Forbidden Dance, Vol. 1

天使のキス [Tenshi no Kiss] #1

by Hinako Ashihara, Takae Brewer (Translator), Tisha Ford (English Adaptation)

When a young girl named Aya loses her confidence to dance, she fears she'll never set foot on the stage again. But then she sees Akira and the COOL ballet troupe perform, and everything changes. Akira inspires her to pursue her dream and dance again. Soon, her primary goal is to join the COOL ballet troupe. She's never wanted anything more in her life! There's only one problem: COOL is an all-male dance troupe, and Aya is 100% female. But so what if she's missing a Y chromosome? Aya's got spunk, skill and passion—and, in the end, she hopes that her undying determination will help her beat the odds.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Drama, Fiction, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 1997

About the author

Pseudonym of Ritsuko Matsumoto, Japanese manga artist.

Debut with "Sono Hanashi okotowari shimasu" in 1994 on Bessatsu Shoujo Comics.

Japanese name: 芦原妃名子

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly...this was dumb. I'm not a fan of the art style, but that's not the reason for it. The story just isn't it. Girl falls for guy that treats people badly just because he has talent that she admires and wants to work hard to get him? Yeah, no thanks.

[Orchid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review taken from my blog, The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia.

Story:
I never actually thought that I'd enjoy a manga where the main focus being a dancer within the world of dancing. Let me just put it this way, I don't dance and think that dancing looks well, rather silly. So you can imagine how surprised I was at my enjoyment of Forbidden Dance.

So why did I dis-liker of dancing enjoy Forbidden Dance, well, that's easy because there was some fierce competition in this manga. Like sabotage your opponent kind of competition, which was great.

I thought it was an interesting concept to have the main character, Aya, trying to make a comeback into the world of dancing after she (either chocked or hurt herself). It definitely made her a little more interesting because she wasn't "perfect".
The absolute best scene in Forbidden Dance was the last two pages. Oh, my gosh can you say cliff-hanger ending! So Aya is slowly working on making a comeback into the world of dancing, and then a friend of hers goes missing...honestly, if I told you any more then that I would completely give away how the first volume ends.

The only thing I didn't really like about Forbidden Dance was that it was a little too easy to figure out who tried to sabotage Aya during a competition. Either it wasn't veiled to well or I just followed the right line of reasoning to figure it all out.

Character(s):
The main character, Aya, was actually a pretty interesting character to read about. I liked how intense she was when dancing, and how driven she was to join Cool.

While I really liked Aya, my favorite character was Tetsuya the typical nice guy who probably won't get the girl because he's just more of a...friend type character. I liked him because he kept the story light, besides he seemed to be the only character with a sense of humor.

As for Akira, the leader of dance troupe Cool, I'm not all to sure how I feel about him at the moment. He seems a little cold, but I'm thinking he'll be one of those characters that you end up liking more as the story progresses.

Artwork:
My hopes weren't set to high for the art work on Forbidden Dance because I didn't much care for . I saw via the cover (this isn't sounding good). Well, I am here to assure you that the cover art is the worst you will see while reading this manga. It gets oh so much better on the inside.
While some of the characters seemed a little undefined in the way they were depicted (mainly what would amount to extras), I liked how it made the main cast of characters jump out of the page a little more.

So my favorite thing about the art within Forbidden Dance was how graceful each of the dancers looked. I think Hinako Ashihara did an excellent job drawing the scenes with dancing. =)

Final Verdict: Forbidden Dance 1 won me over in the end.

Forbidden Dance 1 earned 4 out of 5 pineapples.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

In 2018, when this review is written, titles such as this can feel very dated. The artwork is very shoujo 1990s and can be hard to like at times with the era's huge foreheads and small faces. As well, we have the protypical shoujo cliche of mean girls all sabotaging each other and fighting over one guy. But the plucky heroine here is likable when she's not being a jealous screeching cat and the author really warmed up to the dance and ballet world.

Story: Aya has trained most of her life in ballet; it is her love and her passion. But an error in one show has traumatized her to the point where she self sabotages when it is time to perform. Thinking she has to give up dance forever, she goes to see a local dance company and is spellbound by the lead dancer, Akira. She demands he dance with her but he tells her she can join his dance company only if she places first in the next big ballet competition. Challenged by rivals, Aya will have to not only find her own confidence but also give the performance of her career in order to meet Akira's demands.

