The Wallflower

(Del Rey, 2004-Present)
™ and © 2004 Tomoko Hayakawa
Black and white; read right to left.

Goth girl/slasher chick Sunako Nakahara was finally happy in her antisocial life free of mirrors, people, and especially boys—that is, until her aunt, the landlady of a gorgeous palatial estate, offers free rent to four beautiful boys provided they can transform the homely, wild–haired, pock–faced Sunako into a lady befitting the estate. Now she’s on the run from these determined and beautiful “beings of light,” but there’s just one problem: they’re all living in the same house! With poor Sunako bursting into a bloody nose each time she encounters a guy, can she persuade the boys to move out before she dies from massive blood loss?

All seems hopeless and the mere sight of Sunako’s sallow cheeks is enough to send the fab-four running… until a little cooking accident reveals the hidden beauty underneath her skin-deep blemishes. With renewed faith, Ranmaru, Takenaga, Yukinojo, and Kyohei (the four) set out to win the reluctant Sunako over to the light. With a touch of makeup and the right clothes, she could be as beautiful as she wanted… but can the boys convince her to get a makeover before it’s too late for their rent?

Typical teen-manga-drama unfolds as the teens learn to live together; but when one of their member is kidnapped, Sunako suddenly shows unusual strength of character (and a gratuitous penchance for domination) as they set about rescuing their friend in a most unconventional manner (a dilemma which, conveniently, requires Sunako to dress up as a lady). Beautiful girly-boys are the sell point of this import Japanese graphic novel, but interchangeable character designs and badly-planned panel layouts make this title a confusing read. Readers should be prepared to spend time plowing through Hayakawa’s loose style trying to figure out which character is which, or skip this title entirely and move on to a more reader-friendly pretty-boy manga like Fushigi Yugi or Prétear. For the fans undeterred, however, sit back and enjoy this delightfully demented shôjo from Del Rey with a wicked twist.

—Shiaw-Ling Lai

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