is a
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series written and illustrated by
Meca Tanaka
(born December 23 in Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese shojo manga artist. Two of her major works are ''Omukae desu'' and '' Faster than a Kiss''. Pearl Pink was released in English by Tokyopop. ''Young Master's Revenge'', or ''Kimi no Koto nado Z ...
. Originally serialized in Japan in ''
LaLa
''LaLa'' is a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Hakusensha on the 24th of each month. The magazine's bonus contents are usually calendars for New Year issues, drama CDs, and so on. In a 2006 survey conducted by Oricon, Japanese girls ...
'' from April 2002 through April 2004, the individual chapters were collected and published in four ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volumes by
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
The company mainly publishes manga magazines and is involved in series' productions in their games, original video animation, music, and their animated TV series.
The com ...
. The series follows the romance between Tamoko, the daughter of a top idol who must keep her identity secret, and her childhood friend Kanji, whose
talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds work for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various entertainm ...
father represents Tamoko's mother.
The series is licensed for English language release in North America by
Tokyopop
Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licens ...
,
which released the series volumes from January 2007 through January 2008. The series was adapted into a drama CD spin-off by
Geneon Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, owned by American telecommunications/media company Comcast headquartered in Akasaka, Min ...
.
Plot
While going to his father's business, high schooler Kanji runs across some bullies robbing an elementary school student. Before he can come to their aid, a blond boy jumps in a beats the bullies up but they escape on Kanji's scooter. The boy gives chase, promising to catch them while Kanji wonders how the boy knows his name. Later, he learns the boy is actually a girl named Tamako, the daughter of his father's talent agency's top talent, idol Shinju Momono. They were actually friends ten years before, but Kanji doesn't appear to remember Tamako though she hasn't forgotten him. Tamako was living with her grandmother until now, as Shinju was only a teenager at the time she became pregnant and wasn't able to support a child. However, if it were revealed that Shinju had been an unwed, teen mother when her "image" was built on being innocent and pure, her career would be ruined so the agency demands that Tamoko's relationship to her be kept a secret and Tamako must go to live with Kanji and his father.
Media
Manga
''Pearl Pink'' premiered in Japan in ''
LaLa
''LaLa'' is a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Hakusensha on the 24th of each month. The magazine's bonus contents are usually calendars for New Year issues, drama CDs, and so on. In a 2006 survey conducted by Oricon, Japanese girls ...
'' magazine's April 24, 2002 issue where it ran monthly until its conclusion in the April 24, 2004 issue. The individual chapters were collected and published in four ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volumes by
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
The company mainly publishes manga magazines and is involved in series' productions in their games, original video animation, music, and their animated TV series.
The com ...
, with the first volume released December 5, 2002. The final volume was released July 5, 2004.
The series is licensed for English language release in North America by
Tokyopop
Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licens ...
, which released the first volume on January 9, 2007. The final volume was released on January 8, 2008.
Drama CD
A
drama CD
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
adaptation was released by
Geneon Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, owned by American telecommunications/media company Comcast headquartered in Akasaka, Min ...
on January 23, 2004, containing ten tracks containing original spin-off stories of the series.
Reception
Katherine Luther, writing for
about.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...
, described ''Pearl Pink'' as "a fun and comedic look at young love", recommending it for readers who like romance manga. A. E. Sparrow, writing for
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
, described it as a book "tough to pigeonhole", and an exceptionally humorous way of telling the "standard shojo tale of girl pursuing guy".
Michelle Ramonetti, writing for
mania.com, gave a very in-depth review, praising the art as "pure sugar" and saying that "every page packs some kind of visual treat, be it detailed backgrounds, wispy hair, lovely screen tones, round, intense eyes, and more physical beauty than you can shake a stick at. Even Tamako, who spends most of the volume looking more like a boy than a girl, gets an idol's makeover near the end. That might make other series hard to take seriously, but here it works just fine." Ramonetti goes on to describe the story as endearing, although points out some flaws, such as an anticlimactic story arc involving Tamako's grandmother, and a strange "emphasis on Tamako's current strength vs. her crybaby past". Ramonetti ends her review by recommending the manga for fans of romantic, shoujo comedy, and especially for fans who "like a dash of the entertainment industry thrown in".
References
External links
*
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{{Meca Tanaka
Hakusensha manga
Shōjo manga
Tokyopop titles