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booklover160's review
4.0
Edit: Oh shit, I just learned that this series has been discontinued after the writer's arrest. I'm glad I didn't get too into it then.
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This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!
Read 1 volume
This is a really interesting manga so far. 'Act-Age' follows Kei, a high school girl who is raising her two siblings after their mother dies and their father abandons them. Kei's dream is to be an actor and she has a tremendous talent for it. I think the art is really nice but can get distracting. I want to know more about Kei's background but there isn't room for it in book 1. The cliffhanger was pretty bad, but I saw it coming.
If you like this, check out [b:Skip Beat!, Vol. 01|282282|Skip Beat!, Vol. 01|Yoshiki Nakamura|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1173395297l/282282._SY75_.jpg|273828] for a similar vibe!
--
This review will be for the whole series; read at your own risk!
Read 1 volume
This is a really interesting manga so far. 'Act-Age' follows Kei, a high school girl who is raising her two siblings after their mother dies and their father abandons them. Kei's dream is to be an actor and she has a tremendous talent for it. I think the art is really nice but can get distracting. I want to know more about Kei's background but there isn't room for it in book 1. The cliffhanger was pretty bad, but I saw it coming.
If you like this, check out [b:Skip Beat!, Vol. 01|282282|Skip Beat!, Vol. 01|Yoshiki Nakamura|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1173395297l/282282._SY75_.jpg|273828] for a similar vibe!
jkenna1990's review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for a free review copy of this book!
This was a great manga about Kei Yonagi who is trying to support her siblings with her acting. In the process of this she catches the eye of a director and this starts her acting career. If you are a fan of the classic manga, Skip Beat! then you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Overall, I enjoyed most of this but I wasn't really a fan or the art style. The faces were just off to me and seemed kind of creepy. But if that doesn't bother you then I think a lot of people will enjoy this.
This was a great manga about Kei Yonagi who is trying to support her siblings with her acting. In the process of this she catches the eye of a director and this starts her acting career. If you are a fan of the classic manga, Skip Beat! then you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Overall, I enjoyed most of this but I wasn't really a fan or the art style. The faces were just off to me and seemed kind of creepy. But if that doesn't bother you then I think a lot of people will enjoy this.
saramarie08's review
4.0
Act-Age is a story about a struggling girl becoming struggling actor. Kei Yonagi is taking care of her two younger siblings after her mother's death and her father's abandonment, and she’s trying to make it as an actor in order to pay the bills (after having several failed attempts at all kinds of other jobs). Yonagi goes on an audition for an acting agency, and her ability to get lost in the scene scares the production team. Everyone she meets thinks that she has an uncanny talent, but she can’t separate reality from fiction when she’s acting, which could be dangerous. One director, Sumiji, thinks she has the natural ability to be a super star, so he takes her under his wing and tries to nurture her talent without destroying her.
I thought that this was actually a really interesting story. I’m not sure how accurate it is to the way movies are made in Japan, but it does have insight into the film industry itself. I really want to see more about how this talent/blur of reality affects Yonagi, and not just in ways that make it difficult for her to find a job. In one of the practices set forth by Sumiji, he has her play an extra in Edo-period Japan where she has to watch a child killed by a soldier for disrupting the Shogun's day, and she becomes so immersed in the scene that she really becomes a villager in the Edo period. It will be fun seeing the different situations Yonagi gets into while she's learning how to act. Also, I really appreciated the art by Shiro Usazaki, except for the one fly-away hair on the top of Yonagi's head that I really just want to clip. Everything else is great. The scenery is very detailed, and characters are nuanced and distinct.
VIZ has rated this for Teen and that seems appropriate. There are some hints at nudity as Yonagi and siblings are bathing, but no details.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
?Suitability Level: Grades 7-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
I thought that this was actually a really interesting story. I’m not sure how accurate it is to the way movies are made in Japan, but it does have insight into the film industry itself. I really want to see more about how this talent/blur of reality affects Yonagi, and not just in ways that make it difficult for her to find a job. In one of the practices set forth by Sumiji, he has her play an extra in Edo-period Japan where she has to watch a child killed by a soldier for disrupting the Shogun's day, and she becomes so immersed in the scene that she really becomes a villager in the Edo period. It will be fun seeing the different situations Yonagi gets into while she's learning how to act. Also, I really appreciated the art by Shiro Usazaki, except for the one fly-away hair on the top of Yonagi's head that I really just want to clip. Everything else is great. The scenery is very detailed, and characters are nuanced and distinct.
VIZ has rated this for Teen and that seems appropriate. There are some hints at nudity as Yonagi and siblings are bathing, but no details.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
?Suitability Level: Grades 7-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
louandlife's review
5.0
Advanced Reader Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this manga. This has become one of my manga favourites and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series! I would highly recommend this manga if you are a fan of Skip Beat! I'm actually currently reading Skip Beat! But I've taken a bit of break as I did read almost 30 volumes in a month. Act Age Volume 1 is very reminiscent of the earlier volumes of Skip Beat!, so if you particularly like that period you should pick this manga up. I would say that it is slightly more realistic and slightly more serious than Skip Beat! though and it's a shonen manga as oppose to Skip Beat! being a shojo one.
