In Honey Hunt, Volume I
, Aihara offers the first installment of a fizzy teenage soap opera about the life of Yura Onozuka. The mousey daughter of a famed composer and a glamorous actress, Yura's life is turned upside down when her parents' divorce becomes a tabloid sensation. Feeling betrayed, Yura decides to become an actress herself, believing achieving fame will be the ultimate revenge on her parents. A mysterious, and possibly nefarious, agent helps her chase the dream, and she soon wins the lead role on a TV show. Along the way, Aihara (Hot Gimmick
) offers hints at a future romantic triangle (an Aihara staple) involving Yura, Q-Ta Minamitani, a heartthrob composer, and his more menacing twin brother, Haruka Minamitani, an actor and musician. There are ceaseless twists and turns on Yura's journey, including a public meltdown and a betrayal by her mother. Throughout, Aihara's delicate artwork vibrantly illustrates Yura's constantly fluctuating emotional life, especially her moments of panic, confusion and self-doubt. The difference between the depiction of the goofy and sometimes dowdy Yura and her glamorous mother and the sleek Minamitani brothers makes her self-image clear. (Apr.)
