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Shōjo License Request: Gakuen Babysitters – Hari Tokeino

September 22, 2011

I thought it would be timely to post this request seeing as the review of Me and My Brothers went up yesterday. Currently running in LaLa magazine, Gakuen Babysitters is created by Hari Tokeino. There are four volumes of this series available in Japan with the most recent being released the first week of September 2011.

The Gist: Third year middle school student Ryuuichi is orphaned when his parents die in a plane crash. An elderly woman who lost her son in the crash offers to take in Ryuuichi and his younger brother Kotaro. In exchange, Ryu must work as a babysitter in the woman’s school daycare during all his free time when he’s not attending class. Ryuuichi and Kotaro begin their new life at the academy, full of toddler adventures and teen hijinks.

Ryuu-chan bombarded by chibi cuteness!

The “Give Me!” Factor: Guess I’m a sucker for those chibi babies. The kiddos are sooooo CUTE! I adore Ryuuichi as a character as well. He’s good with kids and dedicated to being the best big brother possible. He doesn’t mind changing diapers and being covered in snot. It’s surrealistic that there are NO girls in the club at all, it’s just boys. If I were a middle school girl at the school I’d be in the Babysitting Club hitting on Ryuu-kun. It’s hard to find guys like that period. Then there are the sibling relationships. Tokeino touched on this in her series Me and My Brothers, but with the romance factor taken out of the equation, the meaning behind brotherhood is really explored. Different sibling relationships are examined from identical twins finding individuality, to younger brother-older brother rivalry, to hero-worship.

The Audience Reception: This series doesn’t focus on any romantic conquests but instead charms with emotional moments and comedic timing. It is a story that all ages and genders can read and enjoy. That said, since it is running in a shoujo magazine, the author intends for females to be her main audience. With all the cute babies and sweet high school boys, I’m sure there are plenty of girls out there who would fall in love with this series.

Shōjo License Request: Gakuen Babysitters – Hari Tokeino

September 22, 2011

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