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Twinkle Stars #1
Twinkle Stars, Vol. 1
Sakuya Shiina lives with Kanade, her male cousin and foster parent. In times of pain and sadness, she's always taken comfort in looking up at the stars. One day, a mysterious boy suddenly shows up at Sakuya's house for her birthday. He leaves her with kind words, but she has no idea who he is!
All she has to go on is his name--Chihiro! Not one to let that deter her, she sets out in search of him with the reluctant help of her two best friends, Yuuri and Sei. Everyone says that Sakuya should just forget him, but she's oddly drawn to the curious boy. Then, a twist of fate allows them to meet once more! Will this meeting bring them closer together...or will the feelings between these lone stars remain forever in the dark?
All she has to go on is his name--Chihiro! Not one to let that deter her, she sets out in search of him with the reluctant help of her two best friends, Yuuri and Sei. Everyone says that Sakuya should just forget him, but she's oddly drawn to the curious boy. Then, a twist of fate allows them to meet once more! Will this meeting bring them closer together...or will the feelings between these lone stars remain forever in the dark?
390 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 2016
6 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Natsuki Takaya
153 books2,701 followersName (in native language) : 高屋奈月
Natsuki Takaya (高屋 奈月 Takaya Natsuki, real name Naka Hatake) is the penname of a Japanese manga artist best-known for creating the series Fruits Basket. She was born on July 7, 1973; (Tanabata). Takaya is left-handed and once revealed that she wanted to be a mangaka since first grade, when her sister started drawing.
She was born in Shizuoka, Japan, but was raised in Tokyo, where she made her debut in 1992. She enjoys video games such as the Final Fantasy series or Sakura Wars, or working on her different manga series, such as Fruits Basket, which is the second best-selling shōjo manga ever in Japan, and the top selling shōjo manga in North America. Fruits Basket has also been adapted into a twenty-six-episode anime series.
In 2001, Takaya received a Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga for Fruits Basket.
According to Takaya (in a sidebar of a Fruits Basket manga volume), she enjoys drawing girls (girly ones) more than she does boys. Takaya also enjoys electronics and music, but dislikes talking about herself. Also revealed in a sidebar of Fruits Basket, Takaya broke her drawing arm (left) after Fruits Basket volume six was published. She had to go into surgery, and as a result, had put Fruits Basket on a brief hiatus. Takaya made a full recovery, but complains that her handwriting had gotten uglier, due to the surgery. During her hospital stay, she gained an interest in baseball.
Natsuki Takaya (高屋 奈月 Takaya Natsuki, real name Naka Hatake) is the penname of a Japanese manga artist best-known for creating the series Fruits Basket. She was born on July 7, 1973; (Tanabata). Takaya is left-handed and once revealed that she wanted to be a mangaka since first grade, when her sister started drawing.
She was born in Shizuoka, Japan, but was raised in Tokyo, where she made her debut in 1992. She enjoys video games such as the Final Fantasy series or Sakura Wars, or working on her different manga series, such as Fruits Basket, which is the second best-selling shōjo manga ever in Japan, and the top selling shōjo manga in North America. Fruits Basket has also been adapted into a twenty-six-episode anime series.
In 2001, Takaya received a Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga for Fruits Basket.
According to Takaya (in a sidebar of a Fruits Basket manga volume), she enjoys drawing girls (girly ones) more than she does boys. Takaya also enjoys electronics and music, but dislikes talking about herself. Also revealed in a sidebar of Fruits Basket, Takaya broke her drawing arm (left) after Fruits Basket volume six was published. She had to go into surgery, and as a result, had put Fruits Basket on a brief hiatus. Takaya made a full recovery, but complains that her handwriting had gotten uglier, due to the surgery. During her hospital stay, she gained an interest in baseball.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 10, 2021
Well, this was a big bummer! I loved Fruits Basket so much but this one not so much. 😕. I was looking forward to getting the series but glad I started with just the one edition! They have beautiful covers and some beautiful art but .....
