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Amazon.com: Happy Hustle High, Volume 5 (Happy Hustle High): Books: Rie TakadaI knew going from a complex story like Dokebi Bride to a regular shoujo manga was probably a bad idea. I think I would have been disappointed with this anyway. Volume five of Happy Hustle High is the final volume of the series and it feels like filler. The series could have ended with volume 4 with no problem. The last "plot" chapter was second chapter of volume 4, where wild-haired Hanabi chose Yasu over Take.
I really don't even see why they continued the story. They were really stretching for topics. The first three chapters were completely filler. The first chapter starts out with Hanabi playing heroine, helping the girls in class get revenge on the sexual predators that apparently surround their school. Their solution, beat 'em up, trash their cars and take their money. Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, but if they actually have enough people flashing and sexually harassing the girls on a daily basis I don't think I'd be starting a campaign to beat them up. I'd be switching schools! Then the boys come and save the day and tell all those silly girls to stop protecting themselves to let the men handle that kind of things. *eyeroll* 9_9
The next two chapters are just as deep. One being a "what if" story about what it would be like if Yasu didn't have a woman allergy and Hanabi was still a crybaby. The chapter after that is the obligatory preparing for the school festival chapter where Hanabi gets to wear a pretty dress. Seriously, that's the climax of that chapter.
Then the last dangling plot point is tied up when Hanabi and Yasu finally have sex. Hanabi's only been thinking about it since volume three. What finally gets them together? Yasu meets Hanabi's father and he teases him about liking Take better. Great reason to hook up with your girlfriend there, guy. Not that Hanabi cares, she's just happy that they had sex. Her classmates notice her walking funny the next day, and guess that she's finally "become a woman."
They swarm around Yasu to congratulate him, and lo and behold, his woman allergy has been cured! He no longer sees them all as chicks (literally little baby chickens) but people. Of course this doesn't sit well with Hanabi, since his attention is now split. With the day of the school festival arriving, Hanabi is feeling neglected but decides that she's going to trust Yasu. That lasts all of a couple hours after she's been chasing him around campus for the length of the festival without being able to catch him. Just as she's about to give up hope, she's reunited with Yasu who declares his love for her in front of the whole school. Turns out he was talking to all those girls just so he could find out about what Hanabi was like before they met. How sweet. I'd love it if my boyfriend decided to hang out and find out about me with my friends, without me. It's not like hey... he couldn't have talked to Hanabi about it or anything.
Despite the failings in the story, Takada's art is continually pleasing. Her artwork bounces between sexy, cute and funny quickly and smoothly. She's got a very crisp and clean style that I really like. Her characters a distinctive, though if you read her other books you'll see character "archetypes" turn up. But you'll never be confused who is who in her books. I've also never had a "which word bubble am I supposed to read next" problem either, he layouts are flawless. It's a relief to see such expressive characters. Hanabi's moods bounce off the wall and her expressions change just as quickly. In some books it can be disturbing to see a character become chibi or super deformed as often as Hanabi does. But Takada actually manages to make it look natural.
Even though I've found the last two series I've read of Takada's, Punch and Happy Hustle High, disappointing story-wise I still look forward to more from her. I'd always be willing to try a new series just for the art. Her ten volume series Wild Act remains a favorite method of mine to addict friends to manga. I hope she manages to craft a story of similar quality soon.
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