Suzunari! Vol 1 by Shoko Iwami (Manga, Young Adult, 9/10)

 

July 2008, Yen Press
236 pages, Paperback
Personal copy

Themes: school life, sisterhood, an outsider experiencing everything for the first time, bizarre teachers, crazy yet lovable friends, elements of Japanese school life and Japanese culture, constant humour, some older/suggestive material

Summary from Yen Press

Kaede Takamura’s teenage life swerves to the brink of insanity when she comes face to face with her twin…or does she? Suzu is practically the mirror-image of Kaede — except for having cat ears and a tail and being far more well-endowed than Kaede thinks any teenager ought to be. But the Takamuras have no qualms about bringing this strange, happy-go-lucky catgirl into their home. With Suzu completely ignorant of the ways of modern society, it’s going to be a very long year for poor Kaede.

 

Nayuleska's thoughts
This is a perfect read if you need to smile. It's a bit different to most manga that I read as the actual book is bigger, and the story is told mostly in columns of 4 boxes. It was easy to get used to the lay out. The whole concept of Suzunari! is crazy - why doesn't anyone else besides Kaede realise Suzu is new to her life? I'm told I'll find the answers in the final book #2 which I've now started. 

 

There is a glossary to explain more traditional Japanese comments which may not make sense to the reader. Kaede suffers a lot with Suzu, but she also relaxes a bit more and gets a lot of fun from life. Suzu is simplisic at times in how she interprets life, and at others she can be profound. The questionable content is mostly innuendo, with a couple of scenes that are easy to skip over - it would have been nicer without them which is why I grade this as a 9/10 read.

Suggested read
Try Yotsuba& by Kiyohiko Azuma  for another girl who isn't quite human.