Interesting genre: "Impromptu Feminine Education"

[Radien]

Recently I've read a few issues of a manga called "Prettyface." It's a story about a high school martial arts hotshot named Randoh, who has no understanding of girls his age. He is caught in a bus wreck, and is thrown into a coma, with his body covered in burns and his face practically blown off. A screwy (but brilliant) plastic surgeon gets a hold of him, and decides to reconstruct his face while he is in a coma -- however, Randoh had no ID on him; only a single photo. The doctor assumes that this photo shows what he looked like before the crash.

However, it turns out to be a picture of his crush, a girl named Rina. After a year in a coma, Randoh wakes up to realize he looks just like her (and is none too happy about it). Soon thereafter, he runs into Rina, and Rina thinks Randoh is her long-lost twin sister. Hijinks ensue.

-----

...While reading that manga, it struck me as similar to "Cheeky Angel," an anime where a 10-year old boy (also a budding martial arts hotshot) is turned into a girl, by a genie-like prankster demon that came out of a strange old book. That anime shows his high school days, some 6 years later. He is still trying to remove the enchantment, all the while dealing with a bevy of beefy, boneheaded boys who are attracted to him/her.

-----

Another similar anime/manga I've heard about (but not seen) is "Midori's Days," which also features a martial arts hotshot who can't seem to get too close to a girl before scaring her off. In the background, a very shy, young freshman girl named Midori has a crush on him. One day she wishes to be close to him everyday.... and the next day her wish is "granted" (sort of), when she is somehow shrunk to puppet size, then becomes attached to his wrist at her waist, in replacement of his right hand. :shock:

-----


I'm finding this to be a very odd and interesting genre of anime (I'd say "new" genre, but I suspect it's been around longer than I know). They are all definitely "shounen" anime -- meaning, targeted at boys, particularly high school in this case -- which each star a hotshot martial artist high school guy with a short fuse, who is in one way or another deprived of his masculinity and forced to learn how to understand girls... the hard way. The laws of anime also require that any boy posing as a girl must attract enough suitors to form a borderline-stalker fan club.

The genre also tends to feature "martial arts gang warfare" within a school, which is usually exaggerated heavily for dramatic effect. I generally dislike this part, but perhaps I'd understand it better if I were a Japanese high schooler.

Obviously, one of the reasons it's popular is because Japanese high school guys and girls usually hang out in groups comprised of their same gender,  so there's probably a lot of pent-up hormones at work. :roll: But also a lot of mystery, since both factions are not quite sure what goes on over there, on the other side of the gender border.

Have you seen or read anything from this genre? What do you think of it?

[Neko_Chan]

I have the first book of 'Duck Prince', about a nerdy boy who likes a girl, but before he can confess his feelings to her, she is going to move to America. She looses her dog and he helps her find it, but gets hit by a car, after pushing the dog out of the way.
It turns out that the Dog is a 600 or so year old pesant who was transformed into a dog, after cought stealing. He grants the kids wish by making him beautiful, via reconstructive plastic surgery. (And I say, he is very handsome. ///^^///)
And the girl (Sorry, I totaly forgot everyones names. xD) came back after a year later, and they now go to the same school.

o_o I know what you're talking about.... I evjoy the whole gender-swap, identiey crisis manga. xD I'm like 'OMG. Yaoi, only kinda not beacuse he thinks thats a girl!'. o__o
 I'm also into Hana-Kimi, and 'You and My Secret' (Even though I've never read it. TT__TT They never have it in stock!)

[Seraph]

I've ck'ed out cheeky angel along with another manga with a similar idea call "princess" something(I dun rememeber the name ^_^*).   However, before any of it come out in these more recent manga, I have read the idea done a number of times in Ranma 1/2 fanfiction.  Personally, I find them amusing and very interesting as well.  I find it interesting to see how the unlucky(usually) guy deals with suddenly being on the other side of the gender fence.

[Negima]

Actually, yes, I have read all of the Midori no Hibi (Midori's Days) manga.

It's a very interesting story and I give it points on being a very creative and unique idea and the artwork is pretty good too.  It gets a little more interesting when another girl is trying to gain his attention and a love-triangle forms.

