#and atohira from hibi chouchou

[kimbapisnotsushi]

support club for characters with second lead syndrome but ESPECIALLY for high school romance manga series

[astralechoes]

Kohaku Natsumi

BASICS

Name: Kohaku Natsumi

Pronouns: They/them

Age: 22

Birthday: November 27th

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Nationality: Japanese

Orientation: Aromantic pansexual

Occupation: Student 

Relationship status: Single

Face claim: Atohira- Hibi no chouchou

PHYSICAL

Hair colour: Brown

Eye colour: Brown

Body type: Petite

Height: 5’6

Piercings: Ears

Tattoos: Four

RELATIONSHIPS

Father: Kotarou

Mother: Ayane

Sibling: Kanata

Best friend: Yua

Other friends: Keita & Hijiri

Significant other: Verse dependent 

PERSONALITY

Introvert, extrovert or ambivert: Extroverted

Positives: Loyal, brave & determined

Negatives: Reckless, loud & cocky

Likes: Bright colors, dancing & parties

Dislikes: Reading, rain & staying indoors

ABOUT

Kohaku is the twin sibling of Kanata, the polar opposite of their brother; they are extremely outgoing and often get told they’re too loud by their brother. The twins personalities clash a lot and they are definitely prone to arguing a lot with each other, underneath all the tension however they do care a lot about each other.

After a bad argument with their twin, Kohaku ended up storming out of the house; something not entirely uncommon for either twin. But this time was different, they ended up encountering a demon and they were taken away to the demon realm. They managed to remain calm, feeling hopeful that their friend Keita who is a demon hunter would help them.

They were found by their friends and were saved from the demon realm but unbeknownst to them, their twin had ended up becoming possessed after the guilt had consumed him. In an unfortunate accident, Keita’s younger sister Yua ended up getting hurt trying to save Kanata from the demon. With the help of another demon hunter Rui, Kanata was saved; but once again consumed by guilt.

Kohaku enlists the help of their friends to tell Kanata that what happened wasn’t his fault, Kohaku had long forgiven him from the fight; and they told him as much. Hugging their brother and telling him that they loved him even when he annoyed them. Kanata still blamed himself a lot for what happened, but the relationship between the twins started to improve from then on.

[goldsweeping]

Manga | Hibi Chouchou by Morishita Suu

UM WOW THIS MANGA IS SO CUTE MY HEART IS GOING TO EXPLODE. /EXPLODE/ I TELL Y’ALL.

the art is fantastic, everything and everyone is so pretty, i love it!!! and the watercolor shots are just the loveliest. kawasumi is the Cutest Glasses Boy Ever and i will fight everyone and anyone who disagrees.

let’s talk about plot and characters: it’s simple and sweet and most definitely slow. if you don’t like that sort of build up, this is definitelyyyy not for you, but i would recommend trying anyways. kawasumi and suiren are charming in their own, quiet manners. kawasumi only thought about karate and struggled talking to girls while suiren struggles talking period. she’s often in her own little world, and it’s quite lonely for her. the school gives her a nickname that roughly translate to the flower on a rock(???), basically calling her untouchable. suiren is /everyone’s/ flower, so people keep a distance from her.

yet suiren somehow falls for kawasumi, the one person (in the beginning) that actually calls her by her name and not the nickname. he stands up for her against the upperclassmen and she finds herself always following his back as he never /looks/ at her. BUT WITH THE POWER OF HEAD NODS AND POINTING THEY FALL IN LOVE!!! it’s definitely reminiscent for me of a sweet and innocent love, and i am feeling the youth. 

i saw some comments about suiren being too plain (personality wise) and boring… but i think her softness is a charm not typically seen in shoujo manga? she tries her hardest to have a stronger heart and tbh i think it’s her that moves their relationship along, not kawasumi. kawasumi is definitely dedicated to what he puts his mind to and has a lot of confidence in suiren, confidence that i don’t think even she has in herself. while he prioritizes karate, you could say he takes suiren for granted, but i could also see it as he trusts her and trusts her to trust him (if that makes sense?). they certainly make for an adorable couple, two shy ducklings trying to make do with their feelings.

now let’s discuss atohira: i like him, i truly truly do. and i could actually legitimately see him being with suiren. you know the stereotypical male lead that’s a jerk in shoujo mangas?? that’s him… but not. i think from the beginning, he’s always been kind to suiren. and i wish i could root for him… but he entered the plot too late for me. if he had a role early on in the manga, i could def see suiren being confused with her feelings. but he comes too late, and falls to late. BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS SO CUTE (second lead syndrome much?) but also i love kawasumi and suiren so it is what it is

despite it being slow progressing, it has a softness to it that makes suiren and kawasumi’s relationship incredibly gentle. READ IT!!! 