Oh well
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Oh well
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 30, 2018
1.5 stars
*sigh* I was really disappointed with this. And I mean REALLY. I don’t want to spend too long discussing it but in a nutshell, a girl who is given a birthday present by a stranger, falls in love with him (despite not knowing anything about him), and despite him being polite to her on her birthday, is a complete asshole to her throughout the rest of the book!! I mean he is such a douche - it’s unbelievable. He tells her he hates her (for no reason at all) and she spends the rest of the book trying to figure out why and befriend him!!!
Ugh! Terrible story and the word balloons are a real pain in the ass (not sure which order you’re supposed to read them in as they float all around the page). The only thing I liked was the art but nice artwork cannot make up for an awful plot. I can’t believe the same author who wrote this, wrote one of my favourite mangas - Fruits Basket!
One to avoid.
*sigh* I was really disappointed with this. And I mean REALLY. I don’t want to spend too long discussing it but in a nutshell, a girl who is given a birthday present by a stranger, falls in love with him (despite not knowing anything about him), and despite him being polite to her on her birthday, is a complete asshole to her throughout the rest of the book!! I mean he is such a douche - it’s unbelievable. He tells her he hates her (for no reason at all) and she spends the rest of the book trying to figure out why and befriend him!!!
Ugh! Terrible story and the word balloons are a real pain in the ass (not sure which order you’re supposed to read them in as they float all around the page). The only thing I liked was the art but nice artwork cannot make up for an awful plot. I can’t believe the same author who wrote this, wrote one of my favourite mangas - Fruits Basket!
One to avoid.
August 18, 2018
This is one of those shojo titles that wears me out. The lead character just drones on and on in an angsty fashion as she fixates on a mysterious boy who acts strangely. Yadda yadda yadda. And the creator sprays word balloons and narration captions across the page in a scattershot fashion, letting them cross over and under each other, each containing only a few words and an infinite number of ellipses. Tracking a complete sentence over a couple pages and three or four word balloons is just plain tiresome.
I could barely finish this volume. I am certainly not reading any more of the series.
I could barely finish this volume. I am certainly not reading any more of the series.
February 28, 2018
Overall the start of another cute story, but also makes me feel like I'm starting to get too old for shojo - mostly I kept getting annoyed at this idea that a girl falls for a guy who is a total jerk to her and who keeps jerking her around. I also found it really distracting at first that the mangaka's art style is exactly the same as it was in Fruits Basket - her characters mostly look exactly like characters from her other series. Fortunately by the end of this volume, that was less of an issue, but it was throwing me off quite a bit at first. Cute story, I may or may not continue with this one!
April 25, 2019
This was a massively slow read for me. I tend to binge mangas, but the omnibus version together with Takaya’s slow narrative style made for such a slow and boring read. There’s not much going on here outside of the girl protagonist searching for long lost acquaintance and having a passion for stargazing. The simple and poignant writing style found in fruits basket is not here.
November 28, 2017
This English omnibus covers chapters one through eleven, so I believe that would be volumes one through three of the Japanese manga.
Natsuki Takaya excels at capturing emotion and scene with simple lines; straightforward, natural inner and external dialogue; and beautiful, minimalist up-close movement. This new series doesn't disappoint.
The story itself makes me curious; I want to know more about each character. So far, there is a cast of three friends, one antagonist, and several strong secondaries, such as two family members and a (near-blind?) teacher. Everyone is an individual; I'm intrigued about everyone's story. So far, there's nothing to confirm the story is magical realism. So far, it's realism with hints of magic.
Lots of mystery! And strong potential for emotional growth for all the characters.
Occasionally, the story drags a bit, or perhaps the mystery is a bit stretched at each stage. The pace could be picked up.
Natsuki Takaya excels at capturing emotion and scene with simple lines; straightforward, natural inner and external dialogue; and beautiful, minimalist up-close movement. This new series doesn't disappoint.
The story itself makes me curious; I want to know more about each character. So far, there is a cast of three friends, one antagonist, and several strong secondaries, such as two family members and a (near-blind?) teacher. Everyone is an individual; I'm intrigued about everyone's story. So far, there's nothing to confirm the story is magical realism. So far, it's realism with hints of magic.
