Flower in a Storm is a recent Shojo Beat manga release from VIZ Media. Ran Tachibana breaks in on a classroom, claiming student Riko Kunimi as his bride. Riko has until 5 o'clock to keep away from him and then he swears he'll let her go. But while Ran is aided by money, Riko has super-human strength. This volume is the first of a two book romance manga series by Shigeyoshi Takagi.
Episodic Manga Chapters, Humorous But Forgettable Plot
Flower in a Storm is told in episodic chapters. Even Ran's initial chasing of his new romantic interest lasts only through the first chapter. After that, he becomes a classmate of Riko's. Each chapter regales some new misadventure, always Ran's fault, that slowly brings the pair closer together. The stories in this manga are ridiculous, and sometimes funny. Action transpires quickly, which leads to a quick and fun read. But it also leaves a shallow and very forgettable plot.
Riko starts each chapter off saying she's "an everyday ordinary high school girl." Readers find out after page 6 that's anything but the truth, and the statement loses its irony after the first chapter. Readers know from the beginning that Riko just wants to be normal; this reiteration makes one think that manga author didn't believe her readers would get it.
The later chapters of the manga is like Ouran High School Host Club in reverse: rather than a poor student attending a rich kids school, it is a rich student attending a regular high school. There are moments of culture-clashing, like when Ran sets up a throne in the classroom or gets excited over flavored ice. But this lacks most of Ouran's humor, resulting in annoying moments more than anything else.
Manga Art in Flower in a Storm
The manga panels are always full of detail, but they refrain from being too cluttered. Even in the high action scenes it's relatively easy for readers to follow so they know what's going on in the manga.
Shigeyoshi Takagi's character designs are attractive: Ran is a beautiful boy, and though Riko has a plainer design she's still pretty. The artist states that drawing the hair is what takes her the longest, but it pays off as it is usually what makes the characters look so interesting.
A Strong Main Pair With Weak Supporting Cast in This Manga
Riko is an interesting character. Even though her super powers only amount to abnormal strength (nothing too strange in the manga world) it still makes her obviously different from everyone around her. She should feel special, but due to a past event Riko's left feeling weird and uncomfortable. Her reaction is to become normal - like everyone else. Insecure teenagers always have something they try to hide from others, even if it's what makes them special, and so Riko comes across as a real character in this manga.
Unfortunately her strength doesn't keep her from getting pushed around, an annoying feature of many shojo manga. Ran constantly imposes his will on her, and two other male characters use Riko as a pawn - and then Ran has to rescue her! She has her strong moments, but it would be nice to see Riko sticking up for herself more in the manga.
Ran is equal parts adorable and creepy. Parts of the manga show that his love for Riko is true and more than just a privileged person working on his whims, like when he protects Riko and carries her when she hurts her foot. But it doesn't change how creepy it is when Ran appears in her house in the morning, or even puts a secret transmitter and microphone on Riko's clothing.
Supporting characters, like Riko's friends and family, are left entirely bland with no real relationship established between them and the main pair of the manga. Even characters that have a larger impact on the manga's plot, like Ran's "friend" Chiaki and the assassin, aren't given complex or even interesting personalities. Any characters outside of Ran and Riko are just plot devices. While this helps to emphasize the oddity of the pair, it also keeps them from having any real connections with the normal world.
Extra Manga The Need for Artificial Respiration
As a treat readers are given an extra manga story at the end of Flower in a Storm. In The Need for Artificial Respiration, Toko, who is considered a slut, begins clinging to classmate Kiyoharu. She claims she needs to kiss him in order to breath, but there may be a deeper pain Toko is feeling.
This story takes a more serious turn than Flower in a Storm, but after that The Need for Artificial Respiration is a nice distraction. This tells a more realistic story of teenage love and pain, and its brevity makes it more poignant than Flower in a Storm.
Overall, Flower in a Storm winds up feeling very rushed. No care was given to minor characters, preventing the manga from having any real ground. Ran manages to be quite likable despite his occasional deplorable moments, and so readers may be compelled to pick up the second (and final) volume of the manga to see how the relationships turn out. But with only one volume left to improve upon the story, there isn't much hope for a deeper plot or more interesting side characters. 3/5
- ISBN: 978-1-4215-3241-7
- MSRP $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN
- Rated 'T+' for Older Teens
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