The Bottom Line
Plain Jane turns into a princess? Check. Hunky guys who are heroes, cads or both? Check. Spunky middle-class heroine who "keeps it real" even when she's mingling in the upper echelons of high society? Check. Takako Shigematsu's Ultimate Venus delivers a greatest hits mix of shojo fantasy fulfillment themes in a pretty and pleasant package.
But by relying on a predictable formula without offering readers anything new or especially interesting in the character development or plot departments, Shigematsu misses out on numerous opportunities to make Ultimate Venus a truly fun and addictive guilty pleasure.
Pros
- Pretty and appealing shojo manga artwork
- Classic mix of fantasy-fulfillment, fish out of water and male harem themes
- Has an undercurrent of suspense and a touch of humor to keep it from being too fluffy
Cons
- Relies on formulaic and predictable plot twists that don't offer much that's new
- Things are just a little too easy for our heroine, which makes it a little boring
- Characters are simple stereotypes that miss out on the opportunity to be funny or interesting
Description
- Original Title: Kyukyoku Venus (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Takako Shigematsu
- Publishers:
Go! Comi (US)
Akita Publishing Company (Japan) - ISBN: 978-1-933617-88-6
- Cover Price: $10.99 US
- Age Rating:
OT – Older Teens, Age 16+
for mild violence, language
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Shojo (Girls') Manga
- Bishonen (Pretty Boys)
- Teen / High School Romance
- US Publication Date: June 2008
Japan Publication Date: 2007 - Book Description: 200 pages, black and white illustrations
- More Manga by Takako Shigematsu:
Guide Review - Ultimate Venus Volume 1
Much like romance novels, shojo manga has a few reliable recurring themes that pop up again and again. And why shouldn't they? As an outlet for female fantasy fulfillment, shojo manga and romance novels offer an inexpensive (and fun) escape from the more tedious and awkward aspects of everyday life.
For romance junkies, Ultimate Venus offers a 'greatest hits' mix of shojo themes. Teen readers are swept away into a world where a plain girl can turn into a princess overnight, be surrounded by hunky guys and get into just enough trouble that she can show off her courage and smarts, but still get rescued by her love interest in the end.
If it sounds familiar, it should. The fish-out-of-water, poor girl gets thrown into the world of the rich and devious is a theme that Yoko Kamio was able to tap into for over 30 volumes of Boys Over Flowers. The Princess Diaries also had the same kind of spunky heroine who gets plucked out of her middle class life to become royalty. It's safe to say that if you love those two stories, you should enjoy Ultimate Venus. However, you'll also find it lacking on several counts.
For one thing, Yuzu, the plucky heroine has got it just a little too easy. Sure, her mom has died and she has to spend a night in the park – but she's only homeless for a few hours until she's whisked away to her grandmother's palatial home. Yes, she's a klutzy, bespectacled plain Jane, but in just a few panels, she becomes pretty and popular. Boor-ring.
There's a bit of suspense to keep things from getting too fluffy, but Shigematsu misses opportunity after opportunity to make her characters and their relationships more interesting, and to raise the stakes to make us care about what happens next. The art's pretty and the story's okay, but Ultimate Venus misses the mark to be the 'ultimate' must-read teen romance.
