Customer Reviews

Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vol. 1

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

She was the number one student in her class. She was the best at everything and always willing to help. She was pretty and smart. And a total fake. She did it for the grades and for the praise.
Then he came. He was just as smart, handsome and well liked. And he seemed to do it without a problem, as if he wasn't even trying.
Here are the first three chapters of the manga kare kano, also known as his and her circumstances. Serious, funny, painful and so real it really seems to touch our memories of what school was REALLY like.
This volume also holds a stand-alone story, kind of the manga's extra you might say, called The Tiger and The Chameleon. It is a VERY touching story all by itself.
It has been pointed out that the events in the anime ends at volume 8, but the manga goes on, so I plan to collect as many of the manga volumes as I can to see what's going to happen beyond the anime's ending. Masami Tsuda is a great artist and really seems to understand the human heart.

"Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vol. 1" consisted of two interesting love stories. I personally preferred the first over the second, but you can't expect every story to be just as good as the last. Here is a basic run-down of the two stories:

The first one was about Yukino Miyazawa, a girl who is pretty, smart, helpful, and kind...at least when she's at school. She has always been popular, but when Soichiro Arima comes along, her popularity begins to fade. He is also good-looking, smart, helpful, and kind. Miyazawa is so upset by the fact that she isn't the center of attention anymore, that she slowly begins to focus all of her time and energy on Arima...but is it competitive energy, or is it possible that Yukino might have a crush? And what will she do if her true selfish, snobby self is discovered, and she is left looking like a hypocrite?

The second story is about Koharu Mizumoto, a shy, quiet girl who is incredibly afraid of opening up to anyone. But when she bumps into supposedly "bad" Toshiro Sakajo, her glasses are broken, and she finds herself practically sightless. Feeling as though he is partly responsible for Koharu's glasses being broken, Sakajo offers to be her "eyes" until her glasses can be fixed, which means he will follow her around at school, carrying her books, sharing his notes with her, and helping her around. At first Koharu feels awkward, but after a while, she begins to feel more and more attracted to Sakajo, who isn't turning out to be so "bad" after all.

This was a romantic, entertaining book. I didn't want to put it down! The first story is going to be continued in the second book, but I think the second one has come to an end. I'm going to check out the second volume at the library the next time I go. The only problem I had with this book is that there was a lot of cussing! I'm still sort of new to manga, but I've never read one that cussed so much. It contained all the common cuss-words that aren't the worst you could say, but are still bad. It also had some words and phrases like "Oh my God" that I don't approve of that much, even though I'm used to reading it a lot. I also liked that both boys in the stories were cute. I just can't get that into romantic manga if the boy isn't attractive to me. To get into it, it has to be a boy that I would have a crush on if I was a manga character. Overall, if you like romance, and don't mind all the cussing, then I recommend this book to you. But keep in mind that this IS romance, and I can't guarantee that future books will have appropriate romance material like this one did.

You're scanning Amazon's summary, looking for something; a hook or a gimmick, something that screams "This is a romance manga!" Could it be that the girl is masquerading as a guy, and has attracted the hunky school athlete? Maybe an angel has taken human form, and is learning to deal with human emotion?

Instead, Kare Kano introduces us to two students who seem perfect on the outside, but have deeper issues within. "Oh. What exactly makes this special?"

Fresh, funny and full of life, Kare Kano is a manga that is special through sincerity. Tsuda has breathed life into a genre too often saddled by cliches and craziness with writing that captivates. Yukino and Soichiro are paradoxical characters, both exceptional and yet normal like the rest of us.

Pencils fit the book perfectly, sleek and stylish but still warm. The art reflects the storytelling sensibilites; we're given what we need, and free to impose what we want onto Yukino and Soichiro's story.

This initial volume starts off with...no, you can read a plot synopsis elsewhere. Casual and dedicated fans alike; buy it and try it: you won't regret getting Kare Kano.

i really like it the writer has such an open mind...im on volume 17 rite now and the last few books so far made me cry =< its just a really good story!!!...this isnt for everyone though...if you like fantasy with magical creatures then this is not something you would like...if you like action stories with guns, car chases and brutal fighting this is not something you would like...this is pure romance and drama

The reason I bought this book was to see if I could find a new series that my friends and I could enjoy (you see, we trade mangas with each other). I wasn't expecting too much from this, since I wasn't too sure if I should buy it or not but I'm really impressed! This series is wonderful and the artwork is as well. I'm very pleased to start my collection of mangas with this.

