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彼氏彼女の事情 [Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou] #1
Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, Vol. 1
Straight As, athlete and overall "Ms. Popularity," Yukino, is the perfect student. Or at least that"s how she appears to the outside world. But when the curtains are drawn, a lazy young egomaniac lurks who will do anything and everything to be the top student in her school. Yukino finds her resolve put to the test as after years as the Idol of her class a threat emerges in the MORE perfect Soiichiro. A good-natured, studious and athletic boy he is her equal in every way but one ;that behind the act is a genuine heart driven to succeed. Yukino is desperate to regain her status anyway she can, but through embarrassing flub-ups at every turn, Soiichiro remains untouched even as they find respect for one another, and maybe, after all the dust has cleared, something more.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 1996
31 people are currently reading
7726 people want to read
About the author
Masami Tsuda
104 books127 followersTsuda (津田雅美) is a tea-loving, crazy manga-ka who lives in Japan. Her most famous work that has been translated into several languages is Kare Kano (or His and Her Circumstances).
Tsuda likes operas, historical sites, and classic children's tales.
Tsuda likes operas, historical sites, and classic children's tales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
February 24, 2012
Kare Kano is one of those series that I keep seeing mentioned in manga circles, but one I never could get into myself. I reminded myself that I felt that way about Ouran once upon a time, so it was time to give Kare Kano one more chance.
The verdict: I gradually warmed up to the story. The basic premise - two high school students whose persona of perfection is a charade doesn't resonate with me. I actually found the two main characters unlikeable for 2/3 of the series. It's the side characters that I grew to love, and I became much more interested in their stories than that of Yukino or Arima. Thankfully, Masami Tsuda found her feet with those two on the final arc of the series, which was quite compelling and enjoyable.
Kare Kano is a 21 volume series, sadly out of print (thank you, library, for providing me with the chance to read this series!). Slightly recommended. I'm sure at the time (mid-90's) of its publishing, Kare Kano was ground-breaking in some ways (hence it still being spoken of today), but not nearly as much as Kodocha.
The verdict: I gradually warmed up to the story. The basic premise - two high school students whose persona of perfection is a charade doesn't resonate with me. I actually found the two main characters unlikeable for 2/3 of the series. It's the side characters that I grew to love, and I became much more interested in their stories than that of Yukino or Arima. Thankfully, Masami Tsuda found her feet with those two on the final arc of the series, which was quite compelling and enjoyable.
Kare Kano is a 21 volume series, sadly out of print (thank you, library, for providing me with the chance to read this series!). Slightly recommended. I'm sure at the time (mid-90's) of its publishing, Kare Kano was ground-breaking in some ways (hence it still being spoken of today), but not nearly as much as Kodocha.
November 17, 2016
Decided to re-read this manga to find again what it is that makes me love this series... and should I keep it or give it away.
Turns out I love the chemistry between Miyazawa and Arima... I know it'll get tough later, and everything is not all sweet and sunshine, but for now, the story is still amusing and entertaining.
Turns out I love the chemistry between Miyazawa and Arima... I know it'll get tough later, and everything is not all sweet and sunshine, but for now, the story is still amusing and entertaining.
May 18, 2009
This book is one of my favorites to read. It's an extremely cute love story that inspires me to do better in school.
June 14, 2021
Is this me, cayendo otra vez en el pozo de Karekano? Yep.
December 12, 2024
2024 REREAD: You know what? I've changed my mind. This shoujo high school romance manga will always hold a special place in my heart, even if I'll never finish the whole series. I'll keep the first volume, at least.
It's a classic.
But what is up with that ending story, 'The Tiger and the Chameleon: A Promise of One Week'? It's weird and sexist, and it contradicts its own message.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
In my opinion, 'Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances' is one of the most underrated shoujo and slice-of-life manga series ever. A hundred years ago I stumbled across the anime version on YouTube by chance, and I've never looked back. The anime was sweet and funny. It had a lot of dark, deconstructive layers to its writing, and a good English dub to boot (featuring actors from 4Kids Entertainment; Veronica Taylor, aka Ash Ketchum, voiced Yukino Miyazawa). Naturally I read the manga as well, but only the first 9 volumes so far - roughly where the anime ended. If I have enough money in the future I'll buy more.
But for now, here's a brief summery of why I love this series:
'Kare Kano' does something that most shoujo romances rarely take a chance on: it sets up a solid relationship between the school girl and boy early, and the rest of the series revolves around the challenges that come with teenage love and how the couple fights to stay together. For example, when the teachers start to get concerned about the kids not performing as well in their studies due to them spending much of their time together. Sex is mentioned and taken seriously, though nothing graphic is shown, as it's portrayed rather gradually and healthily.
The series also doesn't just center on and develop the two main leads: 'Kare Kano' adds friendship and family dynamics to its many layers. When the leads, top "model" students Yukino Miyazawa and Soichiro Arima, learn more and more about each other and help one another overcome their personal egos and psychological insecurities - learning more about themselves along the way - they make an even better couple. Their individual circumstances - hence the series's title - are issues that slowly evolve into things to love, trust and understand in their relationship. But another bonus is that this helps them to socialise better with classmates. Before they met, Yukino and Soichiro were both popular for being exceedingly smart and beautiful, but they never tried to make close friends because of their worries over being discovered for their true selves. People might not like these once-perfect students at first for their longtime deceit, but overtime any heart can thaw. Anyone can forgive and trust again. 'Kare Kano' contains such an endearing and cute cast of characters who each get a development story arc - and who have their individual hobbies and ambitions, including writing, running and designing.
So the series may appear simple and sweet on the surface, but it is surprisingly witty, and a dark take on shoujo drama titles, especially for the mid-to-late nineties when it first came out. It is exactly what I look for in slice-of-life titles as well: what it may lack in overall plot it makes up for with interesting characters and side stories. Each volume cover features a different type of flower to symbolise a character's personality and growth.
What 'Kare Kano' teaches its readers is that people are not always what they seem in public. Learn to look past facades, and love and respect and trust what is inside. Everyone you meet may likely be struggling with life as much as you are, or more so. Be yourself! as lives can improve by socialising and understanding others as a team.