Lots of mystery! And strong potential for emotional growth for all the characters.
Occasionally, the story drags a bit, or perhaps the mystery is a bit stretched at each stage. The pace could be picked up.
May 21, 2019
3.5 stars 🌟
October 13, 2020
Quite slow, though it is only the first two volumes.
January 11, 2019
**I have the whole series in omnibus format, so this is technically a review for volumes 1 and 2.**
Fruits Basket is one of my favorite manga series ever (disregarding that garbage anime completely). That being said, I didn't go into this trying to compare Twinkle Stars to Furuba. I just wanted to enjoy it as another work by Takaya-sensei.
I don't feel like the same storytelling that I loved in Furuba is found here. Honestly, a lot of the dialogue and scenes were kind of jarring, and there are way too many speech bubbles within a single panel without any kind of indication of who is speaking by using the bubble's tail. Usually you can figure it out, but the use of ellipses was also way overdone, so some pages were scattered with unidentified, dragged out, repetitive dialogue.
Sakuya repeats herself...a lot. Any time she speaks, she says the same thing three times over before she gets anything else out. She's a good kid but she's also really obsessive, which was almost annoying. I'm not at all new to manga and the way characters act when they have feelings for someone, but her behavior after meeting Chihiro was kind of ridiculous, especially when she met him again and he was a complete jerk. Then the whole, dropping in the first volume when she knew literally nothing about him but his first name and had barely even interacted with him.
I just can't really describe it well. Something about it is off for me. I think it was a combination of pacing, odd decisions with dialogue/bubbles and plot points, Sakuya's obsessiveness and being obnoxious about it, repetitive monologues about why the stars are so great, and other characters being overly mysterious. I'm not typically this hyper-critical of a main character, and I don't DISLIKE Saku, but she's not particularly lovable to me at this point.
As for the artwork, I've always loved Takaya's art, though distinguishing between some of the male characters with the same hair color can be difficult because their faces tend to all look the same. There was one jerk character in a scene with shaded (not black) hair, and I thought he was a different character (who was friends with Yuuri) at first. So I was confused as to why he was suddenly being a jerk to Saku.
I have the whole series now, which is why I'm finally reading it. I'm still going to move forward with it and hope it gets better.
Fruits Basket is one of my favorite manga series ever (disregarding that garbage anime completely). That being said, I didn't go into this trying to compare Twinkle Stars to Furuba. I just wanted to enjoy it as another work by Takaya-sensei.
I don't feel like the same storytelling that I loved in Furuba is found here. Honestly, a lot of the dialogue and scenes were kind of jarring, and there are way too many speech bubbles within a single panel without any kind of indication of who is speaking by using the bubble's tail. Usually you can figure it out, but the use of ellipses was also way overdone, so some pages were scattered with unidentified, dragged out, repetitive dialogue.
Sakuya repeats herself...a lot. Any time she speaks, she says the same thing three times over before she gets anything else out. She's a good kid but she's also really obsessive, which was almost annoying. I'm not at all new to manga and the way characters act when they have feelings for someone, but her behavior after meeting Chihiro was kind of ridiculous, especially when she met him again and he was a complete jerk. Then the whole, dropping in the first volume when she knew literally nothing about him but his first name and had barely even interacted with him.
I just can't really describe it well. Something about it is off for me. I think it was a combination of pacing, odd decisions with dialogue/bubbles and plot points, Sakuya's obsessiveness and being obnoxious about it, repetitive monologues about why the stars are so great, and other characters being overly mysterious. I'm not typically this hyper-critical of a main character, and I don't DISLIKE Saku, but she's not particularly lovable to me at this point.
As for the artwork, I've always loved Takaya's art, though distinguishing between some of the male characters with the same hair color can be difficult because their faces tend to all look the same. There was one jerk character in a scene with shaded (not black) hair, and I thought he was a different character (who was friends with Yuuri) at first. So I was confused as to why he was suddenly being a jerk to Saku.
