Product Description

Please note: reads right to left (Japanese Style)

Sachie Wakamura just lost her mother, and her estranged grandfather has shown up to take care of her. The only problem is that grandpa is the head of a yakuza gang! Too scared to join her new family, Sachie tries to continue living her normal life. She can't run far though, since one of the most popular guys in school is part of her grandfather's gang and her new protector. No one at school knows about Rakuto's hidden life, and soon Sachie finds herself falling for her bodyguard. But she's the granddaughter of Rakuto's boss, and he can never show his feelings for her. Can Sachie find a way to fit into her new family and grab her chance at love?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #210179 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781421515885
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Kiyo Fujiwara made her manga debut in 2000 in The Hana to Yume magazine with Bokuwane. Her other works include Hard Romantic-ker, Help!! and Gold Rush 21. She comes from Akashi-shi in Hyogo Prefecture but currently lives in Tokyo, and her hobbies include playing drums and base guitar and wearing kimono.

Customer Reviews

Could've Been Better
I read the preview for "Wild Ones" in Shojo Beat magazine. The story is about a girl named Sachie who's mother has just died. The only person who can take her in is her grandfather, who just so happens to be a Yakuza boss. Sachie isn't too crazy about living with the Yakuza, especially since her grandfather insists that she have the moody Rakuto as a bodyguard. However, after getting to know everyone, her feelings about her new family- and Rakuto- start to change. Really, I wasn't too into the preview, but I liked the idea of a girl living with a family of yakuza. So I decided to give it a try anyway.

Unfortunately, my first impression was right. Let's start with the characters. First there's Sachie, our heroine. She got off to a good start. Her mom recently died, but she's doing her best to keep her head up. At first, she's not too happy about living with the Yakuza, but changes her mind when she gets to know them better. I thought that showed open-mindedness. Sachie also has high moral standards, and isn't afraid of standing up for them. I thought she started out as a very good heroine. However, I think she got cheated. Even though she tries to stand up for herself, she usually ends up getting herself in trouble and has to be rescued by the guy in the end. She's also a little too dramatic about her Rakuto. Then there's Rakuto, the hero. He's Sachie's personal body guard, assigned to her by her grandfather. He's the strong, easy-going-but-troubled-underneath type. He keeps his distance from Sachie, sometimes by being overly polite, sometimes by being caustic. He really likes her, but thinks his boss's grand-daughter is too good for him. Finally, there's Sachie's grandfather. I actually liked him. He's got a strong sense of honor, but he also treats his Yakuza family like a real family. He's strict, but he really cares about them. Sachie inherited her strong moral sense from him, and he holds himself to it, as well as others. There are other Yakuza members, but they can really be counted as one entity. It's a shame, because I would have liked to have seen Sachie interact with the different ones. However, I have a feeling that this will be done later in the series, so it might be ok.

Next, there's the story. The romance between the main characters is flat. Sachie is really confused by Rakuto. She likes him, but doesn't understand why he's nice sometimes, and is a jerk at others. And Rakuto is something of a cold fish. Most of the romance consists of Rakuto rescuing Sachie, Rakuto comforting Sachie, and Rakuto going out of his way to make Sachie happy. Sachie doesn't really have to do anything but be admired. It's sexist, but more than that, it's boring. There's no real connection between the two. It's kind of hard to figure out why Rakuto likes Sachie. Oh, that's right, it's because the first time they met(which was actually when they were children), Sachie was kind to poor, orphaned Rakuto. Give me a break. Not only is this insubstantial and sickeningly sweet, it's a cliche that's been done to death in shojo manga. The whole story is like that. It's pretty episodic, and all the episodes are familiar. The only one that really stood out was the part when Sachie goes shopping with the Yakuza. It was unique and funny, and I wish there had been more scenes like that.

Finally, the art. This was really the best thing about "Wild Ones." It's simple, but pretty. The characters are not too "sparkly," and they're expressive. The costumes are also well done.

Overall, "Wild Ones" is pretty average. I think the manga-ka wasted some good potential with both Sachie's character and the plot. It may still get better, but as of volume 1, I can't give it any more than three stars.

Willing to give it a second chance...
Wild Ones stats with 15 year old Sachie Wakamura wondering where she will go now that her mother is dead, when her grandfather (whom she believed deceased) appears and invites her to live with him. The catch? He is a yakuza boss, who assigns her a bodyguard named Rakuto Igarashi (who happens to be the most popular guy in school). As the story develops, there isn't much of a plot, just different stories in which you get to know the characters a little better (insight into their past lives, Sachie's acclimatation to the yakuza environment, etc ). The inevitable, of course, ensues, and Sachie starts to fall for Rakuto, but Rakuto believes she is above him (and as a matter of fact addresses her as Sachie-sama/ Princess at all times) because she is the boss's grand-daughter (and she does show her tough steak once in a while) and therefore he cannot return the feeling (though it's pretty obvious that he does care for her).
The art is not the greatest, but the panels are well placed and the story flows very well (you won't have to re-read a page because you don't know what goes next in the script, it's not very crouded). I would definetely buy the second volume to see where the story is going and whether the author attemped to do a more structured story line. You probably won't LOL, but you will smile with the heroine's antics...hope this was useful, happy reading ^0^

At your Service Part 1

Sachie Wakamura's mother has just past away. She has no one to turn to until her estranged grandfather shows up and tells her that she is going to live with him. Here's the thing though, her grandfather happens to head the Yakuza, the most vile crime syndicate in Japan. While dealing with her grief over her mother Sachie begins to learn why she left the household to begin with. There are many surprises in store for Sachie, including her grandfather's choice in a bodyguard for his beloved granddaughter.

Rakuto, the young man in question, soon begins to tail Sachie everywhere she goes, including school. Rakuto's handsome looks and gentle demeanor make him a favourite at school and Sachie resigns on having him be her bodyguard, but she can't settle her heart whenever she looks at him. Will falling in love with the bosses blood prove such a good idea for Rakuto?

This is a great start. I really enjoyed it. The art is gorgeous! I was really pleased with it. And the story seems like it's going to be a lot of fun. I will grab it off the shelf as soon as I can.