Koukou Debut

Here's my first review

This manga is about a careless girl who just graduated from middle school going into high school. During her years of middle school, she focused on baseball resulting in her poor sense of style. Haruna is hardworking and buff.

She reads tons of magazines in search of a boyfriend, using the style from the magazines but after days she still fails. After realising the best way to beautify herself was to get a coach who knew how to impress male. Remembering she bumped into someone who had the perfect requirements, she found him in her school realising he was her senpai.

Hopefully I didn't spoil much, but Haruna falls in love, is tricked and finds love.
After finding her mutual love, it goes into the future of her relationships.

I love this manga a lot, with a rating of 10/10.
The art is pretty realistic looking but still has that manga feel which is what I love about it.
I've enjoyed reading this manga so much because the characters are absolutely adorable. Plus this manga is seriously hilarious as you watch Haruna struggle. I seriously recommend it to everyone as you should at least try it once

The shoujo romance genre has such an enormous amount of stories published by many authors, that its extremely difficult to find a diamond in the rough. More often than not, all of these stories have extremely similar female and male leads in extremely similar situations that many times, differentiating a story from one manga to another can be difficult. Koukou Debut (High school Debut) is a manga that attempts to do that, and does so wonderfully for the first half of its story. However, it then takes a dive in the second half of the story and utilizes typical shoujo plot devices that makes it lose the identity it built up for itself during the duration of the first half of its run.

Koukou Debut is a story about the relationship between Nagashima Haruna (our female lead) and Komiyama Yoh (our male lead). Haruna is a girl who is determined to find a boyfriend now that she has entered high school, but has no experience whatsoever in the opposite sex. On the contrary, she tries everything that dating magazines say, but it all ends in futility. On a fateful meeting with Yoh, who's your typical bishounen male who has a cool and collected exterior, but soft on the inside, has sworn off women due to past experiences. However, he knows exactly what guys want and thus, Haruna asks Yoh to be her "trainer in love" to help her find a boyfriend. He reluctantly agrees to do so, on the one condition that she does not fall in love with him. Thus begins the journey between these two star-crossed lovers.

As far as shoujo romances go, this aforementioned plot is actually intriguing and somewhat original. However, this intriguing plot only lasts for the first half of the series, where in the second half, the plot becomes more or less several one-shot stories or events of daily happenings between the two. The author uses all of the cliche'd plot devices in the second half and it seems like it has become like every other shoujo out there.

The art, although very reminiscent of shoujo-type art, is very rough. As with all manga, the art improves as the story goes along, however, I feel the art actually worsens once you hit the last few chapters. Character designs seem really rough and incomplete at times, but I assume that's to be expected with 40+ page releases every month.

As the plot goes, so do the characters. Both leads are fairly interesting in the beginning of the story and the side characters do enough to help compliment the leads. However, Haruna - throughout the entire story - never develops from her insecure, crybaby self, as in almost every single chapter, she cries over the smallest of things. Yoh definitely goes under the most development through the story, but this is brought down by the lack of development of Haruna.

Even with all of its flaws, as a fan of shoujo romance, I still enjoyed this manga. It was able to bring about a certain charm with its supporting characters to help offset a weak main lead. In addition, one has to be in awe at Yoh and how he is able to handle every single fickle mood swing Haruna displays in each chapter. As I mentioned, the first half of the story really shines and gives Koukou Debut its identity. But for some odd reason, the mangaka decided to follow traditional shoujo plot devices with the second half, and in consequence, loses that identity it had built up.

I know I'm probably in the minority in my views of the manga, but I thought I'd give another view of this story. Regardless, any shoujo fan will undoubtedly love this story as it contains all the typical shoujo plot devices. However, if you're looking for something that goes outside the box and attempts to break the medium's constants, after reading the first half of the story, you'll have to look elsewhere for that.

If you are a beginner of reading manga I would suggest you to read this one. While I'm reading the first chapters of this manga I have this thought that I know where this is going. The reason why I give this manga a score of 8 because some parts of it can be found to other shoujo like the unpopular girl meets the popular guy. The girl tries to get a makeover to find a boyfriend. Even if that's how the story goes, I still find this quite interesting. I like the naive character of Haruna Nagashima fun and sometimes annoying. I also like the character of Yoh Komiyama its like the version of tsundere guy. Hahahaha! The art is very good I like how the artist depicts the comedy and the love aura of the couple. In general, I did enjoy reading this manga. It's cute and funny, I like how the supporting characters play their role to the couple. I like how the author also shows the reality of the romance. The ending ------- hmm, that's how the author wants to wrap up the story.