I have the whole series now, which is why I'm finally reading it. I'm still going to move forward with it and hope it gets better.
September 17, 2020
I reread this because I'd forgotten everything about it except its romantic leads' first major interaction, even though it was only a year ago. In my defense, the characters are very close to Fruits Basket's, or are types/tropes I've seen many times in shoujo manga, such as Sei. The storyline is slow-moving and predictable. My general impression from my first reading (below the *) hasn't changed. It's decent enough to mellow out to, and having more of Takaya's manga to read is nice, but it's nothing I'd especially recommend as long as FB is still in print.
*
If I hadn't read a couple of Takaya's other series before this, it might have gotten another star; having that background, it's pretty obvious to me that both the leads and the rest of the manga will be spent revealing the details of that. Hopefully Saku falling for Chihiro will make more sense, because as of now he just comes across as a hot-and-cold-running jerk.
"More of the same" isn't a bad thing in this case. This series looks like it will be a quick and cozy read, with a few details about constellations along the way.
*
If I hadn't read a couple of Takaya's other series before this, it might have gotten another star; having that background, it's pretty obvious to me that both the leads and the rest of the manga will be spent revealing the details of that. Hopefully Saku falling for Chihiro will make more sense, because as of now he just comes across as a hot-and-cold-running jerk.
"More of the same" isn't a bad thing in this case. This series looks like it will be a quick and cozy read, with a few details about constellations along the way.
February 8, 2017
The storyline and especially surrounding the character Chihiro was mysterious and kept me wanting to read on to find out more. However maybe it was my adjusting to how to read this particular manga but it felt like it jumped around quite a bit which made it a little confusing for me to follow along with what was happening sometimes.
Chihiro eventually started treating Sakuya horribly and I wanted to smack him so hard and ask him why he was being so ridiculously and unreasonably mean!
I liked Sakuya's friends and how they love her for who she is and stand up for her. And the significance of the stars in this manga is whimsical. I hope to learn more about Sakuya's cousin in the upcoming volumes and find out more of why Chihiro is being the way he is. I also feel like I will grow to love Sakuya more as the story goes on.
But until then, I've given this book three stars for a good start to the series.
Chihiro eventually started treating Sakuya horribly and I wanted to smack him so hard and ask him why he was being so ridiculously and unreasonably mean!
I liked Sakuya's friends and how they love her for who she is and stand up for her. And the significance of the stars in this manga is whimsical. I hope to learn more about Sakuya's cousin in the upcoming volumes and find out more of why Chihiro is being the way he is. I also feel like I will grow to love Sakuya more as the story goes on.
But until then, I've given this book three stars for a good start to the series.
November 3, 2018
Another story about men who treat a woman abusively and are loved, accepted, and idolized by her because/in spite of it. Whatever the main character's reasons or rationale, the message this sends to impressionable young readers bothers me. First time in awhile I felt like trying to read a book was a complete waste of my time.
June 22, 2019
I really enjoyed this. I love Takaya's art style, and the story is both lighthearted, cute, and emotional. I'm looking forward to continuing this
April 7, 2023
As a fruits basket fan, I simply had to check out Takaya's other works and this did not disappoint. The starting was a little bumpy as I got used to the new characters and the mundane rural setting of this world but I think that's true for all manga so I'm gonna cut it some slack there.
The art style is so clean and gorgeous, I simply cannot help but stare at some of the more beautiful pages especially the ones with the night sky. As a fan of stars myself, I absolutely love the idea of a star appreciation club and would have joined in a heartbeat.
And as usual Takaya has done a great job making all her characters feel so three dimensional, I'm surprised they aren't real. There is just something so mesmerizing about the way Takaya deals with parental abuse and found-family, I never cry for characters this easily but I have shed more tears for the fruits basket cast than all the other manga series combined (granted I'm very new to the manga scene). Anyway I'm hoping to form deep attachments with the Twinkle Stars cast soon too.
The art style is so clean and gorgeous, I simply cannot help but stare at some of the more beautiful pages especially the ones with the night sky. As a fan of stars myself, I absolutely love the idea of a star appreciation club and would have joined in a heartbeat.
