Ichiroh!, Vol. 1 (Ichiroh!, 1) Paperback – May 12, 2009

Ichiroh! is about a girl named Nana and her two best friends who all vow to go to the same college. But don't get me wrong, this manga-typical story line does not follow the normal shojo formula. One of the three gets into the school while the other two have to attend cram school. In the meantime they live in a dorm on shrine property and work part time as miko. Add in a crazy love triangle, which ends up being a fight over Nana between one of the friends and her older brother, and you have a quirky and entertaining series. This is by my definition a good read and definitely worth the bargain price of $4.40.One thing I would like to talk about however is the formatting. The book is extremely thin so be prepared. I ordered it expecting a standard size manga but the book is about half an inch wider and taller than your average Yen Press book and maybe half the thickness. The manga is set up in newspaper style panels however unlike most manga the paper quality is more white and less grey and seems to be pretty high quality. Something else awesome about this book is the number of color pages included. I think there are about four sheets of color, both front and back. The only sad thing about the color is it looks like there are other pages that were originally in color that ended up being in black and white. This manga is so cute that if Yen Press republished it in a full color omnibus edition (like HoTD) I would definitely re-buy it.So far I have only read book one and two but I am definitely committed to finishing this series, especially because it is only five books. It is light-hearted and an easy read so it's not something that will keep you on the edge of your seat but it you want a feel-good comedic manga you will probably enjoy this one.

End of high school so Nanako, Akane, and Shino need to take entrance exams. It all begins there with Nanako's "irresponsible" family setting her up as a support MC. After failing the exams Nanako, and Akane go to cram school. Although their living area is also rather odd in unison with the characters already introduced. Shino is in love with Nanako, Akane is her loyal (to the end) best friend.

*Ichiroh!* is the story of the day-to-day comedy hijinks and cute lives of two girls - lifelong friends - in Japan who both fail their college entrance exams, and have to work to make it into college the next time. In Japan, entrance exams are a big part of the education process at every level. I think the idea is that if you meet the right cut-off score on a school's entrance exam, you are in, if not, you aren't. Due to this, there is a big industry for "cram schools" and "prep schools". The difference between the two being basically that the cram ones are attended in conjunction with regular schools to supplement lessons and improve student abilities, while the prep schools are specifically designed to aid students in preparing for college exams. Also, cram schools are at basically all levels of schooling and all ages, while prep schools are for specifically high schoolers preparing for entrance exams. A *somewhat* example of this in America is places like various "learning centers" where kids can be taken by parents after-school to be tutored.Anyways, after our two characters, Nanako and Akane, fail to get into college, they decide to attend prep school together and end up sharing a dorm room. Nanako finds a great price for a female dorm, and is excited... until she and Akane get there. You see, what she didn't know was a) there is a Shinto shrine attached to the dorm, and b) that to qualify for the lower room and board, she and Akane have to work as shrine maidens at said shrine. If they don't want to work there, that is fine, but the prices go up.So begins the efforts to prepare to get into school while working at the local shrine. This is an interesting premise, to be sure. But like with *K-On*, where the student band is merely a plot device for the interpersonal relationships of the characters (though it does have some impact on said plot), the situation here is just to put characters in a situation where we can watch them be funny and cute.Like *K-On*, the same type of teasing of *yuri* subtext and jokes about said stuff, relying almost on a mild form of "cringe comedy", is present. Also, there are other jokes that are sometimes funny to all, and at other times, particularly funny to Japanese audiences more so than American ones.Above all, the daily lives and friendships are what is important to the plot. Though, to be fair, not so much as in *K-On*. A good way I could describe it is that *K-On* focused more so on friendship over humor, while *Ichiroh!* focuses more on humor over friendship, but each manga is filled with both elements.The only problem I had was not really a problem but one that may irk some in the non-Japanese West. The humor is funny, but some might interpret it to be homophobic. I don't, because I don't think that is intended that way, and Japan has different "buttons" than, say, America. Though they are more closeted (sadly) than America due to social pressure, I don't think that is at play here, and don't believe any homophobia was present at all. I think it more likely that it is the very human penchant for mocking anything not in their own sacred cow listing. My point is that I hope some don't misinterpret mild and good-natured (not mean) jokes to be something they aren't, and thus don't end up ignoring a cute, fun, and heartwarming story. I can understand we all have our own berserk buttons though, so I am warning ahead of time.I just wanted to note that there *is* a plot. It isn't all cute and funny stuff. The effort to prepare for the next attempt at entrance exams continues. It's just that it is a slow-burn with the year-long effort spread out over five volumes.I truly loved this cute, sweet, and funny series and I just can't recommend it enough.Rating: 5/5 Sars.

No, this is not about a baseball player. "Ichiro!" (complete in five volumes) is a four-panel comic about an 18-year-old girl Nanako Konishi, who has just failed her entrance exam for a college. To prepare for the next year's exams, Nanako and her best friend Akane Nakazawa decide to live together in a girl's dorm and attend a "yobiko," a special privately-run preparatory school.What easygoing Nakako didn't know is that the dorm is owned by a Shinto shrine, and she has to work as a part-time miko (shrine maid) to live there. Not only that; people she meets at the shrine and the prep school are so ridiculously unique that she often finds it very hard to concentrate on studying."Ichiro!" created by Mikage had been serialized in Houbunsha's "Manga Kirara Time Max" 2006 through 2010 and in "Manga Time Kirara Carat" 2006 through 2009 (the latter being known for "K-On!" and "Sunshine Sketch"). Like many comics published by Houbunsha, the story itself is almost non-existent, following the funny episodes of the likable characters with slightly eccentric traits and happy-go-lucky vitality.Most characters in "Ichiro!" have something to do with today's otaku culture in Japan: maid café, video games, Komike (Comic Market) and "miko." But most jokes are character-based. Like in "K-On!" they are based on the delightful interactions between the characters with distinct personalities. Cute artworks and colorful expressions of the characters are also a plus.Though the relations between characters are sometimes confusing (partly because of the yobiko system unique to Japan), "Ichiro!" is pretty fun to read, even without knowledge about pop culture.