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A review by ramreads
Become You Vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano
3.0
This was a relatively good start to the manga series Become You. Mostly slice-of-life with music themes and a small dash of fantasy (though I think so far that’s mostly due to the main character’s overactive imagination, but we’ll see).
The story follows a third year high schooler named Ashie Taiyou who wants to be a musician despite not being the best guitarist. Being the only member of the modern music club he tries to recruit fellow classmate Hikari who used to play piano but he isn’t interested. Ashie doesn’t give up though and as he grows closer to Hikari they both slowly open up about traumatic experiences they had in junior high. This first volume did a great job setting up the characters and making me intrigued by them, but I’m still not attached to any of them and the plot hasn’t fully revealed itself yet. I need a little bit more from this series before I’m truly invested in the story.
Ashie was a relatable protagonist. He wants to follow his dreams but is aware of all the obstacles he faces. He wants to be there for his friends but doesn’t know how. He wants to believe in himself but is also worried about what others think. He felt like a legitimate high schooler with these worries and I liked that disconnect from how high school boys are usually portrayed in manga (only caring about girls and being vulgar). This manga is being told by him in a way where it seems like he’s reflecting on his high school years. It sounds like it might be heading in a sad direction though I hope it’s not.
I’m intrigued by Hikari only because you don’t get to know much about him. He used to play the piano but stopped for some reason in his third year of junior high. He’s a grouchy loner who bounces back and forth between wanting to help teach Ashie how to play guitar and wanting to be left alone. He’s interesting because he’s mysterious but that’s the extent of his character in this volume.
Sakura is the only female character of importance so far and is already being relegated to love interest. She does photography, supports the protagonist, cries...and that’s about it. After reading manga for years I’ve come to terms with the fact that the number one importance of most female characters is for them to be love interests. I’ve accepted it but am somehow still disappointed every time. Perhaps her character will get more develop past being a love interest but I have very little hope (it’s practically nonexistent).
The art has a classic manga style with a realistic twist to it. It’s not anything incredibly unique that stands out. It works for the story and I liked that the characters looked more realistic.
I kind of regretted picking this up after I found out that the second volume hasn’t been completed yet. I’m not sure if it’s even been started on despite the first volume already being out for almost two years. The ending does leave me super curious as to what happens next, but I am wary of manga that have been out this long without any continuation whatsoever. I don’t like starting something that’s never going to get finished, so I want everyone who picks up this volume to be aware of this. If another volume does come out eventually I’ll be happy to pick it up!
The story follows a third year high schooler named Ashie Taiyou who wants to be a musician despite not being the best guitarist. Being the only member of the modern music club he tries to recruit fellow classmate Hikari who used to play piano but he isn’t interested. Ashie doesn’t give up though and as he grows closer to Hikari they both slowly open up about traumatic experiences they had in junior high. This first volume did a great job setting up the characters and making me intrigued by them, but I’m still not attached to any of them and the plot hasn’t fully revealed itself yet. I need a little bit more from this series before I’m truly invested in the story.
Ashie was a relatable protagonist. He wants to follow his dreams but is aware of all the obstacles he faces. He wants to be there for his friends but doesn’t know how. He wants to believe in himself but is also worried about what others think. He felt like a legitimate high schooler with these worries and I liked that disconnect from how high school boys are usually portrayed in manga (only caring about girls and being vulgar). This manga is being told by him in a way where it seems like he’s reflecting on his high school years. It sounds like it might be heading in a sad direction though I hope it’s not.
I’m intrigued by Hikari only because you don’t get to know much about him. He used to play the piano but stopped for some reason in his third year of junior high. He’s a grouchy loner who bounces back and forth between wanting to help teach Ashie how to play guitar and wanting to be left alone. He’s interesting because he’s mysterious but that’s the extent of his character in this volume.
Sakura is the only female character of importance so far and is already being relegated to love interest. She does photography, supports the protagonist, cries...and that’s about it. After reading manga for years I’ve come to terms with the fact that the number one importance of most female characters is for them to be love interests. I’ve accepted it but am somehow still disappointed every time. Perhaps her character will get more develop past being a love interest but I have very little hope (it’s practically nonexistent).
The art has a classic manga style with a realistic twist to it. It’s not anything incredibly unique that stands out. It works for the story and I liked that the characters looked more realistic.
I kind of regretted picking this up after I found out that the second volume hasn’t been completed yet. I’m not sure if it’s even been started on despite the first volume already being out for almost two years. The ending does leave me super curious as to what happens next, but I am wary of manga that have been out this long without any continuation whatsoever. I don’t like starting something that’s never going to get finished, so I want everyone who picks up this volume to be aware of this. If another volume does come out eventually I’ll be happy to pick it up!