Series: Stepping on Roses Volumes 1 & 2 [Manga]
Genre: Historical Romance
Age Group:Young Adult +
Publisher: Madman
Release Date: 10/05/2010
Format: Manga, 200 pages
ISBN-13: 9781421531823
RRP: $14.95 AUD
Cover love? I swoon at this cover, because the art is absolutely GORGEOUS. So delicate and beautiful.
Synopsis
From Rags to Riches
Poor Sumi Kitamura. Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi's financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Ashida enters her life with a bizarre proposition: he'll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him. But can Sumi fool high society into thinking she's a proper lady? Moreover, is it worth giving up everything for this sham of a marriage?
Poor Sumi Kitamura. Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi's financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Ashida enters her life with a bizarre proposition: he'll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him. But can Sumi fool high society into thinking she's a proper lady? Moreover, is it worth giving up everything for this sham of a marriage?
Review
This is my first manga review on the blog, and I hope it
will be the first of many to come. I’ve loved manga ever since I was introduced
to it five years ago. Sometimes silly, and sometimes serious, but always
enjoyable, manga is a form of Japanese art that is appreciated by comic lovers
all over the world.
Manga is usually found in black-and-white volumes, with
beautiful art that depicts captivating stories read right to left. I’ll share a
secret: I love the fresh smell of new manga volumes, and the feel of the jacket
art, the special paper. It brings back fond memories of my early manga-reading
days, which have unfortunately become sparser as I’ve grown older.
Stepping on Roses
is a historical manga, with the traditional characteristics of an Asian drama: Sumi
is a beautiful but poor 15 year old girl who takes care of young orphans that
her wayward brother brings home. In a moment of desperation, drawn through
poverty and her brother’s affinity for gambling, she consents to selling
herself to a rich young man, Soichiro. But Soichiro has different plans for
her. He forces her to marry him in order to come into the inheritance of his
dying grandfather’s wealth. Sumi is forbidden to love her husband, but she
begins to fall for her husband’s friend, Nozomu, who is the handsome young man
who helped her once before. Meanwhile, Soichiro is secretly trying to set Sumi
up with Nozomu to tarnish Nozomu’s name, but finds himself starting to fall for
her. Sumi soon finds herself in a whirlwind love triangle….
Rinko Ueda’s artwork is beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous.
S-e-x-y, in some parts (as with most manga). I admire the way Rinko Ueda brings
her 2D characters to life, with elegant costumes that evoke the Meiji Era
setting. Sumi, of course, is innocently perfect in every way, the typical
Japanese heroine, and the two boys are drawn very very well. Soichiro is tall,
dark and handsome, with good looks that contrast Nozomu’s blond pretty boy
features. Here’s a look at the two awesome volumes I read:
|
| Sumi and Soichiro (husband) |
 |
| Sumi & Nozomu (NOT husband) |
The storyline is a little cliché, with a plotline typical of
many Asian dramas I’ve watched in the past. If you’ve watched any
Taiwanese/Korean/Japanese/Chinese drama, you’ll know what I mean. Poor, sweet
girl marries rich, cold guy for his inheritance, a third guy is thrown into the
picture, and both being to fight for the girl. Although a little predictable, I
found myself chuckling my way through the manga volumes, because some of the
heroine-hero interactions are so awkward (for the characters) and some of the
lines were lost in translation. A lot of blushing, awkward accidental touches
and meaningful eye lockage is scattered throughout the two volumes that I read,
along with the roses, sparkles and hair ribbons.
Albeit very stereotypical (in the way that makes you go
face-palm, head-desk, OMG-must-keep-on-reading), Stepping on Roses is
addictive. If you’re looking for a shojo,
period romance, manga filled with gorgeous leads, Stepping on Roses is perfect, and highly recommended! Swoon...I really really need the next two volumes!
Rating:
Links:
Stepping on Roses Vol. 01 at Madman