Seldom have I read a long running shoujo manga that I've enjoyed so immensely. Everything from Koukou Debut from it's characters to it's art was really enjoyable for me!

The premise is simple, yet refreshing - Haruna, whom devoted all her time to softball in middle-school, wishes to get a boyfriend in high-school and lead a "normal" teenage girl's life. She bumps into Yoh, resident aloof hottie and teenage heartthrob, and gets him to be her "coach", but with the condition that she mustn't fall in love with him!

Although we all know that the condition will sooner or later be broken, Koukou Debut still manages to keep things fresh after that, from thrusting the unknowing couple into peculiar scenarios (and often to hilarious effect), to quieter scenes where they share their thoughts. The mangaka manages to make each character believable and lovable through their interactions and that I think is one of this manga's strong points!

On the down side though, some people will find certain scenes cheesy, although I personally feel there's a fine line between cliche and an "Awwwww that's so sweet" moment!

So if you're prepared to laugh your head off, squeal like an excited fangirl, and even feel tears well up in your eyes, then I definitely recommend you come on board the Koukou Debut emotional rollercoaster!

It's really an amazing manga.. It makes me feel sometimes enjoyed, sometimes think about the real meaning of "love" and most times really be touched... From the beginning to the end, this manga and its characters became a part of my life and they have guided me to handle my life. I never forget Haruna's optimistic thoughts and the side of both Haruna and Yoh that they do things with their all!! Somehow, I feel that Haruna is the one who shows that loving somebody with all your heart. Thank you Kawahara-san to create such a masterpiece ^^

This MANGA really get a spot in my heart
its have all the element that i like comedy slice of life (without exaggerating life situation) and of course the romance
this manga can be enjoyed even for someone like me a man and not so into shoujo stuff
definitely recommended for EVERYONE who would like a good laugh, nice romace and theres 1 quote from this manga that i really like
"Its impossible yoh have take 100% of my heart there will be no spot for another man"

One plot. Love.

There's nothing really 'AWESUMMMM' about this manga, except that it has a really good consistency.

Nagashima Haruna searches for his true love, asked a guy named Yoh to be his tutor on how to be beautiful for her to have a boyfriend. What happened next?! Yes, of course, they fell in love with each other.

What I like about this though is that Haruna isn't the weak kind of girl, say for example unlike Sawako of Kimi ni Todoke, Haruna portrays how girls fight for something they really love without fearing of what will happen next. A very strong girl personality for a guy who's kind of shy about what he feels (not that he's weak or something. he's cool too, haha!)

Koukou Debut is brilliant, the whole love story felt real and I was able to connect with it more then I can in other mangas. The art for it was unique I wouldn't say I love it, but at the same time I didn't stop reading it because I didn't like the art. It has it's own unique style to it that I enjoyed very much.

One of the reasons I love this manga so much was the character development. Not just the two main characters, but the whole group as a whole; Haruna, Yoh, Asaoka, Asami, Fumi, and Mami.
For example, in most stories I have read when a girl gets a boyfriend she somehow physically changes into this "beautiful, sexy woman," almost as if having a boyfriend causes all the boys to want her, but with Haruna it was different. She changed mentally throughout the stories, but physically she was still this athletic, muscular teenage girl. Overall a brilliant manga that I would enjoy reading again.

Story:
I found the story extremely mediocre and predictable. It wasn't bad enough for me to close the manga [since i have a "no-dropping-mangas " policy] but the chance of me re-reading it is equal to the chance of hell freezing.
Art:
I'm very flexible when it come to the way mangakas draw because it's their style but this manga had a very special way to draw. I found many mistakes in the manner like Yoh's eyes changing[bigger and smaller when no emotion is meant to be shown]. But the backgrounds were beautifully drawn. it was good all in all.
Characters:
Nagashima, Haruna's was fun :)
Yoh's was boring, as for his friends.
Though Yoh's sister, Asami, really caught my eye because she was still a child who was learning the ways of life which was cute. Too bad she didn't appear much.
Overall:
Not a must.