And as usual Takaya has done a great job making all her characters feel so three dimensional, I'm surprised they aren't real. There is just something so mesmerizing about the way Takaya deals with parental abuse and found-family, I never cry for characters this easily but I have shed more tears for the fruits basket cast than all the other manga series combined (granted I'm very new to the manga scene). Anyway I'm hoping to form deep attachments with the Twinkle Stars cast soon too.
December 3, 2019
Twinkle Stars is interesting. It's slow, and its characters are messy in the slightly-more-messy-than-is-normal-for-humans way I know Takaya-sensei for in past series like Fruits Basket. This one is more down-to-earth than Fruits Basket and Liselotte & Witch's Forest as well, so the characters, even though they actually seem more toned-down here, seem to be a little more odd by comparison to their environment.
I have no idea what's going on in this one, but that's okay. I'm enjoying it regardless.
I have no idea what's going on in this one, but that's okay. I'm enjoying it regardless.
December 24, 2022
Loved it!
July 9, 2018
I found Twinkle Stars volume one very entertaining. The story is simple and character driven. It focus mostly in the characters' relationships with one another. I am interested in their growth throughout the series. The main character, Sakuya Shiina is an adorable character that reminds me a little of Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket, but Sakuya confronts people more than Tohru does. She also has anxiety that results from an incident from her past. The other characters are all unique and interesting, and they will definitely play a bigger role in the story as it continues in future volumes. These characters also has similar character design from the managaka previous work, but they have different personalities. I love the art style. It reminds me so much of Fruits Basket, which is my favorite manga series, but Natsuki Takaya's skills have improve greatly.
The romance in this volume is developing in a slow pace, which I enjoy The main couple interactions with one another is difficult, but that what makes the romance more intriguing. It seems like there will be a teacher and student relationship. It's not develop yet, but it is hinted at. I know some will be turned off by this relationship, the characters are third years in high school who are mostly seventeen or eighteen years old. The teacher seem to be quite young, and if the relationship is done right, the characters will probably end up together when the student graduates first. Overall, really enjoy reading this manga, and I hope to enjoy and love the second volume. I rate this 4 out of 5 stars.
The romance in this volume is developing in a slow pace, which I enjoy The main couple interactions with one another is difficult, but that what makes the romance more intriguing. It seems like there will be a teacher and student relationship. It's not develop yet, but it is hinted at. I know some will be turned off by this relationship, the characters are third years in high school who are mostly seventeen or eighteen years old. The teacher seem to be quite young, and if the relationship is done right, the characters will probably end up together when the student graduates first. Overall, really enjoy reading this manga, and I hope to enjoy and love the second volume. I rate this 4 out of 5 stars.
April 4, 2020
A high school romance manga. Do I really need to say more? Ummm...
Saku is living with her elder cousin, Kanade, as her parents have deserted her. When she's feeling blue, she watches the stars. On her birthday, neither of her friends can spend the day with her and she has to work herself. After work, she heads home only to find out a young man is visiting her cousin. She figures he's a friend of Kanade; the young man, Chihiro, told Kanade he was Saku's boyfriend - neither of which is true. What's odd is Chihiro even has a birthday gift for Saku - a pink dress. And Chihiro seems to know everything that Saku is going through and admires her for it. Then he disappears, leaving Saku wondering if he was a star come down to the Earth.
When she returns to school next day, she drafts her two friends, Sei and Yuuri, to help her find Chihiro but no one is able to locate him, at least until some time has passed and a new student shows up at their school. Of course that student is Chihiro but he is very different from the person Saku met at her house. He's very cold to her, and when he speaks to her later, Chihiro tells Saku he hates her and wants nothing to do with her. But Sei won't stand for that and kind of coerces Chihiro into attending Saku's presentation on their club, the Star Appreciation Club. When Saku starts flubbing her speech, the attendees mock her and Chihiro reacts strangely, for someone who claims to hate her.