[undeadimpulsereviews]

Hibi Chouchou

Small context, whenever I speak about the main male character I will use Kawasumi, this is due to the fact that the manga uses his last name a lot and it feels natural. The same will be said for the main female character. I will be using her first name because it feels natural.

Hibi Chouchou is a Shoujo Romance, manga from mangaka Morishita Suu; as of today the manga has finished it’s run with a total of twelve volumes. It ran for about seventy five chapters, not counting the extra’s, and was adapted into two drama CD’s in Japan. The manga was serialized in Margaret Magazine back in 2012 and ran until 2015. I received this manga thanks to a friends recommendation and powered through it so I could have it for today; it definitely fits the bill of a shoujo manga, but the way it handles this is what makes the manga. The story along with it’s characters take the cliches of the genre and utilize them really well; the characters especially, but we’ll get to them soon. For now let’s set up the story of one particular high school romance.

Suiren was always a shy girl; ever since elementary school she was the center of attention to all the boys. Due to her cute appearance every boy in school admired her as that which can’t be obtained. Due to this Suiren grew up without the ability to handle boys. Now she has entered high school and nothing has changed. As she walks the halls every boy from the freshmen to the seniors can’t help but stare; however, one such boy is different from the others. Kawasumi, another freshmen entering into school, exchanges a glance with Suiren; however, that’s all, after this not a word is spoken. Who is this mysteries boy? Whoever he is, he’s caught Suiren’s attention.

I love the story of Hibi Chochou; it’s your classic high school romance, and it has your cliche moments you’d find in a lot of shoujo manga. However, due to both the character archetypes and back story of our main characters it’s warranted. It’s the story of a innocent high school romance between two individuals that have no real experience being in a relationship. It’s adorable seeing these two trying to understand one another. It really feels like these two are in love regardless of being at a disadvantage. The story moves along really well and develops at a great rate; each piece of drama makes sense and the resolution makes both the main characters and their relationship that much stronger. It’s a strong story that makes the classic Shoujo Romance formula really work, but ultimately I’d say this is primarily because of the characters.

Hibi Chouchou’s cast is was makes the story what it is; specifically the main two characters. Suiren is a shy quiet girl, who receives all the attention from the boys of the school; Kawasumi is the calm yet naive boy, he’s never been in a relationship and doesn’t know how to approach woman. Instead of having two characters that are foils of each other, we are given two that are almost exactly alike. Due to this both parties are struggling to find what love is, this makes them both really strong characters. Suiren usually keep her distance from men, but after her encounter with Kawasumi, she turns into a strong character who doesn’t let problems get in the way of her goal. In this story there are three main groups of love; Suiren and Kawasumi’s story is all about first love and the experience of building the relationship. Suiren’s friend, Sayuri, it explores more of rebuilding relationships. Sayuri, and the boy she ends up with, both have some experience with love; however, there are factors leading up to said relationship that need to be crossed. Lastly is Suiren’s childhood friend, Aya; her story is about unobtainable love. Having been with Suiren most of her school life, her impression of men hasn’t been the best. Though with both Suiren and Sayuri finding new love, it’s only a matter of time before it hits her as well. Hibi Chouchou has a vast and interesting cast that develops really well alongside our main characters relationship; they’re interesting and lovable characters, you’ll want them to succeed in their endeavors, but sadly that won’t always be the case. Overall the cast keeps the manga vibrant and engaging all the way through. Lastly is Morishita’s visuals style, it has it’s moments of cliche romance, but it definitely stands out

Hibi Chouchou is nothing over the top in terms of visuals; however, when put next to other mangas from the same genre there are distinctive differences. You have your normal ambiance you’ll see during moments in specific frames

I still don’t really know how to describe said scenes or frame, but you can see it above in the last frame with Suiren. The frame is suppose to resemble Kawasumi staring over at Suiren after a few boys pull his attention towards her. In this frame you can see random pentagons and hexagons floating around her. Now of course this resembles some sort of deeper feeling, usually admiration or love; she’s not actually walking with shapes orbiting her. This is fairly common in romance manga. Now in terms of differences; with Morishita’s work it’s easy to find the main cast from the background characters. Though even the main cast seem normal in terms of design. The men of the manga especially; usually romance manga might romanticize their characters, they’ll take the main male character and make him look like the most attractive person alive. While Kawasumi stands out among the others; when I see him I don’t see a man with signs all over him screaming “I’m the main love interest”. Instead I see a normal high school student; it’s his actions that tell you he’s the one for Suiren. That’s not to say there aren’t characters like that though.

