Pastel 1 [Paperback]

Toshihiko Kobayashi (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pastel | Publication Date: December 27, 2005

I LOVE YUU

Poor Mugi Tadano . . . The sixteen-year-old is heartbroken after his girlfriend moves away. To ease his troubled state, Mugi takes a summer job at his friend Kazuki’s beachside snack bar/hotel on a tropical island. It seems like the perfect plan–until Kazuki sets Mugi up on a date with Yuu, who’s supposed to be, well, a little less than perfect. When Yuu arrives, however, she’s not the monster that either of the boys had imagined. In fact, Yuu is about the cutest person that Mugi has ever seen. But after Mugi accidentally walks in on Yuu in the bath, the girl is steamed. When trying to apologize the next day, he discovers that Yuu has left the shores of paradise. Mugi vows to search high and low for the beautiful Yuu, but will he ever see her again?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like most hormone-saturated boys his age, 16-year-old Mugi Tadano is obsessed with sex but timid about the prospect of actually "doing it." When he catches sight of lovely Yuu Tsukisaki changing into her bikini, he's both flustered and fascinated. He falls in puppy love/lust. Mugi's emotional turmoil intensifies when he goes home and discovers that Yuu and her smart-mouthed sister will be living there from now on. Then Mugi and Yuu are left alone in the house at night. Then they wind up sleeping in the same bed. Then she rolls over in her sleep and hugs him. And so on. Everything that happens is innocent but intensely titillating. As he gets to know her, Mugi's feelings for Yuu deepen; she really is a sweet person. At the same time, he's getting incredibly horny. He doesn't want to behave like the irresponsible people around him—but who wouldn't when Kobayashi presents constant crotch shots of Yuu. Kobayashi has pitched this manga perfectly at the adolescent inside most adults who are trying to juggle incompatible desires. There's no hint that Mugi's dilemma will be resolved any time soon, so readers can expect an endless series of titillating developments. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–Mugi Tadano is a frustrated Japanese teen who has just gone through a painful breakup with his girlfriend. Seeking to distract him from his misery, his friend Kazuki finds him a summer job at a resort island near his hometown. The hard work isnt enough to keep them out of trouble, and right off the bat the boys are caught spying on a showering girl. Mugis luck seems to be changing when he is set up on a blind date with Yuu, another girl staying at the resort. He learns, however, that she is his fathers orphaned ward, and that he is also responsible for her care. Torn between lust and concern, Mugi embodies the extremes of teen angst. Readers will enjoy the sexual and emotional tension of the romance, while adults may be concerned with the great attention to detail the artist puts into accurately portraying the female form in various states of undress, from incredibly tight bikinis to partial nudes. The artwork is good, in the typical manga style, but highly suggestive.–Dawn Rutherford, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 16 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (December 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345486277
• ISBN-13: 978-0345486271
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,474,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sweet summer romance, May 19, 2006

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pastel 1 (Paperback)

This first volume of "Pastel" sets up the standard formula for a boy's romance manga. A high school boy, Mugi, is freshly heartbroken when his girlfriend moves away. Trying to get his mind off of her, he joins his roguish friend Kazuki working at a restaurant over the summer. One day, while taking empty bottles out to the back for recycling, he happens across a beautiful girl changing into her bikini. He is caught peeping. Hijinks ensue.

Rather than playing it for laughs, "Love Hina" -style, "Pastel" is incredibly sweet and all of the characters are honestly likable. Mugi is no tongue-tied loser, and the girl, Yu, is no brash-mouthed stereotype. More in the vein of "Ai yori Aoshi," these are two characters who you really want to see get together, in their own time. Yu's little sister Tsukasa adds spice to the mix, and looks to be even more fun as the series progresses.

If you like the genre, chances are you are going to like "Pastel." The character designs are great, especially Yu, and author Toshihiko Kobayashi makes sure you get to see her to full advantage, as Mugi seems to have a habit on walking in on her changing clothes and taking baths. The background scenery is lovely, and very authentic of a rural Japanese island lifestyle. There are a few surprises, which I will leave for you to discover. I know I will be picking up the next volume.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As usual for Del Rey no censorship and Excellent translation, April 22, 2009

By 

M. Gaudet "skyjedi" (A Galaxy Far Far Away) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pastel 1 (Paperback)

Excellent English Translation by David Ury who i also believe translated Suzuka.

Nice Romance Comedy. I only wish Del Rey published the mangaka's other series Parallel.

I recommend this if you like Suzuka, Strawberry 100%, or I's. Though there is a slow moving pace to this series and like slice of life it never really goes anywhere.

Not until the 14th volume anyway and that is not out here yet in the usa.

Another significant problem is probably to lower costs the front and back covers have been altered and cropped from the japan release which is a shame and almost all the color inserts are gone. Plus the japan release was i think in a bigger size paperback and had a dustjacket cover. Its worth owning the Japan release strictly for the cover arts and original layouts. Cannot really blame del rey as this seems to be standard us release practice.

To reiterate if you want the beautiful Yuu covers and color inserts buy the japan release. You want the story and cannot read japanese buy the del rey release. At least the story has not been altered or compromised. Just some color poges being reprinted in black and white.

Now i shall have to look at and compare the paper quality and the reproduction of the original artwork. Because it seems like even some of the colors from the old covers to the us ones look a little different. What looks green blue on the japan release looks like regular blue on the usa one.

The biggest thing of all to me if the japan release is superior in almost every way yet actually cost less than the us release after yen to dollar exchange rate.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soothing, Fun, Awesome, March 31, 2008

By 

Eun Ok Park - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pastel 1 (Paperback)

God damn I wish life was like this. You get so sucked into their lives, and their surroundings, that you just forget about your own. It's like the time I found World of Warcraft, just killed my social life :( Best light romance manga out there!