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Title:  Backstage Prince #1

Author:  Kanoko Sakurakoji

Publisher:  Viz

ISBN:  142151172x

May Contain Spoilers

Akari accidentally whacks Ryusei Horiuchi in the gut with her book bag.  Filled with heavy books, she bruises the aspiring kabuki actor’s ribs and finds herself recruited as his assistant until they heal.  Akari knows nothing about kabuki, and even worse, falls asleep during Ryusei’s performances.  Will she be able to get her grumpy classmate to forgive her?

This book wasn’t awful, it just wasn’t a very convincing romance and as such, wasn’t very interesting.  Akari and Ryusei became an item much too quickly, without exploring the awkward period that most couples journey through on the way to falling in love.  Kanoko Sakurakoji tries to use Ryusei’s rising fame in the kabuki world as a point of conflict, but Akari only came off as feeling sorry for herself and being a wimp for letting other people make her doubt her worthiness for Ryusei’s love.

Ryusei and Akari are both one dimensional, and their characters lacked depth.  Ryusei could have been interesting, if his cantankerous personality had been a little more fleshed out.  Akari, portrayed as the average high school girl, was just plain boring.  She was like a light switch; happy one moment because she’s so in love with Ryusei, and unhappy the next when she thinks that they aren’t meant to be together.

The setting was pretty interesting, though it would have been nice if there had been more explanations about kabuki worked into the plot.  Ryusei is the son of a prestigious kabuki family, and mid-way through the book, he wins a role in a historical drama.  That was probably the best part of the book, because at least he looked hot, even if he was as interesting as a rock.  He did work up the energy to get jealous over an apprentice actor’s attentions to Akari, but other than that, he was limited to fits of crabbiness, until Akari’s gentle presence soothed his ruffed feathers.  Really.  He reminded me of my dog, Buu.

Aside from Akari’s eyes, which took up almost her entire face, the art wasn’t bad.  I liked Ryusei’s character design, especially when he was decked out with a pony-tail for the TV show.  The pages flowed together nicely, and the lack of background detail kept attention focused on the main characters.  Too bad they weren’t doing much to hold the reader’s interest.

This title reminded me a little of Beauty is the Beast, without its quirky charm.

Grade:  C

Rated for Teen