Kawasumi’s Senpai, Atohira, is probably the picture boy in terms of romanticized, but of course he’s not the main subject. This page also illustrates another thing I like about Morishita’s style, and that’s her comic relief panels. Romance is no stranger to comic relief; without it there would be an overload of drama. The second to last frame in the page above shows a little bit of this; usually these frames will take a more childish or cartoony art style. In Hibi Chouchou, the majority of these are with the main three girls. You have Aya with her emotionless stare, Suiren with her almost doll like features and silent stare, and Sayuri who usually has a variety of emotion. I especially like these because of Aya; the way Morishita shows her lack of care through her eyes always caught my attention. However, this is where you’ll mostly see Aya; you don’t really see much of her normal design. When you do though, you really start to appreciate these frames.

The frame above is a perfect example; the first frame you see both Suiren and Aya, Aya still with her cartoon stare. However, a frame later we see what Aya truly looks like; we see emotion arise from within her. You don’t see much of this near the beginning of the manga, but near the end, when Aya’s story begins to unfold along Suiren’s; you’ll see more of Aya as she truly is. I really enjoy the style Morshita has for Hibi; overall it’s nothing that instantly out plays the competition, but it’s definitely really well done and different from the average romance.

Overall I give Hibi Chouchou an 8 out of 10; it’s a great manga with some cliche moments. It’s definitely one of the better romance manga’s I’ve read in quite some time. It’s got a great dynamic in terms of story and characters; the whole idea behind Suiren and Kawasumi, and the relationship between them is well done. However, it’s nothing to new in terms of the genre. The story and characters develop really well over the course of the manga; the characters are lovable and engaging. I highly recommend reading this one if you’re looking for some nice romance this February.

I’ve been looking over my schedule recently; the reviews on Wednesday haven’t been working out so I’ve been looking to change days. While this is coming out on Saturday, I’ll be switching to posting on Fridays. Friday seems like a day where I can both get work done and take my time; it’s a very open day for me so no more Wednesday reviews. As for Night of Azure, that’s still both the next review and will be out on Tuesday. The Friday reviews will start in two weeks. Until then however, have a nice rest of your week.

[f-i-n-d-4]

About Muses (Mobile)

Name: Fiona

Age: 17

Race: Fairy

Human Appearance: hazel-brown hair, emerald eyes, wears pink or green outfits that have a nature-like appearance to them.

Fairy Form Appearance: pointy ears, transparent sparkly pink wings, sakura-pink hair

Human height: 5'1"

Fairy height: interchangeable, but ranges from 1"-1’

Birthday: August 1st 

Hobbies: Adventuring, swordfighting, fashion

Personality: Cheerful, boisterous, bubbly, kind

Relatives: Ailene Titania (younger sister), Marigold Titania (deceased mother), Rowan Titania (father)

Likes: Adventures, fairy tales, treasure hunts, nature, hiking, nature strolls, collecting flowers

Dislikes: staying still, injustice, lectures, etiquette, messing up her hair, animal abuse, nature abuse

Abilities: Turning into a small fairy, flying, small magic spells, understanding animals (to some degree), plant magic

Native language: Irish

Faceclaim(ish): Neko Fujinomiya from Masamune-kun no Revenge

Background: A Fairy from the kingdom of Nyssia. Secretly the princess/heiress to the fairy kingdom of Nyssia, she ran away from her home in search of the Green Jewel of Flora as well as a life of adventure instead of princesshood. She doesn’t like talking about her past nor her background, and she tends to steer the conversation away from anything too personal. Despite this, she is a cheerful and optimistic person who has a strong sense of morality. If you’d ask her why she went out to find the Green Jewel of Flora, she’d say it would be for the adventure. She camouflages her appearance by making her hair a hazel-brown color and her ears less pointy than in her usual fairy-like form.