A sweet story so far and I pretty much know what's going to happen because...high school romance manga. But I'm looking forward to reading more.
Saku is living with her elder cousin, Kanade, as her parents have deserted her. When she's feeling blue, she watches the stars. On her birthday, neither of her friends can spend the day with her and she has to work herself. After work, she heads home only to find out a young man is visiting her cousin. She figures he's a friend of Kanade; the young man, Chihiro, told Kanade he was Saku's boyfriend - neither of which is true. What's odd is Chihiro even has a birthday gift for Saku - a pink dress. And Chihiro seems to know everything that Saku is going through and admires her for it. Then he disappears, leaving Saku wondering if he was a star come down to the Earth.
When she returns to school next day, she drafts her two friends, Sei and Yuuri, to help her find Chihiro but no one is able to locate him, at least until some time has passed and a new student shows up at their school. Of course that student is Chihiro but he is very different from the person Saku met at her house. He's very cold to her, and when he speaks to her later, Chihiro tells Saku he hates her and wants nothing to do with her. But Sei won't stand for that and kind of coerces Chihiro into attending Saku's presentation on their club, the Star Appreciation Club. When Saku starts flubbing her speech, the attendees mock her and Chihiro reacts strangely, for someone who claims to hate her.
A sweet story so far and I pretty much know what's going to happen because...high school romance manga. But I'm looking forward to reading more.
November 2, 2019
Just finished my second time through this series (first time was in English and the second in Japanese)
I really enjoy the writing style/artistic narration that the author employs. She gets to the heart of the characters, their fears and desires, more authentically than most Shojo authors. I can definitely see how people might find the main character a bit dull, but I think the entire manga falls much more into the”slice of life” genre than Fruits Basket did.
My favorite aspect of the manga is the friendships between the main characters. They support each other but also are willing to disagree/argue/speak up. I also thought that the story avoided a lot of cliches that could have been there (although it is definitely guilty of quite a few.) altogether I think it deals well with emotional scars and dependency on other people (both healthy and unhealthy.)
My biggest criticism is that it’s clearly meant to be longer than it turned out. 11 volumes flesh out the main characters, but it’s evident that the author intended to include more depth to the side characters and develop the ending more.
A nice read with some really genuine moments, but I still think it loses to Fruits Basket.
I really enjoy the writing style/artistic narration that the author employs. She gets to the heart of the characters, their fears and desires, more authentically than most Shojo authors. I can definitely see how people might find the main character a bit dull, but I think the entire manga falls much more into the”slice of life” genre than Fruits Basket did.
My favorite aspect of the manga is the friendships between the main characters. They support each other but also are willing to disagree/argue/speak up. I also thought that the story avoided a lot of cliches that could have been there (although it is definitely guilty of quite a few.) altogether I think it deals well with emotional scars and dependency on other people (both healthy and unhealthy.)
My biggest criticism is that it’s clearly meant to be longer than it turned out. 11 volumes flesh out the main characters, but it’s evident that the author intended to include more depth to the side characters and develop the ending more.
A nice read with some really genuine moments, but I still think it loses to Fruits Basket.
December 21, 2022
Okay first of all, like everyone else, I love Fruits Basket. So it's hard not to compare this to that but I'll try not to. This omnibus version has Vol 1 and 2 in it.
Things I liked:
- the art style is gorgeous, honestly Natsuki Takaya always makes very beautiful art
- I do like the prose
- it's funny and cute and sweet
- vol 2 is much better and really picks up more
Things I'm not a fan of:
- it's a bit boring, takes some time to pick up and vol 1 is slow and paced weird
- I know there will be some sort of twist but I don't like how Chihiro is just a dick for no reason? And Saku literally saying she loves him after like 1 interaction is strange to me.
