Mint Na Bokura, Tome 02

ミントな僕ら [Mint na Bokura] #2

by Wataru Yoshizumi

Les deux jumeaux Maria et Noeru ont toujours vécu ensemble et sont très liés. Lorsque Maria entre à l'école Morinomiya pour les beaux yeux du coach de son club de basket, Noeru, qui refuse de se séparer de sa soeur, décide d'aller dans le même établissement. Malheureusement, il ne reste plus aucune place pour les garçons. Il décide donc de se faire passer pour une fille !Mais la vie en primaire n'est pas facile quand on doit constamment jouer la comédie ! Surtout quand Noeru tombe rapidement amoureux de Miyu, une camarade de classe, alors qu'il est lui même courtisé par un autre élève. Wataru Yoshizumi concocte une histoire délicieusement drôle et cocasse, avec le talent et la sensibilité qui l'ont déjà rendu célèbre à travers le monde.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Comics, Shojo, Komik, Young Adult, Humor

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 1998

About the author

Wataru Yoshizumi (吉住渉) is a Japanese mangaka. She was born as Mari Nakai (中井 真里, Nakai Mari) on June 18, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated with a degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University.

Yoshizumi started her career as a mangaka while working as an office lady. Her debut manga was a yomikiri (short story) called "Radical Romance" that was published in 1984, in the summer issue of Ribon Original. She is known as a social mangaka, and is a good friend of fellow mangakas Naoko Takeuchi, Ai Yazawa, Miho Obana, and Megumi Mizusawa.

Yoshizumi currently (as of 2007) has her works published in both Ribon and Chorus.

Reviews

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for complete series



The twins Noel and Maria are inseparable - or so Noel thought. He feels betrayed when his sister Maria decides to attend a boarding school to follow a boy she has fallen in love with. Now there is nothing for it but to follow her - the only problem: the boys' dormitory is full.

Mint Na Bokura, or Peppermint Twins, fails as a romance but shines as a comedy. While I often feel as though one needs to cast aside a bit of disbelief in order to enjoy manga, this one is really pushing my limits. Some of the things that happen in this series just seem so out there that it almost made me wonder whether this is a parody.

Noel and Maria look identical - all it takes for Noel to pass as a girl is to wear a wig. I find it hard to swallow that Maria (14) would go to a boarding school to pursue a guy she met once - and even more so the fact that her parents are ok with that. However, the boarding school's director being ok with, and even encouraging, Noel to pose as a girl and live in the girls' dorm is beyond me! What kind of school director would allow or even suggest such a thing?

And then there is the romance. Maria, who although willing to go to a boarding school to follow her loved one, seems to have as many boyfriends or crushes as this series has volumes. She never seems serious about anyone and agrees to relationships just out of sheer happiness that she's been asked out. It actually made it really difficult to appreciate her character. However, to be fair, she is a kind girl and does start to realise that her interest in boys seems all over the place and learns from it. And I suppose it isn't the most unusual thing for a 14-year old.

Other characters seem much more consistent about whom they like. But not one of the couple constellations really works for me. Every form of 'feeling' in this series feels very platonic - I can't relate to what they see in one another other than getting along. The only time when I thought one could actually see some 'romance' was when Sasa, Noel's best friend, develops feelings for Noel before realising he's a guy.

However! Although I've had a go at this series for lack of romance and awkward setup - it passes as an awesome comedy! I had to laugh out loud several times, which is unusual for me when reading. Between the many misunderstandings over Noel's gender, his friendship/romance with Sasa and his seemingly tomboyish behaviour - this is just a great series if you need a laugh.

I find Yoshizumi's art to be at its best. She even draws male characters in a way that I like them - in fact, I might say Sasa is my favourite character both in terms of personality and design. The chibis and comedic scenes are just wonderful; the knowing expressions on characters' faces of who are let in on the secret are hilarious.

[Saya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A ver, ya empieza a ser todo un pelín demasiado, ¿no? Con todos los líos de familias complicadas que cambian de marido/esposa y hermanastros/primos (?) que no saben que lo son, y más disfraces y darle una vuelta de tuerca porque *amor*... Es todo a bit too much pero la autora sabe cómo mantener el ritmo, hacernos soltar alguna carcajada y que nos preocupemos por los sentimientos de los protagonistas.

Al final de este tomo se incluye una historia sobre los JJ. OO. de Nagano de 1998 (año en el que se publicó); ya no recordaba lo que le gustan a esta mujer los deportes, y lo que me aburren sus historias... Y por último una especie de diario de ella misma explicando sus cosillas, como por ejemplo su preocupación sobre el largo de las faldas en sus dibujos. Estas son quizá las partes que menos me interesan.

En general el tomo me ha entretenido bastante, aunque es todo demasiado poco creíble, pero si una se lo toma como pura comedia, entonces está bien :D

[So3li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je mets une note globale pour les 6 tomes.
C'est sympa à lire mais un peu trop enfantin et sexiste.
Je les avais adorés étant plus jeune.

[BiteBack_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Os adoro🖤

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sèrie amena amb dos bessons de protes, el Noel i la Maria, que després de tota la vida junts se separen quan la noia s'apunta a un altre institut per amor. El Noel en un atac de banyes increïble decideix apuntar-s'hi també, però només queda una plaça a l'habitació de noies, així que es fa passar per la germana bessona de la Maria. La història és la típica comèdia d'embolics en què les mentides es van fent cada cop més grosses, s'impliquen més personatges i tot plegat és insostenible. Final massa brusc i amb sensació d'inacabat i últims girs argumentals una mica sobrers...

[Zahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Conocen la oración "Vine buscando cobre y encontré oro"? Esta soy yo ahora mismo, empecé el manga pensando, WOW un shojo, genial, y me encuentro con un shojo con leves toques de yaoi, eso es oro puro.
Me estoy echando unas risas... Sasa me parece un niño tan tierno <3 Eso sí, me alegra que Noel haya abandonada en estropearle la vida amorosa a su hermana, sentía vergüenza ajena. ¡
¡NoelXSasa es real!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al leer este segundo tomo en poco más de una hora, me he dado cuenta de lo mucho que echo de menos leer manga :(

La historia continúa con sorpresas y sucesos cómicos, desvelándose algunos interrogantes del volumen anterior. Una historia dulce y divertida, muy recomendada :)

[Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2, in which Miyuu's friends and even family all decide to gang up and deceive her. I think you need new friends, girl. Obviously, middle schoolers rarely have the best senses of judgment.

Also, Yoshizumi definitely likes the complicated family relationships.

[Dolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet and funny!

[Evey Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo que me estoy divirtiendo con este manga xD