Random Facts Tag: {ThE FaiRiES WiND}

Name: Isabelle Potestas

Age: 18 

Race: Wizard

Appearance: Chocolate-brown straight hair that’s slightly curled at the end, sapphire-blue eyes, always carries her special wooden staff for casting spells

Height: 5'8"

Birthday: January 2nd

Hobbies: Potion apprentice, potion experimenting, purple-wizard-in-training (more info on the wizard color system here)

Personality: Calm, helpful, sisterly, benevolent, patient

Relatives: Elisabeth Potestas (mother), Nordin Potestas (father), Vani Potestas (older brother), Nora Potestas (older sister), Gerald and Genevieve Potestas (Twin younger siblings)

Likes: potions, science, experimenting, state-of-the-art equipment, helping others, water, the color blue

Dislikes: arrogance, war, unfairness, being yelled at, making mistakes, being compared to her elder siblings, lies

Abilities: Magic spells both strong and weak, incantations, specializes in water-based magic

Native language: English, though knows Latin and a small bit of Greek

Face Claim: Hori Kyoko from Horimiya

Background: a wizard who is part of the most prominent and powerful family in all of Aithinia, the Potestas. Not only because of her status but because of the prophecy, everyone has high expectations for her and compares her to her two elder siblings. Isabelle dislikes how she gets no support for the things she does good but is scolded and lectures for little things she gets wrong. What she dislikes the most, however, is when she discovers the lie that her family is able to keep up the barrier that is supposed to protect their kingdom from attack if war is to come. Unable to stand holding a lie, Isabelle escapes from the expectations and lies and sets out to find the lost jewels in order to fulfill her duty of reinforcing the barrier, which is a duty each Potestas wizard must be able to fulfill. She plays the role of a big sister to FIND and looks out for the other three.

Random Facts Tag:  {ThE WiZaRdS LiGhT}

Name: Neville Plasi

Age: 17

Race: Human

Appearance: Short blond hair, glasses, golden-yellow eyes, black-rimmed glasses

Height: 5'6"

Birthday: November 3rd

Hobbies: Inventing, tinkering, designing, planning, reading, engineering

Personality: timid, quiet, introverted, wary, anxious, analytical

Relatives: Evelyn Plasi (Grandmother), Nikoleta Plasi (Aunt), Henry Plasi (father, deceased?), Theresa Plasi (mother, deceased?)

Likes: Reading, knowledge, inventing, books, science, stars, the color yellow

Dislikes: loud noises, bullying, crowds,

Abilities: Innovative mind, curiosity, endurance, observative (can read body language really well)

Native language: Greek

Face Claim: Taichi Kawasumi from Hibi Chouchou

Background: His father was an innovative inventor for his time, but his mother was accused of being a “witch” for unknown reasons. Because of this, Neville was and still is often bullied and has been called the “Witch’s son” even though both his parents have been missing since he was 5 years old. Having been taken cared of his aunt and grandmother since then, he often tinkers and reads in the basement. When he finds an ancient map, he leaves his home and kingdom in search for the missing Yellow Jewel of Knowledge in hopes that it could help him find answers for his missing parents.

Random Facts Tag: {ThE HUmAn’s WoRdS}

Name: Drake Meïger

Age: 18

Race: Dragon

Appearance: Humanoid; ash-black hair, blood-red eyes with dragon-slit (also known as snake eyes) pupils, small black horns that fade into red at the tips, small dark red wings hidden under clothing, a silver necklace with a small red gem framed in silver around his neck. Usually wears a dark red shirt over a black edgy jacket, black jeans, and sneakers that he often hides his hidden switch knife in. Small red wings hidden underneath clothing. Sometimes wears a cap or hat of sorts to hide his horns when in the open.

Height: 6’2

Birthday: June 4th

Personality: Cocky, irritable, easily angered, arrogant, can be sympathetic if not too irritated

Relatives: Lóng Meïger (younger brother, deceased), Eloise Meïger (mother, deceased), Maxwell Meïger (father, missing)

Hobbies: Stealing, pickpocketing, parkour

Likes: Spicy/sweet foods, shiny objects, stealing, being seen as strong

Dislikes: being teased, called weak, sour/bitter foods, being called a fledgling

Abilities: Small wings on back help hover or jump higher for a few seconds, more sensitive sense of smell and hearing than that of a human’s, acting, breathe fire, fire magic, tougher skin than that of a human’s

Native language: German and Chinese

Face Claim (ish): Atohira from Hibi Chouchou

Background: A Fledgling dragon that used to roam around the peasant streets of Gorgon and steals food to survive. Having a troubled past, Drake has a tendency to talk with a colorful language and can be easily angered. All he has from his past is the silver necklace with a red gem for a pendant that reminds him of his mother, who gave him the necklace for his 13th birthday, the age in which she died of illness. He is now in search of the Red Jewel of Drago in exchange for the gold prize of 10,000,000 pieces of gold that was sent out from the king of Gorgon himself.

Random Facts Tag: {ThE DrAGoNS RoAR}