Gel’s little side note:
Hey guys! A few weeks of not posting book reviews, and I believe I’m a little behind on my personal schedule. Although I’ve read 20 books out of my goal of 50 now (HURRAY!), I still can’t write reviews as fast as I read ’em. But anyway, lemme share my experience with you in this one.
This was a book translated from Japanese to English, and you know what that means – MANGA! I absolutely adore the Japanese culture, especially on anime and manga, so c’mon and join my reading adventure. Read on!
Details:
ISBN: 0345479491
Series: The Wallflower #2
Genres: Sequential Art > Manga, Romance, Humor
Characters: Sunako Nakahara, Kyohei Takano, Takenaga Oda, Ranmaru Morii, Yukinojo (Yuki) Toyama, Noi Kasahara
Setting: Japan
Dates read: Apr. 2 – Apr. 3, 2016
Means: I borrowed this from my best friend (thanks again, Mel!).
Synopsis:
THE SPIRIT OF A LADY
“Four fabulous guys must completely transform a high school girl if they want to keep living rent-free in her aunt’s luxurious mansion. But Sunako Nakahara, the most fashion-hopeless girl in Japan, would rather live like a hermit and watch her favorite horror movies than undergo a makeover.
When the guys stumble upon the mansion’s secret subbasement, they discover the ghost of a prim and proper lady who (thankfully) begins to possess Sunako’s soul. It seems their problem is solved. Too bad that Sunako’s now-suitable personality includes a desire to lock the boys up in the mansion’s dungeon!”
Comment on the cover:
Eek! It was so much cornier than the first book. I appreciate these gorgeous, handsome guys as the cover… but for me? Just… no. *Kyohei, stop looking at me like that… or are you Yuki?* All right, back to our problem of annoyingly identifying who’s who.
Book discussion:
Another compelling addition to a sensational series! My highest praise goes to the outstanding illustrations that effectively mixed humor and romance with alluring images.
However, I didn’t connect much to three out of four chapters in this book. Either they were forgettable or just plain boring. My expectation was a little high on the second installment because I gave 5 out of 5 stars to the first one. I also found myself bursting out laughing back then. But this book, although a nice addition, still brought my hopes down.
Plug! See the first installment: POPSUGAR’s 2016 Reading Challenge: A graphic novel | Book Review: The Wallflower, Vol. 1
I love the author, but she was just annoying at some times. There was a time when I was reading her Author’s Note (A/N) and I couldn’t care less. Reminds me of my friend who shares everything that popped into his mind, but it was irrelevant to the topic. Sorry, Tomoko-sama, but don’t worry, I still like you. I just hope that in the next installments, I would want to read your A/Ns.
The lack of quotable quotes in the book thoroughly disappointed me. It was overflowing on the first one, but without the good quotes, I can’t clearly see the good moral lessons in this one. This would be the first book that I wouldn’t be making a compilation. Sad thought for my “The Ultimate Bookish Quotes” (TUBQ)!
Plug! See the first installment’s quotes compilation: 6 Dark Quotes from The Wallflower, Vol. 1
Still, this book deserves not less than 2 stars. I was truly entertained at some times, and my reading pace didn’t dwindle. The illustrations are wonderfully drawn as always, and I found myself falling in love with the other characters beside Takenaga!
You see, Takenaga was the only one I liked back when I was watching the anime (and mind you, I think I’ve watched the anime at least 5 times, thus my connection with the manga). But reading this made me appreciate the other characters, too (hurray for more screen time!).
But the best part is this: THE CLIFFHANGER AT THE END! If a book ended with a smooth cliffhanger like that, then the reader would definitely want to read the next one. Oh God, I can’t wait to borrow the third installment! I’m sure it would be a blast (but please, use cliffhangers sparingly, okay? *feels a mixture of excitement and madness and sadness and longing*).
Lastly, fangirl alert: WHAT THE HELL I LOVE HOW THIS BOOK ROMANTICALLY PROGRESSED. DAMN I NEED THE THIRD BOOK NOW SERIOUSLY.
Round up and recommendation:
This was a nice addition to the great The Wallflower series! Humorous, entertaining and light – this would be perfect for anyone with an interest in sequential art. If you also want to have some beautiful fantasies to some gorgeous and stunning high school boys (ehem, keep it PG, all right?), keep reading. They were high school-ers, and Sunako might be a little DARK at some times (well, oftentimes), so if you are drawn to this kind of theme, then I would gladly recommend this to you!
Sample excerpt:
“You’re right.
Sunako is…
…so dark and so negative all the time.
I don’t know how she can go on with her life.”
“How can you say that, Kyohei!?”
“But you know what?
At least she has respect for other people’s lives, unlike you.”
(Hayakawa, 2004, p. 107-108).
Gel’s little side note:
Thank you for reading this one! Again, I wouldn’t be posting a TUBQ related to this book. So upcoming next would be another book review. Or book tags. Or Top 5 Wednesdays. Whatever. Stay tuned!
See you soon on my next post!
What is your favorite book translated to English?
Photos and GIFs taken from Techno Crazed, Goodreads, photobucket, MEME GENERATOR, & Tumblr.
Follow Books y Gel:
Books y Gel 
I like how you note that this was for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. Also a great reminder that I still have a bunch of it to go. Great review!
LikeLike
Congrats!! Check out the link!
LikeLike
Hi. my old blog isn’t working anymore. kindly reconnect with me at this new blog. thanks. sharingtidbits.wordpress.com 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person