Boys Over Flowers

Reviewed by Kristina Tiedemann
July 2005

Author: Yoko Kamio Publisher: Viz Review Rating: 8 out of 10

Boys Over Flowers is a dramatic comedy series that follows the adventures and troubles of a girl named Tsukushi Makino.  Tsukushi comes from a middle class family, yet she attends an expensive private school, which costs her family literally every extra dime they make.  Eitoku Academy is so expensive usually only the richest families in Japan can afford to send their children there.  The school is full of wealthy kids with plenty of spending money and Tsukushi hates it because she doesn't feel like she fits in.  One of the things she hates the most about the school is a group of handsome but cruel guys know as the F4 (which means Flowery Four, for their good looks).  They pick on students and teachers alike, and torment anyone who angers them.  Because they are the sons of some of the richest men in Japan, no one dares to oppose them.  Even the teachers and principal are powerless against these boys who have buildings at the school named after their family.  Tsukushi runs afoul of the F4 when a friend of hers bumps into the leader of the group on a stairway.  Tsukushi stands up for her friend and is given an infamous Red Slip the next day.  Up to this point, every student who has received a red slip from the F4 has wound up quitting Eitoku because they can't stand being ostracized by the entire student body.  Because her family sacrifices so much for her to go to school, Tsukushi feels that she can't just give up.  Instead, she delivers red slips of her own to the members of the F4, and publicly declares war on them.

This is the point at which this story either draws you in or repulses you.  This series will repeatedly test your ability to suspend your disbelief.  Tsukushi is subjected to numerous attacks, both psychological and physical, from the F4 and other students.  At one point the leader of the F4, a boy named Domyoji, actually pays some other students to try to rape her.  If you can overcome the fact the police are never called for any of these attacks, and no one is punished at all for these crimes, then you can enjoy the story being told alongside these heinous acts.

Believe me when I say that this story is actually worth all the frustration.  Boys Over Flowers is a great series and it is insanely addicting.  Something about the writing keeps you coming back, even as you scream at the top of your lungs, "For God's sake woman, call the cops already!"  The character interaction (that isn't violence related) is fantastically written, with snappy dialogue and good comedy interjected at just the right moments.  Even Domyoji is a good guy eventually.  After all, he does apologize for that whole rape thing.

One thing I cannot praise about Boys Over Flowers is the artwork.  I know what you are thinking, "Why should I buy a comic with bad art?"  Because they don't have this story in novel form, that's why!  Seriously though, the art shifts from adequate to sadly simplistic every couple of pages.  I don't know if it was time constraints on the author or just laziness but the inconsistent art does tend to annoy.  Although, most of the time you are so wrapped up in the story that all you really need is an indication of who is speaking which line of dialogue.  This is accomplished well, so in that respect I suppose the art is good.

In case you can't tell which side I am on, I must tell you that I recommend this book whole-heartedly.  The art is disappointing but the story and characterizations are top-notch.