Switch girl Manga review

Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: 2007 to ?

Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Shoujo

Authors: Aida, Natsumi (Story & Art)

Serialization: Margaret

At first it was its title that caught my eye cause it was so weird and I was wondering what the deal was and gave it a try.I read a few chapters at first and liked it. This manga has a unique concept. There is even a Japanese live action drama on this manga. Switch girl manga introduces a character named Tamiya Nika. A switch girl is someone who assumes two roles in her everyday life but this is not the same as Multiple Personality Disorder. Tamiya Nika knows full well what she is doing.

At school, she is the most beautiful girl and is admired by many. She puts up great effort in order to look well everyday. This is known as her 'switch on' mode. She does her best to look as graceful and pretty as much as possible, afraid that other people would find out her true self.

When she gets home, she returns to being her true self by 'switching off'. She truly is a tomboyish and funny girl. Her hobbies include shopping for great bargains with her family at the stores. Her eyes can automatically calculate prices of goods and gauge their quality. She likes eating smelly fish for lunch, wears a track suit and some geeky glasses then ties her hair up into three buns that points to different directions. 

This is Kamiya Arata, Nika's love interest. A cool and laid back boy who likes his solitude. However, when he met Nika and discovered her secret that she was actually wasn't the pretty and elegant girl she wants everyone to believe, things has changed considerably for him.

He has his own secrets too. One of them was the fact that he hides his good looks with a pair of geeky sunglasses. His switch on is the complete opposite of Nika's. While Nika does her best to look very good to her classmates, Arata hated attention(particularly from females) and prefers being in the background. Another dire secret he keeps is about his broken family. It seems he was mentally scared by his mother abandoning him and his father in order to marry another man.

To sum that all up, he's an emo and an attractive one. He might as well hang out with Sasuke.

Nika might be slightly(okay, I mean a lot!) strange when she is in her switch off mode, but there is no doubt that she is just as kind and compassionate. She has the tendency to believe in strangers, she's a bit naive but she makes up for it by being strong and helpful to even those who had oppressed her. She isn't the smartest either when it comes to academics. She has failed a lot of tests, but thankfully, Arata(super smart guy) was able to help her. 

She has intense feelings for Arata, more intense than she ever would have expected. Arata wasn't that much of a heartthrob, since he is quite secretive and sensitive when his life is being probed. Which is why Nika had a hard time trying to understand him and win his heart.

As in most shoujo-s,the ones who get character development are the two main characters involved in the romance.The get a backstory,which comes as you read the manga.We have the happy go lucky heroine who is mostly helpful and kind-hearted to anyone and the suffering hero who at first acts as an @sshole to protect himself.I'd like some originality here too,or some more depth and not the over-played stereotypes?Tamiya had potential too as a switch girl,cause she's a lot more interesting in her off mode,but it's a pity that we don't see her that way a lot more often.

The rest of the cast are friends and classmates and the antagonists of course.Some of the characters also don't appear ever again or very very rarely and don't get much development either.Also their actions and behaviors are pretty much flat and hold no personality of their own,they are only there to support the characters and give them more spotlight,compliment them.

Coming to the art, It has all the characteristics of Shoujo style.Big eyes,nice hair,bishounen,the skinny/slim body.Nothing out of the ordinary or too beautiful,it looks like many and I think the eyes are too big for my liking.Not much to say here,I just find it very common and nothing too amazing,just practical to get the message across.

Switch girl is an entertaining manga. Perfect for people who are into love comedy themed stories. Things get serious in the later parts though. Switch girl is an entertaining manga. 

I do enjoy reading this from time to time(as it is still on-going) cause I like its humour and some of its jokes,which you rarely see in shoujos often.It has a different approach to certain things which I like.

It is lighthearted therefore not difficult to relax and just enjoy. One of the kind that you like to read with your best friend.