Product Description

Straight As, athlete and overall `Ms. Popularity,` Yukino, is the perfect student. Or at least that`s how she appears to the outside world. But when the curtains are drawn, a lazy young egomaniac lurks who will do anything and everything to be the top student in her school. Yukino finds her resolve put to the test as after years as the Idol of her class a threat emerges in the MORE perfect Soiichiro. A good-natured, studious and athletic boy he is her equal in every way but one – that behind the act is a genuine heart driven to succeed. Yukino is desperate to regain her status anyway she can, but through embarrassing flub-ups at every turn, Soiichiro remains untouched even as they find respect for one another, and maybe, after all the dust has cleared, something more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #215118 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 15
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781931514798
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

She was perfect...
She was the number one student in her class. She was the best at everything and always willing to help. She was pretty and smart. And a total fake. She did it for the grades and for the praise.
Then he came. He was just as smart, handsome and well liked. And he seemed to do it without a problem, as if he wasn't even trying.
Here are the first three chapters of the manga kare kano, also known as his and her circumstances. Serious, funny, painful and so real it really seems to touch our memories of what school was REALLY like.
This volume also holds a stand-alone story, kind of the manga's extra you might say, called The Tiger and The Chameleon. It is a VERY touching story all by itself.
It has been pointed out that the events in the anime ends at volume 8, but the manga goes on, so I plan to collect as many of the manga volumes as I can to see what's going to happen beyond the anime's ending. Masami Tsuda is a great artist and really seems to understand the human heart.

Love Stories
"Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vol. 1" consisted of two interesting love stories. I personally preferred the first over the second, but you can't expect every story to be just as good as the last. Here is a basic run-down of the two stories:

The first one was about Yukino Miyazawa, a girl who is pretty, smart, helpful, and kind...at least when she's at school. She has always been popular, but when Soichiro Arima comes along, her popularity begins to fade. He is also good-looking, smart, helpful, and kind. Miyazawa is so upset by the fact that she isn't the center of attention anymore, that she slowly begins to focus all of her time and energy on Arima...but is it competitive energy, or is it possible that Yukino might have a crush? And what will she do if her true selfish, snobby self is discovered, and she is left looking like a hypocrite?

The second story is about Koharu Mizumoto, a shy, quiet girl who is incredibly afraid of opening up to anyone. But when she bumps into supposedly "bad" Toshiro Sakajo, her glasses are broken, and she finds herself practically sightless. Feeling as though he is partly responsible for Koharu's glasses being broken, Sakajo offers to be her "eyes" until her glasses can be fixed, which means he will follow her around at school, carrying her books, sharing his notes with her, and helping her around. At first Koharu feels awkward, but after a while, she begins to feel more and more attracted to Sakajo, who isn't turning out to be so "bad" after all.

This was a romantic, entertaining book. I didn't want to put it down! The first story is going to be continued in the second book, but I think the second one has come to an end. I'm going to check out the second volume at the library the next time I go. The only problem I had with this book is that there was a lot of cussing! I'm still sort of new to manga, but I've never read one that cussed so much. It contained all the common cuss-words that aren't the worst you could say, but are still bad. It also had some words and phrases like "Oh my God" that I don't approve of that much, even though I'm used to reading it a lot. I also liked that both boys in the stories were cute. I just can't get that into romantic manga if the boy isn't attractive to me. To get into it, it has to be a boy that I would have a crush on if I was a manga character. Overall, if you like romance, and don't mind all the cussing, then I recommend this book to you. But keep in mind that this IS romance, and I can't guarantee that future books will have appropriate romance material like this one did.

Manga Romance, Modestly Real
You're scanning Amazon's summary, looking for something; a hook or a gimmick, something that screams "This is a romance manga!" Could it be that the girl is masquerading as a guy, and has attracted the hunky school athlete? Maybe an angel has taken human form, and is learning to deal with human emotion?

Instead, Kare Kano introduces us to two students who seem perfect on the outside, but have deeper issues within. "Oh. What exactly makes this special?"

Fresh, funny and full of life, Kare Kano is a manga that is special through sincerity. Tsuda has breathed life into a genre too often saddled by cliches and craziness with writing that captivates. Yukino and Soichiro are paradoxical characters, both exceptional and yet normal like the rest of us.

Pencils fit the book perfectly, sleek and stylish but still warm. The art reflects the storytelling sensibilites; we're given what we need, and free to impose what we want onto Yukino and Soichiro's story.

This initial volume starts off with...no, you can read a plot synopsis elsewhere. Casual and dedicated fans alike; buy it and try it: you won't regret getting Kare Kano.