Imadoki! Nowadays, Vol. 1: Dandelion

Kind of a typical story, but Watase-san was able to give it uniqueness. The main character is a lot more daring (and bold) than most female protagonists, and I thought that made the story more fun, and definitely more interesting! The male character is pretty arrogant, but I hope Tanpopo is going to be able to change his heart :) I also like how the story revolves around flowers.... Watase-san's art is outstanding....each page is very detailed and you could tell she put a lot of time into it.

I always loved this short series from Yu Watase.

Came right when expected. I had bought the series at a used book fair, but was missing the first volume. Some of the illustrations in this print were printed strangely (slightly going off the page), but it wasn't unreadable, so I didn't mind. The series is really cute and worth the read.

Tanpopo Yamazaki is not your average Meio High School Freshman, as evidenced by her grand entry into her school... by flying over a guard rail on her bike the day before she starts class. This brazen act of individuality is witnessed by a young man planting a dandelion with a spade. He is concerned for the dandelion, or "Tanpopo"... yes, the heroine's name means dandelion... because her actions have harmed it, and life at the school is difficult enough for the plants that the young man considers to be his friends. The two part ways for the day before Tanpopo learns of the young man's name. The first day at school Tanpopo meets the young man in her class, but he is extremely cold to her. She finds out from a fellow student that his name Koki Kugyo and that he is an heir to a large fortune. When she persists to remind him that they have met the truth of her allowance into the academy is revealed...horror of horrors, she actually tested into the academy instead of having her parents pave the way with their exorbitant fortunes. This immediately causes a reaction from the bourgeoisie , who find her quite plebian, and refuse to have anything to do with her. The start calling her "Weed" to her face and making all sorts of nasty comments, but no amount of torment from them is as bad as the out and out ignoring she is getting from Koki, who had been so pleasant to her on their first chance meeting. At a class assembly the first day Tanpopo calls him out, pledging her allegiance that she and he will be friends with one another and she will not rest until she has achieved that end. This causes some problems with her reputation, as you can imagine, but Tanpopo manages to navigate things in such a way that she and he are on the planting committee. This entails strange actions, because none of the plants at the academy are actually real, for allergy preventions. But, she and he become a team, and everyone is surprised when Tsukiko Saionji, a pretty, popular, and (more importantly to the elite members of Meio) rich young woman volunteers to join their committee. Tanpopo's first duty as a planting committee member is to go against tradition surreptitiously and replant all of the plastic flowers with real flowers... which causes some problems for everyone, the members of the planting committee included. So, at the core, what is this charming series about? It's about values, strength, and resolve to do what is right despite all the adversity. It's about a bubbly young iconoclast just being herself in a situation where everyone else has developed a façade to survive. It's about changing other people's perceptions and helping them grow when they realize that everything they have ever been taught to believe doesn't necessarily translate as being the "right or wrong" way. Is this a diversion from Watase's usual fair? Oddly enough no it is not. Typically her stories are much more harsh, but the core elements are still there. Friendship, overcoming obstacles, love and pain, growth, finding oneself... those are all key to enjoying a Watase story, and they are all here. This story may be lighter than typical Watase work, but it definitely stand among (and I would even argue out) in the pantheon of her work. Fans of her usual work will not be disappointed in this fun series.

All right, I will admit this: I bought Imadoki because of the manga-ka's name on the front: Yu Watase. Watase-san has never disappointed me, and I have read all of her works that have been translated into English up to this date. (July 2004). However, I was a little surprised when I started to read. No fantasy world? No magical powers? No "ultimate destiny" like the ones faced by Miaka, Aya, and Alice? This is definitely different than Watase-san's other works. I'm not going to give you a plot summary, that's what the little Amazon review thingy is for up above. But, I will tell you this: Yes, this book is not like Watase-san's other works. Heroes and villians aren't exactly defined, the world isn't in danger, and golly, there are an awful lot of flowers. However, the elements that Watase uses to tell her story are still the same ones she uses in Fushigi Yugi, Ceres, Alice...she gives us a protagonist (female, of course!) that is struggling with something other girls in the world can relate to. Only this time around, the girl isn't thrust into this sudden alternate universe to help her solve her problems and realize her self-worth; this heroine does it on her own turf, with her own hands. There are the beautiful drawings and the handsome bishonen ^_^, and the fact that Watase-san puts a new spin on a pretty-much used up misunderstood-girl plot. If you are a Watase-san fan, then I don't hesitate to recommend this to you, although if you are going to be disappointed by a lack of fantasy genre and short length (this series is only 5 books long), you might consider picking it up at another time. If you are a shoujo manga fan in general, then this title won't disappoint. It has enough cuteness, and you might be turned on to Watase's other titles. Personally, I loved it!

Love this manga! I love Yuu Watase's work so i had to get this. It took a while to arrive but it was worth the wait. Book is as good as new and i will be buying the next one.

Yuu Watase is my favourite Manga artist and I liked this Manga.