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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

March 11, 2010 by MJ 10 Comments

Stepping on Roses, Vol. 1

Stepping on Roses, Vol. 1
By Rinko Ueda
Published by Viz Media
Rated T+ (Older Teen)


Buy This Book

Sumi Kitamura is in a bind. Her older brother (a happy-go-lucky male escort with a gambling problem) has a habit of bringing home orphaned children for her to take care of. Unfortunately, what he rarely brings home is money. With the landlady looming and loan sharks at her door, Sumi decides to sell herself in order to keep her family alive and together. The buyer is Soichiro Ashida, a wealthy, jaded young man who must marry immediately in order to inherit his grandfather’s business empire. Soichiro promises Sumi all the money she needs in exchange for her hand in (loveless) marriage. Desperate, Sumi agrees, but is she really prepared to give up everything she loves for a the life of a lonely society wife?

When it comes to frothy romance manga, there are allowances most readers are always prepared to make. Realism? Unnecessary. Depth? Optional. Cliché? Bring it on! In return, these readers ask for just one thing: Romance–heart-stopping, unrestrained, no holds barred romance. Unfortunately, though Stepping on Roses takes full advantage of its readers’ generosity, it fails to deliver on its end of the bargain.

Though Sumi and Soichiro are positioned perfectly for their roles as the plucky commoner and guarded aristocrat who unexpectedly find love while trapped in a marriage of convenience, neither is interesting enough for them to develop any real chemistry. Soichiro is cold and controlling like so many of his ilk, but without any real sense of mystery with which to attract readers, let alone Sumi. Meanwhile, Sumi is bland, dense, and surprisingly shallow–more distraught over having lost out on a chance with Soichiro’s charming best friend than she is about the family she left behind (or even the calculated erosion of her individuality). Gags involving Sumi’s lack of social refinement repeatedly fall flat. And without any context provided for the story’s Meiji Era setting, it’s hard to know what conclusion to draw when her ignorance of western manners and customs is characterized as near-barbarianism.

Rinko Ueda’s artwork, a highlight of her series Tail of the Moon, feels tired and lifeless here. The work is nicely detailed and generally attractive (especially its period settings and dress), but offers little character or passion, much like the story itself. Even opportunities to engage readers in the unique dynamics of the period, visually or otherwise, are passed by with little enthusiasm.

Though it’s tempting to hope that subsequent volumes may offer something more to grab onto, even dedicated fans of romance manga may find their optimism hanging by a string. With all its trappings carefully in place, Stepping on Roses simply lacks heart.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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Filed Under: MANGA REVIEWS Tagged With: manga, stepping on roses

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kris says

    March 11, 2010 at 11:47 pm

    At first I read “Sumi Kitamura is blind.” That sounds more interesting, too.

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      March 11, 2010 at 11:49 pm

      Ha! Yes, yes it does.

      Reply
  2. Marfisa says

    March 15, 2010 at 1:00 am

    They had host clubs back in the Meiji era? Or is the happy-go-lucky male escort brother just some kind of nineteenth century gigolo?

    Reply
    • Melinda Beasi says

      March 15, 2010 at 7:14 am

      He is very definitely an “escort.” He is hired by rich, older women to accompany them in public. I don’t know whether it extends to additional, er, services or not, though I am certain they probably had that sort of thing back then just as they do now. Some things never change. :)

      Reply
  3. amaranta says

    May 16, 2010 at 6:41 pm

    what?? ugh it seems not too attention grabber whatever. i like tail of the moon better tho

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Weekend reading: Incest, morality, and Moto Hagio « MangaBlog says:
    March 12, 2010 at 9:54 am

    […] (Slightly Biased Manga) John Zakrzewski on vol. 1 of Samurai Harem (Mania.com) Melinda Beasi on vol. 1 of Stepping on Roses (Manga Bookshelf) Russell Williams on vol. 4 of Sunshine Sketch (Manga […]

    Reply
  2. The Manga Critic » Blog Archive » Weekend Edition, 3/14/10 says:
    March 14, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    […] in English to three million copies of One Piece sold… Melinda Beasi reviews volume one of Stepping on Roses and volume three of Nabari No Ou… Michelle Smith is falling out of love with Love*Com… […]

    Reply
  3. Quick Takes: Shojo Beat Edition | Manga Bookshelf says:
    August 17, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    […] Read previous reviews of this series. […]

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  4. Off the Shelf: All About the Hair says:
    October 13, 2010 at 10:12 pm

    […] though the story first seems to be crafted out of the same, tired tropes that dominate series like Stepping on Roses, each of these standard elements–the happy-go-lucky heroine, the over-the-top humor, the […]

    Reply
  5. I miss Shojo Beat « Shojo Corner says:
    December 9, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    […] series, most of the recently-released Viz shojo manga I thought had interesting premises received negative reviews. Shojo Beat allowed me an easy and legal way to check out the latest series and decide for […]

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