Overall, 'Kare Kano' is a lovely little high school drama manga. To me its humour, relationship dynamics, themes of maturity, and character development make it not only relevant today, but timeless. However, it might be viewed as being too simple by manga readers more used to action-packed stories. It is not for everyone, but it is for me.
Final Score: 4/5
P.S. I have heard that the anime ended prematurely because of creative differences between Gainax and the mangaka, Masami Tsuda, who thought the anime focused more on the comedy than the drama and romance. Ironically, I've always thought it was the other way round: that the manga focuses more on comedy, and the anime the drama. Hmm.
It's a classic.
But what is up with that ending story, 'The Tiger and the Chameleon: A Promise of One Week'? It's weird and sexist, and it contradicts its own message.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
In my opinion, 'Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances' is one of the most underrated shoujo and slice-of-life manga series ever. A hundred years ago I stumbled across the anime version on YouTube by chance, and I've never looked back. The anime was sweet and funny. It had a lot of dark, deconstructive layers to its writing, and a good English dub to boot (featuring actors from 4Kids Entertainment; Veronica Taylor, aka Ash Ketchum, voiced Yukino Miyazawa). Naturally I read the manga as well, but only the first 9 volumes so far - roughly where the anime ended. If I have enough money in the future I'll buy more.
But for now, here's a brief summery of why I love this series:
'Kare Kano' does something that most shoujo romances rarely take a chance on: it sets up a solid relationship between the school girl and boy early, and the rest of the series revolves around the challenges that come with teenage love and how the couple fights to stay together. For example, when the teachers start to get concerned about the kids not performing as well in their studies due to them spending much of their time together. Sex is mentioned and taken seriously, though nothing graphic is shown, as it's portrayed rather gradually and healthily.
The series also doesn't just center on and develop the two main leads: 'Kare Kano' adds friendship and family dynamics to its many layers. When the leads, top "model" students Yukino Miyazawa and Soichiro Arima, learn more and more about each other and help one another overcome their personal egos and psychological insecurities - learning more about themselves along the way - they make an even better couple. Their individual circumstances - hence the series's title - are issues that slowly evolve into things to love, trust and understand in their relationship. But another bonus is that this helps them to socialise better with classmates. Before they met, Yukino and Soichiro were both popular for being exceedingly smart and beautiful, but they never tried to make close friends because of their worries over being discovered for their true selves. People might not like these once-perfect students at first for their longtime deceit, but overtime any heart can thaw. Anyone can forgive and trust again. 'Kare Kano' contains such an endearing and cute cast of characters who each get a development story arc - and who have their individual hobbies and ambitions, including writing, running and designing.
So the series may appear simple and sweet on the surface, but it is surprisingly witty, and a dark take on shoujo drama titles, especially for the mid-to-late nineties when it first came out. It is exactly what I look for in slice-of-life titles as well: what it may lack in overall plot it makes up for with interesting characters and side stories. Each volume cover features a different type of flower to symbolise a character's personality and growth.
What 'Kare Kano' teaches its readers is that people are not always what they seem in public. Learn to look past facades, and love and respect and trust what is inside. Everyone you meet may likely be struggling with life as much as you are, or more so. Be yourself! as lives can improve by socialising and understanding others as a team.
Overall, 'Kare Kano' is a lovely little high school drama manga. To me its humour, relationship dynamics, themes of maturity, and character development make it not only relevant today, but timeless. However, it might be viewed as being too simple by manga readers more used to action-packed stories. It is not for everyone, but it is for me.
Final Score: 4/5
P.S. I have heard that the anime ended prematurely because of creative differences between Gainax and the mangaka, Masami Tsuda, who thought the anime focused more on the comedy than the drama and romance. Ironically, I've always thought it was the other way round: that the manga focuses more on comedy, and the anime the drama. Hmm.
September 16, 2020
Como se nota los años que tiene este manga, aunque es algo normal al ser el primer tomo. Tuvo mucho éxito en su momento por su originalidad y manera de tratar la relación entre los protagonistas así que he querido darle una oportunidad.
No soy de las que se vio el anime en su adolescencia así que no tengo idea de cómo sería pero la idea que me daba es de que iba despacio así que me ha sorprendido ver que la narrativa del manga es bastante rápida, a ratos no sabía bien qué estaba pasando.
El dibujo me ha gustado en general, aunque hay detalles que no demasiado, como la manera de dibujar las bocas y los perfiles, aunque ya sé que la autora mejora en ese aspecto según avanza así que por ahí le doy manga ancha.
Lo único que no me ha gustado nada ha sido la forma de narrar, unas viñetas muy pequeñas con mucho texto, otras enormes con las caras de los protas porque sí, sin venir a cuento...seguiré leyendo para ver si esto último mejora según la autora coge experiencia (quiero creer que sí) y sino probaré con el anime.
No soy de las que se vio el anime en su adolescencia así que no tengo idea de cómo sería pero la idea que me daba es de que iba despacio así que me ha sorprendido ver que la narrativa del manga es bastante rápida, a ratos no sabía bien qué estaba pasando.
El dibujo me ha gustado en general, aunque hay detalles que no demasiado, como la manera de dibujar las bocas y los perfiles, aunque ya sé que la autora mejora en ese aspecto según avanza así que por ahí le doy manga ancha.
Lo único que no me ha gustado nada ha sido la forma de narrar, unas viñetas muy pequeñas con mucho texto, otras enormes con las caras de los protas porque sí, sin venir a cuento...seguiré leyendo para ver si esto último mejora según la autora coge experiencia (quiero creer que sí) y sino probaré con el anime.
August 16, 2021
Hoy he empezado 'Karekano. Las cosas de él y de ella' como si la leyera por primera vez. Apenas recordaba nada del manga (sí del anime) y me ha encantado reencontrarme con Yukino y Arima. Ella es una estudiante modelo que finge ser todo un encanto y perfecta en todo mientras que en su casa es un auténtico desastre. Él, en cambio, es un alumno de 10 generoso y que se preocupa sinceramente por los demás. Donde Yukino sólo ve competitividad, Arima ve a una igual a quien admirar... hasta que descubre cómo es la verdadera Yukino. Es una historia de instituto que explora los problemas típicos de la adolescencia centrándose principalmente en la identidad, la capacidad de aceptarse como uno es y la dificultad en dejar atrás el pasado.
