Skip Beat!, Volume 1

August 15, 2006
Young performers determined to get to the top are not uncommon in shoujo (girls') manga, but Skip Beat! gives this theme an enjoyable twist. Kyoko Mogami is no professionalshe can't act or sing. She's in Tokyo to support her lifelong friend Sho, who is singing his way to fame. Kyoko is utterly devoted to Shountil she discovers that he only brought her along to handle his room and board. Realizing that she is nothing but a servant to her idol, she decides to beat Sho at his own game. Accommodating, hard-working Kyoko gets herself a makeover and a ruthless new attitude. Using the culinary skills she developed helping out at Sho's family's inn as a child, she fights her way into a talent agency as a "talento" (Japanese celebrities known for various talents, and who appear on variety shows, in ads, etc.). The agency's only concern? Her uncompassionate, unfeminine attitude. Whether Kyoko will learn to balance temperance and confidence is left to future volumes, but book one introduces a tough, atypical, and funny heroine well worth the read. Suited to the 12+ crowd and a pleasant and unobjectionable fit for library collections.Rebecca Schaffner, Saline Dist. Lib., MI

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.