Akira Failing in Love, Vol. 1

Gr 7 Up–This shonen rom-com is based on the familiar formula of the cute girl who can’t communicate and the clueless boy who misunderstands her. Hajime used to walk home from school with Akira every day when they were in elementary school until she moved away. When she reappears as a student in his high school, he’s delighted but also flustered: she has blossomed into a beauty, and he figures she’s way out of his league. Akira likes him too, but she has trouble expressing her feelings in words. Her solution is to plan everything in advance, making scripts and ­vision boards, then rehearsing what she wants to say. But when she finally blurts it out to ­Hajime, she gets everything wrong, confusing and sometimes terrifying him. This book is packed with visual humor; the art is brimming with sound effects, light flashes, and exaggerated facial expressions. Akira’s face is often underlit, or her eyes are covered, making her appear extra scary to Hajime. In fact, the art often resembles that of an action manga. The story is episodic, with relatively short chapters, making it an easy read.