I've started to realise that one of my favourite themes in mangas is fame, specifically people trying to become famous in acting. What I like most is having ordinary people thrown into the world of fame. This manga is working towards that as Yonagi is just going through her first few auditions in this volume. It's also fascinating to see Yonagi work as an actress because she's like the ultimate method actor. When she acts she transforms herself into that role so well that she take centre stage no matter what she does. As this is volume one in a continuing series it'll be so much fun to see how Yonagi will grow as a character. Especially seeing that she is motivated by her young twin siblings that she's essentially become the mother of.
This manga is a lot of fun and seeing Yonagi go through the training of becoming an actor is gripping because you want to see if she will make it. You also want to see what her mentor, the famous director Sumiji Kuroyama has in store for her in the future with his mysterious role.
Overall, I highly recommend this manga. It's a light, fun read, which will hopefully make you smile and laugh. I can't wait to see what's next in the series and see the person Yonagi will become!
I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this manga. This has become one of my manga favourites and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series! I would highly recommend this manga if you are a fan of Skip Beat! I'm actually currently reading Skip Beat! But I've taken a bit of break as I did read almost 30 volumes in a month. Act Age Volume 1 is very reminiscent of the earlier volumes of Skip Beat!, so if you particularly like that period you should pick this manga up. I would say that it is slightly more realistic and slightly more serious than Skip Beat! though and it's a shonen manga as oppose to Skip Beat! being a shojo one.
I've started to realise that one of my favourite themes in mangas is fame, specifically people trying to become famous in acting. What I like most is having ordinary people thrown into the world of fame. This manga is working towards that as Yonagi is just going through her first few auditions in this volume. It's also fascinating to see Yonagi work as an actress because she's like the ultimate method actor. When she acts she transforms herself into that role so well that she take centre stage no matter what she does. As this is volume one in a continuing series it'll be so much fun to see how Yonagi will grow as a character. Especially seeing that she is motivated by her young twin siblings that she's essentially become the mother of.
This manga is a lot of fun and seeing Yonagi go through the training of becoming an actor is gripping because you want to see if she will make it. You also want to see what her mentor, the famous director Sumiji Kuroyama has in store for her in the future with his mysterious role.
Overall, I highly recommend this manga. It's a light, fun read, which will hopefully make you smile and laugh. I can't wait to see what's next in the series and see the person Yonagi will become!
theseblankpages's review
5.0
Mangas that revolve around the acting industry are one of my absolute favourite tropes! And this manga did not disappoint!
jkenna90's review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for a free review copy of this book!
This was a great manga about Kei Yonagi who is trying to support her siblings with her acting. In the process of this she catches the eye of a director and this starts her acting career. If you are a fan of the classic manga, Skip Beat! then you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Overall, I enjoyed most of this but I wasn't really a fan or the art style. The faces were just off to me and seemed kind of creepy. But if that doesn't bother you then I think a lot of people will enjoy this.
This was a great manga about Kei Yonagi who is trying to support her siblings with her acting. In the process of this she catches the eye of a director and this starts her acting career. If you are a fan of the classic manga, Skip Beat! then you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Overall, I enjoyed most of this but I wasn't really a fan or the art style. The faces were just off to me and seemed kind of creepy. But if that doesn't bother you then I think a lot of people will enjoy this.
lavendermarch's review
5.0
This is one of the best acting manga out there! The female lead is interesting, and she grows a lot. It's very cool to watch her grow as an actress throughout the manga. The art is lovely, and the story is compelling. I would definitely recommend this manga!
theangrybuddhas's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
fernthepanda's review
4.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley and VIZ Media in exchange for my honest review.
The theatre nerd in me was very drawn into the premise of this. And I wasn't disappointed. I felt like the story was unique and quirky and just the lightness that I needed right now.
The theatre nerd in me was very drawn into the premise of this. And I wasn't disappointed. I felt like the story was unique and quirky and just the lightness that I needed right now.
sionna's review
5.0
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own*
Okay, first off I want to say I loved reading this one. Absolutely, loved it. I read it and immediately the first thing I did at work the next day was buy this from Baker & Taylor. Then I saw volume 2 on Netgalley! I requested it, read it immediately, put it in my cart to purchase at work, and was so excited for this series.
Then, the author gets arrested *sigh* Such a bummer that good works have to be ruined.
I don't want to get into it, but I am not buying more for my library -- then I noticed Viz is also stopping publication of this series, so High Five to Viz! I knew there was a reason you were one of my dream jobs when I was considering being a translator.
To review this book is complicated, you see? Yes I enjoyed it, but we aren't getting more in English, probably no more in Japan, and what is the point of waxing on about another good book by a bad author?
Let this be a review for Viz then and how awesome I think they are. Great work y'all for taking action, being responsive to the community, and for continuing to translate fantastic books for us all to read.
Okay, first off I want to say I loved reading this one. Absolutely, loved it. I read it and immediately the first thing I did at work the next day was buy this from Baker & Taylor. Then I saw volume 2 on Netgalley! I requested it, read it immediately, put it in my cart to purchase at work, and was so excited for this series.
Then, the author gets arrested *sigh* Such a bummer that good works have to be ruined.
I don't want to get into it, but I am not buying more for my library -- then I noticed Viz is also stopping publication of this series, so High Five to Viz! I knew there was a reason you were one of my dream jobs when I was considering being a translator.
To review this book is complicated, you see? Yes I enjoyed it, but we aren't getting more in English, probably no more in Japan, and what is the point of waxing on about another good book by a bad author?
Let this be a review for Viz then and how awesome I think they are. Great work y'all for taking action, being responsive to the community, and for continuing to translate fantastic books for us all to read.