Koukou Debut is my all time favorite shoujo manga. I have read it several times and have yet to be tired of it. I've never enjoyed a shoujo as much mainly due to its excellent delivery. Although it is a shoujo, it has a more realistic appeal in that the story is believable and also enjoyable.

Story: Very simple and concise idea that the protagonist would like to gain popularity and become more feminine despite her tomboyish nature. In her efforts to change, she enlists the help of a boy whom she believes to have good sense.

Characters: I find the main characters to be extremely likeable and very human, meaning they behave in ways that seem natural to their character, even if it is ridiculous. Yoh, despite being a bit of a tsundere, is not excessively abusive (ie. Ookami Shoujo) nor is he unreasonable and is one of the more sincere characters I've seen in romance manga. There is some unreal character development in this manga, which is the reason I keep coming back to it. I even find myself enjoying the side characters, even though I usually find them annoying in Shoujo manga.

Art: Although every page isn't a masterpiece, the art in this manga is quite charming, and kind of reminds me of Lovely Complex. It definitely gets better over the course of the 15 volumes, but I find it compliments the story quite well, particularly the comedy aspect.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this manga, and it has remained one of my favorites over the past few years. I highly recommend this manga to anyone who enjoys shoujo. It's one of those manga that truly deserve to be under comedy, romance, and drama so don't be afraid to pick it up!

ARE YOU A FAN OF SHOUJO MANGAS?! Well i suggest THIS to you!
ONE athletic romance nube GIRL MEETS ONE popular hot GUY.
i've encountered this manga a year ago and i sure am glad i did. Reading this manga was like riding in a rollercoaster of emotions. I remember going: "awww how cute", "BWAHAHA my stomach hurts form laughing", and there were also times when i feel like tearing up. This manga was a really great example of how far girls would go through just to get a guy and what couples may face in real life. well lets break it down to parts shall we?

STORY: 9
i gave it a 9 because well, first of all its a shoujo so we ALL know that its the typical boy meets girl, they get together, the end. right? yes. but this story isn't just about that, it points out all the hardships a couple may go through in real life and how they deal with them. After Yoh met Haruna everything changed for him and that's true for people in real life. It's also a little unbelievable how Haruna tries SO hard getting a guy in the first place..but that IS the funny part of this manga.

ART: 9
the art is decent looking and the characters were drawn so good that you can tell right away what they're feeling.

CHARACTER: 10!
the characters are what make this story so great ! Haruna is soo hilarious and Yoh is just so cool and cute at the same time.

ENJOYMENT: 10 !! (notice the 2 excalmation marks:)
AFTER finishing the manga, i wanted more of it. ive read this manga like 100x already and i still couldnt get enough of it. As i said before it was like an emotional roller coaster. one page can leave you laughing your tears out and the next page can make you blush.

OVERALL: 10
I must say this has got to be one of my favorite mangas. im speechless and no words can ever describe how great this manga is.

I absolutely love this manga!!! I couldn't help but fall in love with the budding romance between popular yet shy Yoh and dense but very sweet and passionate Haruna. It's full of comedy, love, drama and everything else that it takes to create a fantastic manga :). I found myself laughing at the characters and even crying with then as well. It saddened me to know that this manga had come to an end but even so it will forever remain a favorite of mine :D.

i can`t give this manga a satisfying review no matter how i tried

this manga is a must i`m sure no matter who you are you won`t hate this manga even if you are not the type who loves shojou manga why ?

because this manga is unique in everything it`s not a typical shoujo manga at all
the characters are unique their interaction together is amazing

everything in the manga is cute the story is great and the progress in it is very good

at first when i started reading it i thought i will find the same type of shoujo manga with the heroine a cry baby but what i saw is totally different the heroine in the manga is strong

as her boyfreind said she is more like a boyfreind not a girlfreind and

another thing i like about this manga is how the author shows that looks is not everything although the guy is so hansome he fell in love with the type of girl who only knows how to dress like men and doesn`t have any sense of fastion it shows that the inner self is more important in relationships


all in all i can`t give this manga anything other than 10 in everything

Story: A girl named Haruna has just got into high school and she is known for being the star baseball player on the girls' team. She has a goal for the next three years, and that is to find the perfect boyfriend and fall in love. Gee, how original? Problem? Well, she's such a tomboy that her upperclassman friend, Yoh, says that no guy will be interested in that. Desperate, she asks him for help on how to be more girly for men. He agrees on one condition: She can't fall in love with him. Gee, I wonder how that is going to turn out?!?!?!? How many times have you heard that story and have it fall within itself. Because of the cliche, I rate it 5 out of 10.