However, there was one chapter that I really didn't like and, in my opinion, the story didn't need it at all.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10

[Aurora]

I just finished read "Prettyface" the other day, and I read "Cheeky Angel" and "Modori no Hibi" before. And also part of another manga call "Tuxedo Gin", about a tough guy high school student who died in a motorcycle crash came back as an Penguin, and of course the girl he has a crush takes him in for a pet.  It's kinda just like "Prettyface" without the gender swapping.

[Radien]

Neko_Chan:

Okay, interesting... wait... the peasant/dog grants his wish BY giving him plastic surgery? No magic, then? Dang, he got a raw deal in the wish-granting department.

Kurimono:

Gender-swapping manga have been around for ages, of course. I'm not sure whether there was much before Ranma 1/2, but that obviously carved out the genre.

The thing that's new to me is the story that takes a guy who rarely even talks to girls and then is suddenly immersed in them. In Ranma 1/2, Ranma isn't particularly clueless about girls when the series starts, nor is he obsessed with masculinity... that would be true about that "Blue Thunder" dude. Imagine HIM with Ranma's curse. Heh heh.

Negima:

Good to hear you liked Midori no Hibi. I may take a look into it sometime. This is only the second fan-translated manga I've tried to read online; I'm not really into manga yet because it's so expensive to collect, and has a different style than anime...

Aurora:

A... penguin??.... :shock: Well, now isn't THAT original... Actually, some little part of me is wondering whether that idea wasn't born from some bizarre Pen Pen fanfic.

-----


...As for PrettyFace, I've read a few more chapters. The thing that bugs me is that they started off with a perfectly good motive for the protagonist to pose as this girl's sister -- "I will disguise myself as Yuna until I can find the real Yuna" -- but it isn't until chapter 14 or so that they show even one attempt to search for her. :?

Instead, so far it's mostly been about Randoh trying not to blow his cover whenever girls get too physically close or bare too much skin around him. Actually, that's one of the things that impressed me about Cheeky Angel: despite having every opportunity for fan service (schoolgirl outfit + martial arts usually = panty shots), they chose not to show excessive skin, and go for character development instead.

Fortunately, though, the last chapter of PrettyFace had something that had bearing towards character development. Fan service is all well and good, but in all honesty, I'm only continuing to read it because I want to find out what the heck Randoh is going to do when he finds the real Yuna.

[Seraph]

hmm....despite that I read a lot of ranma fanfiction, I'm not too aware of the canon very well other then some basics.   something I realized from what you said, is that in a number of fanfics, ranma is shown as clueless about girls and is obessed with his masculinity.  although, its a problem I've seen with fanfic overall where they take negative traits of a various characters and make them over the top so the trait is the only defining characteristic of the character in the fic.

kuno with a girl type curse....oh dear....

that quote you said sounds more like the excuse rather then the real motive.  I take it the protagonist is doing it for Rina's stake.  Prettyface from what you described, does sound interesting(its story premise anyway).  Cheeky Angel was certainly pretty good, but it didn't capture my interest enough to go beyond 2 or so volume.

[Dustin]

Actually, yes, I have read all of the Midori no Hibi (Midori's Days) manga.

It's a very interesting story and I give it points on being a very creative and unique idea and the artwork is pretty good too.  It gets a little more interesting when another girl is trying to gain his attention and a love-triangle forms.

However, there was one chapter that I really didn't like and, in my opinion, the story didn't need it at all.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10

I agree, the ending was quite awesome.

I've seen a few episodes of A Cheeky Angel, but I don't think I have seen enough to give it a very fair evaluation.

I'm thinking of getting a few Pretty Face chapters and checking it out. It sounds quite funny.

As for thing of this genre, I'm not bothered by it.

Your looking at a guy whos read all of Angel Sanctuary. That has body switching and what not too. Including the main character turning into a female for awhile.

It mostly happens in things like this as a comical twist, I believe. I also think most times it works. Also, sometimes it can be used to add much more depth to the storyline than it already has.

Overall, I enjoy most of what I read and watch. The only real thing I never enjoyed was Blood: The Last Vampire.

Guess, I am kinda biased if I like everything, right?

[Radien]

hmm....despite that I read a lot of ranma fanfiction, I'm not too aware of the canon very well other then some basics.   something I realized from what you said, is that in a number of fanfics, ranma is shown as clueless about girls and is obessed with his masculinity.