So, as with most shoujo titles, we have a girl who is plucky and will work hard to 'win her guy's affection/attention.' Of course, they will start out on the wrong foot and she'll think he's a devil in the beginning but fall all in love with him anyway. The love interest will be intrigued by her spirit and pluck but require that she prove herself to him. She will work hard and do well in the final test and show her mettle.

We've seen it all before - the story and plot countless times. I think this played much better in the millenium era than it does now nearly 15 years later. The mangaka only has a passing knowledge of ballet, enough really to tell the story but not enough to really impress the reader on the intricacies of the dance. As well, the ugly catfights and slut shaming here got really old fast - these are shoujo machinations that really need to be put to rest for more original writing. The 'plot twist' at the end was so patently obvious as to be painful.

So although not terrible, there's nothing new under the sun here. This might have felt fresh when it was written but we've seen so much of this by now that one would have to be new to the shoujo genre not to feel like they were crossing very familiar ground.

[Arska-täti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aya Fujii on balettitanssia harrastava lukiolaistyttö, joka on yksi balettikoulunsa lahjakkaimmista tanssijoista. Aya kuitenkin loukkaa jalkansa eräässä kilapilussa, jonka vuoksi hänen on melkein lopetettava tanssimiknen. Ja vaikka hänen jalkansa onkin jo parantunut, ei Aya uskalla enää tanssia niin kuin ennen. Hän harkitsee jo tosissaan baletin lopettamista, kunnes hän sattumalta nökee erään miespuolisen balettiryhmän, COOLin, esityksen. Ryhmän johtaja, Akira, tekee Ayaan lähtemättömän vaikutuksen eikä hänellä ole enää kuin yksi tavoite mielessään: päästä tanssimaan yhdessä Akiran kanssa. Mutta saavuttaakseen tavoitteensa Ayan voitettava vielä yksi kilpailu. Kilpailu, jossa hänellä on vastassaan pahimmat ja häikäilemättömimmät kilpailijansa.

Yllättävän vakava ja synkkiäkin sävyjä omaava tanssisarja, missä ei epäröitä tuoda esiin balettitanssijoiden synkimpiä ja epämiellyttävimpiä puolia esiin. Oikeastaan suurimpana miinuksena tässä sarjassa on taide: hahmojen piirustustyyli ja liikkeen kuvaus on kerrassan kammottavaa. Ihmisten päiden muodot ja ruumiinosien mittasuhteet ovat pahasti pielessä ja usein kasvoista paistaa vain tyhjät sokeat silmät.'
'No, on itse juonessakin pahoja kömmähdyksiä. Aya on niin toivottoman sinisilmäinen ja hyväuskoinen monessa asiassa, mutta jotenkin hänen sinnikkyyttä on pakko myös ihailla; peloistaan huolimatta hän on valmis tekemään lähes mitä vain tavoitteidensa saavuttamiseksi.

[SL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up after feeling nostalgic. I haven't come across many shoujo mangas featuring ballet and I remember encountering this first volume as a teenager. (Fast forward a few years...ok, ok, decades later.) Aya's character is the strongest element of this story along with her journey to rediscover her love of dance and her rivalry with fellow ballet dancer & classmate, Yoshino. Akira, the love interest, is def rude and unnecessarily annoying but eh. Aya likes him so I guess I'll have to accept it *indifferemt shrug* there are other side characters that aren't fleshed out and one that I really hope we get more backstory for is Tetsuya. He is literally a cinnamon roll and tbh I ship him more with Aya lol.

Also, there is a content warning for this first volume: emotional manipulation by using suicide as a threat. There is one side character who tries to do this to Aya at the end of this volume so if that may be upsetting, proceed with caution.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this volume two years ago, but I never got around to read it. It stayed in the pile of my TBR till last month. I had found someone who wanted to sell her complete collection of Forbidden Dance and I bought it. It was high time to read it.

I like Hinako Ashihara. I read all the works that were published in Italian and I went looking for something more in English.

It's a story about ballet and, even if I'm not a fan, I liked this first volume. Aya tripped during a very important competition and since that day her foot hurt when she's about to enter the stage. She's on the verge to give up ballet when she meets Akira, a very charismatic dancer. And she's ready to do everything in order to dance with him.

Interesting. I'm happy I bought it.

