Red String Volume 1 [Paperback]

Gina Biggs (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Series: Red String | Publication Date: February 20, 2007

When first-year high school student Miharu Ogawa gets a call from her parents, telling her to come straight home from school, she prepares herself for the worst. After all, the last time her quirky restaurateur parents told her to come straight home she ended up as a contestant on a kiddy game show! But nothing she could ever have imagined could have prepared her for their "great news:" Miharu is getting married! How's a spirited and independent teenager who has never even kissed a boy supposed to deal with suddenly having a fiance she's never even met? And how will her feelings change when she finds out that there are other boys out there vying for her affection, and other girls ready and willing to take away the man she's not even sure she's ready for? With her family, friends (and enemies!) to cope with, will Miharu even have the time to find out if the handsome, devoted Kazuo Fujiwara is really the man she is meant to be with, the man connected to her by the red string of destiny?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This U.S.-created, manga-style comic reverses a typical plotline: Miharu, a sweet, slighty kooky Japanese high-school girl, doesn't run away from an arranged marriage. Instead, she gives her potential groom a chance to win her heart. With the expectation that she will be bound to her destined companion by a red string of fate, Miharu struggles with a decision that will affect the rest of her life. Some odd anatomy and awkward visual pacing distract from the story and the plot is bland, but the tone is more realistic and less manic than most shojo. Brenner, Robin

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159307624X
• ISBN-13: 978-1593076245
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,803,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Little Boring, June 6, 2008

By 

Raegan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red String Volume 1 (Paperback)

The plot of Red String sounds promising enough, and it does have some good moments, but overall the manga is kind of weak. I wanted to like it and I really tried hard, but you shouldn't have to make an effort to enjoy a story, it should simply entertain you.
Although the art is quite good, the pacing is all over the place and the dialog is downright unbelievable. The author seems to pack more and more characters into the story until you can't remember who is who anymore.
Maybe once Miss Biggs has had more experience making comics this manga will improve, but I would recommend passing on Red String Volume 1.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate without being lusty, October 14, 2007

By 

J. Arrighi (Dumfries, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red String Volume 1 (Paperback)

Red String deals with teen romance in a way that is alien to most teens in the US - the main characters are forced together in an arranged marriage. The story explores their feelings about having their future decided by their parents balanced against their natural yearnings. There is plenty of the usual japanese teen drama as well, with all the intensity and sweetness one might expect from a high school romance. The images are beautifully rendered in the manga style. The book covers the first 7 chapters of the series. I found it to be a captivating story, and am eager for the next installment.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Red String Flops, June 9, 2010

By 

Green Tey "Tey" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red String Volume 1 (Paperback)

I've read this entire manga online, and I want to give a review for this first section.

This manga is completely predictable. Have you read shoujo before, manga fans? You will know what's coming. I have given this manga every chance in the world and I'm not saying this to be spiteful- the manga simply suffers from too many problems. The story is praised for bringing in the japanese theme of arranged marriage. I see this on TV rather frequently. Children and adults alike are introduced into this theme by various mediums. I can forgive cliche, though. What I cannot forgive is lack of originality. There is nothing new here. You aren't going to find much in this story.

If you are easily amused, then you should read this series if you want to alleviate boredom. Let me be the first to say though that I cannot find anything good about this series. The characters are boring because nothing about them is new or innovative. Nothing about the plot is either. Not even the character designs are interesting. You know, I'd even forgive that for good art because hey, it's manga, pretty means alot - but there isn't that either. The simplistic style featured in Red String isn't good, it isn't satire, cutesy, or fun to look at. The author struggles from a poor grasp of anatomy and every character looks the same. Even the page set up is bad. The word bubbles contain too much dialogue, the bubbles are placed inconveniently to grasp certain word flows, the pages tend to be overstuffed and thus the manga misses the chance to build suspense or create any sense of atmosphere.

This is not worth the money. If the price were 5 dollars I'd say go for it, it's cute at times. But I would never pay money for this series, especially if you're looking for innovative material. To each their own, but as someone who's loved manga since she was 4 and still enjoys cheesy romances and campy filler, trust me when I say that in my opinion you should be spending your money on quality classics that cost just as much but with much more quality in return for your money.