—something we could also do if faced with similar situations. If you want a rather realistic manga that has its drama and that has a rather sad ending—not the usual happy one but one that could also happen in real life—then you could read this. It might open your eyes a bit that not always things go the way we want them to.
Reflecting on this manga now, the concept of flaws takes on a whole new significance.
The plot is straightforward: Shouko, a high school girl with a celebrated mother, grows weary of being overshadowed as merely her mother's daughter. When her mother insists she move into an apartment due to paparazzi swarming her current home, Shouko complies. There, she encounters her mother’s new boyfriend, Ujoi, who also resides there. It's not that she's immediately attracted to him; rather, she's enticed by the idea of stealing him away from her mother—a petty act of rebellion to finally outdo her. And so, she proceeds.
Shouko is, after all, just a teenager. She can act spoiled and bratty at times, but ultimately, she's just a young adult craving maternal attention and recognition. Instead, she's continually eclipsed by her celebrity mother, living in her shadow until she snaps. Her character is shallow and impulsive, self-centered, yet these traits make her portrayal strikingly realistic.
As for the mother, I found myself wanting to slap her every other scene. This highlights that aging doesn't automatically equate to maturity. She sets a terrible example as a parent, lacking any redeeming qualities toward her own daughter, though she does cater to her material needs, if that counts for anything. Her behavior alone warrants a point deduction in my rating, as she plays a significant role in damaging her daughter. I refuse to believe mothers behave this way, perhaps naively so.
Ujoi's role remains somewhat ambiguous beyond being the man involved with both mother and daughter. His issues intrigue me briefly, but his dialogue quickly loses my interest. He appears indifferent to both women while carrying an empty, lost expression in his eyes. Maybe that was his intended role—to symbolize someone with untapped potential outside the bedroom, only realizing its value when it's no longer an option. Life has a cruel way of making us aware of what we truly want.
I empathized with Shouko's predicament, but Miu, her best friend, left an even deeper impact on me. Early hints of her hostility toward men foreshadow the truth revealed later in the story: she's a survivor of sexual abuse, one of the most harrowing experiences anyone could endure.
Describing Miu proved more challenging than Shouko, not because Shouko's struggles were insignificant, but because Miu's pain felt more profound. Unlike Shouko, who vocalizes her frustrations, Miu remains silent, hoping others will notice her distress without her having to articulate it. Unfortunately, even her best friend, preoccupied with her own issues, fails to recognize the signs clearly present.
Being betrayed by those expected to protect you is devastating for anyone, especially a young girl. While I can't justify Miu's actions, having never experienced such trauma, I understood her motivations and empathized with her character more than the protagonist, who seemed self-absorbed.
The artwork here is average. Upon reflection, the visuals didn't significantly enhance the narrative. The focus remained on the emotional turmoil of these four individuals. Credit to the mangaka for effectively conveying despair through their eyes—it was unmistakable.
The ending didn't wrap things up neatly with bows or cherry blossoms falling. For some characters, the events were mere speed bumps in their daily lives. For others, it felt like the phrase "To be continued" at the end of a book. And for the less fortunate, overcoming one nightmare only led to another quest. Overall, the conclusion was unsatisfying, leaving many questions unanswered. People simply moved on as if nothing happened, except for those metaphorically scarred.
What I took away from this manga wasn't necessarily tied to its subject matter but instead made me appreciate my own family more deeply. So, cherish what you have today, because it may not be there tomorrow. That includes the people in your life.
The additional story, "Angel Night," offers a lighter yet still poignant tale. A recurring theme with this author seems to be bittersweet narratives.
It revolves around a girl whose life isn't unfolding as hoped. On the verge of suicide, she encounters an angel sent to collect her soul. The characters here are more likable, less hostile and malevolent compared to the main story.
I won't delve too deeply into this one. If something comes free with your purchase, just enjoy it.