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Shoujo License Request: Takane to Hana

Takane to Hana is a shoujo series by Yuki Shiwasu that is currently running in The Hana to Yume magazine. So far there are three tankoban volumes available in Japan, the last one just being published this past November. Shiwasu-san has a few shorter shorter series under her belt, but Takane to Hana is the longest running series so far. It started off as a one-shot story, but the popularity of it led to demand of a longer series.

Cover of volume 1 Takane to Hana

Cover of volume 1 Takane to Hana

The Gist: Sixteen year old Hana replaces her frivolous older sister for an omiai meeting (a courtship for marriage meeting) so she may turn down the partner in her sister’s place. Little does Hana expect to be insulted and called plain and desperate by the handsome Takane (age 26) who is the successor to the largest corporation in Japan! Furious, Hana storms out of the meeting with her own set of insults, never expecting to see Takane again. However, Takane finds himself strangely intrigued and decides to pursue his curious omiai with Hana. This story follows the hilarious relationship of two headstrong people from different worlds who just might be perfect for one another.

The “Give Me” Factor: I’ve been reading this in the issues of The Hana to Yume that I’ve been getting. I find it very funny and entertaining. It’s an age-gap relationship with an older guy and younger girl, yet I find the maturity of Takane right at the same level as Hana. Watching them come together and continue to clash is loads of fun. Takane acts like such a spoiled, rich brat most of the time, that I’m always cheering for Hana to take him down a peg. It’s great to see her catch him off guard and vice versa. The banter and gags in this story are what really make it such a fun read. The art is fantastic as well. I look forward to reading it every other month.

Hana catches Takane off guard at the end of the first chapter.

Hana catches Takane off guard at the end of the first chapter.

The Audience Reception: I think this would go over well with shoujo audiences, especially those that like romantic comedy. It’s a different setting than a high school drama, and that makes it even more distinctive to me. This series would appeal to older females as well, since the male protagonist is a very good looking young adult and not a teen.

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8 Comments

  • How can we request for this/other manga’s to be licensed? Who do we mail or send our requests to?

    • It depends on the manga’s original publisher. Takane to Hana is published by Hakusensha in Japan. Hakusensha used to work a lot with Tokyopop before they went bankrupt. Their titles have now been picked up other publishers – Yona is being published by Viz and Fruits Basket is being published by Yen Press. So Shojo Beat would be one publisher to ask, but you might also try Seven Seas or Yen Press.

      There are a couple of publishers that only work with Viz – such as Shueisha and Shogakukan. North American publishers can solicit works from any other publishers with the exception of those 2.

      Social media is the easiest way to get a title across to a publisher. I know Seven Seas and Kodansha are very active on their askfm sites. Shojo Beat is very active on tumblr. Yen Press I see mostly on Twitter.

      Here is a link to an article I wrote about requesting licenses: http://www.heartofmanga.com/license-requests-and-whats-getting-licensed/

  • Whoa are there other manga like this? Ones with a bickering couple? I like stories like this a lot! I love when the main love interests fight like this ( Library Wars, Kamisama Kiss) and things like these movies: The Shop Around The Corner, Anastasia, etc.

    Do you know of other manga like this? SOrry lol but this is like my favorite kind of shojo and I’d love to read more of it. Thanks!!!!

    • Yeah, bickering couple is not the easiest to find. I like those type, too. Missions of Love starts out that way, with both of the protagonists trying to one-up the other. But then the story gets a little convoluted with the cousin thrown in as another love interest. Meh. Maid-sama is about the only other licensed title I can think of that has stubborn protagonists. I’m at a loss, really. Anyone else want to suggest?

      • I thought of another one with bickering couple – boys over flowers 2. And you can read it for free digitally on Viz’s website.

        • Awesome! Thanks so much! I think that’s one of the reasons why I loved Kamisama Kiss so much. Nanami and Tomoe have to work through their problems before they can get together, but nothing is all roses when they do. It’s realistic. I also love Skip Beat and Library Wars for this as well, though Skip Beat is really great just for the characters alone and how the author paints them as living beings.

      • “Dawn of the Arcana” available in English by Viz? The main couple started out hating each other.
        “Kare Kano – His and Her Circumstances” and “Her Majesty’s Dog”? I’m afraid these 2 may be oop, maybe public libraries have them or interlib loan?

  • I’ve been keeping up with this one as well, I love it and couldn’t agree more! I would pre-order this the second a publisher took it up!

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