Cinderella☆Lesson

I’m sure you’ve seen this type of situation before. If you’ve watched Ugly Betty or know of any other modern Cinderella adaptation, you know the popular tale in which a not so good-looking girl is made up into one that will drop the jaws of everyone who scorned her before. In other words, physical self improvement is the first step toward emotional and mental maturation into a better person. Or if you’re a pessimistic person, you could say that looks are everything. This is definitely not a new concept to shoujo, especially since most shoujo have female protagonists. Here comes a long a handsome boy whocan change her life, and in this case, he’ll change her appearance. What’s a little special is that the protagonist is definitely not as pretty as the other girls. She’s not exactly ugly but she doesn’t have the same sparkle as the other girls in her school. A lot of times I read shoujo manga and the heroine says she’s not as pretty as other girls, but she’s still pretty cute so that leaves me a little perplexed. That being said, it’s impressive for this boy Kosaka to look at her and instantly know that Haihara is a hidden gem. Here we get to know exactly how he thinks. He doesn’t seem to look at girls with any designs other than to evaluate the way they dress themselves up. He’s a makeup artist, attractive dresser, and has an eye for beauty. To that extent, he applies those skills to himself as well, and many girls find him pleasing to look at despite how blatantly he criticizes their appearances. Not much is known about him past this hobby, though. Haihara isn’t that unique of a protagonist, but I find myself liking her for the way she thinks. While she does follow along with Kosaka’s whims, which is what most ditzy shoujo protagonists do because of those lovey-dovey feelings, it doesn’t start because of that. He takes her glasses and says he’ll give them back when he’s done making her over. She allows him to do what he wishes, and all the while she doesn’t get carried away with being someone else; she’s still conscious of herself and who she is. She knows her appearance isn’t all that she is. She believes that everyone knows she’s still the same Haihara underneath. The question becomes then, what does Kosaka think? Even if this little oneshot has its bits of cliches, it’s charming to see a plain girl look a little prettier in lovely dresses and becoming makeup. Who doesn’t like to see a main character acting more confident? And it’s not the cocky kind of confident, either. Haihara is a girl who finally comes out of her shell and shines brightly, rightfully earning herself a place as the queen of the ball. Furthermore, it’s a lot of that fluffy love stuff that shoujo fans live off of along with a few slightly humorous parts. Sure, the ending is predictable and a little bit slapped in there, but eh, happy endings are what the readers want, I suppose. The artwork is decent and not that super detailed shoujo with huge-eyed girls and intricate hairstyles. The manga itself isn’t anything new, but it’s a genuine taste of modern shoujo for anyone who wants to try it.