[Manga Monday] 7th Period is a Secret
You guys know I pretty much hate shoujo. The genre’s various mechanisms and archetypes never really captured my attention as much as, say, a well-drawn fight scene in a shounen manga. (I’m a tomboy like that.) But several romance-laden shoujo titles have won my heart over the years, and fortunately, there’s now another one to add to that list. The adorable but realistic 7th Period is a Secret is a hidden gem of the shoujo world, and while it’s no masterpiece, it’s darn good for a three-chapter miniseries. Its art is better than most series of its genre as well, making it a real treat for aesthetic-minded readers.
The school setting is typical enough, but the premise is not: Shun, a fairly normal high school girl, only transferred to her school three months ago but is already well-liked. Underneath all her smiles and laughs, though, she’s pretty worried about people not liking her. Her young and attractive teacher sees right through her after a little while, but can he make things right?
The answer is, of course, yes, because this is a shoujo manga and that’s kinda a given. The series earns cookies from me, though, when it takes the characters on a rollercoaster of misunderstandings, awkwardness, and open-endedness – and yes, that’s in reference to the ending. It’s incredibly vague, but it serves the overall atmosphere of the manga well, especially when one considers the relative abstractness of the characters’ dilemmas and feelings.
Of course, it’s that same abstractness that gets the series into some trouble. A few minor believability issues mar the plot’s otherwise awesome journey, and the length of the miniseries also causes problems. Bits of drama that could’ve been expanded on are swept aside as soon as they’re introduced, and it leaves some questions unanswered – do Shun’s other classmates forgive her? Does Yui find out about her relationship with Jun? Does Jun ever get found out for sneaking to the roof during 7th period?
Well, that last one doesn’t really matter (because the 3rd rule of shoujo is THE SENSEI NEVER GETS IN TORABURU,) and the series’ other minor d0rama flaws are easily overlooked by character-minded readers. Shun, Jun and their relatively unimportant compatriots are capable of making an impact on one’s outlook on shoujo. If read fairly carefully, the manga makes its charms apparent to readers. It appeals to mature fans, both shoujo-loving and not, with original characters with unique dilemmas and worries. It’s too short to be truly awesome, but it’s well worth reading on a rainy day.
CJ’s Rating: 8 out of 10 California rolls
