Manga: Wild Ones/Arakure
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Genre: Shojo, romance, comedy, drama
General Set-up: After 15 year old Sachi Wakamura is orphaned her grandfather offers to take care of her. Not only is she surprised to discover that her grandfather is alive, but he is also a yakuza boss. Add in a cute body guard and you have a recipe for a standard shojo anime, with a twist.
Characters: Sachie wasn't anything spectacular as a character. I felt like she was a standard shojo heroine with few outstanding qualities that made her unique. Then again, the world has enough pink-haired flamboyant anime characters, so having one that stayed within the lines might be nice for a change. I did like how Sachie is very good at intimidating people and puts on her 'yakuza face' when she is mad. Just being honest here, Rakuto reminds me of Yuki from Fruits Basket. For one thing, he is the most popular guy of the school, as well as the student council president. Also, his personality is a bit similar to Yuki's at the end of the manga - like he will smile while saying something threatening.
Plot: I enjoyed reading this manga, I really did. It's just that a lot of it seemed like things I had read before - a lot of the plot events seemed cliche, like stuff that you would expect to find (and have found) in every highschool-based shojo manga. Like the love triangle, Valentines Day, and the school festival. Thankfully, the yakuza element felt fresh and original, and it added a welcome twist.
Ending: I think this manga ended the way we all expected it to from page one. Yup, no surprises here. That being said, I would have liked to have had a few more details regarding the future of the characters, but we can't all have our cake and eat it too, I suppose.
Things to Watch Out For: As you have probably figured out by now, there is gang-related material in this manga. It never gets violent, but it is something you should know. Also, there are a few instances where characters are shown in states of undress for humor. Nothing crude is shown, but it might lead to an awkward conversation if someone looks over your shoulder while you are reading the particular panel. Incase you were wondering, the rating for this manga is T for ages 13 and up.
Humor: This is going to be a small side note, but most of the humor is based off of Japanese culture/yakuza traditions. I really enjoyed that aspect of the manga, but it can be a little confusing if you don't know the background information necessary to get the jokes. So, if you have little to no knowledge of either subject I would suggest you refer to the back of the volume for the handy-dandy cultural side-notes. I even learned some things!
Visuals: Maybe it's just Rakuto, but the artist's art style did remind me of Fruits Basket. Also, another of the characters looks significantly like Shigure. I enjoyed the way the mangaka portrayed the yakuza members. They look sufficiently frightening and simultaneously endearing.
Assorted notes: Wild Ones is a completed manga containing 10 volumes. Also, it is licensed in English, so look for it at your local libraries and bookstores!
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