Seven Seas picked up a number of interesting shojo titles over the courses of the year, and this one might simultaneously be the most problematic yet the most endearing of them all.
CUTIE AND THE BEAST (Pujo to Yaju: JK wa Akyuyaku Wrestler ni Koi Shita Hanashi), by Yuhi Azumi. First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2020.
PLOT:
Momoka seems like the most put-together girl in her class. None of her classmates would guess that she's actually a big wrestling fan. Her favorite is Kuga, a big, buff heel whom she regularly chats with on Twitter. He's just amazed that he has a female fan at all. When the two finally meet in person, they discover that their feelings run deeper than just celebrity and fan. The only problem is that he's 29 and she's 18.
STORY:
There are two trends at work here with Cutie and the Beast. The first is the long-standing and significant overlap between wrestling fandom and anime and manga fandom. Not every weeb loves wrestling, but thanks to the explosion of new leagues (particularly international ones), that fandom Venn diagram overlaps a little more every year.
The other is age-gap romances. They've been a standard in shojo manga for many decades, and for many years they have been a thorn in the sides of American publishers. No one wants to court controversy by licensing a title that's a little too eager to justify a teacher/student romance or any other sort of relationship that would legally be considered statutory rape. As such, what few age-gap manga do get licensed generally become digital exclusives where they are less likely to be noticed.
Seven Seas definitely took a risk by putting this into print, but they also picked this license wisely. It not only has cross-over appeal, but it also goes out of its way to mitigate the most questionable elements of the premise.
The most obvious thing to point out is that while Momoka is still in high school, she is a legal adult. Eleven years is a big age gap for any couple, but when both parties are of legal age it's a little more tolerable. It also helps that Kuga isn't in a position of authority over her in the way a teacher might be. They can't even meet as regularly as most people could, as his schedule and level of fame require them to either briefly reach out during public events or to communicate through social media and mail.
The biggest saving grace to this whole concept is that it is executed in the most innocent and chaste manner possible. Neither Kuga nor Momoka have any experience with romance, so the furthest they go is a kiss on the cheek. More importantly, both of them are aware of the imprudence of the age gap between them. It's the source of the first major conflict in the series, as Kuga tries to do the responsible thing and put some distance between them once he discovers Momoka's true age. Of course this isn't going to last - there wouldn't be a story otherwise - but it's recognition on the mangaka's part that this relationship needs a lot more than just trust and communication to survive.
ART:
Azumi's art isn't as elaborate or lush as a lot of shojo artists, particularly where faces are concerned, but it gets the job done. I do have to praise her character designs in particular, as there's a good variety of body shapes. Momoka's tall, willowy frame combined with her casual style not only makes her visually distinct from your typical shojo heroine but also makes it more plausible for someone to presume she is older than 18. As for Kuga, a number of Japanese wrestling fans have pointed out Kuga's resemblance to a real-life performer, something that Azumi all but admits to her in her author's note. There's enough license taken that Kuga still manages to come off just as boyishly handsome as he is beefy.
RATING:
The preview for the next volume of Cutie and the Beast describes it as "an awkward but wholesome love affair" and I couldn't sum it up better myself. It avoids a lot of the usual pitfalls of age-gap stories and while it's not particularly outstanding visually, it's still very charming. I don't know how long it can keep this up, but I'm willing to give this a count of 10 to prove itself.
This series is published by Seven Seas. This series is ongoing in Japan with 3 volumes available. 1 volume has been published and is currently in print.
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