Review: ORESAMA TEACHER

 Look, a gang is kind of like a club, right?  It totally counts for this purpose!

ORESAMA TEACHER (Ore-sama Ticha!), by Izumi Tsubaki.  First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2011.

PLOT:

Mafuyu was the no-nonsense leader of her gang...at least, until they got in a big fight that led to her getting expelled from school.  Her mother is fed-up with Mafuyu's nonsense, so she sends her to Midorigaoka, a school that will take anyone willing to pay.  Mafuyu is willing to try to settle down and turn her life around but ends up getting into a fight on her first night there.  Worse still, she's discovered by Taokomi Saeka, a teacher at the school who himself is a former punk and a long-lost figure from Mafuyu's childhood.  She's not willing to give up her right to fight for justice, even if she has to wear a bunny mask to do it and urges her opponents to go straight afterwards.

Review: IMADOKI! NOWADAYS

School clubs as a venue for friendship and romance are just as common in shojo manga as they are in shonen, but this one brings at least one welcome twist to the formula.

 IMADOKI! NOWADAYS (Imadoki!), by Yuu Watase.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Tanpopo Yamazaki came all the way from Hokkaido to attend the prestigious Meio Academy in Tokyo.  On her first day there, she encounters a young boy tending to a flower as if it were a friend.  She couldn't have possibly expected that same boy to be Koki Kugyo, the heir to the school itself.  Neither did she expect the entire student body to turn on her for daring to talk to Kuyo while not being rich.  Tanpopo won't let that get her down, though.  She's determined to get to know the real Kuyo, even if she's got to strongarm him into the newly created gardening committee!

Review: HAGANAI - I DON'T HAVE MANY FRIENDS

September means back-to-school time, complete with kids joining and rejoining school clubs.  We'll be doing the same by reviewing a month's worth of manga about school clubs, although today's review is perhaps not the best example to start with.

HAGANAI: I DON'T HAVE MANY FRIENDS (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai), based on the light novel series by Yomi Hirasaki with art by Itachi.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2012.

PLOT:

Hasegawa Kodaka is a new student who finds himself ostracized due to his naturally blond hair and rough looks.  By chance he meets up with Mikazuki Yozora, who would be charming if she weren't so paranoid and obsessed with talking to her imaginary friend.  Neither of them are good at making friends, so they decide to start a school club that's all about making friends...somehow.  

They manage to rope in a couple more members, including the busty and beautiful Sena, who is the daughter of the school director.  Together they try to make friends through video games, but can Yozora and Sena stop fighting among themselves long enough to make it work?