*facefault* Doh... you just caught me saying that Ranma isn't clueless!! Shows how much I know. ^_^;

I guess what I SHOULD have said is that Ranma doesn't beat people up to gain their respect. I haven't watched enough Ranma to say much else about his character, but they make it pretty obvious that he starts off using a passive-aggressive martial arts style.

I've seen a few episodes of A Cheeky Angel, but I don't think I have seen enough to give it a very fair evaluation.

Personally, I'd call it "a diamond in the rough." It's obviously low budget, and it has some really awkward plot points, but it succeeds with some ideas that I haven't seen used before.

But that might just be because I don't know the genre well enough yet... *shrug*

Pretty Face might be worth downloading a few issues. One good thing is that I THINK they've translated the entire collection. There are 49 issues available, and the story seems to be winding down now -- I'm at #32.

Guess, I am kinda biased if I like everything, right?

I'm sure you're a LOT less biased than someone who doesn't like anything.

[RemSaverem]

one of my favorite aspects of anime is that it is so commonplace as to be enjoyed as cute and endearing, rather than controversial, when there are crushes between boys and boys (even if they are perceived as girls), or between girls and girls (and i imagine there are some who are perceived as boys). it would definitely have helped my life, and particularly those of friends whose parents and peers hated them for being gay, had there been such normalizing of the fluidity of gender identity and sexual preference when i was growing up.

[Radien]

Hey Rem, I was hoping you'd notice this topic.

Hmmm... girl with crush on girl, check... guy(s) with crush on girl who's actually a guy, check... girl with crush on girl who's actually a guy, check... girl with crush on guy whom she knows is disguised as a girl, check... girl who has a crush on a guy but doesn't fully recognize due to mixed identity crisis... check. Yep, Pretty Face has a smattering of everything, and most of it is pretty cute. The only thing it lacks relationshipwise is an openly yaoi paring. But that'd be almost "off-topic" given the story concept.

Anyway, I just finished issue #50 of Pretty Face and I think I can definitely recommend this comic, especially to you, Rem. It's a bit fan service heavy at times -- something I don't mind as long as it doesn't hijack the plot -- but the pivotal plot points were worth the wait.

I almost freaked out because I thought there were only 50 issues, and it looked like they were going to wimp out on the ending by only hinting vaguely at what might happen, something which has happened before and I didn't like it. >_<; But it turns out there's not only a 51st issue and a final issue, but an "extra" issue (epilogue?) as well! The last three haven't been translated yet, but I bet they'll all be finished within a month or two.

I gotta give Midori no Hibi a try next. Same variety of strange and awkward situation without the gender-bending.

[RemSaverem]

*waves at & glomps radien* well dear, between working on the con, and being in school full time, and working full time....i lack the, you guessed it, time, to devote to 50..2? issues. but, if you could hook me up with a couple, i'd love to take a gander.

oh, and anytime you start (or see) a thread you hope i'll notice, pm me about it, silly bean!
--luv u
rem

[Radien]

*waves at & glomps radien* well dear, between working on the con, and being in school full time, and working full time....i lack the, you guessed it, time, to devote to 50..2? issues. but, if you could hook me up with a couple, i'd love to take a gander.

Hi! ^^ True, you do sound pretty busy. But the issues are fairly short and a quick read. Downloading would be the only obstacle. Are you on dialup? I forget.

I'll nab my recent downloads from my temp folder just in case, but my CD burner is kaput I'll figure something out, though.

oh, and anytime you start (or see) a thread you hope i'll notice, pm me about it, silly bean!
--luv u
rem

Oh, of course I was entertaining the thought. I probably would have after another day.

See you around!  Sorry I missed the last general meeting. I didn't have carpooling worked out and gas is too expensive to go alone.

[RemSaverem]

yeah i hear ya there. i took the greyhound up after work, then hitched a ride home with eugeneans.

i have no dl ability, as i lack my own computer.

[Radien]

Yeah, I actually saw your post about carpooling, but it was too late to arrange anything... ah well. I'll plan ahead next time.

No computer? Right... well, each issue's worth of image files is from 3 to 5 megs worth of disk space. Since 5 x 53 = 165 megs, I could easily fit it onto one CD. That just requires sending it to Amy's computer to burn it. Shall I look into that?

[Negima]

@Radien after the various posts
As someone who's hoping to make a manga story sometime in the future, seeing some of these responses makes me feel glad that some people go more for a unique and/or interesting story-line rather than fanservice.

