Customer Reviews

Butterflies, Flowers, Vol. 1

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Our Heroine Choko is the daughter of a formerly-wealthy family, now fallen on hard times; as an entry-level "administrative worker" (= secretary) at her first job, she ends up under the thumb of hot-but-tyrannical Administrative Department Director Domoto, who turns out to be (shoujo-worthy coincidence incoming!) one of her family's former servants, on whom she had a pretty obvious puppy crush as a tot (before the family lost its money). Screwiness ensues, as Domoto switches back and forth between his dictatorial-boss role (in which he insists Choko address him as "Director Domoto [heart]") and his devoted-servant role, in which Choko promptly falls in love. Add a hot cross-dressing co-worker, assorted workplace foibles, and a few insane reasons for Domoto to take off his shirt, and you have a fun but slightly weird romantic comedy, light on reality but heavy on silliness.

Butterflies, Flowers is technically josei manga (for adult women), but in tone this series is closer to shoujo manga (for girls); the older audience is acknowledged mainly by the ages of the characters (young professionals, rather than high-schoolers), a bit more sexiness (not much yet, but later volumes earn their 18+ rating), and a more realistic (for which read "pessimistic") view of Japan's gender hierarchy. Domoto saves Choko from sexual assault at the hands of a drunken client, then promptly berates her for not being able to handle the situation herself ("Idiot! The way to deal with lechers like that is to make them drink until they pass out!"). (This is, sadly enough, pretty much the way things work in Japan; as a woman in the secretarial department, flirting with clients is part of the job, and you need to be able to keep things from getting out of hand without offending the client by actually rejecting them.) Other borderline sexually-harassing situations, like the jaw-droppingly inappropriate question that Domoto asks Choko at her job interview, and knowing her bra size, are played for comedy. On the other hand, Choko has moments in which she shows more spine than your standard-issue shoujo heroine, talking back to Domoto in a manner that would probably get her fired in real life.

Yoshihara's art is nice and clean, and the characters look their (unspecified but presumably early-20s) ages, although her chibi version of Choko is obnoxiously unattractive. The story moves briskly, with a few moments of ridiculous melodrama interspersed with the comedy, and the translation is fine. So if you are interested in a series with the silliness and unrealistic nature of shoujo comedies but with adult (agewise) characters and the promise of future smuttiness, check this one out.

I can preface this by saying that Yuki Yoshihara has long been one of my favorite artists/authors/magaka. It's such a pleasure to see her work translated into English manga.

The hallmarks of a Yoshihara work are comedy, zaniness, and romance. You'll find all three of those in equal measure in this series. Another interesting aspect of Yoshihara's work is that the romance is almost always AFTER the marriage and not the typical "leading up to a marriage" that is the hallmark of many romantic type of novels. As such, her work is written for women and typically features adults.

One thing I really love about her work is that there is a lot of sweetness - you really like the characters and there isn't overly heavy melodrama as with so many shoujo type of novels.

Butterflies and Flowers is a great introduction to Yoshihara's works. It's a wonderful book to read when you want to lift spirits and laugh out loud. I especially love her chibi characterizations since they really punctuate the humor in this particular series.

This story has all the hallmarks of a Yoshihara manga - the hero is strong willed but fairly clueless and stiff. The female is energetic, kind of silly, and very funny. Yoshihara loves to play off those characters.

It should be emphasized that this is intended for adults. The scenes, situations, and nuances are risque at times and definitely meant to touch the humor of the modern woman.

Enjoy a pleasant and fun read of a novel to make a modern woman's days a bit lighter and friendlier.

"Are you a virgin?" It's one of the questions lobbed at Choko Kuze during her job interview for an entry-level position, and it ought to have served as a terrible premonition--for it is only the first in a seemingly interminable series of awful indignities this daughter of an aristocratic family recently fallen on hard times is subjected to in her new workplace. Her tormenter in question is Director Masayuki Domoto, the handsome yet hard-driving head of the Administration Department, and soon enough he has taken a decidedly unhealthy interest in her. Why does this insufferable, sadistic suit seem to have it in for Choko?

The answer, as it turns out, lies in Choko's privileged past. Back before her family was running the local ramen shop, they were the lords of a great estate with many employees. One of these was Choko's beloved "Cha-chan," a gentle boy with whom she became fast friends. The heroine soon learns that Director Domoto is actually Cha-chan, all grown up and apparently hardened by life after the Kuzes, and he continues to secretly cherish the girl he once called "Milady." Armed with this knowledge, Choko decides to tough it out in the Administration Department--no small decision, given that Domoto is just as autocratic a slave driver as ever. But of course, you never know...love might be just around the corner!

Not since Yayoi Ogawa's Tramps Like Us has such an observant, flinty-eyed--yet riotously funny--vision of the working woman's life in modern Japan been published in the United States. Manga artist Yuki Yoshihara, who made her professional debut over 20 years ago, is a consummate professional. On top of the usual workplace romance scaffolding, she has hung matter of fact depictions of sexual harassment, over the top gender-bending, and humor enough to make Choko's long-suffering employment exploits seems nearly worth it all. Plus, the artwork of Butterflies, Flowers is exquisite and clean-lined, yet another hallmark of the experienced creative professional that Yoshihara so clearly is.

