MJ Review: Invisible Boy Volume One

[Eric]

Title: Invisible Boy
Volume: 1
Manga-ka: Hotaru Odagiri
Originally Serialized In: (Tokuma Shoten)
Genre: Yaoi, Romance, Drama
Licensed by: June (DMP)
Price: $12.95 (US)

Invisible Boy follows the escapades of the exclusive Ouka Academy’s student council. Led by the nearly-perfect student-council president Yuushi Kitou, they’re a diverse group of bishonen, out to make the most of their days together at school and be sure that all members are included.

Most of this first book focuses on Nagi Tokieda, one of the council’s secretaries. Shy, introverted and kind, his painful past is revealed to his friends in the student council and they all wish to help their troubled classmate. Yuushi Kitou in particular finds himself becoming more and more fond of Nagi and wants nothing more than to put a smile on his face. The emotion behind Nagi’s sadness is moving and it’s touching to read these characters trying to help him without being too intrusive.

Invisible Boy brings together a vibrant cast of characters but has a little difficulty managing so many of those characters. They are introduced almost all at once and with some designs similar in appearance to one another, making for a confusing time trying to figure out who’s who. Readers will probably find at least one character here they like with an entire council to choose from, but it may take a second read-through to make sure they have them all straight.

Hotaru Odagiri’s art style really pops off the page in the black and white medium of manga. Her characters are expressive and lively with attractive designs that shouldn’t disappoint any fans of more shoujo-styled male characters. The entire cast meets comfortably between beautiful and masculine. Sometimes the pages are a bit cluttered with multiple characters and numerous dialogue boxes scattered about, but the story manages to keep a nice sense of pacing and isn’t hard to follow.

By the end, Invisible Boy has proven itself to be a fun, and surprisingly sweet, story. While sometimes the number of characters present makes things a tad difficult to keep straight, it’s still an entertaining and touching introduction to these students, making volume two a book worth looking forward to.

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo
Proofer: Eduardo Menendez
Editor: Ailen Lujo