High School Debut Vol. 1

Rating T+ Genre manga Author Kazune Kawahara Publisher Viz Media

High School Debut Vol. 1 is proof that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I must admit that I did this when I first saw it, assuming that I was in for a real cheese-ball storyline due to the fact that the front of the book is spackled with two brightly clothed high school kids standing in front of a neon pink background forming a heart with their fingers, and one of them is smiling maniacally.

As I got further into the story I began to see the potential in it. High School Debut Vol. 1 opens with an introduction of main character Haruna Nagashima. Haruna is a softball loving tomboy who’s about to enter high school. It is her penchant for romantically based girls’ comics that peeks her interest in dressing more feminine for the new chapter in her life in the hopes of finding love, but she has one problem. She has no clue how to dress more girly.

Haruna takes it upon herself to study fashion magazines in order t o understand what guys find attractive, but her attempts remain futile. After some frustration and brainstorming, Haruna decides that just like in softball, she’ll need a coach to help her improve. It is then that she recruits cute upperclassman Yoh Komiyama to help her be less of a disaster with….well almost everything.

Author Kazune Kawahara did well with creating the personalities of her characters. While Haruna is indeed awkward and a bit naïve, her innocence and longing for romance are endearing. Her ‘coach’ Yoh gives the impression of being a brooding introverted punk and although he may be brooding and is a bit introverted, he’s actually a nice guy. His demand that Haruna not fall for him is firm, but there may be a hint of fuzzy feelings forming.

If you enjoy a good old romantic tale that will also make you laugh, give High School Debut Vol. 1 a try. Haruna’s intense and humorous focus on her appearance will bring back the days when the right outfit to match your haircut was the biggest concern you had, and will in fact prove in more ways than one that appearances can be deceiving.