Monkey High!

I bought the first volume of "Monkey High" and I enjoyed it a lot! It was light, it was entertaining. And it had plenty of cute moments. The problem is, it doesn't really go anywhere. Sure, maybe in the remaining 3 volumes, something will happen, but from my perspective volumes 3-5 just rehash the same old stuff all the time. The characters don't seem to progress, and I just got bored with it. Story - Our heroine changes schools - from some super-elite to a normal school, as her father (a former politician) has gone to jail. She is cold, and withdrawn, and doesn't interactwith her classmates. But she warms up, mainly through the presence of Michuru, a small, monkey-like boy in her class. This manga pretty much follows the relationship of the beautiful girl, and the monkey boy, and their classmates. It is a nice enough story. It is certainly a gentle story. And, in a way, that is part of my proble. The first couple of volumes set them up, and then nothing happens! Art - the art is fine. Michuru manages to both look like a monkey and a person at the same time, which is great. The art is not particularly memorable. Characters - the characters are nice. The main ones are well drawn, and there are certainly more I would like to know more about (Haruka's dad for one thing!), but the minor characters, whilst present a lot, are kind of.. nothing. Which is a disappointment. I didn't feel that this was a manga where the sheer personality of the 2-3 main characters could drive it. Enjoyment/Overall - as you can probably tell, I have been a bit disappointed with this. I felt like it had the potential to be a lovely story, but it just doesn't go anywhere. I only have the so much time and space to read the same thing happening again, and again, before I am going to move onto something else. And unfortunately, by v5, I just had had enough. Other reviews have expressed much more satisfaction, but I am more than ready to try something else.

A frat girl and crowned silliest boy in school (AKA "monkey") love story. More or less original, but the character development and creation is what got me laughing through along with a bit of heart aches (but none too severe). Everyone has their antiques here; and in the process, they compliment each other and especially the new high-esteem transfer-student pit against a class full of foolhardies HAR' HAR' (no one's serious). They have their definite characteristics you'll grow to love them. And, you know, even when they do turn on each other. What got me through wasn't the love affair, unfortunately. It was the humour! Usually thesophomoric jokes, like childish themes, pranks, name-calling and other immature behaviours. What did you expect? It says 'Monkey High'. Don't heed, though. It was funny as hell. Just don't expect the main male protagonist to be glamourised for the ride. 'Cause he's usually the butt of the jokes. Love demeanours. I would always side with the innocent (male protagonist) fella' here. He's a bit stupid in many cases, but it's the hard work. Don't expect a lot of romantic gestures from the guy. I'm only up to volume 5, so you know. It's difficult to see him "masculine" as a man (he's in similar height as the female protagonist) and you'll see him as a "boy" until further known! In conclusion, I would recommend it to you. For laughs. Easy laughs, at least.

Saruyama! Is a Japanese Manga written by Shouko Akira and published by Shogakukan. Story: When I first started reading Saruyama, it really reminded me of Love Com. The main characters are complete opposites but are still the couple is completely lovable. I found it funny that Haruna Aizawa thought that high school was like a monkey mountain. What makes it funnier is she fell in love with a boy who looks like a monkey. Art: The art of this manga is actually simple and a little on the boring side. However, the storyline makes up for the lack of interesting art.Character: Although the characters of this story are relatively simple. (They have little to no depth.) They make up for it with their humor and sarcasm. My personal favorite character is the main protagonist Haruna Aizawa. Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this manga despite the simplicity of it. So over all I'd rate this an 8