The Wallflower: Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge (manga) volume 1

 <- Hey guys, it's time to play trap or no trap! Whoever correctly guesses whether this is a guy or girl in the comments section gets a FREE e-high five

I managed to get this one in while I was helping run the manga library at this year’s anime expo. This one is the story about four guys who have been given the task of helping their landlady’s daughter become a socially acceptable person,  in exchange for free rent in an awesome house. Sounds awesome, right? Well, it seems like a great idea until they actually meet the landlord’s daughter, Sunako, the girl they are supposed to help transform. Upon meeting her, they realize that she looks fresh out of a horror movie, and is not amused by their shenanigans. In the first book, we get to know some of the characters, particularly Sunako and Kyouhei, while learning just how daunting of a task this will be.

Right off the bat, the first thing I liked about this book was when we first got a look at the “ugly” girls face. Even I was reeling back and saying “augh.” This is the first time I’ve seen a character who everybody says is unattractive, and the book actually demonstrating it. Most books give the character horrible features like wearing dorky (read: MOE!) glasses. If you think that picture to the right is tolerable to the eyes, wait till you see her face >_< Yes, kiddies, this is not some 10 minute makeover these guys have to perform, they are actually performing a Herculean task for their free rent. Also, if you were thinking “Well, maybe she has a nice personality” well, YOU’RE WRONG THERE TOO! She’s rude, abrasive, and hates talking to people.  These guys are going on a journey to turn a jerk who does nothing but lock herself in her dark room and watch slasher movies while talking to model corpses into something socially acceptable.

Initially, I wasn’t exactly sure what to think of this book. I was honestly looking for something to fuel a rant about Japanese ideologies, but was presently surprised. Upon seeing these four guys embark on their quest to make this girl socially acceptable, it actually felt like they were contributing to society. Although I do question why anybody would have their niece board with 4 guys she hardly knows,, the premise winds up being kind of… cute, in it’s own way. I also think this book is quite solid for a first volume, for while we are shown an introduction to the characters, they manage to do things that are interesting, rather than feeling like an introduction.

I’ll probably be checking out later volumes of the series if I can find them at my library or if I wind up manning another manga lounge.

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