Takada, R. (2005). Happy
Hustle High, Vol. 1. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media LLC.
ISBN-13: 978-1591169123
Genre: Romance,
High School, Shojo
Reading level/
interest age: 15+
Plot summary:
The main character, Hanabe, is a strong female character
intent on protecting her friends. She has little interest in fashion or beauty
products which seems to spawn from her attendance of an all girl’s school.
During class one day, Hanabe and her fellow classmates are shocked when they
learn that their school is to be merged with a local all boy’s school. One the
way to an informational assembly, Hanabe bumps into Yasuaki, one of the new
male students, who turns out to be her rival. With the merger of the two
schools, a new student council must be formed. Hanabe is elected by her female
classmates and struggles to fit in as she is the only girl on the council.
In an attempt to get a petition singed, Hanabe is forced to
compete against Yasuaki in a surfing competition. She wins but has to be saved
by Yasuaki who gives her mouth-to-mouth. Hanabe becomes resentful towards him
as she counted the experience as a stolen first kiss. Yasuaki learns this and
attempts to right the situation. Hanabe must fight to tame her wild personality
as she learns more about friendship and men.
Reader’s annotation:
Hanabe’s all girl high school is about to be merged with the
local all boy’s school. Something has to be done about this! But with all the
beautiful new male students, maybe a decision can wait?
Information about the
author:
“Rie Takada is a manga artist who first debuted in 1990
appearing in a popular Japanese shojo magazine. Her works focus on the shojo culture
as well, geared towards a younger female population interested in romantic
works. Rie is rumored to enjoy watching plays and engaging in role playing
games” (MangaUpdates.com, 2014).
Note: Rie Takada is a Japanese manga artist who currently
lives in Japan. Biographical information on her written in English is severely
lacking with only a handful of reworded sentences existing. The manga
themselves contain the exact same information on her with nothing more to add.
I have not been able to find anything more on her other than what is listed
above.
Curriculum ties: N/A
Booktalking ideas:
1.
How would you feel if you attended a same-sex school
and it merged with another?
2.
Do you think you would have problems making
friends with members of the opposite sex?
Critical evaluation:
As with most manga, Hanabe’s personality is very
over-the-top. She is put in impossible situations with very embarrassing
outcomes and yet still comes out victorious. Bypassing this, the story is very
endearing though it lacks originality. Hanabe is a high school student
struggling to fit in which is a much overplayed theme in Japanese novels. Unlike traditional heroines, Hanabe is feisty
rather than laid back and struggles to cope with her personality in a
traditional Japanese society where “the nail that sticks up gets hammered
down.” Hanabe’s character challenges traditional gender roles and her design is
more reminiscent of a high school student rather than the bustier
representation so often favored by manga artists.
Happy Hustle High,
Vol. 1 is a sweet, carefree, and airy story good for a quick read. Hanabe
is an interesting character who wins the hearts of readers and leaves them
dying to know what other trouble she can get into.
Challenge issues: N/A
Why included:
Manga are very popular with teens of Asian cultures and have
gained status in America as well. Despite not selling as well as they did
several years ago, manga are still widely read. I have included this material
for its popularity, the genre (as most readers of manga are female), and for
those who could possibly benefit from visual skills needed to understand the
storyline.
Reference:
Manga Updates.com. (2014). Takada Rie. Retrieved August 23, 2014 from
https://www.mangaupdates.com/authors.html?id=508
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