Este primer tomo tiene la particularidad de que puede funcionar perfectamente como tomo único e incluye una historia corta llamada 'El tigre y la camaleona' que trata también los mismos temas y me parece muy tierna.
Lo que no me convenció nunca del manga es el dibujo de Masami Tsuda... Creo que estoy acostumbrada a otros mangas con un dibujo más detallado (si no realista, sí más recargado), y aquí noto que me falta algo... Pero el punto fuerte es la historia y por ella seguiré leyéndola. Quiero saber qué ocurre con estos personajes que el anime dejó en la estacada tras 26 capítulos por desacuerdos entre la autora y el director de Evangelion, Hideaki Anno.
Este primer tomo tiene la particularidad de que puede funcionar perfectamente como tomo único e incluye una historia corta llamada 'El tigre y la camaleona' que trata también los mismos temas y me parece muy tierna.
Lo que no me convenció nunca del manga es el dibujo de Masami Tsuda... Creo que estoy acostumbrada a otros mangas con un dibujo más detallado (si no realista, sí más recargado), y aquí noto que me falta algo... Pero el punto fuerte es la historia y por ella seguiré leyéndola. Quiero saber qué ocurre con estos personajes que el anime dejó en la estacada tras 26 capítulos por desacuerdos entre la autora y el director de Evangelion, Hideaki Anno.
April 7, 2021
4,5
Un inicio precioso. A mucha gente no le gusta el primer tomo, porque les parece muy anticuado y con poca acción, a mi en lo personal me ha gustado bastante. El dibujo es precioso *-* y he conectado súper bien con los protagonistas.
Es una historia que trata sobre inseguridades y cierta cotidianidad, un poquito de friends to lover a la mezcla (me encanta) y quizás es porque casi no recuerdo el anime, era demasiado pequeña cuando lo ponían por la tele, pero creo que el anime no se acercaba ni a rozar la tremenda profundidad que tienen los personajes sobre el papel. Aunque el principio creo que era bastante fiel.
Un inicio precioso. A mucha gente no le gusta el primer tomo, porque les parece muy anticuado y con poca acción, a mi en lo personal me ha gustado bastante. El dibujo es precioso *-* y he conectado súper bien con los protagonistas.
Es una historia que trata sobre inseguridades y cierta cotidianidad, un poquito de friends to lover a la mezcla (me encanta) y quizás es porque casi no recuerdo el anime, era demasiado pequeña cuando lo ponían por la tele, pero creo que el anime no se acercaba ni a rozar la tremenda profundidad que tienen los personajes sobre el papel. Aunque el principio creo que era bastante fiel.
May 25, 2025
vol 1-21: this was kinda all over the place and ill-paced but i appreciated when it went off on extended tangents that had little to do with the protagonist. like why was there a 500-page indie rockumentary midway through the series? incredible. many screencappable moments throughout, including a life-affirming chibi illustration of a girl wistfully eating pringles at a park. unfortunately the anime kinda improved on the manga in every way…would recommend just watching that on youtube instead 🤓
October 15, 2021
short, sweet comfort manga :D
February 20, 2024
--- Kare Kano: His & Her Circumstances 1-21 ---
Plot: ...Em... tidak selalu komedi. Kurasa agak berat sewaktu-waktu, meski bukan tipe berat yang... em...
Penokohan: ...Ok.
Gambar: Sebenarnya, saya lebih suka gambar Masami Tsuda sensei di awal-awal volume //dhuarrr.
Ingat ya, saya sangat subjektif (*°∀°)=3.
Komik ini sudah saya baca lama. Tipe yang saya baca sambil lalu saja. Maksudnya: hanya baca, menikmati, dan mudah terlupakan dari kepala > w <;;;;. Jadi ratingnya pun saat itu saya berikan di goodreads berdasarkan ingatan 'bagaimana perasaan saat baca buku itu' semata XD /sesat.
Nah waktu itu saya melihat rekomendasi animenya dari YT Muse.
Tertulis dalam judul terjemahan Inggrisnya; His and Her Circumstances.
Karena terdengar familiar saya melewatkan beberapa detik mengubek thumbnail -nya dan berpikir;
Ini bukannya pengarangnya Eensy Weensy? >> paling diingat karena dikoleksi.
Ternyata benar XD.
Singkat cerita, karena menikmati gaya anime lawas dan humornya yang tetap terasa segar, saya memutuskan membaca ulang komiknya sambil mengira-ngira; kenapa waktu itu saya hanya kasih ★3?
Awal kisah Kare Kano terasa seperti kisah roman yang cerah dan manis(?) //memangnyapermen.
Ceritanya ringan dan karakternya rata-rata tidak menyebalkan (tidak juga). Tetapi semua berubah semenjaknegara api menyerang fokus ceritanya berubah ke tokoh utama cowoknya yang... entahlah, rasanya seperti plot bagiannya sangat drama yang ditarik. Melingkar dengan sangat menyebalkan.
Oh ya. Sepertinya di salah satu surat pembaca sensei, ia menemukan orang yang menulis kalau Kare Kano seperti kitab suci anak gadis.
Tapi saya dalam hati: Astaga! Semoga tidak! Banyak sekali yang sebenarnya patut dipertanyakan di dalam! //dhuarrr!
Dari dulu pun saya merasa style gambar awalnya sangat... ... Emm...tidak se-khas style akhirnya, tetapi menurut saya sangat manis dan bebas? Saya lebih prefer style awalnya o w o;;; terasa sangat aktif dan cerah.
Anyw tapi sampai akhir pun saya merasa mungkin komik ini bisa dipersingkat jumlah volumenya sih
[7/10]
Plot: ...Em... tidak selalu komedi. Kurasa agak berat sewaktu-waktu, meski bukan tipe berat yang... em...
Penokohan: ...Ok.
Gambar: Sebenarnya, saya lebih suka gambar Masami Tsuda sensei di awal-awal volume //dhuarrr.