[Imogen Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have completely fallen in love with Hinako Aihihara artist style especially the gracefull effortless moves of the dancers for someone who is a beginner ballet fan Hinako has completely captured all of the beautiful movements of the high jumps and spins on to page.

I am a beginner ballet fan myself who has only seen a couple of ballet performances. I am eager to read more of Forbidden Dance to find out how in processes.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn't care about this. Most of her personality ruined it for me.
She acts quiet in the beginning but becomes real demanding. She literally demands to see the guy and then to dance with him. It's just not how a person goes about asking, explaining, or wanting something. She just felt like this quiet, selfish person to me. Even when the mean girl (I don't remember names) lost the part to her. She could have spoken up telling the coach her feelings and insecurities, but she didn't. It's just annoying as things could have been prevented. But in the next scenes she so demanding and has no problem stating what she wants. So she had a voice, she just chose not to use it.
Also, it made no sense how dancing with a random guy was to make her get over her stage fright. She literally had a partner on stage with her when she had the second accident. Dancing with him didn't fix her problem.
Maybe if they had built up the first accident, showing just how bad it was, and show that she trying to push through her fear, but it doesn't. It skips from one to the other and then to the guy, the supposed solution.
I just really didn't care about this.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

great short read first manga I've read and completed

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sarah Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first taste of manga and I am totally hooked! (I'm planning on picking up the second volume in the series tonight. The first volume leaves the reader with such a cliffhanger...I have to find out what happens next!)

One thing that bothered me with the illustrations was the uber skinny legs of the ballet dancers. When I think of dancers, I think of long, muscular legs. For a graphic novel to have such a strong-willed female character it's a shame to muck up that self-confidence message for YA girls with these unhealthy body images. That's my only gripe with the series. YA's would appreciate the fact that Aya, the main character, is not always so sure of herself. She definitely goes through phases of considerable self-doubt, but when she's ready to give her all and show her friends and arch enemies that she can out dance them all, then she grows extremely focused and does just that.

I really enjoyed noticing the differences between American comics and shōjo manga (for young girls) such as the variety of facial expressions used to convey emotion, most often times at their extremes. Another fun element, at least in this volume/series?, is that the author included brief notes (a "journal") of her thoughts as she came up with the idea for the series and her process of creating it.

[Zen Cho · Rating 3 out of 5]

BALLET MANGA! I love it. :D :D :D

Spoilers:









Also I was initially very pleased that even though there was a girl rival, the main character had a best friend who was totally supportive! Oh the irony. Still, very pleased that the main character and the rival are battling over ballet, not a boy, and that the romantic subplot is just a side-story -- the accompaniment to the main story, which is about the main character and her love for ballet. I'm hoping this will not change in later volumes, as the romance develops. We'll see.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashihara sucks you into the world of ballet in a way, that even if you don't like ballet, you still enjoy the book, and the series for that matter. Regaining confidence, finding your passion, chasing after love, it's just a great series.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very promising series and a great first volume filled with interesting characters and a great plot and writing style that will keep you interested until the very end of the volume and then leave you wanting more.

[Ryu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story because it is about a girl making her place in a man's world, the fear a young girl has to go through to prove herself, and being singled out. Very inspirational story. I enjoyed reading it very much.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series revolved around ballet and the author draws you into that world in an exciting way (and I don't even like ballet). All of the characters were really well developed in the series and the plot moved along.

[Corinne Morier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books about athletes who find the courage to resume their sport after an injury (speaking of which, I need to reread Soul Surfer) get me in the FEELZ every time. If you like sports-based stories, or are looking to get into manga, pick this up!

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great introduction book to the volumes, the whole time it kept my attention and I ended up sitting through the whole thing in a matter of one hour! I love the side diary the author put into each section of the book. I will definitely be continuing on with the manga!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoying the story, but the art is slightly odd to me at times when the characters hands seem to look big with really long fingers.

[Ada · Rating 5 out of 5]

First manga series I had ever purchased. I mostly watched it on television as a child, but this has a great story line and isn't overly sappy. It helps to have a great mangaka as well.

[Amanda H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read;
May 2008
June 10, 2012

[Amy Peavy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've actually read this series several times. It's a very basic story. Dancer girl sees dancer boy. Is inspired to dance again. Just what I need.

[Sai Kumar]

i am dance enthusiatic , i would love to read the dance books, when i am searching on the web, ifound this Forbidden dance book, saw the reviews and got exicted to read...thank you Hinako Ashihara