At times, it may be hard for the Western reader to take Domoto's abuses at face value...or, for that matter, the many indignities, both major and minor, that Choko faces every day. Arguably among the worst is the time where she nearly gets raped by one of her company's most important clients during an after-hours carousing session. On the other hand, her cross-dressing colleague strains believability in a positive, cathartic way. Fortunately, there is never the sense, as there could easily have been, that any of this behavior is condoned, and you often get the sense that the humor, invariably delivered with impeccable comic timing, is a sort of whistling in the dark.

Yoshihara's beautiful layouts and character designs are the icing on top of what, on the strength of story alone, would have already been one of the best shoujo releases of the year. Her lines are delicate yet confident and charismatic, and it's easy to love Choko, Domoto, and the rest purely on the basis of the subtlety of their facial expressions. In short, Butterflies, Flowers is a must-read. Highly recommended.
-- Casey Brienza

I read the other reviews for this manga and, based on them and the product description, thought this would be a cute romance. It might have been, if it weren't for the irritating chibi drawings throughout. I didn't finish the book because of them- every time Choko is berated or gets in trouble for something, she is drawn as this chunky, extreme-pout-faced little monster. It completely turned me off the book.

Maybe it's just me, because none of the other reviewers mentioned it. But if you don't like diversions in art like that, or chibis of any kind, maybe you should pass on this one.

I sat down expecting to only be mildly entertained and to be slightly irritated. I'm glad to say that this wasn't the case here.

Since this manga was released as a "mature" manga (not to mention being sold shrinkwrapped!), I was a bit surprised to see how much it resembled its more innocent kin. This is pretty much your typical "girl meets boy, they fall for each other, things conspire to keep them apart" type of read. The interactions between the two main characters are incredibly cute and the artwork definitely reminds me of some of the cuter reads out there. Where the mature content in this volume comes out is in the references to sexual acts. None really take place in this volume but they are lightly alluded to. (Later on in the series it does become more graphic, though.)

I absolutely loved the artwork for this and I couldn't help but giggle at the chibi-izations. I'll admit that at times I felt like it interrupted the flow a little but at other times it just seemed to really fit. Style-wise this reminded me an awful lot of Sensual Phrase, so fans of that work will probably like this series as well.

I saw a copy of this manga volume while browsing the shelves at my local library. I decided to check it out and give it a try.

Chouko is the main character of Butterflies, Flowers. Her family had been wealthy until Chouko's father failed in his investments and had to send the servants away. A decade after the family lost its wealth, Chouko's father owns a small ramen shop. Chouko applies for a job at a large real estate firm, and it turns out her boss is the son of her family's former chauffeur. While he acts like a tyrant to her at the workplace, her boss has actually had a crush on her since they were young. The manga follows this romantic conflict.

Butterflies, Flowers was an OK manga, but it's not a series I'm going to go out of my way to track down more volumes of. However, if I ever come across the next volume at the library, I might check it out just to see if the story progresses or not. With the subject matter involved, this series is not meant for younger readers. I would personally recommend Butterflies, Flowers to manga readers who are 18 years of age and older.

I wrote this review after checking out a copy of this manga volume through the King County Library System.

Okay, this manga contains all the stock characters: impoverished noble family, naive working girl, overprotective men, office romance, cross-dressing best friends, a rival female who eventually becomes a friend, otaku references too numerous to mention and contrived situations wherein our hero nurses/rescues/educates our heroine. Yet, it works.
Don't ask me how, but it does.
This is a series for adults, with respect to the sexual situations. The rest is like a version of a high-school manga but in a real-estate development office. Still, it's funny, the characters are interesting, if stock and when Choku goes into 'Milady' mode and orders Domoto about, it adds a light frisson of dominance to the sexual tension. Personally, I think they probably could have wrapped up this whole series in less than 5 books, but we all know how a successful storyline gets drawn out to keep those mangaka employed.
So why do I like this series? Well, it's like those fizzy candies, sweet, tart and satisfying in the right way. It's funny how the author pokes fun at her characters and her profession in sly moments. So sit back, get a snack and enjoy!

if you like any kind of shoujo manga, this is one that you should read!

If you like male characters who treat a woman poorly under the guise of love, then you might like Butterflies, Flowers. As it was, I found the hero's treatment of the heroine completely unjustified and appalling. In fact throughout the book he seems almost schizophrenic in the manner where he switches from being a domineering bully to a submissive servant. The heroine, of course takes everything this guy dishes out without much protest which was really quite irritating after a while. Also, the helpless way the heroine (who being a former rich girl should've had a good education), was unable to cope, find a job, or otherwise cope with reality got a bit stale. I like my heroines more independent and to be the type to stand up to abusers, not the type who takes abuse and calls it LURVE.

Meh. The art was cute- at least the art that wasn't chibi, but this is the last in the series I will read. I just found the hero to be too mean, and the heroine too docile for my tastes.