Teru’s older brother died, leaving her an orphan. But he didn’t leave her alone. Before his death, he arranged for a friend of his–the mysterious man called “Daisy”–to be on call through Teru’s cell phone. Teru tries not to worry Daisy when she talks to him, but as her life starts to fall apart, she’s not sure who else she can turn to. A broken school window forces Teru to work for the grumpy young school custodian Kurosaki and soon Teru finds herself relying on Kurosaki almost as much as she relies on Daisy. He just always seems to be there when she needs him…
On the one hand, Motomi’s story is nothing new in the world of shojo. There’s the usual blend of comedic elements, sexual tension, overly dramatic pronouncements, a heroine who always needs rescuing, school uniforms, etc. Even Motomi’s art is shojo-standard–big eyes, floppy hair, plenty of screen tones, etc. In a few places Teru’s cluelessness can be frustrating. Is she really that unaware of how computers work? And it really can’t be that big a leap to guess who Kurosaki is. Readers looking for something new and fresh might think about skipping right over this one.
However, on the other hand, in Dengeki Daisy Motomi uses those familiar elements capably, crafting both a story and a relationship that slowly build, gradually bringing together threads to weave into a whole….
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Dengeki Daisy, vol. 1
Kyosuke Motomi
ISBN 978-1-4215-3727-6
VIZ, July 2010
