2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Not your typical heroine. Aug 28, 2007
reviewed by DamageCtrl
Meet Eimi, a relatively eccentric high school girl who is kind of dense, but sweet and friendly. When her parents move, she goes and moves into her school’s dormitory. If you’ve ever stayed in a dorm, you already know where that is leading. Each dormmate has their own little quirk that makes them somewhat strange, yet seeming appropriate. Her roommate has a thing for the beauty of the human body, her other dormmate is a closet lover of lingerie and all things cute.
Then there is the boys dorm and it’s ‘beast’ - the tall, dark, and mysterious Wanibuchi. He has an aloof reputation that makes most his dormmates wary of him; some even dislike him. Despite that, Eimi finds him to be a really nice guy and humorously idolizes him; creating trading cards and fans baring his image. As weird as that is, she’s the only one who really accepts him.
The manga itself is somewhat comedic. It has it’s moments of dorky humor and mild drama. Nothing that will blow your mind, but it does make you realize that a person is more than their reputation or how they seem. As for the romance factor, it’s nothing too deep; more of a light hearted take on it and nothing painfully passionate.
The characters are okay; not the most engaging, but they do remind me of real people and communality of dorm life. Eimi was an odd ball; definitely not your typical shoujo manga heroine, but she still had that heart of gold. The story line wasn’t dramatic or deep, but it had a realistic feel to it; as if a romance like this was very much possible in real life.
If you're looking for something simple and not too involved, you should give this book a try.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Beauty is the Beast, Indeed! Jun 24, 2007
reviewed by machina
When schoolgirl Eimi Yamashitas parents let her know that they plan to move away, she fights them to stay at her current school; but live in a dormitory. After a bit of coaxing they agree and thus begins her life in the girls dormitory!
Eimi and her roommates are not your average high school students. Lingerie lovers, body obsessors, and mahjong addicts reside in her dormitory; toss in obscure tomboy Eimi and you have quite a mix.
You also have Wanibuchi, the most feared boy in her school; but Eimi shows no sign of fear of him and even dubs him 'Wanichin' for short; declaring that his name is too difficult to pronounce and thus begins the weirdest friendship anyone has come to see at this academy.
Romance, comedy, chibis, food and more lie in store for you in Beauty is the Beast.
machina also recommended: Hana Kimi, Crimson Hero, Tenshi Ja Nai,
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Uninteresting... Jun 16, 2008
reviewed by amusmental (Julie)
I was rather bored by this series. The artwork was decent, and the characters were nice enough, but there just wasn't that much going on in it. It was essentially set up in short-story format, with each new plotline being it's own little story about them that didn't really affect what little overall plot there was. In short, don't bother buying it, maybe read it at the library if you must. I only got it because I like most of the Shojo Beat stuff and the back made it sound more interesting than it was.
amusmental (Julie) also recommended: Anything by Shojo Beat,
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Something a Little Different Dec 06, 2007
reviewed by Shokran
Beauty is the beast is a great manga. I adore it! If you have read Nodame Cantible or The Wallflower you will probably enjoy this one. Eimi is a very unique girl she defy's the shojo norm for the main heroine. No generic Mary-Sue here. Some characters aren't even convinced she is human. This manga is romance and comedy but its a bit different. This is definitely not a over the top mushy type manga. So if you like odd characters and good humor this is a wonderful manga to check out.
Shokran also recommended: The Wallflower, Nodame Cantible, Skip Beat,
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Sakura057 Oct 23, 2007
reviewed by Sakura057
This book is really good, but the only thing that I kind of don't really like about the book is that some of the art works are not as good as I could think of. But I know the Author can draw really well that's why the book was published in the first place. Besides I enjoy seeing Eimi (the main character) doing other things that the other girls in the drooms do, and she does make mistakes but she'll never feel so bad about it. Besides she the type of girl that wound do the oppsite of it. But it's a really great book to read.
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