Ingat ya, saya sangat subjektif (*°∀°)=3.
Komik ini sudah saya baca lama. Tipe yang saya baca sambil lalu saja. Maksudnya: hanya baca, menikmati, dan mudah terlupakan dari kepala > w <;;;;. Jadi ratingnya pun saat itu saya berikan di goodreads berdasarkan ingatan 'bagaimana perasaan saat baca buku itu' semata XD /sesat.
Nah waktu itu saya melihat rekomendasi animenya dari YT Muse.
Tertulis dalam judul terjemahan Inggrisnya; His and Her Circumstances.
Karena terdengar familiar saya melewatkan beberapa detik mengubek thumbnail -nya dan berpikir;
Ini bukannya pengarangnya Eensy Weensy? >> paling diingat karena dikoleksi.
Ternyata benar XD.
Singkat cerita, karena menikmati gaya anime lawas dan humornya yang tetap terasa segar, saya memutuskan membaca ulang komiknya sambil mengira-ngira; kenapa waktu itu saya hanya kasih ★3?
Awal kisah Kare Kano terasa seperti kisah roman yang cerah dan manis(?) //memangnyapermen.
Ceritanya ringan dan karakternya rata-rata tidak menyebalkan (tidak juga). Tetapi semua berubah semenjak
Oh ya. Sepertinya di salah satu surat pembaca sensei, ia menemukan orang yang menulis kalau Kare Kano seperti kitab suci anak gadis.
Tapi saya dalam hati: Astaga! Semoga tidak! Banyak sekali yang sebenarnya patut dipertanyakan di dalam! //dhuarrr!
Dari dulu pun saya merasa style gambar awalnya sangat... ... Emm...tidak se-khas style akhirnya, tetapi menurut saya sangat manis dan bebas? Saya lebih prefer style awalnya o w o;;; terasa sangat aktif dan cerah.
Anyw tapi sampai akhir pun saya merasa mungkin komik ini bisa dipersingkat jumlah volumenya sih
[7/10]
March 25, 2016
I watched the anime years ago and I read the whole manga set when I was a freshman in high school. My friend use to bring them to school and during Science class we used to read them ♥
My love for Kare Kano hasn't change. For me the story it's very sweet and funny. There are some ridiculous parts where I just roll my eyes (because come on, who cares how she behaves at home, we are all different at home, at work or school, but then again this is a different culture).
I love Yukino, she's funny, arrogant, self-absorbent but truly she's sweet and caring. I love her character, she's so out of this world, sometimes dumb, other times just plain funny. And Arima, my goodness, such a sweet and handsome character. His past is very sad thought and I love how in the future we get to experience a bit more about them.
The art, just so perfect! I like how they keep the funny factor and yet the way they draw the moments were it's deep and romantic so beautiful, I swear I can see the invisible air playing with Yukino's hair when Arima looks at her.
I'm so happy I bought the volumes, this brings me back to high school life and friendships♥
My love for Kare Kano hasn't change. For me the story it's very sweet and funny. There are some ridiculous parts where I just roll my eyes (because come on, who cares how she behaves at home, we are all different at home, at work or school, but then again this is a different culture).
I love Yukino, she's funny, arrogant, self-absorbent but truly she's sweet and caring. I love her character, she's so out of this world, sometimes dumb, other times just plain funny. And Arima, my goodness, such a sweet and handsome character. His past is very sad thought and I love how in the future we get to experience a bit more about them.
The art, just so perfect! I like how they keep the funny factor and yet the way they draw the moments were it's deep and romantic so beautiful, I swear I can see the invisible air playing with Yukino's hair when Arima looks at her.
I'm so happy I bought the volumes, this brings me back to high school life and friendships♥
September 22, 2011
It is not as good as the anime, which is my favourite of all time. If I had read the manga first, I might be more lenient and find it amazing. However, this manga just leaves me craving all the detail of the anime, which was much better developed.
There is one additional story at the end, (not in the anime) that was somewhat interesting, although the protagonist's self loathing makes me dislike her somewhat.
There is one additional story at the end, (not in the anime) that was somewhat interesting, although the protagonist's self loathing makes me dislike her somewhat.
October 6, 2010
Creative, funny story. The art may be a bit uneven, but the characters shine.
April 10, 2024
Comfort series reread
April 25, 2023
Nostalgia portami via!
Ho amato l’anime e non potevo lasciarmi sfuggire il manga.
Bellissimo.
Ho amato l’anime e non potevo lasciarmi sfuggire il manga.
Bellissimo.
October 16, 2025
They don’t make characters like Yukino anymore. She has an actual personality unlike your standard shojo heroine.
August 22, 2012
I love the darkness in this series, it makes it a bit more believable.
August 10, 2020
The first two volumes of this manga were a birthday gift from a good friend, and two months and some days have passed so I figured I should read the manga sooner rather than later. There's a huge difference between buying a bunch of manga and letting it sit unread in stacks in my room, versus receiving books as gifts from friends. I should probably have read these sooner, is what I'm saying.
My friend and I have something of an inside joke regarding the phrase "formative years." The joke itself is mostly just the use of that particular phrase, but the serious side of the idea concerns those anime and manga we would have experienced in our childhood/adolescence which might have shaped who we became many years later. For me, a lot of what I liked in the past and which I still enjoy today consists of things from very far back in my life for which I can never not feel nostalgic (Digimon Adventure and Dragon Ball are two big ones). FLCL would be the biggest thing from my early adolescence, and otherwise a lot of my favorite things today would be tied to a later time in my teenage years, after I'd gotten into torrenting, and arguably too late to truly have been "formative." For my friend, much of her Formative Years was based on the anime she watched "on demand" with Comcast or whatever (which I never thought of doing myself). I must admit I can't recall right this very moment if Hideaki Anno's Kare Kano adaptation was indeed one of the "on demand" anime she watched, or if she got into it through another means, and I likewise can't recall how she might have said she came upon Masami Tsuda's original manga.
