Customer Reviews

Sugar Princess: Skating To Win, Vol. 1

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most people above age 12 will probably be put off to "Sugar Princess" because of its title, but I decided to give it a look after reading the preview in "Shojo Beat" magazine. And it's really not sickeningly sweet like you might think.

I liked the characters well enough. I thought Maya was cute and spunky, and she plays well off the disgruntled Shun. It's not the best romance ever, but it was sweet enough to keep me interested. Better than a lot I've read, actually. The art was pretty standard, but it gets the job done. I liked the plot. Figure skating is a pretty unusual background in manga (at least, it is in the US), and the story is well paced. It's pretty original, despite a few predictable moments.

"Sugar Princess" is a pretty fun little manga. It's enjoyable for all ages, and it's a good length. Good if you're looking for a shorter shojo series.

Sugar Princess is a new manga by Nakajo Hisaya who created the Hana Kimi series. The basic premise is that Maya Kurinoki is a third year Junior High School girl who is spotted doing a double axel by pairs skating coach Eishi Todo while she is trying to teach her younger brother to skate at the local ice skating rink. The coach gives her his business card because he sees her potential for becoming a pairs skater with one of his skaters Shun Kano who had previously won competitions with his sister/partner before she died. Shun now only wants to skate in men's singles. Because Maya is a novice, Eishi wants Shun to coach her so that she can reach his level of skating. His ulterior motive is to get Shun to come back to pairs skating as Maya's partner. Shun resists and it is Maya's job to convince him to help her.

Most of this first volume starts out a little slowly as it inroduces the characters and sets up the plotline. Because I liked Hana Kimi so well, I am reserving judgment on whether I like the series until I have read Volume 2. Many manga series start out slowly in the first volume. So far I do not like this series as well as Hana Kimi. In a sidebar the author says she has always been fascinated with ice skating and has wanted to do a skating manga so perhaps as Maya and Shun begin to compete the story will get better.

OK, first things first, DO NOT JUDGE THIS MANGA BY ITS COVER. I know that the title sounds realy cheesy and the cover art isn't that good, but the story is very cute!
If you enjoy reading shoujo manga then I would definitely buy this.
Recommended for ages 10+. The second volume recommended for ages 12+.

Maya Kurinoki had never skated before someone at the rice shop gave her a free pass to the local ice rink, but it turns out that she's a natural at the most difficult moves. By happy coincidence, a coach from the local skating club is on hand when she tries a double axel turn, and he recognizes her innate talent and invites her to join his club.

On her first day, Maya spots a beautiful young man skating alone. To her surprise, Coach Todo calls him over and tells them both that he wants them to skate together as a pair. The boy, Shun Kano, is decidedly unfriendly toward Maya, dismissing her as a novice and refusing to have anything to do with her. Like the good shoujo heroine that she is, though, Maya decides the best way to win Shun over is to practice hard and become a good skater, and since this is a shoujo manga, that effort eventually pays off. But although Shun agrees to coach her, he remains cold and standoffish.

This could only be the result of a secret sorrow, and sure enough, Maya eventually learns that Shun used to skate with his sister, Aya, until she died two years ago. Now that she is gone, Shun only wants to skate alone. Will Maya be able to win him over? That question goes unanswered for now, but as this is only a two-volume series, the suspense won't go on too much longer. Meanwhile, another girl shows up to compete for Shun's affections. The final plot twist, introduced close to the end of this volume, is a tried-and-true one: The owner of the rink announces that he is closing it down because it's not making enough money. But there's a big skating competition coming up, and Coach Todo and his skaters persuade the owner to make a deal--if they win the contest, the rink stays open. Fine, says the owner, but only if the designated contestant is the least experienced skater on the team. That would be Maya. With one final twist, Shun is chosen as her partner, giving us something to look forward to in volume 2.

Sugar Princess is what I think of as immersion manga; you read it just as much for the atmosphere as for the plot. There are lots of drawings of the characters skating, and each chapter opens with a drawing of a real professional skater or skating pair, which is a nice touch. The page layouts are simple and easy to follow, and the characters are attractive. Nakajo stresses Maya's youth by giving her a childlike figure and girlish hairstyles, while Shun is cold and angular. Maya's sweetness suffuses the whole book; this is not a hard-driving sports manga but a pleasant story about a girl who is eager to please. Sugar Princess is an entertaining, girl-centered escapist read that should hold plenty of appeal for the 8-to-10 set.

-- Brigid Alverson

This is a cute manga. The main character's sweet, in a hard-working way, and the leading guy manages to be both cool and beautiful, if a bit standoffish to start.

I find it hard to judge this series based solely on the first volume. There's potential here, once the storyline gets moving a bit more.

The main reason I'm giving it 4 stars, however, is because I'm such a huge fan of the author's Hana-Kimi series. I'm waiting to see if the plot/romance turns out to be interesting enough to keep me hooked. Hana-Kimi had a natural advantage from the humour of a girl in a guys' school. Hopefully the skating will have the same appeal.

I really enjoyed this book, considering the title, and that I'm 13. I thought this was almost as good as Hana-Kimi. As other reviews I'm saving the 5th star until I've read a few more books of this. This book would probably not interest boys. The graphics were very good I thought. I can't wait for volume #2 to come out! Yes!