Title: Flower of Live Vol 2 & 3
Author: Fumi Yoshinaga
Publisher: DMP
ISBN: 9781569708736 & 9781569708293
May Contain Spoilers
I don’t know how I overlooked this series for so long, and I feel sort of bad about it. Flower of Life is very fresh and entertaining, hosting a cast of fun and quirky characters. It’s not just the high school students who are confused about what path their lives should take; even some of the adults are struggling to be true to themselves. Most of the enjoyment is generated by the diverse personalities as they shift in and out of the spotlight in a merry-go-round of individual dilemmas.
The second volume follows the gang as they prepare for the cultural festival. Sumiko Takeda is also introduced to the cast. Sumiko is another one of those stereo-typical shy girls, who walks around in a gloomy fog, wondering why she doesn’t have any friends. A chance encounter with Majima, of all people, gets her a little more attention than she ever wanted. When Majima discovers that Sumiko’s doodles are actually manga-worthy, he immediately sets about finding a way to put her talents to use for his gain. For a guy who always gets the worst grades in his class, he is one cunning and ruthless shyster. I love Majima because he thinks the world revolves around him, even though he has the social skills of an empty soda can. He can instantly seize someone up and determine their weaknesses, and then he concocts a clever way to exploit them. He will have an awesome career in either sales or banking.
The cultural festival ends up being one of the most entertaining in manga, with a wonderfully laugh worthy finale. For a change I wasn’t bored during this obligatory high school ritual, because the author put a unique spin on it and really had fun making a parody of the event.
The balance of the pages feature slice of life episodes, with the characters skillfully interwoven throughout the highly entertaining chapters. It’s all so enjoyable because Fumi Yoshinaga doesn’t take anything seriously, and her teasing sense of humor just shines through all of the activity. Everyone has hopes and dreams, worries and fears, and they are relayed to the reader in steady doses. The pacing is spot on and the shift in mood and atmosphere makes for a book that is very, very hard to put down. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore and snap up these gems!
Grade: B+