What I can say is that I've simply had very few encounter with shoujo manga in my own adolescence. Thinking back, it's hard to imagine how I might have stumbled upon anything beyond Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura, though at least it's maybe interesting that I've never seen the English dub of Cardcaptors (edited to be cool for boys to watch) and I can't recall why I had the idea to pick up the manga from the local library - but that's a tale for another review, I guess. In attempting to reflect on my own Formative Years, I can't help but think girls were just shafted when it came to anime (and I guess cartoons in general). I watched Sailor Moon on Toonami, partly because it aired adjacent to DBZ and Gundam Wing, but mostly because I was four and didn't give a shit what came on TV as long as it was animation or at least action-packed (as Power Rangers was live-action and I loved it). I was more cognizant of the world when Powerpuff Girls was new, but really it and Sailor Moon were both "cool" enough that dudes could enjoy them. Sailor Moon borrowed a Super Sentai (being the original Japanese source for Power Rangers footage) setup, and PPG was more or less directly inspired by Moon. Stuff like Dexter's Lab and Johnny Bravo were more overtly male-leaning in terms of demographics. Otherwise, everything seemed to be gender-neutral. Most anime that came stateside, and in particular the anime that aired in daytime where I could see it, were "for boys," as indeed most of them were adapted from manga in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shounen Jump. Toonami might get away with Sailor Moon, Adult Swim might get away with Lupin III, but no one was going to risk losing viewers for a half-hour block by playing a flowery rom-com amid superpowered battle anime. Even Inuyasha, which was loved by many girls I knew in middle school, was technically a boys' manga. There was never really any reason to think any shoujo manga was particularly "worse" than the average shounen manga, but the fact that most VIZ-published shoujo manga were lumped together in the Shojo Beat label to strongly express the intended demographic, and the fact that Tokyopop shoujo manga (including Kare Kano here) still had pink spines despite the company's lack of demographic-based sub-labels, kind of really made it seem like these manga were specifically for girls while those manga were for boys. It just so happens as well that it's more common for girls to be interested in battle series than for boys to be interested in rom-coms, so plenty of girls would read Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist while few boys were reading Absolute Boyfriend or Vampire Knight (and the ones who did got made fun of, as I can attest to as I was one of the dudes making fun of them lol). Even getting around to reading more shoujo manga myself, so late in life, it's still hard to commit too much to too many series because a lot of the art looks pretty samey among artists, whereas some of the bigger shounen series separate themselves better from their peers - at least, as far as I can see around my bias.
It's hard to judge Kare Kano too much from just this one volume, so while I do really enjoy what I've read I can only assume I will continue to like it in the future with what little information I have at hand. This volume is only three chapters long. Three lengthy chapters, but still just three chapters nonetheless. Plenty of manga can shit themselves after three chapters. Not that this one will, but what I mean is simply that it's not enough to go on. What I can say is that I do like these few chapters. Having not read much shoujo manga, I'm far more used to parodies of stereotypes and tropes, so I basically assume every shoujo romance is about some perfect little girl getting borderline-raped by various perfect guys, who all slam their hands against the wall to catch the girl's attention before hitting on them, or something. Kare Kano gives us the seemingly-perfect Miyazawa, whom we soon see is merely keeping up a facade of perfection to feed her egotism, maintaining a slovenly lifestyle while at home and freed from the eyes of others. The male protagonist, Arima, at first appears too perfect himself, offending Miyazawa because his sincerity is an affront to her own facade. Arima accidentally "catches" Miyazawa in her slovenly state at home, and begins to blackmail her by having her do his class-rep work, showing a zanier imperfect side, roping himself more into the "comedy" half of the "rom-com" genre when previously he was the straight-man and much of the comedy was Miyazawa overreacting around Arima's stoicism. Later still, we learn that Arima's blackmailing was a facade itself, and he only wanted an excuse to spend time with Miyazawa, so he's kinda back to being "perfect" except that this revelation comes amid a confession that he doesn't know who is his real self because his very perfection seen previously was an attempt to improve himself in the eyes of his family, to make up for the sins of his parents versus the apparent goodness of the uncle who raised him. Arima's character thus shifts and transforms around the semi-static position of Miyazawa's. As time goes on, Miyazawa becomes more comfortable being "weird" around Arima (largely to make him comfortable being weird himself), and, throughout the changes in the face she wears at school, Arima continues to love her. Miyazawa, however, is uncertain how Arima might feel, especially after his confession regarding the confusion of his true self.
Beyond her character-writing, Tsuda does some neat shit with the manga's art. I must admit I feel the basic character designs fit too snugly in the box of what I might believe to be "generic shoujo design," only because I have little to compare with aside from Naoko Takeuchi and CLAMP, but there's a lot of sparkling eyes and panels of Arima just staring out in space to look cool/hot/whatever. I can't fault Tsuda, as I'm essentially coming into shoujo manga after having seen too many parodies, so my eyes keep leaping to those things which were parodied. That said, I really like Tsuda's simpler caricatures when characters are doing/saying silly shit and the joke calls for them to change form to something more befitting a gag manga - as often happens in manga in general (and it's always a treat to see how different artists tackle this trope). Most importantly to me, Tsuda does a fantastic job with certain establishing panels, such as on page 65 before Arima awakens a sleeping Miyazawa and we have a long vertical panel of nothingness superimposed over a longer panel of black sky, moon, and a blank outline of treetops, to the left of which is a closeup of the moon blurring with an outline-less panel of the classroom window and blackboard, above which is an abstract shot of moonlit windows and the light reflecting on the hallway floor (pitch black everywhere else), over which is superimposed three panels - a discarded shoe, the outside door of the classroom, a few desks within the classroom - and underneath which the art appears to create from nothingness the hazy image of a slumbering Miyazawa.
(I'm gonna go ahead and slap this volume with my "psychological-fiction" tag, which I feel I don't use too often these days. This volume is overall pretty lighthearted, but there are moments that border on semi-"deep" self-reflection, and I cannot overlook the fact that Hideaki Anno would direct an anime adaptation, so I'm assuming the series may get a little heavier as time goes on.)
