Tsukasa vs. Kyoko

Y'know, it's funny. Tsukasa, from TCP, is a scary person. She beats people up without breaking a sweat and kicks you in the head if you make her mad. And she has middle-aged men terrified of her, not to mention the young bucks. But....somehow...Kyoko is scarier. She hardly ever actually hits someone. Dreams of it, sure. As do we all. But she doesn't beat people up. People are scared of her because of her aura. Because she has a multitude of demons at her beck and call, which come out when she hasn't even called them. Because she's weird. Because she's more than a little insane at times, to offset the occasional flashes of genius inspiration. She's twisted, dark, scary, and sometimes she's so bright and cheerful that's scary too.

Resolutions: Join showbiz x
Beat Shotaro! There has been a minor victory on this field.
Show up Tsuruga Ren! Yes, actually, during the Katsuki crisis, except that she was too worried about him to notice.
Do stuff with a best friend ! x
Beat various actresses x (Ruri, "Erika-sama", and Pochi, so far)
Wear makeup. Heh.

New experiences for everyone

Kyoko: Falling in love. Sure she loved Sho, but that was something with no visible beginning and a very obvious end.
Selfish thoughts
Evil/vengeful/negative thoughts
Negative thoughts about Sho
Rage...? Maybe?
A loving parent/ a father (Kuu)
Doing something because she loves the activity, not because she's doing it with "Sho-chan"
A female/best friend
Makeup (And how many girls have it professionally applied the first time they wear it?)
Hair dye
Dressing stylishly (although maybe if it's the style of two centuries ago...nope. Still not stylish.)
Dressing in blatant defiance of all laws of taste and fashion (see this)
Guys hitting on her....
Celebrating her birthday?


Ren: Love. Definitely.
Being blackmailed/threatened
Having his portrayal in a movie criticized (well, maybe)
Being openly challenged by a (idiotic) rival
Getting worked up over a girl. Heh.


Sho: Kyoko's rebellion
Valuing Kyoko (Well, maybe he did once upon a time....but no one remembers this. Certainly not him.)
Seeing her as a woman (Absolutely and unarguably unprecedented.)
Love...?
Meeting someone taller than he is? Lol.
Being shown up professionally? Fufufu.
Learning that Kyoko didn't stop crying

Kyoko's mother

Oh, hey! It turns out we really do know the name of the woman who's completely soured Kyoko's attitude toward family: Saena. Mogami Saena. It's mentioned only once, when Kyoko is recalling learning katsura-muki in chapter four; Sho's parents are discussing her. It remains to be seen whether Nakamura-sensei remembers that she gave a name. I can't wait to find out.

As long as Kyoko was with Sho, she never changed or grew. I don't think she matured at all. But then, as soon as she got away, she started changing. Change is a part of growth. And Ren is helping her, teaching her. Nourishing her.

Skip Beat! is a shojo manga by Nakamura Yoshiki, whose other works include Tokyo Crazy Paradise, which I adored. Currently there are 116 chapters scanlated and 10 volumes translated into English by Viz Media.

Kyoko came to Tokyo to support her childhood friend and the center of her universe, Fuwa Sho, as he climbs to the top in showbiz. Lately he hasn't been coming home much, though, and when she learns that he brought her along only to work for him, she snaps completely. Her dark self runs rampant, making up for lost time, and she acquires some adorable-but-terrifying demons along with her new super-developed negative aura. She decides to go into showbiz herself to get revenge on Sho by outshining him, and tries to join LME Productions, the agency of Sho's rival for the hearts of Japan's female population, Tsuruga Ren, who promptly throws her out. Her journey to the top begins at the bottom, as she has to fight her way even to join an agency! And it doesn't get easier from there. Ren is out to get her, girls seem to hate her, she breaks her ankle, and everyone laughs at her uniform! This girl has talent...but will she get a chance to use it?