Art: It's not cluttered, and you can read the emotions on the character's faces pretty clearly. The dialogue flows pretty well. There's nothing distracting either. It's simply; nothing is over the top because it's meant to be a humorous, romantic shoujo. Personally, I like the art simple rather than all over the place. 10/10

Characters: Haruna is passionate about everything she does. As soon as she starts something, whether it's baseball or finding a boyfriend, she will do anything to make sure she gets what she wants. She's not crude about it; Haruna is just dedicated. Yoh is a jerk. Even when Haruna is trying, he just turns her down. In his defense, he's also passionate. He wants to make sure that Haruna succeeds, but at the same time, his promise starts to whim on himself. I guess you can say that Yoh is looking for a girl who is just as passionate as he is, and Haruna could be it. 9/10

Enjoyment: I don't know. I felt as if I was getting bored the more I was reading. I was all like, "Just have them get together already!" by the time it got interesting. 7/10

Overall: The total score I give this manga is a rounded up 8 out of 10.

When I chose this manga to read, I was worried that since it was a long one, that at some point, it would end up ripping my heart to shreds like many similar manga do. I was very pleased to find that not only did it not (though I did get emotional over one thing early on in the story), it actually left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. :)

I also worried about whether or not I'd like it as the subject matter seemed rather shallow to me and, indeed, it does seem that way for a while at the beginning, but it DOES get better.

It's sweet and cute and there were several times it made me giggle loudly (hahahaha! Pocky! XD ). I thought the art was only okay, but the characters and story made up for it.

I've read HUNDREDS of manga and I can tell you that if you like romantic shoujo manga, this one is definitely worth reading. :)

Another High School Romance ♥ I love this manga so much that I want to write a review about this here! The characters are perfect and the story itself is a perfect package already! Manga filled with laughter, tears, lessons and romance one must not miss reading this. I won't say anything anymore, just read this wicked manga and you'll fall in love with Yoh over and over again. I even got myself into an argument with my boyfriend because I compare him to Yoh. Oh my gosh. I am so stupid. Comparing a freaking fictional CHARACTER to my boyfriend!!! KILL ME NOW! So a little piece of advice, do not make the same mistake. XD So whattya waitn for?! Read this NOW!

The story of Koukou Debut is lighthearted, makes you feel those "butterfly kisses" and brings a definite slice of life as you read each chapter. Anyone who loves romance-type manga will surely find Koukou Debut enjoyable to read and they could easily relate to the story.

The fluffy romance between a tomboyish girl and Mr. Popular goes like this. Haruna Nagashima can be described as a butterfly trying to get out of its cocoon, strong-willed and has a lot of determination.Her life in junior high focused in playing softball BUT now that she's going to high school, she wants to have a boyfriend and have the high school romance of a lifetime. Now the question is...how will she do it? Fortunately for her, she meets Yoh Komiyama (a popular, not to mention, hot upperclassmen of hers) by chance. With a little bit of push, Yoh agrees to coach her to overcome her jock-like attitude and turn herself into the kind of girl who can attract a guy.Sounds too good to be true? Think again! He agrees to help Haruna with one condition: She had better not fall for him!

The characters are a total masterpiece. You could really see the change within them and it is easy to put yourself in their shoes.You will even find yourself supporting Haruna on her quest to find a boyfriend, after all she's the type who'll you really want to help. Why do I say that? It's because Haruna is a very lovable character,being a klutz, naive and all. Don't forget her cute antics! With her personality shining in a pink color...what could be a better contrast for it than blue? Yoh is surely "blue" for me. He is the 'cool' type and naturally popular to girls;deep inside him lays an honest,shy and a guy who has insecurities about relationships and stuff :).