[RemSaverem]

negima:
don't forget, this year we in the fanfic department are holding a manga contest!!! hope you enter!

radien: sure, go for it (and say hi to amy for me). meantime, ...any chance you want to be my ride for the july meeting?

[Negima]

negima:
don't forget, this year we in the fanfic department are holding a manga contest!!! hope you enter!

Hope I enter too.  I do believe I'll be rather busy this summer once I get back home and I hope to fit in making a manga.  Do you want it official looking or at least well drawn.  (Sorry, getting a little off-topic here)

[Radien]

Negima:

Oh, thanks; I'm glad I gave a good impression. In truth, Prettyface has a lot of fanservice in it, but yes, I really do like seeing unique new story concepts, even if it takes some patience to get to the good parts.

Anyway, good luck on your manga! Don't worry about being off-topic; this was potentially a pretty broad subject in the first place.

Rem:

Alright! Will do... I have a little over half of the issues; I'll get the remaining ones and send them to be burned to CD.

As for the July meeting, yes, it is likely that I will be able to give you a ride. Remind me, though: on which Saturday will it be held?...



...Y'know, this thread has brought to mind the memory of a book I read when I was about 9 or 10, titled "Black and Blue Magic." It was about a boy who helped an odd travelling salesman, who repaid him with a bottle of ointment that, when dabbed on each shoulder, allowed him to temporarily sprout wings.

It seems similar to me because the boy learns how to keep his secret from being discovered, masters the ability of flight, and eventually uses it to help people. At the end, he also has to face the loss of his wings when the ointment finally runs out.

I like this kind of dramatic device... maybe someday I'll think of an original idea that follows that sort of story development, and write about it.

[RemSaverem]

negima:
don't forget, this year we in the fanfic department are holding a manga contest!!! hope you enter!

Hope I enter too.  I do believe I'll be rather busy this summer once I get back home and I hope to fit in making a manga.  Do you want it official looking or at least well drawn.  (Sorry, getting a little off-topic here)

oh, sorry i had not gotten back to this thread!

there are no restrictions. nothing needs to be "official looking". storyline and art will be evaluated both separately and together. there can be as much or as little to it as you wish.....it could be the first couple pages or a completed manuscript

[Densha_Rockstar]

I'm surprised I haven't seen this mentioned (and if it has, I missed it), but there's a manga called "Your & My Secret" by Ai Morinaga.

The story's about a shy, sensitive fella who has feelings for a brash, aggressive tomboy. It turns out the tomboy is the daughter of a "Mad Scientist", and when boy meets girl...boy ends up becoming an experiment.

The experiment turns out to be a "Mind-Swap"...hilarity and awkwardness ensues, but then so does the fair share of teen angst and uncomfortable moments.

[Seraph]

interesting, is the manga out in the US or just online?

[Densha_Rockstar]

@ Kurimono

It's been released here in the US. If you can't find it at a regular manga-selling bookshoppe, you can always try Powell's (assuming you're in Portland).

[MikaRin375]

Oh I have read pretty face in japanese and midori days.....Hmm the author of pretty face just quit with the 6th volume because he didnt get enough popularity for it....anyways it doesnt bother me if guys gets transformed into girl.....I think its quite funny ^^....crossdressing doesnt bother me ^^ you can also find these books at online stores or try uwajimaya...but they are in Japanese.

[sumomo_san]

@MikaRin: I've looked at Uwajimaya online, or attempted to and all the books seemed to be in Japanese... But when you actually go to the Kinokuniya bookstore a good portion of them are in English...?  :?

[Seraph]

@sumomo
they sell both versions.  I believer borders also sells a small supply of JP manga as well.

[sumomo_san]

@Kurimono: Borders... Borders is scary. I think I'll stick to Barnes and Nobles. Plus, theres a Sushi Town across the street xD

[Seraph]

@Sumomo
how are they scary?

[sumomo_san]

@Kurimono: If I remember correctly theres lots and lots of overwhelming shelves of books in semi-random order, but that might've changed as I haven't been there for a while

[MikaRin375]

@sumomo...uhmmm yeah the online store is kinda bad.....its better to go there yourslef...the online one doesnt list all the books....but yes uwajimaya has books in japanese and english.....most of the japanese ones havent been licensed so thats the only place you can get them...or online