I fell in love with this manga immediately. It drew me in and kept me there. Sadly to say i have been reading it from the internet and hate to wait in between chapters. I've also been watching it's anime and I've seen the first episode of the TV show extravagant challenge based on this manga. But nothing beats the manga because it has all the extra details that are not shown elsewhere.I'm writing this review for all of the volumes of Skip Beat because i tend to read them all together. I enjoy Kyoko's personality, the way she is inexperienced in various things(such as friends, boyfriends, etc.), serious with others(her acting,etc.)..Her relationship with Ren and how she won't admit to her feelings. I also like the turn of events with Sho, how he is now interested in her. I like reading this manga over & over again because it basically shows a young girl who had her heart broken and was stepped on, who gathered up all her anger, her little left hope and decided to get revenge. Along the way she makes friends, experiences new feelings, develops a deep love for her acting which changes things around for her. No matter how many time you get knocked down, you should get back up and fight!! We get a big revelation in Volume 19. Ren confronts Hizuri about how he required Kyoko to impersonate his son Kuon. Ren is furious that Hizuri would use Kyoko in such a way. Understandably. It is a little creepy.But Ren calms down when he understands Hizuri's motivation. Hizuri, as well as the president, was concerned that Kyoko can only act when she likes her characters. She's unable to get into roles she's not familiar with - to look beyond her own personality. Hizuri wanted her to be someone completely foreign. And he discovered that when Kyoko stretches, she's an incredible actress. She has great potential if she can just forget herself.The big revelation? Ren is actually Kuon - Hizuri's son! Ren uses a stage name so he won't suffer the pressure of living up to his father's reputation. Plus, it sounds like there was a lot of family drama from Ren's teenage years. Ren resents how much his parents worked and felt like he wasn't being well treated. Not that different from many teenagers, but Ren had the opportunity to invent a new self in Japan.I loved seeing Ren stick up for Kyoko. I also loved the relationship that built up between Hizuri and Kyoko. He is now the father that she never knew. Plus, Hizuri gets the opportunity to do things right with the substitute Kuon that he wasn't able to do with Ren. And Kyoko is nothing if not grateful. It's nice to see all the characters have a positive result in a volume.
What do You think about Skip Beat!, Vol. 19 (2009)?
I know I've said it before, but it can use multiple repeats: I love Lory!! He is so spectacular!!!
—munna