My friend and I have something of an inside joke regarding the phrase "formative years." The joke itself is mostly just the use of that particular phrase, but the serious side of the idea concerns those anime and manga we would have experienced in our childhood/adolescence which might have shaped who we became many years later. For me, a lot of what I liked in the past and which I still enjoy today consists of things from very far back in my life for which I can never not feel nostalgic (Digimon Adventure and Dragon Ball are two big ones). FLCL would be the biggest thing from my early adolescence, and otherwise a lot of my favorite things today would be tied to a later time in my teenage years, after I'd gotten into torrenting, and arguably too late to truly have been "formative." For my friend, much of her Formative Years was based on the anime she watched "on demand" with Comcast or whatever (which I never thought of doing myself). I must admit I can't recall right this very moment if Hideaki Anno's Kare Kano adaptation was indeed one of the "on demand" anime she watched, or if she got into it through another means, and I likewise can't recall how she might have said she came upon Masami Tsuda's original manga.
What I can say is that I've simply had very few encounter with shoujo manga in my own adolescence. Thinking back, it's hard to imagine how I might have stumbled upon anything beyond Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura, though at least it's maybe interesting that I've never seen the English dub of Cardcaptors (edited to be cool for boys to watch) and I can't recall why I had the idea to pick up the manga from the local library - but that's a tale for another review, I guess. In attempting to reflect on my own Formative Years, I can't help but think girls were just shafted when it came to anime (and I guess cartoons in general). I watched Sailor Moon on Toonami, partly because it aired adjacent to DBZ and Gundam Wing, but mostly because I was four and didn't give a shit what came on TV as long as it was animation or at least action-packed (as Power Rangers was live-action and I loved it). I was more cognizant of the world when Powerpuff Girls was new, but really it and Sailor Moon were both "cool" enough that dudes could enjoy them. Sailor Moon borrowed a Super Sentai (being the original Japanese source for Power Rangers footage) setup, and PPG was more or less directly inspired by Moon. Stuff like Dexter's Lab and Johnny Bravo were more overtly male-leaning in terms of demographics. Otherwise, everything seemed to be gender-neutral. Most anime that came stateside, and in particular the anime that aired in daytime where I could see it, were "for boys," as indeed most of them were adapted from manga in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shounen Jump. Toonami might get away with Sailor Moon, Adult Swim might get away with Lupin III, but no one was going to risk losing viewers for a half-hour block by playing a flowery rom-com amid superpowered battle anime. Even Inuyasha, which was loved by many girls I knew in middle school, was technically a boys' manga. There was never really any reason to think any shoujo manga was particularly "worse" than the average shounen manga, but the fact that most VIZ-published shoujo manga were lumped together in the Shojo Beat label to strongly express the intended demographic, and the fact that Tokyopop shoujo manga (including Kare Kano here) still had pink spines despite the company's lack of demographic-based sub-labels, kind of really made it seem like these manga were specifically for girls while those manga were for boys. It just so happens as well that it's more common for girls to be interested in battle series than for boys to be interested in rom-coms, so plenty of girls would read Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist while few boys were reading Absolute Boyfriend or Vampire Knight (and the ones who did got made fun of, as I can attest to as I was one of the dudes making fun of them lol). Even getting around to reading more shoujo manga myself, so late in life, it's still hard to commit too much to too many series because a lot of the art looks pretty samey among artists, whereas some of the bigger shounen series separate themselves better from their peers - at least, as far as I can see around my bias.
It's hard to judge Kare Kano too much from just this one volume, so while I do really enjoy what I've read I can only assume I will continue to like it in the future with what little information I have at hand. This volume is only three chapters long. Three lengthy chapters, but still just three chapters nonetheless. Plenty of manga can shit themselves after three chapters. Not that this one will, but what I mean is simply that it's not enough to go on. What I can say is that I do like these few chapters. Having not read much shoujo manga, I'm far more used to parodies of stereotypes and tropes, so I basically assume every shoujo romance is about some perfect little girl getting borderline-raped by various perfect guys, who all slam their hands against the wall to catch the girl's attention before hitting on them, or something. Kare Kano gives us the seemingly-perfect Miyazawa, whom we soon see is merely keeping up a facade of perfection to feed her egotism, maintaining a slovenly lifestyle while at home and freed from the eyes of others. The male protagonist, Arima, at first appears too perfect himself, offending Miyazawa because his sincerity is an affront to her own facade. Arima accidentally "catches" Miyazawa in her slovenly state at home, and begins to blackmail her by having her do his class-rep work, showing a zanier imperfect side, roping himself more into the "comedy" half of the "rom-com" genre when previously he was the straight-man and much of the comedy was Miyazawa overreacting around Arima's stoicism. Later still, we learn that Arima's blackmailing was a facade itself, and he only wanted an excuse to spend time with Miyazawa, so he's kinda back to being "perfect" except that this revelation comes amid a confession that he doesn't know who is his real self because his very perfection seen previously was an attempt to improve himself in the eyes of his family, to make up for the sins of his parents versus the apparent goodness of the uncle who raised him. Arima's character thus shifts and transforms around the semi-static position of Miyazawa's. As time goes on, Miyazawa becomes more comfortable being "weird" around Arima (largely to make him comfortable being weird himself), and, throughout the changes in the face she wears at school, Arima continues to love her. Miyazawa, however, is uncertain how Arima might feel, especially after his confession regarding the confusion of his true self.
Beyond her character-writing, Tsuda does some neat shit with the manga's art. I must admit I feel the basic character designs fit too snugly in the box of what I might believe to be "generic shoujo design," only because I have little to compare with aside from Naoko Takeuchi and CLAMP, but there's a lot of sparkling eyes and panels of Arima just staring out in space to look cool/hot/whatever. I can't fault Tsuda, as I'm essentially coming into shoujo manga after having seen too many parodies, so my eyes keep leaping to those things which were parodied. That said, I really like Tsuda's simpler caricatures when characters are doing/saying silly shit and the joke calls for them to change form to something more befitting a gag manga - as often happens in manga in general (and it's always a treat to see how different artists tackle this trope). Most importantly to me, Tsuda does a fantastic job with certain establishing panels, such as on page 65 before Arima awakens a sleeping Miyazawa and we have a long vertical panel of nothingness superimposed over a longer panel of black sky, moon, and a blank outline of treetops, to the left of which is a closeup of the moon blurring with an outline-less panel of the classroom window and blackboard, above which is an abstract shot of moonlit windows and the light reflecting on the hallway floor (pitch black everywhere else), over which is superimposed three panels - a discarded shoe, the outside door of the classroom, a few desks within the classroom - and underneath which the art appears to create from nothingness the hazy image of a slumbering Miyazawa.