What I loved about this manga is the romance between Haruna and Yoh, taken in an average-paced manner which really helped in showing that in love...nobody's perfect. You could really see how they fell in love with each other, considering Yoh's past and the couple's insecurities as to think if they're really the one for each other.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I am sure you will do to. This manga could actually increase your self-esteem and see things in a different perspective when it comes to relationships. As to conclude my review...
"Koukou debut is like a cake. Sweet and fluffy with a slice of life in every bite"

Think She's All That meets My Fair Lady meets emo hottie! Haha, okay it's kind of hard to visualise all that. The story is touching because you feel so dearly for our heroine Haruna and love that she isn't clumsy, can lift 70Kg!, doesn't expect her boyfriend to come protect her, knows how to deal with jealous classmates and doesn't cry at every obstacle. The male lead was a bit well, unlikeable in my opinion but I suppose that's because he isn't a dashing Sir Lancelot like we've become accustomed to. He's equally shy and awkward when it comes to dating (though highly knowledgeable about the how to's and what to wear when), he's sweet and caring in a sort of uncommunicative manner, which is very realistic, and he always stands up for the heroine.

As far as the plot goes, I give full points to the mangaka for thinking up very innovative and realistic situations to immerse our couple into, from first kiss and it's after effects, to first date, first parent meeting, first overnight trip, even the first time Yoh steps outside his comfort zone. You really devour the manga because as it usual in shoujo, the couple aren't constantly kissing (even though I would have liked it if they did!), or caressing each other. In that respect, I think this is one very chaste couple! Almost any touch or physical intimacy is a big deal to both sides!

The story deals with real life routine very well. Each character is constantly changing clothes within one chapter which makes it very charming. The supporting cast, which I wouldn't exactly label 'supporting' as they are equally enchanting, are thought up carefully and very deliberately add to the main storyline. I particularly like Asaoka, Yoh's good friend and his quiet mirth. Unconventional issues such as an overbearingly possessive sister, a girl taking on the protector role, parting due to college and hoopla over a mistaken kiss are refreshingly introduced, which are disarmingly entertaining.

I think the best part of this story though lies in the fact that the couple did not fall in love at first sight (Though returning a shoe is a very novel premise!). They each saw appealing qualities in one another over time and love blossomed once friendship grew. That to me was very sincere. Of course the fact that the female lead wasn't a hopeless whimpering damsel is an added plus!

You have to love these personal unconsious habits characters remain loyal to. Yoh and his mother tend to itch their chin with the opposite hand often. Asami always hides her hands in long sleeves and I Haruna's expressions are ... priceless always, especially when she's repeatedly told not to fall in love with Yoh (rather PRESUMPTUOUS of him I think!)

I don't usually write reviews, but when I do, I write honest ones.

Koukou Debut is for anyone who loves cute, stupidly adorable but predictable stories. Similar to Lovely Com with the humor and reminded me a lot of Kimi Ni Todoke with the art and story layout.

Story -
Basically, it's about a high school girl who has never had a boyfriend, she wants a love coach and BAM, you get sexy lead male as coach. After you progress through the first couple of Volumes, maybe 1-4 this coach thing becomes less apparent. Overall, if you like shojo humor and love chucked in here and there this is for you.
The ending isn't totally bumming like others and I liked how this ends, somewhat.

Warning - There is a lot of cheesy stuff goin' on in here, but who doesn't love cheese?
It's definitely a nice pace, not slow or too fast in terms of time.

Art-
Very suitable, it's well drawn, has good toning, simple and effective, and nice line breaks. No complaints here.

Character-
The characters are very well thought out. Normally I'd sometimes forget a character or two in manga but here I remember them all. Each has their own personality and they're all portrayed very well.

The lead girl is not completely STUPID, she's a tomboy and that's what suits her most. She has her moments but she's very likable in the sense that she's not anything super fancy. Just normal, with a hint of cluelessness about fashion and shizz like that.

Enjoyment-
I freaking loved this. One of the few I've bothered to stick to because it pulled me in so tightly in the first volume.

Overall -
LOVE IT. READ IT. NOW.

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Side note; there's a live-action movie thing, kinda different to how it really is but hey, it was still nice to watch.

Koukou Debut, aka Highschool Debut, I would recommend to any reader, as it's enjoyable, heartfelt and a laugh-out-loud.

