Rummanah Aasi
  Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Melodrama, angst, and humor are blended quite nicely Volume 8 of Boys Over Flowers.

Description: Rui and Tsukushi are finally dating, but it's not all smooth sailing for the couple. In a jealous fury, Tsukasa challenges Rui and Tsukushi to a basketball game. And if they lose, they are going to be expelled from Eitoku Academy!

Review: In volume 8 of Boys Over Flowers, Kamio takes a closer look at the themes of being true to yourself and listening to your heart. Though we don't see a major plot development occur in this volume, we do continue to see the different layers of the characters.
 Heartbroken, humiliated, and betrayed by his best friend Rui, Tsukasa is determined to get Rui and Tsukushi kicked out of school. Tsukasa's family is a big money donor to the school and he's convinced that if he stopped the donations, the headmaster of Eitoku Academy will have no choice but to comply to his commands.    Tsukasa is a hot head, but it is clear from his strong emotions that he feels deeply about Tsukushi. The expulsion of Rui and Tsukushi is more than shock value, but more of a sign of Tsukasa's pride and status. Education and social structure are important in Japanese culture. Being kicked out of school will tarnish Tsukushi's family reputation and you can read Tsukushi's terror of this potentially occurring on her face as well as see the scenarios of how her parents will interact in her head. 
   While his friends fail to convince him that he is being irrational, Tsukasa's sister offers a more civilized resolution: a challenge to a three on three basketball game. The loser of the game has to submit to the demands of the winner. The game was my favorite part of this volume. It demonstrated how each character interacted with the other. The drawings for this portion of the manga worked well. The panel arrangement and the close-ups of the characters faces illustrated the pacing and importance of the game. 
  The volume ends with some important reflections. Rui confesses to Tsukushi about his feelings which once again sends mixed messages. Tsukasa seems to show everyone that he has come to terms that Tsukushi doesn't share his feelings, but I can see him turning wheels in his head for another plan to win her heart. I curious to see what Tsukasa has up his sleeves.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, crude sexual humor, and scenes of underage drinking.

If you like this book try: Boys Over Flowers Vol. 9 by Yoko Kamio, Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances by Masami Tsuda, Mars by Fuyumi Soryo
1 Response
  1. Jenny Says:

    The cover is so bright and cheerful Rummanah, but obviously this story is a bit darker with the heartbreak and betrayal. I always enjoy reading these mangas vicariously through you, looking forward to seeing what Tsukasa gets up to next!


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