(I'm gonna go ahead and slap this volume with my "psychological-fiction" tag, which I feel I don't use too often these days. This volume is overall pretty lighthearted, but there are moments that border on semi-"deep" self-reflection, and I cannot overlook the fact that Hideaki Anno would direct an anime adaptation, so I'm assuming the series may get a little heavier as time goes on.)
May 20, 2021
Kare Kano is a gut-wrenching and wild ride. If you have only seen the anime, then you are missing a lot of the meat of this story. Kare Kano follows the story of Yukino who strives to be an image of perfection. She’s beautiful, is at the top of her class, and seems naturally good at everything she tries. However, this perfection is a complete facade. Yukino’s home life reveals her to be a messy, rude, narcissist, who is obsessed with being the best. Yukino’s obsessive pursuits seem to be fueled by the praise and admiration she receives from those around her, it becomes clear that she has a crippling fear of failure. Meanwhile, her class rival, Soichiro aims for perfection for entirely different reasons. Soichiro’s perfect life aims to conceal his dark past as he tries to make up for the abuse and trauma he faced as a child. He clearly has an overwhelming fear of loss and rejection.
Throughout the story, these two characters’ lives intertwine as they learn one another’s secrets and help one another work through their problems. Each of them grows as individuals separate from one another, but they also grow as friends and eventually a couple. If you have watched the anime, then your perception of this story is probably that it is a romantic comedy. While you are not necessarily wrong, this manga reaches levels of depth and darkness that the anime definitely does not prepare you for. This story tackles topics like self-harm, suicide, domestic abuse, sexual assault, and unwanted pregnancy, and a whole slew of mental health-related issues. While the manga covers much of these topics with noticeable care and sensitivity, I will say that given that the manga ran from the mid-’90s to the early ’00s, its understanding of some of these issues can feel quite dated at times.
There are elements to this story that I think are actively harmful. Specifically, the great length’s to which Yukino attempts to heal Soichiro’s dark past. This establishes a narrative in which a woman’s strength is defined by her ability to stand by her man no matter what. Unfortunately, that kind of storytelling has real-world consequences no matter how realistic the depiction is in this case. While it is not at the forefront of the story-telling, this manga also perpetuates the idea that girls should pursue older men; that they have more to offer and are simply more suitable partners than more age-appropriate options. This is a sentiment that I absolutely do not agree with, and I believe it to be a harmful trope.
That being said, while this story is quite dark at times it has an undeniable honesty and relevancy to the narrative. In many ways, it feels realistic, even if it is uncomfortable, which is probably why so many manga readers still flock to this series years after its publication. If you liked Fruits Basket or Mars, then I think you would enjoy Kare Kano. I think Fruits Basket does a better job unpacking different kinds of trauma, especially in regards to toxic masculinity. However, for better or worse, Kare Kano never relies on metaphor or fantasy to soften the blow of hard-hitting topics and in that way feels all too real in its delivery.
Throughout the story, these two characters’ lives intertwine as they learn one another’s secrets and help one another work through their problems. Each of them grows as individuals separate from one another, but they also grow as friends and eventually a couple. If you have watched the anime, then your perception of this story is probably that it is a romantic comedy. While you are not necessarily wrong, this manga reaches levels of depth and darkness that the anime definitely does not prepare you for. This story tackles topics like self-harm, suicide, domestic abuse, sexual assault, and unwanted pregnancy, and a whole slew of mental health-related issues. While the manga covers much of these topics with noticeable care and sensitivity, I will say that given that the manga ran from the mid-’90s to the early ’00s, its understanding of some of these issues can feel quite dated at times.
There are elements to this story that I think are actively harmful. Specifically, the great length’s to which Yukino attempts to heal Soichiro’s dark past. This establishes a narrative in which a woman’s strength is defined by her ability to stand by her man no matter what. Unfortunately, that kind of storytelling has real-world consequences no matter how realistic the depiction is in this case. While it is not at the forefront of the story-telling, this manga also perpetuates the idea that girls should pursue older men; that they have more to offer and are simply more suitable partners than more age-appropriate options. This is a sentiment that I absolutely do not agree with, and I believe it to be a harmful trope.
That being said, while this story is quite dark at times it has an undeniable honesty and relevancy to the narrative. In many ways, it feels realistic, even if it is uncomfortable, which is probably why so many manga readers still flock to this series years after its publication. If you liked Fruits Basket or Mars, then I think you would enjoy Kare Kano. I think Fruits Basket does a better job unpacking different kinds of trauma, especially in regards to toxic masculinity. However, for better or worse, Kare Kano never relies on metaphor or fantasy to soften the blow of hard-hitting topics and in that way feels all too real in its delivery.
June 6, 2025
This was a super quick read, like I read it in one sitting. I didn't realize some manga could be so short, but I kind of like that!
What I liked -
✨ Themes. There weren't a lot of words, obviously, but the themes were so evident. In a short amount of time, it covered a lot of ground regarding perfectionism, family, egotism...the list actually could go on.
✨ Pacing. Even though it was fast because of how short it was, it didn't feel like too much was being crammed in. Perhaps it's because it was so zoomed in on the one storyline, and it's not like we were trying to follow a lot of characters. There were other characters, but the plot stayed focused.
✨ The blackmail. That's all I'm going to say. Literal perfection with the cutest reason. xD
What I didn't like -
✨ Yukino. Honestly, she was a little annoying in the beginning, and I couldn't really get with her until towards the end. She was kind of a brat, but her actions were so humorous.
✨ Confusion. Even though the pacing was great, there were some points where I was confused as to what was happening and had to re-read a page. Even though she wasn't cramming in a ton, there were some weird threads that you couldn't tie unless you looked at the scene again.
Would recommend if you...
