Customer Reviews

I"s, Vol. 1: Iori (I"S (Graphic Novels))

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

~F1Rst REW1EW~

Do you hesitate when you try to take a chance with someone you like? Was there a moment that you try to do something for this person, but nothing comes out as you expected? Were the words you say to someone exactly you wanted to say from your mind? These social moments come gracefully from this promising teen-romance manga "I''s." I...like this manga, because I...like the things about this manga that feels close to life. Viz Media should be thanked for releasing this popular 15-volume Japanese series as part of Shonen Jump "Advance"...which for an "advance" title is no different than the original SJ line-up in any shape or form (presentation, sound effects, all similar). At least it still cost under $8 ($12 in Canada), and for a series like this, it is a great bargain.

The main reason "I''s" is so good are the characters. Ichitaki is a regular angst student who has crush on a girl from his class named Iori, just after he saw her sexy photos from a recent issue of a swimsuit magazine. Ichitaki gets the chance that he's waiting for when a class teacher randomly chosen him and Iori to be a gender-tolerated committee to present ideas for the school. Needless to say, Iori came up with a group name for the committee called "I''s", pronounced as "eyes", a clever name due to the fact that both she and the boy's names have the same first letter...even though it's pronounced as "e" (Oh, the I-rony). With his goofy friend Teratani by his side, he's going to need some support when he tries to gain Iori's love, as outside obstacles and competitors get in his way from his desire.

Let us not forget the experiences Iori have to go through. After she had her fun being in a swimsuit magazine for money, she eventually became the equivalent of Tiffany-Amber Thiessen, and almost every boy in high school wants a piece of her; even the winds would do anything to blow her skirt away (hurray for perverted gusts!). She is not type of woman that loves the attention, and all she wants was to move on and pursue her future career by all means, but she continues to be stalked and ridiculed. She was terrified of the events that happened to her, and she started hating men for their lewd actions. Ichitaki does his best to prove her wrong, and with much complications aside, they tried to earn trust with each other, though Ichitaki acts little different to the pervs.

Any guy can relate to Ichitaki, and any girl can relate to Iori, one way or the other. That's what I like about this manga. Even though the characters cannot avoid their overzealous expressions, they are about as human as you and me, and humans are filled with anxiety and indecisiveness. While the romance manga is not too original, its modern values and righteous character development makes the manga seem fresh. I wanted to say there's little-to-no fan service in "I''s", but that is like saying "Sex and the City" has little-to-no intercourses: that's completely b.s. At least there's hardly any wacky conveniences that plagued other similar manga, like accidentally falling off of stairs to land at a girl's butt, or a chick filled with fury hitting a boy with an object heavier than her; if you wanted those moments, go out and read "Love Hina."

For an "advanced" Shonen Jump manga made for older teens, it is weird that someone would decide to edit the manga. Yes, the "nipple edit" is a bother to many manga readers, but honestly, what do I care? I've seen hentai of the girls from "I''s in graphic sexual situations that can't be said here (even though it wasn't the original creator that drew 'em). Whether this was decided by the Japanese company or not, the stars-covering-the-nipples alter is the least of my concerns. It bothers me, but at the same time, the edits are not that severe and does not change the mood of the manga like, say, "Tenjho Tenge." Besides, it is from Viz, the company that tends to "make some manga look better for the audience."

F1Rst REACTION: positive

I...would hope to read more "I''s" soon, but I...dislike these three-month waiting periods for every volume. There's some things to expect from this manga, like Ichitaki's female childhood friend, Itsuki, coming back from America and the predictable "I" love triangle would develop...they always do. Although this is my first volume read from the series, my expectations became high. With all the annoying fan service it would bring in the future, this reviewer couldn't help but adore the manga's real situations and characters, and with such breathtaking art that fans of "Video Girl AI" can love, this manga might succeed in the long run. If this manga's alterations really irritate you, don't bother buying it, but if you can let that slide, you will find many things to love here. Let's hope that the rest of the volumes can hold up to its good intentions.

I-the ninth letter of the modern English alphabet; the first person singular pronoun in the nominative case; the self, the ego.

Ai-Japanese word for love.

For the beautiful 16 year old Iori Yoshizuki, posing in her swimsuit for a magazine may have been the worst mistake she's ever made, even though she thought they were for a girl's teen magazine. When word of this hits Wanda Private High School, she's subjected to catcalls by a whole hoard of jeering male students-"sex-crazed morons" according to Yasumasa Teratani-who jeer at her, asking her to put on a strip show or to show them her undies. In fact some seniors try to get compromising shots of her in the guise of a Miss Wanda contest, by putting a hidden camera in a makeshift changing room.

