Tokyo Boys & Girls, Vol. 4, 4

by Miki Aihara and Noelle Crooks

Miki Aihara is the author/creator of several popular sh jo manga including SEITEN TAISEI, SO BAD , SORA NI TAIY GA ARUKAGIRI, and TOKYO SH NEN SH JO. HOT GIMMICK is her most recent title and is currently running in the sh jo anthology Betsucomi, which is published by Shogakukan. Although not a Tokyo native, she currently resides in the Setagaya ward, where most of HOT GIMMICK takes place.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1421504006
• ISBN13: 9781421504001
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Viz Media
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 16 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 11 to 12

Customer Reviews

Pretty good ending...

I'm typing this after re-reading the series for a second time. The series is very cute and after a while you really do get to liking the characters. They're much more likable than the characters in Aihara's other series, Hot Gimmick & much more open about their feelings. In the final volume Mimori's been interrupted by her parents after a steamy trip with her boyfriend Haru... well- it would have been steamy if not for her little scene with Haru in the last volume. Still, she's optimistic that things will improve, until she discovers that her mother's had a change of heart & has decided that the entire family will move with her father to Kyushu! I really liked this series. It's still got the top rate art as well as a great story. My only complaint would be how open ended this series left off. You still get a pretty good idea of what is going to happen due to the personalities of the characters, but it's still a little frustrating when there's isn't a clean finish. That's the only reason this isn't getting 5 stars. I'd still recommend this, though.

Miki Aihara's cute 5- volume show from 95.

This is a really good series, who just keeps getting better and better, for each volume. In the first volume I had some trouble distinguishing between the characters.. as there were three people with almost the same hairstyle and face.. But once you get down that Haruta has dark roots (which means he's the only one with bleached hair.. the others are just drawn that way) then you're good. It's sweet, exciting, and fun.. a but angsty at times- as it should be ;) There is character development.. and they just get more and more loveable (or in the one case- annoying) for every page. It's from the mid- nineties. I mention this because the clothes are not as up to date as in many other mangas.. but it's loveley, and sometimes it's nice to read series who are only five volumes.. cuz who really have the patience to wait 3-4 years for that 27-volume series to come to an end? Do yourself a favor and buy it today ;) I also recommend Korean Manhwa "Goong", Miki Aiharas "Hot Gimmick", immensly cute and beautifully drawn "Merupuri", and for those with connections= anything by Korean manga artist Hwang Mi Ri, especcially "Hot blooded woman" about tough female gang leader Ha Ji,(Jijang of her highschool) is great.

Revenge...a dish best served cold...

"Tokyo Boys and Girls", the newest effort by Manga artist Miki Aihara that is currently being released by Shojo beat, starts off with a basic premise. Mimori Kosaka is a new student at Meidai Attached High School. On the first day she befriends the beautiful Nana Taikaichi after managing to secure herself a window seat. Why is the placement so important? Well, in an all girls section of the high school with only a courtyard separating the girls from the boy's side of the school it becomes a strategic location to meet and be scoped out by all of the available young men... And Mimori has every hope of acquiring a handsome boyfriend this year. Her hopes are soon dashed when she is elected by her peers to become the class rep, which basically means she'll spend the better part of her time running errands for the teachers, but what she fails to realize is that many of the errands involve delivering things to the boy's side of the school... which naturally puts her in a good position to be in with the guys. On her first trip she encounters a young man with bleach blonde hair whom Nana informs her is a member of the West Tokyo Biker gang. The young man stays in her mind even when she chooses Nana to be her assistant rep and they make more trips over to the boy`s side. Eventually she reveals who she is, and to the young man's surprise she turns out to be a woman whom he's declared revenge upon. Apparently his name is Atsushi Haruta, and he and she were classmates in grade school, but the funny thing is that Mimori has no idea who he is. Things become even more complicated when an accident caused by Mimori erases a computer disc of a few classmates of Atsushi's. One of the classmates is a young man named Kazukita Kuniyasu, a young man whom Nana met in cram school and has developed quite a crush on. The other boy, Ran Shingyoji, is the one who is really distraught over the loss of the disc, as it was his and Kuniyasu's entry to a yearly video game contest. Suddenly everyone wants revenge against Mimori, and the three men band together to achieve this end. While this concept is not as attention getting as Aihara's "Hot Gimmick", it is definitely a worthwhile read. Because there is not the same amount of shock value we get to know the characters of a more natural momentum. Also, there is the fact that several of the people want to be in relationships with one another... Ran likes Nana, who likes Kuniyasu... who likes to remain unattached but for some reason is drawn to Mimori... and then there's Mimori who can't help but think about Haruta, even though he has sworn revenge on her... Who exactly was he from her past? The art from the manga is very well done, and the characters are wonderfully flawed and engaging. Overall, a wonderful read, something I intend on keeping up with in the future.

Like Hot Gimmick? Give it a try!

This story is very similar to Hot Gimmick (by the same author): young girl, cute, sweet and nice-looking, becomes the target of several guys and one just happens to be a childhood friend she has totally forgotten about. Only one thing can come from that... It's a good volume, not much story, but you're introduced to all the characters and prepared for the rest of the story. The old early 90's manga art may be shocking to see especially since the style on the cover is simlar to the author's newer work but once you get past it, you have a fun cute story!

Tokyo Shounen Shoujo

"Tokyo Boys and Girls" is the newest manga from Miki Aihara, author of "Hot Gimmick". The story is about Mimori Kosaka, a girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind. On the first day of school, she befriends the beautiful but ditzy Nana, and is chosen to be the class representative(even though she doesn't want to do it.) Then she meets Atsushi, a boy who claims to have known her during elementary school. He claims that she betrayed him in the past and is out to get revenge, but Mimori can't remember what happened. To complicate matters, Mimori and Nana accidentally break a home made video-game belonging to to other boys, Ran and Kuniyasu. Ran likes Nana, so he comes up with a plan to get close her. Also included in this volume is a short story about Nagase, an average girl, and her problems in dating a popular guy, Reiichi. The characters are believable. Mimori is not annoying or perfect, and the other characters all get their chance to shine. THe art is pretty, but it's not as good as in "Hot Gimmick". The character designs fit their personalities well. The backgrounds are good, and so is the overall layout. Still, so far, this isn't as good as "Hot Gimmick". I know it's only the first volume, but that's all it took to hook me with the latter. If you want to read some of Aihara's work, I'd suggest you try "Hot Gimmick" first. Even so, this is a cute manga for anyone who's enjoyed her work. And if you're in the younger set, go with "Tokyo Boys and Girls" as it has almost no language or sexual stuff. This is a very good manga, and you should pick it up.