When I first picked this up, I had high hopes. I wanted a good serious but fun romantic series instead of the goofy romance like Love Hina or Ah! My Goddess. A series where the characters aren't nerovus to kiss eachother or to show thier affection. So I read the first book and I thought - this is kinda girly (myself being a guy). But I loved it. I fell in love with each character and by each passing volume I bought; the maturity of the characters progressed as well as with the art style, storyline, and the manga-ka herself.

Now I am on book 15 and it's been a joy reading it up to this point. I feel connected to the characters and their struggles and I like how Masami Tsuda actually, instead of putting Yukino and Arima's relationship front stage, that she also focused on the other characters as well and thier life stories.

If you want a good serious yet funny romance series, I highly suggest this one. It changes so much from happy school days in the starting to seriousness romance to angst/depression to hope. Very good.

I haven't really read any Manga of the Sh'jo type. Some would say that it would be odd because I am a male. But I was interested, and I do love the Romance genre in media. So, I decided to go into Walden Books and buy the Kare Kano Volume 1-3 collection. Since I just finished the first volume in this collection and feel like reviewing, I will review this and review the whole collection after reviewing the 3rd separately.

Kare Kano is a very entertaining Manga. You could almost cry. The humor, romance, and suspense that builds in the relationship of Miyazawa and Arima is unexplainable. This heart-racing Manga was excellent and I am getting ready to stop reviewing and just read the second volume right now.

Miyazawa seems like the perfect girl. She has good looks, she's smart, and she's admired by her peers. But, Arima is taking that away from her. They are competing in the battle of admiration, although Arima doesn't care. Soon, they become friends and peers are gossiping about a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship.

This manga will leave you begging for more. A page-turner for all Shojo, New Shojo, and Manga fans.

I am kind of new to Manga and I really enjoyed kare kano. I cannot wait to buy volume 2! It is mostly about a girl who tried to act perfect because she wanted people to praise her, and she wanted to be #1. Then a boy named Arima comes along and he's really good looking, smart, and popular. Yukino becomes jealous and wants revenge. It is a really good manga book and I cannot wait to get the second one!

I had thought about reading this manga for a long time, and finally, I did. Although, I didn't expect to much of it. And I guess that's a good thing too.

Kare Kano is not a manga, the problem I have however, with the first volume, is how rushed it is. In fact if it would've taken 2 or 3 volumes for what happened in volume 1 to happen, it would've been much better. Because the change that happens between Arima and Yukino just happens to quickly. It doesn't seem very natural. I guess I might just be a bit used to drawn out mangas like "Hana Yori Dango(Boys Over Flowers), and such, but still.

Other then that, I think its good. I do like the concept of the whole "hidden lives" thing. Because for most of the human race we act completely different at home then we do around the general public. Although in this it is brought to an extreme level.

In Kare Kano we have Yukino, a girl who strives for the compliments of other, and therefore lives for hard work and over achievement. At home she mopes around in sweats, a bandana, and glasses, but in school she's "miss perfect". Her level of perfection is becoming eclipsed by Arima whom is the same at home as he is in public, because he not only wants the public to see him as perfection, but his family as well.

I'm sure you can guess where its heading, so I wont go on. But just because Volume 1 does not really live up to expectations, it does not mean you should'nt read on, it does get better. So, if you're expecting something super deep, don't look here. However, if you want an escape, look no further then "Kare Kano".

God Bless & *enjoy* ~Amy

This is a manga series that while classified as a Shojo (girls') manga, has as been widely recieved by all audiences in Japan because of its characters, their flaws and the challanges they face. You could say that on a more intellectual level this is man versus himself, man versus man, and man versus nature. Tsuda Masami has put together a good story about a variety of people (high schoolers); with views from different people of who think the kids are, who the kids think they are, and what the kids think they want to be. And you laugh with it as you go. It is unique in that such deep subject matter can be tackled and atill kept light-hearted.

You follow the story of Yukino and Souichiro as they find their paths together once getting past some issues (grades are involved, a long with some personality issues) after meeting in Senior High. Also, friends that they make get their own development arcs in the story.

The manga is still being released in Japan. It first appears in LaLa magazine (each act appears monthly) then is compiled into a tankoubon (manga) each getting anywhere from three to five acts. In the US we currently have up to Vol. 8 released. In Japan they have up to Vol. 17, which will soon be followed by Vol. 18. Vol. 18 won't be the last, the series will go through to Yukino's and Soiichiro's Senior year. So in Japan, by the end of this year the series should come to an end.

This Manga also has a short Anime Series, known as His and Her Cirumstances, which is basically all from their first semester Sophomore year up to their 2nd semester. It has 26 episodes. So you don't get the whole story there, but it's still fun to see animated.

That's all the "other" details you might want. For what the stories entail there is reviews from this site, information at www.tokyopop.com, and www.gainax.co.jp.