Customer Reviews

Skip Beat!, Vol. 12

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In "Skip Beat!" vol. 12, Ren is still trying to figure out how to play the character of Katsuki. The situation has gotten worse, though, because the President of LME has given Ren an ultimatum- figure it out in three days, or get fired. Kyoko is oblivious to this situation, but she still tries to help out by counseling Ren disguised as Chicken Bo. Later, Ren asks Kyoko to help him rehearse for his role by playing Mizuki opposite his Katsuki. Ren wants to improvise it, hoping his feelings for Kyoko will help him figure out his character should act.

This volume was just superb. There are more hints about Ren's mysterious past, but we still aren't given any answers. Most of this volume is taken up by Ren and Kyoko's rehearsal. This is not a bad thing. It was interesting to watch them figure out how their characters should act. And it's wonderful to see Ren, who's so sure he can keep a lid on his feelings, get flustered by Kyoko. The romance develops very well in this volume. With most manga, I'd be thinking "Just get together, already," by now, but not with "Skip Beat!" The perfect pacing continues amaze me. The relationship is dynamic- it's actually developing, instead of stalling with a bunch of "will they/won't they" back and forth.

And I also love the way the characters are developing. Kyoko has been returning to her kind nature throughout the manga. She's less hell bent on revenge, and she's a lot stronger than she was when she started out. Her strength feels real, too, because it comes from her experiences. This is so refreshing, since most shojo heroines I read either start out with an indominable spirit, or develop said spirit after deciding to do what they have to do. Ren's character is coming along nicely, too. We get to see more of what he's really like in this volume. And so does he. Ren is having trouble keeping up his cool facade despite his confidence in his ability to conceal his emotions. This makes him some realize things about himself. His emotional tie-ups are starting to come to the forefront, and I really want to know what happened that made him close himself off.

Another thing I enjoy about this manga is the dedication the characters have to their acting. It's hard to believe that Nakamura didn't know much about the subject when she started writing "Skip Beat!," because the Kyoko and Ren think about their characters' behavior and motivations is so realistic. And they're both still developing their talents. That process is what really makes it interesting.

There were several funny moments in this volume, too, and I laughed out loud a lot. Volume 12 of "Skip Beat!" had me engrossed from cover to cover. I can't wait for volume 13.

I am constantly pulling Skip Beat back out and reading it again starting at Volume 1. The story is great and the characters are hilarious and loveable. It's a great read with such a strong female lead!