I actually checked out this manga after having read the author’s other series - Surviving Romance. That one’s mild horror whereas this one was comedy shoujo so I was interested in how they’d pull this off, but was excited because I love my romances.
Well, the author did not disappoint! An earlier work of theirs (Miss Guillotine) was heavy-hitting on social commentary, and similarly this one delves deep into what role makeup and being pretty has in society. It makes me really reflect on why I’d like to be pretty, and also the ingrained responses I have when it comes to what and how I think about beauty.
The characters are all human with complex feelings, and the author does a wonderful job of portraying the different sides, motives, and thoughts of a person. A hallmark of this is the maturity the main characters of this story have - they’re not perfect and they do falter, but in the end they stand with their own strength and have a good head on their shoulders. These are good and healthy role models for men and women in real life. That the author was able to include so many characters into this story, and for all those characters to be given screen time and for their own struggles and goals to be spotlighted as well really speaks to how well written this story is as a whole.
The setting of a makeup competition TV show makes for very pretty and very unique looks, too. I’ve talked about the story but the art is also very good and really helps enhance the story that’s being told.
While the main focus is definitely on the topic of makeup and beauty, the struggles and inequality that women face are included as well, because those problems don’t exist in a vacuum and are intertwined. The portrayal of different romantic relationship dynamics is another focus, and we see both healthy friendships and healthy relationships, as well as unhealthy ones.
I think it’s so important to see all these dynamics and situations played out in a work of fiction. We see different, but just as healthy relationships. We see mature responses. We see how this man treats her against how that man treats her, when both say they like her. We see situations women in real life face, and can take comfort in knowing we aren’t alone in facing those and that they are real problems. And we see a main character who can be weak and insecure, who faces letdowns and doesn’t always make the right judgments when her feelings come into play - yet she is still a strong, growing individual and someone who is admired and loved.
I will say that for all that it gets right, this isn’t exactly a very realistic story. I mean, at the end this is still a Cinderella story. The whole regular nobody but can suddenly model with the best of amateurs bit isn’t covered, for example, and you won’t see details like that accounted for in this story. While I’ve waxed poetic about the social commentary in the end this is still a shoujo manga and not a thesis so certainly not every nuance is explored. In my opinion though, the story has the right amount of lighthearted, romantic, and serious moments.
Definitely one to check out, and if you like this I’d recommend the author’s other works, too (though the rest are a bit darker in theme).