✨ Like the enemies-to-lovers trope
✨ Want a one-sitting read
What I liked -
✨ Themes. There weren't a lot of words, obviously, but the themes were so evident. In a short amount of time, it covered a lot of ground regarding perfectionism, family, egotism...the list actually could go on.
✨ Pacing. Even though it was fast because of how short it was, it didn't feel like too much was being crammed in. Perhaps it's because it was so zoomed in on the one storyline, and it's not like we were trying to follow a lot of characters. There were other characters, but the plot stayed focused.
✨ The blackmail. That's all I'm going to say. Literal perfection with the cutest reason. xD
What I didn't like -
✨ Yukino. Honestly, she was a little annoying in the beginning, and I couldn't really get with her until towards the end. She was kind of a brat, but her actions were so humorous.
✨ Confusion. Even though the pacing was great, there were some points where I was confused as to what was happening and had to re-read a page. Even though she wasn't cramming in a ton, there were some weird threads that you couldn't tie unless you looked at the scene again.
Would recommend if you...
✨ Like the enemies-to-lovers trope
✨ Want a one-sitting read
April 17, 2020
Es muy dulce y cómico, sin embargo eso no le impide profundizar en sus personajes, haciendo que la obra destaque en su género.
Por su parte, Yukino y Arima hacen un contraste muy interesante entre sí, sobre todo al mostrar la "doble cara" que poseen.
Las apariencias engañan, aplica muy bien para ambos, aunque lo hagan (consiente o inconsientemente) y con distinto propósito, sigue siendo un aspecto original para un shojo.
P.D. Tiene mucho potencial y de verdad espero disfrutarlo.
Por su parte, Yukino y Arima hacen un contraste muy interesante entre sí, sobre todo al mostrar la "doble cara" que poseen.
Las apariencias engañan, aplica muy bien para ambos, aunque lo hagan (consiente o inconsientemente) y con distinto propósito, sigue siendo un aspecto original para un shojo.
P.D. Tiene mucho potencial y de verdad espero disfrutarlo.
July 23, 2020
Not reviewing all the volumes cause it’s been a while since I read them so this is basically my review for the whole manga!
I didn’t like the ending(the whole thing with their daughter and their best friend who could as well be her father) like....why...just why.....
I didn’t like the ending(the whole thing with their daughter and their best friend who could as well be her father) like....why...just why.....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2018
Oh my god. I want to punch that guy in the face.
February 13, 2022
Anime nostalgia 😍
July 22, 2022
my beloved
April 19, 2025
im scared i know something dodgy happens
Read
October 24, 2018The book Kare Kano by Masami Tsuda is a romantic comedy manga. The book is set in a japanese high school. It is about a girl named Yukino Miyagawa and she has the perfect grades, is the most popular, and is one of the most beautiful girl in school. But what happens when it is just an act and a boy comes along and ruins it all.
This boy is named Soichiro Arima he is smart, helpful, is insanely smart, and is stealing her spot and ruining her reputation. No matter how hard she tries he still one-ups her in everything. Then something happens she never thought would… she likes him. So they start hanging out together and he sees her out of her ‘perfect’ persona and uses this to his advantage. Telling her he will expose her if she doesn’t do his work. She does it because she doesn’t want anyone to know her secret.
I really love this book because one, the art is amazing. Two, the writing really emerses you. Three, it is really funny. Four, it gives a good message in the end. The main audience is probably teen to young adults. It is probably girls mostly but a boy would enjoy this book to. I feels it mostly younger girls because it is a bit childish and it is a romantic comedy. Younger girls are more likely to be attracted to a romantic comedy book than an older male. I also do not know many adults that read manga either. Overall it is a good book and i would recommend it.
This boy is named Soichiro Arima he is smart, helpful, is insanely smart, and is stealing her spot and ruining her reputation. No matter how hard she tries he still one-ups her in everything. Then something happens she never thought would… she likes him. So they start hanging out together and he sees her out of her ‘perfect’ persona and uses this to his advantage. Telling her he will expose her if she doesn’t do his work. She does it because she doesn’t want anyone to know her secret.
I really love this book because one, the art is amazing. Two, the writing really emerses you. Three, it is really funny. Four, it gives a good message in the end. The main audience is probably teen to young adults. It is probably girls mostly but a boy would enjoy this book to. I feels it mostly younger girls because it is a bit childish and it is a romantic comedy. Younger girls are more likely to be attracted to a romantic comedy book than an older male. I also do not know many adults that read manga either. Overall it is a good book and i would recommend it.
August 18, 2017
I first read the first few books of this series at University, and prior to a clearout felt a final re-read (and new read of the later books) was in order.
Miyazawa & Arima are the top two students in their school, being able to juggle anything they need to do - school council, homework, academic studies, sport - but Miyazawa is jealous of Arima's success. When she beats him in the school rankings though they soon find that they are both human and have more in common than they thought.
This is a nice simple Romantic Comedy, and not something I would normally read in 'western' literature, but reading manga allows me to change my normal genre and this is no exception. Nice fun collection starting off the story.
Miyazawa & Arima are the top two students in their school, being able to juggle anything they need to do - school council, homework, academic studies, sport - but Miyazawa is jealous of Arima's success. When she beats him in the school rankings though they soon find that they are both human and have more in common than they thought.
This is a nice simple Romantic Comedy, and not something I would normally read in 'western' literature, but reading manga allows me to change my normal genre and this is no exception. Nice fun collection starting off the story.
May 25, 2015
I really enjoyed seeing this girl come out of her shell! I wish it were that easy to flip a switch and be yourself in from of people - its more a compulsion that people understand. While only 3 chapters I like the turn of events that developed this secret between the characters.
I identified with how Yokino wanted to be all put together in from of her classmates and all laid back at home with her sisters. I also understood how Soichiro felt he had to be perfect to show his uncle and aunt whom took on the role of parents for him that he won't betray them like his real parents did.
BOTTOM LINE: Intrigued by this couple.
I identified with how Yokino wanted to be all put together in from of her classmates and all laid back at home with her sisters. I also understood how Soichiro felt he had to be perfect to show his uncle and aunt whom took on the role of parents for him that he won't betray them like his real parents did.
BOTTOM LINE: Intrigued by this couple.
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