Conclusion:
- I can't judge the entire series just yet and I do want to read more (I have omnibus 2 and 3 at home as well)
- I think it's paced a little strangely but I do like the foreshadowing, art and prose so hopefully it keeps the pace up in the following volumes
3/5
Things I liked:
- the art style is gorgeous, honestly Natsuki Takaya always makes very beautiful art
- I do like the prose
- it's funny and cute and sweet
- vol 2 is much better and really picks up more
Things I'm not a fan of:
- it's a bit boring, takes some time to pick up and vol 1 is slow and paced weird
- I know there will be some sort of twist but I don't like how Chihiro is just a dick for no reason? And Saku literally saying she loves him after like 1 interaction is strange to me.
Conclusion:
- I can't judge the entire series just yet and I do want to read more (I have omnibus 2 and 3 at home as well)
- I think it's paced a little strangely but I do like the foreshadowing, art and prose so hopefully it keeps the pace up in the following volumes
3/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2020
2020 Read #141
You know there’s a problem right off the bat if you buy a manga and it takes you three years to sit down and finish the whole thing. Maybe I can blame it on my dislike of omnibus volumes, but reading through the first collection of Twinkle Stars was harder than it should have been. The series lacks the charm of Takaya’s best-known series Fruits Basket while also having some of the flaws that stood out in FB. Eccentric characters are a Takaya staple, but here they move in such bizarre ways that you never really get to the heart of what makes them “human” instead of fictional caricatures. I’ve made it my goal to finish the entire series this year, though, so we’ll see what I think of the series as a whole as I read through it.
You know there’s a problem right off the bat if you buy a manga and it takes you three years to sit down and finish the whole thing. Maybe I can blame it on my dislike of omnibus volumes, but reading through the first collection of Twinkle Stars was harder than it should have been. The series lacks the charm of Takaya’s best-known series Fruits Basket while also having some of the flaws that stood out in FB. Eccentric characters are a Takaya staple, but here they move in such bizarre ways that you never really get to the heart of what makes them “human” instead of fictional caricatures. I’ve made it my goal to finish the entire series this year, though, so we’ll see what I think of the series as a whole as I read through it.
January 25, 2023
This review is about the whole series. Although I rated the first omnibus 3-stars, the series gets a 4-star rating overall.
The series starts off slow. By the end of the first omnibus, I was mildly interested in continuing but uncertain what I thought of the story. I also wasn't certain where the story was going. The first omnibus would be the first two volumes of the 11 book series.
Once I hit omnibus two and then three, I was hooked and enjoying the story. This series is more drama than humor, but their are characters who bring the humor when needed. Overall, this is an engaging story that focuses on the characters' personal stories. I enjoyed getting to know all these characters, even if everything didn't quite end up how I hoped, but I am probably in the minority here. My favorite character didn't get the ending I was hoping for, but still had a satisfactory conclusion.
I highly recommend this series if you are a fan of Natsuki Takaya's work. It doesn't have quite the comedic charm as Fruits Basket; however, the deep themes that Fruits Basket is known for are in this series as well. The characters are well fleshed out and memorable.
The series starts off slow. By the end of the first omnibus, I was mildly interested in continuing but uncertain what I thought of the story. I also wasn't certain where the story was going. The first omnibus would be the first two volumes of the 11 book series.
Once I hit omnibus two and then three, I was hooked and enjoying the story. This series is more drama than humor, but their are characters who bring the humor when needed. Overall, this is an engaging story that focuses on the characters' personal stories. I enjoyed getting to know all these characters, even if everything didn't quite end up how I hoped, but I am probably in the minority here. My favorite character didn't get the ending I was hoping for, but still had a satisfactory conclusion.
I highly recommend this series if you are a fan of Natsuki Takaya's work. It doesn't have quite the comedic charm as Fruits Basket; however, the deep themes that Fruits Basket is known for are in this series as well. The characters are well fleshed out and memorable.
June 26, 2021
“Is it that funny when something easy for you…isn’t easy at all for someone else?”
That really resonated with me.
So far, I’m captivated by this story. I’m convinced that Chihiro knew Sakuya in the past….
I already know that I’m going to cry a lot like I did with Fruits Basket. Natsuki Takaya really likes to dig deep in her character’s dark pasts…
** I’m also convinced that anyone who left this first volume a bad review didn’t give it a chance??? It takes some time to get to know someone and it’s obvious that Chihiro had some childhood trauma in his past. And Sakuya must remind him of someone… Hence, why he’s trying to keep her at arms length….