Ichitaka Seto has had a crush on Iori, all of which is amplified when he sees the magazine, but unlike the hyenas lusting after all-well, okay, he does have some risqué fantasies involving her, meaning there's quite a bit of fan service-he sets out to defend her from them, even though he risks being beaten up. But he figures a princess like her would never go out with a loser like him. His best friend, Teratani, keeps trying to push him to go after her, but also saves his rear whenever things get hot. More on that later.

The self-defense mechanism Ichitaka uses to protect himself is understandable. We learn that because he was harshly turned down by a girl he had a crush on when he was in sixth grade, he decided to hide his true feelings. "I totally implode around girls I like. I act like I hate them so they won't know that I really like them." However, he was cheered up by a childhood friend, Itsuki Akiba, who told him, "If you really like someone, go after her with everything you've got."

Luck smiles on him, when Ichitaka and Iori are chosen to put on a presentation to welcome new students. Both turn out to be shy and uncomfortable, but for Ichitaka, it is a chance to be close to her, and Iori's actually nice. In fact, she's one who writes "I's ideas" in the sketchbook for their project, as both their names begin with "I." And it's quite a struggle for Ichitaka to try to act normal and treat Iori like a normal girl, as well as trying to find a balance between that and preserving his ego.

What follows is a series of misunderstandings that get cleared up, only to have another one smash upward, like a series of W's. Ichitaka sinks into a depressive mood, only to be brought back up when Iori tells him she knows of the misunderstanding, particularly when she accidentally lumps him in with the seniors who devised the bogus contest.

The aforementioned definitions of "I" can be found in I's (Aizu). The narrative is first person from the point of view of the hero Ichitaka, his name and that of Iori begin with I, and part of the story is about his ego, which got and gets quite a drubbing. But it's also about his mad crush on Iori, and how and when that crush will turn into love.

The first story ends with the appearance of yet another I, but more on that in another review. In seeing Iori's picture on the cover, I felt there was something familiar, until I was pointed out the author's name, Masakazu Katsura. Ah ha, the author of Video Girl Ai! Well, no wonder! Katsura rehashes character types from VGA. In I's, Ichitaka is Yota, Iori is Moemi, and Itsuki is sort of like Ai.

So begins Volume 1 of the fifteen-part I's, of which Volume 6 has just appeared as of this writing. Wonder if this'll be animated in the future.

This is only the first volume out of 15.

I have read this manga online, when it wasnt licensed, and it is THE best shonen i have ever read. It is simply amazing.

Yes, i will admit, that the first few volumes are quarky and goofy, but PLEASE TRUST ME when i say that later on in the story, it gets very deep, and addicting. There were times when i was reading it online, that i had actually yelled/talked to my screen. And a few times, when i was reading, that i was so shocked and stunned, that i minimized the window, thought for a second "no way", and then opened it back up.

This story, if you continue reading, will capture you. As the story progresses over the years, you can see the people change and age.

There are happy times, there are sad times, and the entire thing is a work of art.

I loved the book. But seriously I got in trouble for bringing the older teen version. ALERT FOR YOUNG READERS: If you want a safe buy then check the back and make sure it is not older teen or else you'll regret it. Especially if you go to middle school.

Overall: the book is great but I am biting my finger nails just to wait for the next one. Please i really hate waiting Masakazu Katsura.

Characters: Iori is my favorite character. She is like everything a boy dreams about cept the real sleezy stuff.

Basically if I could I would Rate this a 10 out of 5.

I used to think that Maison Ikkoku was the best romantic comedy ever. Well... that all changes after I read this one (yes, I have read the Japanese version until the end). This is a must buy for those who love romantic comedy series. But it's definitely not for those who like to see decapitations, fighting, and other gory stuff. Here are my rates:

Story: 10/10
The best! The introduction is great and the progress is great. The original ending is too short, but that's all fixed by the alternate ending, which is top rated. I really hope VIZ will include this alternate ending.

Characters: 10/10
There are not many authors who can create characters that you can fall in love with. But Masakazu Katsura has done just that in this series. As you progress through the story, you WILL fall in love with the main characters and really care for them, especially Ichitaka, Iori, Itsuki, Izumi, and Aiko.

