The Wallflower Vol. 11-12 (Del Rey)

Sunako’s a beautiful, intelligent, strong goth girl hell-bent on maintaining her allegiance to the dark, but these two latest volumes show some chinks in her all-black armor.

 

 

192 pgs. B&W; $10.95

(W / A: Tomoko Hayakawa)

 

Reading more like goth wish fulfillment, volumes 11 and 12 of Tomoko Hayakawa’s Wallflower series continue the story of Sunako, a beautiful, intelligent, strong (and god knows what else) goth girl who is hell-bent on maintaining her allegiance to the dark, only she has a bevy of boys and many female friends who are all plying her into a state of lightness. Whether she’s fending off date advances or the latest fashion trend, Sunako meets each challenge with a certain skepticism many have come to expect from goth teenagers, and as her hard exterior cracks, readers may wonder if her goth side isn’t on its way out.

 

Volume 11 centers upon boys fighting over Sunako and the devilish scheme to trick her onto a date — without her knowledge, of course. In between, Sunako encounters a young man with similar interests who she befriends and mentors into a state of not-so-lameness, because unlike her new friend who is genuinely an awkward mess, Sunako is really only playing at awkwardness as part of the whole goth persona. When she winds up on the date with suitor Kyohei, she not only has fun, but also ends up that much closer to normalizing, which challenges everything she’s held dear for so long.

 

Volume 12 continues this dangerous progression, confronting Sunako now with a cosplay event for her school. When four of the loveliest attending girls befriend Sunako (despite her reluctance), she joins them at photo booths, karaoke clubs, and even welcomes the idea of buying new clothes (after getting over their exorbitant price). She embraces the "fun" costume they provide her and joins in the festivities. Hayakawa also teaches Sunako responsibility after the heavy expenses she incurs buying clothing require her to get a job at the local video store, where Hayakawa tips her hat to one of her favorite films, A Nightmare Before Christmas, and Sunako learns more lessons about hard work.

 

Again, not a series that requires a lot of thought. It’s romantic at times, absurd at most, and generally funny. Readers with the Boogiepop Mentality won’t find much here, but if you like teen hijinks, bishonen, and chibis, this is definitely the place for you. | James Nokes