Flower Of Life Volume 1 (Flower of Life) (v. 1) [Paperback]

Fumi Yoshinaga (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 2007

Forced to enroll in school one month late after recovering from a serious illness, Harutaro is doing his best to remain optimistic about the entire situation. The other students are working hard to make Haru feel welcome - especially his chubby, loveable pal, Shota. However, Kai Majima, President of the Manga Club and all-around hard case, seems to be the one person intent on making Harutaro's school life a living nightmare.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569708746
• ISBN-13: 978-1569708743
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,482,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not yaoi, but lots of fun, May 6, 2007

By 

Professor J (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flower Of Life Volume 1 (Flower of Life) (v. 1) (Paperback)

I'm really not sure why so many people were expecting this book to be yaoi. It wasn't published under DMP's "Yaoi Manga" label, and its author, Fumi Yoshinaga, is equally known for her shoujo works as boys' love. I suppose that if people went into this expecting another Gerald and Jacques, they'd have reason to be disappointed, but I went into it expecting another fantastic Yoshinaga story, and I got exactly what I wanted. (I've now read volume 2, and it gets even better.)

The story is basically about ordinary Japanese high school life as viewed through the lens of Harutaro Hanazono, a handsome teenager whose earlier brush with death (he's in remission from leukemia) has left him with an incredible zest for life. Coming to a new high school to resume his schooling after a difficult year, Hanazono meets and befriends sweet, chubby Mikuni and prickly, obnoxious Majima, both members of the school's manga club. That's pretty much it for the plot, as the series is less a specific story than a collection of short episodes involving these characters and others.

It's refreshing to see a depiction of Japanese high school life that doesn't make it sound like either a soap opera or Abu Ghraib. These are just ordinary kids, dealing with ordinary issues, and if sometimes those issues seem larger-than-life or unbelievably silly, well, that's just because high school is like that. The characters are really what make this story. Hanazono is a cheery goofball whose silliness sometimes masks the sorrow he feels at the sacrifices he and his family have made to deal with his illness. Majima is a real treasure -- an incredibly handsome guy whose rotten personality (he's a "final-stage otaku") completely destroys whatever advantage his looks offer. Very much an antidote to the usual bishounen stereotype. Mikuni has a wonderful personality, but lacks the looks to go along with it; the other students tease him about his weight. Their teacher, Saito-sensei, has a whole other kind of problem; she has such androgynous looks that she's constantly mistaken for an effeminate gay man. All the other characters in this series are equally vivid, even the ones who just show up for a chapter or two.

What I loved most was the universality of the stories -- seeing that school life in Japan is just as screwed-up as it is here in the US, and that even kids from such a different culture have the same worries: exams, significant others, parties, cliques, embarassing parents, and school plays.

So if you're looking for a great "slice of life" story, check out Flower of Life. There's no sex or romance, but there is a whole lot of fun. =)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting, February 21, 2007

By 

A&M Junkie (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flower Of Life Volume 1 (Flower of Life) (v. 1) (Paperback)

Being a Fumi Yoshinaga fan I was eagerly anticipating the prospect of her new release Flower of Life, and I did not only really enjoy it, I was also surprised by its warmth and uplifted by its underlying message of optimisim. This is more like Antique Bakery rather than Gerard & Jacques, in that it is NOT a yaoi or shonen-ai, but rather a tale of the importance of friendship and living life to the full. Fumi does hint at shonen-ai but in a really unexpected way that made me just as surprised as the characters.

For those who already love her work, you will already be familiar with her rather unique drawing style, her strong characterisation, and her heavy use if narrative. However just like in Antique Bakery the narrative serves a purpose. Before you know it you become familiar with the characters and what drives them - much more than in usual manga fare.

In this story Harutaro starts school late in the term year after recovering from leukemia and the story charts his time at school and touches upon the lives of those around him who he meets - now before you start thinking OMG this is either going to be a weepy or totally depressing it is not. True it does get a bit serious and emotional at the end and Fumi does deal with serious issues like the consequences the disease has for Harutaro, bulling and adulterey, but it is all handled in a sensitive manner. We see all these things through Harutaro's eyes who is optimistic, energetic, upbeat, though a bit immature.

Through surviving his illness he appreciates life and makes use of every opportunity. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and is not shy from telling his opinions to others. He appears to have, at least on the surface, a freedom in that he is not constrained by fears that usually affect teenagers. Although he sometimes misunderstands situations and he falls out with the loner Manga-club president (although he is not bullied by him as the description suggests). This volume introduces the characters and is an engaging narrative of day to day life in high school - where although little actually happens, the most important issues of life are touched upon.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, Different, but Flat, February 13, 2007

By 

H. Carson (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flower Of Life Volume 1 (Flower of Life) (v. 1) (Paperback)

Flower of Life falls into the category of boys love manga which is not really boys love. This manga instead seems more like a slice of life tale, focusing on a handful of people with rather interesting story lines...but because of this lack of focus I found I couldn't connect with any of the characters (and I say this as a Fumi Yoshinaga fan.)

The main character is a loud, energetic teen, recovering from Leukemia. Enrolled in a new school, he immediately befriends Shota, a departure from our usual manga fare in the form of a short, chubby guy with a rather undeveloped face. It was a bit over the top for me - not the body as much as the way in which his face was drawn. I couldn't see him as a romantic figure, which leaves Shota to potentially pair up with Majima - a dark haired, glasses wearing, manga nerd. And even though I found Majima to be interesting (his dialogue was for me the best part of the manga), I didn't see any romance there as well. This may develop in the second volume.

Quite a bit of the manga was taken up with side characters such as other classmates, family and a romance between two teachers. This last left a bad taste in my mouth as one teacher is presumably cheating on his wife - and again, it was not boys love.

This is an interesting manga, with very unique characters, but I personally couldn't focus - by the end of the manga I was skipping text just to finish it. Granted, as Fumi Yoshinaga is very talented, I'm hoping that it was only a miss for me and that others will find it to be more engaging!