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Another of my library finds recently is High School Debut
In middle school, Haruna made her name as the star pitcher of her school's team, along with her best friend and catcher Mami. When she goes to high school, though, her #1 goal is to find a boyfriend, so she drops baseball and begins trying to make herself the perfect catch by reading various magazines and taking well meaning, but bad, advice on how to dress and act. Alas, it doesn't get her even a nibble, so when she meets Yoh, an upperclassman who is said to know what it takes to be popular, she begs him to coach her. At first he refuses, until seeing a tape of her crying over a lose at a baseball game. His one rule, though, is that she is not to fall in love with him. Yeah, any shojo reader knows that means they will end up together, but the story does take a few twists before getting there, including having Haruna fall in love with Yoh's friend Fumi. Her first love ends with her first heart break, but Yoh is there to support her and eventually she realizes that the only guy she finds interesting anymore is him. With the rule in place, she tries to pretend things haven't changed, but Yoh with some help from his friends realize what's going on and she confesses. To her delight, though, he feels the same and they begin dating.
Like any good shojo series, the couple has plenty of issues and road blocks to deal with, with both being newbies to "serious" romance, Yoh still having some past issues with an ex, and Haruna having to get some control over her over the top reactions to things. She is a very fun character, who goes so over board with everything she tries, but is imminently likeable and despite being stronger than most of the guys in the series, she is also very sweet and vulnerable. Yoh initially seems kind of bland, but as he opens up to Haruna, it seems he really is more shy and uncertain though he is popular and exudes confidence on the outside. He is also blunt and not good at expressing his feelings, but through his relationship with Haruna, he's going to have to learn. The secondary characters are also interesting, with Yoh's friends having their own unique natures, his sister being a delightful combo of spoiled and selfish brat and sensitive young girl, Yoh's friend Asaoka has some fun moments, and Yoh's ex is the complete opposite, in a good way, of what I expected from the other's descriptions of her.
The artwork is good and Viz's translation seems fine. Kawarhara seems to use backgrounds sparingly and they are not very detailed, but as a whole the artwork looks good. Thus far, I've read the first eight of the thirteen volumes that comprise the series, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest. It is a fun read. The Young Adult Library Services Association considered it one of 2009's Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and I can certainly see why.
Rating So Far: A
