Review: SO CUTE IT HURTS Volume 15

SO CUTE IT HURTS!!, VOL. 15
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Go Ikeyamada
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Tomo Kimura
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9328-9; paperback (October 2017); Rated “M” for “Mature”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

So Cute It Hurts!! is a shojo manga from creator, Go Ikeyamada.  Also known as Koba Cute in Japan, VIZ Media has the license to publish an English language edition of the manga,  It released the entire manga as a 15-volume graphic novel series.

So Cute It Hurts!! focuses on a high school girl, Megumu “Mego” Kobayashi,  She has a twin brother, Mitsuru Kobayashi.  Megumu is a full-on otaku and a history nerd, while Mitsuru, the popular and successful high school jock, is terrible at history.  One day, dark-haired Mitsuru concocts the idea that he should put on a blonde wig and dress up as Megumu and attend her school, Tosho High.  Meanwhile, Megumu will wear a dark wig, dress like Mitsuru, and take his history exams.  This is not the last time the twins will switch places, especially when love is involved.

So Cute it Hurts!!, Vol. 15 (Chapters 72 to Final Chapter) opens four years after the Great Tohoku Earthquake and nearly nine years after the story began.  This is the wedding day of Megumu, now 23-years-old, and her longtime boyfriend, Aoi Sanada.  After so much tragedy, can this day be the beginning of happily-ever-after?

[This volume includes two “Bonus” stories; an interview with Go Ikeyamada; the story, “The Goddess Never Turns Back?!” and an “Afterword.”]

The So Cute it Hurts!! manga started out as “T” rated shojo-manga-cute.  The series took a surprising turn as its rating went from “T” (for Teen) to “M” (for Mature), as Megumu and Aoi became... intimate.

So Cute it Hurts!! Volume 15 is the final volume of the series, and it closes the series with a mixture of cute and grown-up.  This “cute,” however, has to do with teen characters who have made the transition into adulthood, and adult relationships and roles.  That includes parenthood and cute kids!  I often find myself having problems with final volumes, but in the final volume of So Cute it Hurts!!, creator Go Ikeyamada gives the characters the happiness they deserve

A
8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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So Cute It Hurts: It Hurts to Be a Matchmaker

I read So Cute It Hurts!!, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

So Cute It Hurts: Secrets Revealed

I read So Cute It Hurts!!, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

So Cute it Hurts: A Peculiar Reaction to Girls

I read So Cute It Hurts!!, Vol. 1

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: SO CUTE IT HURTS!! Volume 1

SO CUTE IT HURTS!!, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Go Ikeyamada
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Tomo Kimura
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7985-6; paperback (June 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Manga creator Go Ikeyamada's debut manga was Get Love!!, which first appeared in the Japanese manga magazine, Shojo Comic, in 2002.  Her current series, So Cute It Hurts!!, is a gender-bending shojo comedy manga about a twin brother and sister who switch identities.  The series recently made its English-language debut under VIZ Media's Shojo Beat imprint.

So Cute it Hurts!!, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces 15-year-old Megumu “Mego” Kobayashi and her twin brother, Mitsuru Kobayashi, the older of the two.  Megumu is a full-on otaku who is also a history nerd.  Mitsuru is a popular and successful high school jock, but he is terrible at history.  The dark-haired Mitsuru concocts the idea that he should put on a blonde wig and dress up as Megumu and attend her school, Tosho High.  Meanwhile, Megumu will wear a dark wig and dress like Mitsuru and take his history exams, thus causing him to get passing grades.

Sounds like a crazy idea, right?  Well, Megumu also thinks so, but is forced to go along with her brother's absurd plan.  Much to her surprise, it works, but what will she do when she finds herself smitten with one of Mitsuru's classmates?

My niece is a big fan of shonen manga like Bleach and One Piece.  Her uncle (me) loves him some shojo manga, especially love stories set in high schools.  As ridiculous as its premise is, the So Cute it Hurts!! manga is an utterly delightful read.

I think what makes So Cute it Hurts!! Volume 1 enjoyable is that it depicts love in full bloom – love that does not take into consideration gender-bending, cross-dressing, or gender.  The heart wants what the heart wants, and the young characters of this story seem willing to look at love and friendship beyond the surface and past the social mores.  So Cute it Hurts!! is a catchy title, but it does not convey this manga's numerous comic and romantic possibilities.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux - support on Patreon.


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.