That really resonated with me.
So far, I’m captivated by this story. I’m convinced that Chihiro knew Sakuya in the past….
I already know that I’m going to cry a lot like I did with Fruits Basket. Natsuki Takaya really likes to dig deep in her character’s dark pasts…
** I’m also convinced that anyone who left this first volume a bad review didn’t give it a chance??? It takes some time to get to know someone and it’s obvious that Chihiro had some childhood trauma in his past. And Sakuya must remind him of someone… Hence, why he’s trying to keep her at arms length….
October 7, 2017
So I was worried about starting this series. After I loved Fruits Basket and all of the characters, I didn't want to be disappointed with this new book by the same author. And after reading this first volume, I am... Meh. I don't know, I think I like the book, but the plot hasn't really taken off yet. I know the next volume is going to reveal more about the characters and this is what I am excited for. Overall, it was alright.
March 19, 2021
4 stars. It was a bit slow at the beginning but it’s extremely cute. It has all the faults of shoujo manga, but i still loved it.
The tipycal cute, oblivious heroin falling in love with the tsundere boy, and they both have some messed up pasts that hasn’t been revealed yet. I am
Looking forward to Vol.2.
Also, it’s been a while I read manga but it is a really good comeback to this genre for me.
The tipycal cute, oblivious heroin falling in love with the tsundere boy, and they both have some messed up pasts that hasn’t been revealed yet. I am
Looking forward to Vol.2.
Also, it’s been a while I read manga but it is a really good comeback to this genre for me.
January 29, 2022
Kinda Boring
by Barbara Kelsey
I bought the first volume of this series because it was by Natsuki Takaya, the creator of the Fruits Basket series, which I absolutely loved. Let me tell you, this is definitely not Fruits Basket. I could not even relate to any of the characters in Twinkle Stars. I definitely won't buy anymore of this series. I gave this volume 2 stars because it was boring. However, if you want to read an excellent series, then please check out Fruits Basket.
by Barbara Kelsey
I bought the first volume of this series because it was by Natsuki Takaya, the creator of the Fruits Basket series, which I absolutely loved. Let me tell you, this is definitely not Fruits Basket. I could not even relate to any of the characters in Twinkle Stars. I definitely won't buy anymore of this series. I gave this volume 2 stars because it was boring. However, if you want to read an excellent series, then please check out Fruits Basket.
December 7, 2017
Ok. Had a hard time getting to know the main characters. I kept getting people confused for the first couple of chapters. Then I didn't understand why Sakuya is obsessed with Chihiro. He runs hot and cold, hugs her and then tells her that he hates her. ??? Very frustrating.
I am going to read volume 2 to see if it gets any better but I have a feeling this series will not be a favorite.
I am going to read volume 2 to see if it gets any better but I have a feeling this series will not be a favorite.
February 7, 2018
I really wanted to like this story because I love Natsuki Takaya's art, but the tale is rather disjointed and lacks the charm of her previous series. If you think this is another Fruits Basket, you will be sorely disappointed. It rather reminds me more of the "Student Council" sections in Furuba, which I often skipped over in my early reading of that series.
May 19, 2018
Loved this manga! The characters were interesting, the plot was great, and it definitely made me want to continue reading. The thing I found most addicting about this manga is that it has a romantic, wimsical feel but adds a twinge of sadness in each character that makes you want to know more about them. On an enjoyment level it wasn't quite a 5 but it was definitely very very close.
March 7, 2022
This is the only volume I have; there are more but I would not have bought them even had I read this right away.
The story involves a sweet, open, naive girl and the cruel people who surround her. Maybe if I read on, the source of their cruelty would be revealed and all would end happily. I don't care; this story is too much of a downer.
The story involves a sweet, open, naive girl and the cruel people who surround her. Maybe if I read on, the source of their cruelty would be revealed and all would end happily. I don't care; this story is too much of a downer.
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