Graphic: 10/10
We are talking about Masakazu Katsura here. He draws the most beautiful women in manga. Not many manga can come close to this one in the graphic area.

Translation: 8/10
VIZ does a decent job here. On the bad side, it does sensor some conversations that may not be suitable for young children/teens. On the bright side, it translates a lot of conversations, which probably do not make sense or are not logical for average American readers.

Overall: 9.5/10
A definite buy for those who love romantic-comedy stories.

Okay, I'm not really into 'romance' or 'romantic' stuff, but my curiosity for new Manga titles brought me to this. Any other occasion, I probably would've diverted my attention to an action title, but nah, I decided to give it a try to see what kind of a story it would have. Well, all I can say is, I was pleased with this series. I ended up reading the entire series in just two or three days, because it was THAT addictive and every volume left me wondering what would happen next. Basically, the story is about a guy named Seto who happens to like a popular model-like girl named Iori. However, Seto doesn't think that she likes him and vice-versa, so their feelings are repressed whenever they meet up for their "club" meeting, which is called I"s. They continue to remain friends and the consequences are endless with Seto's friend even intervening to give him advice. There's all types of mischief involved including obstacles that keep forcing Seto to look like he only wants to remain 'friends' with the girl that he likes. It's actually quite hilarious and sometimes, even realistic that it can be painful or depressing or misinterpreting. Whatever it is, it has charm and nice plot twists. It just gets better and volume one is only the start of one of the best Manga titles that I have read in a long time.

The genre of boy's romance comics in Japan tend to be pretty formulaic. Shy boy is in love with beautiful girl. Beautiful girl is obviously interested in shy boy, but a series of misunderstandings and accidents ends up with shy boy seeing beautiful girl naked, or in her underwear, and so beautiful girl thinks shy boy is a pervert, and shy boy gets more shy. Sassy girl then comes into the picture, aggressively throwing herself at shy boy. Hijinks ensue.

However, even formulaic stuff can be good if you like the formula, and if the writer serves up some good characters. I won't say that "I''s" revolutionizes the genre, but for what it is it is really good. It plays the formula, but plays it with virtuosity. Masakazu Katsura ("Video Girl Ai") is a breath-taking artist who can draw a beautiful girl better than anyone else in the business, and is no slouch on the fan service either. The covers are really stunning, almost photogenic. As a writer, he breaths life into the characters as well, and shy boy comes off as much less of a wimp, and seems like someone who actually deserves to wind up with beautiful girl.

The set-up for "I''s" takes you into the story right away. High school student Ichitaka Seto, a typical shy Japanese teenager, has a massive unspoken crush on his gorgeous classmate Iori Yoshizuki. She is a sweet girl, a member of the school drama club. Then out of the blue, she poses for a series of sexy swimsuit shots for a girly magazine. Hijinks ensue.

This first issue sets the tone for the rest of the series. It is more darker and "hard edged" than something like "Pastel" or "Love Hina," with Iori getting into some serious trouble due to her photo spread. Seto risks much more than a bloodied nose to help out his dreamgirl, and he realizes that if he is going to win the heart of this angel than he is going to have to shape up and be a man. Its a good inner battle. On the one hand, he wants to buy the girly book and oogle Iori's body, but on the other hand, he sees how much pain her mistake is causing her, and he doesn't want to be one of "them." He loves the girl, not the photograph.

It's unfortunate that Viz chose to censor the book, although the censorship doesn't distract from the story at all. It is just a reality of the American marketplace, where nudity is far more taboo than it is in Japan.

I's is very similar too Love Hina but more realistic in my opinion. I'm not usually into manga like this but I gave it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. It only took a couple of volumes before I was really into the story. The characters are likable, the humor is good and the artwork is very nice. I recommend this to anyone who likes comedy and high school slice of life type stories. (Note I read the uncensored version)

I was reading this at the bookstore when, lo-and-behold, the images were censored. Any kind of censorship is not worth the money they ask for. I rather go to Kinokuniya and buy the Japanese tankobon of this work. I really hope this is not a trend with North American translators to ruin someone else's work with censorship. At the very least, the cover should let one know if the work has been ruined this way so that buyers can make an informed decision whether to buy it or not. I thought it was cool to finally see a English translation, but I cannot bother with this version.

I'd have to say that this is one of my favorite series ever!!!! The highshool romantic comidy is my favorite gernre of manga and anime. this one is right next to Ichigo 100% on my favorite manga ever list. can't wate for the ret of um to be releised.