Dengeki Daisy

Title:  Dengeki Daisy
Mangaka:  Kyousuke Motomi
Length:  10 volumes (Ongoing)
English Translation?  Yes, 9 volumes so far by Viz Media.
Demo/Genre:  Shoujo/Romantic Comedy

How did I hear about it?  It came highly recommended by my otaku buds.

Teru Kurebayashi was raised by her much older brother.  When his illness brought him to his deathbed, he left her with a cell phone with a single contact already programmed in.  He told her that Daisy was a trusted friend of his who would look after her in his place.  Whenever she needs any help, is feeling sad or lonely, or just wants to say "hello" to someone, she should turn to Daisy.  A year passes, and though Teru has never met Daisy nor heard his voice, his messages have given her the strength to live on her own, and she has come to love him like a brother.  One day at school, she accidentally breaks a window.  Since she doesn't have the money to pay for the repairs, the school's 24-year-old janitor forces her to work for him to pay off her debt.  What Teru doesn't realize is that the janitor, Tasuku Kurosaki, is her beloved Daisy.

I love Motomi-sensei's artwork.  Her characters are really beautiful.  She draws humor really well, too.  Teru makes some of the most ridiculous faces, and I love it!  I will admit that sometimes her profiles are a little too angular, but that doesn't stop me from really appreciating her art.

This series begins as a more or less typical rom-com.  The first few volumes focus on the developing relationship between Teru and Kurosaki (with lots of funny moments scattered throughout).  However, as the story progresses, the true plot comes to the surface.  We learn early on that Teru's older brother was a genius computer engineer, and it seems that his team was involved in something rather serious, and there are those who believe that he may have left something more than just a cell phone behind with Teru.  I don't mind manga that place romance at the center of everything, but I really love it when a mangaka can balance character relationships with an external plot.

I loved both Teru and Kurosaki.  The age difference between the characters may be a little disturbing when you first hear about it (they are 16 and 24, respectively), but really the situation is handled very well.  Romances usually either involve the couple getting together early on, then having to stay together throughout the series, or the series draws out the romance, only allowing the couple to finally get together in the end (sorry for the split infinitive there).  This is the latter, and I think that really helps with the age difference.  The series takes its time building up a sweet romance between Teru and Kurosaki, rather than having them get together in the beginning and having him paw at her for the whole series.  As I've said before, I'm not a prude, but I find a romance involving those ages to be very unrealistic.  That being said, I applaud Motomi-sensei for creating a story where I didn't give a damn about a little detail like that.

Something I loved about Teru is that she's so funny and quirky.  She cares about others, but she's not ridiculously nice.  She's blunt when she has to be.  While she does frequently find herself in trouble and needing rescued, she never falls into the role of "damsel in distress."  Instead of bemoaning her situation and waiting for her prince to come, she tries to keep her wits and defend herself, which is very refreshing to see.  Kurosaki is classic tsundere.  I absolutely love tsundere characters.  What's a tsundere character?  They're like pineapples:  spiney on the outside, soft on the inside.  He teases Teru and gives her a hard time sometimes, but he's completely in love with her and would do anything for her.  While he does tease her, he never antagonizes her, and he's always there for her when she needs him to be.

I absolutely loved this manga.  It has so much going for it.  Great romance, great characters, great plot... it's just too good!  If you're a shoujo fan and you haven't read it, then what are waiting for?  Am I collecting this one?  Hell yes, I am!  I have all volumes that have been released in North America so far (well, the 9th volume just came out yesterday, and I haven't gotten it in yet, but it's coming!).