Unlike what other reviews have been saying, in my opinion it's not, "cute, loud girl meet hot emo boy". I do think that Haruna (main character) is very outspoken and naive, but it makes her enjoyable as a character. I wouldn't say that she's ditzy, but she is eccentric and more importantly, eager and motivated.
The first reason I'll give to why I enjoy this manga, is because it makes me wish and hope. Sometimes it makes me a little lonely, truthfully, but living with the aspiration that Haruna has in the manga would make life enjoyable, as her life is. I may be taking this point and the characters a little too seriously, but the way the author had written the book and the things she made the characters think and say portrays the author's emotions and perspective as well, and it's something I would agree on.

Now, supposed "emo boy" (Yoh) in my perspective is NOT emo. I definately think he's introvert and a bit, but he sort of reflects someone who hasn't been enlightened in their life, not saying that depressed or anything. His character is intensely "Yoh", and he doesn't break away from that almost at all, including when he begins to soften up. I like how it's more of a subtle change and continues to fit him, but when I reread the manga (which I have many times) though it doesn't seem out of context.
When I think of being in the position of Haruna myself, I can't imagine how it's be to upkeep someone like him, because he seems very difficult, and because I (or many people) aren't as bold as her, the things Haruna may do or say sometimes to make him laugh or smile never cross my mind. I think that if a lot of people were in Haruna's position it'd sort of be like his ex-girlfriend, not exactly knowing how to please or keep in intrested. That, I'm not sure whether to critisize or not, because I guess that's a point which makes him difficult, but it also makes his character a bit impossible, so I'm not sure on that...
Hef, well anyways, I don't see him very much as the "boyfriend" type, and sometimes I obsess over the other male characters more than Yoh, but maybe altering him to make him a bit more enjoyable or interesting may either ruin the story, his seriousness or his character... I do like how the other characters are nicely intertwined with the story and each character gets a good amount of face-time, so despite how out of focus Yoh could be at times, but because it happens so little, I wouldn't complain over it. I'm simply... taking note of it.

My most favorite character would be Asaoka, I love how the author (Kazune Kawahara) plays his personality and character. Asaoka is intruiging and sweet, and his role in the book gives me very giddy feelings! If I were to write about him though, it'd mostly be about how much I love him, and I'd be a bit repeatitive, so in summary he's clever, funny, exasperating, and etc. I guess you could critique him on your own.

I don't have too much to say about the artwork aswell, for I enjoy the story nonetheless and the artwork was wonderful in comparison to most shoujos, though I must add that sometimes the hands looked a little funky.

My negatives about Koukou Debut, which I don't have many (only two) would be all in one dilema. The part where that one girl with glasses interferes bothers me a bit, though I must say that I love how instead of leaving the cold texts and "don't call me" stuff unsettled and unconcluded, Yoh and Haruna actually wonder about the strangeness of it and look into it at the end of the chapter (I'm so glad, I would've been totally upset, because if such a thing were to be left alone it be a bad memory and it's be part of their relationship forever and maybe it'd be brought up at times of made them feel uncomfortable or saddened of how easily one another had abandoned their love). Yeah, I'm tkaing this a bit seriously. Anyways! The parts which I didn't like was how Yoh had smiled to much with the girl. It's not exactly a negative about the story, but personally, it bothered me (as it did Haruna). The actual thing that bothered me, the second one, was of Haruna's sudden weight gain and loss. It was very unnatural for the transformation to happen so quickly, which I'm not bothered by how she large, the fact doesn't bother me, just the weirdness of the time lapse (though I know it's a manga and absurd things can happen, but it just seemed so flawless before...). I'm being knit-picky though, just because I loved it totally and completely overall, so it was insignificant compared to the rest.

I really would reccomed this manga to anyone, and this Shoujo is the only shoujo I read and like/love, as I don't really care for them, but Koukou debut has made me cry several times. I know that later on I won't be too proud of this review and how I've made it too personalized, but I guess these are just my general feelings on it. 10/10, one of the best stories I've actually ever read. I really hoped that Kazune Kawahara's one shot sequel "Enren Debut" would have made it, but sadly it didn't, check out the first and only chapter of it if you like. I wish to buy the series for myself if I ever get the chance, and thanks for reading if you actually made it to the end of this review.