Justin: Crazy For You was a JManga by the author of Kimi ni Todoke title that never got finished as JManga closed its doors.
Fast forward to now and it returning under the Viz Select imprint, and I know a few things. First is the quality. It’s decidedly bottom tier. It definitely doesn’t look from the first chapter I read on my iPad that it was processed well, at least compared to other Viz Select titles. That’s disappointing.
What’s makes it more disappointing is the manga seems solid. Crazy For You stars a cute but naive girl who’s never had a boyfriend, so she goes on a group date to get one. When she thinks she’s found the one, she learns he may not be as genuine as he comes off. Her choice to actually try and find a redeeming quality in someone who seems to be a womanizer is admirable, if not idealistic. The thing is, it does give the manga some options on where it wants to go down the road.
So, long story short, Crazy For You has an intriguing story with low quality chapters. This could be a good read for those in need of a new shoujo title.
Krystallina: I’ve regretted not picking up Shiina’s Kimi ni Todoke, so I looked forward to finally trying out a series of hers.
Sachi, the heroine of Crazy For You, is a cheerful, self-admitted plain Jane who finally meets a guy she’s interested in. Although Sachi is warned about his reputation for lying, she can’t stop her feelings that easily. It’s a pretty standard shoujo setup, but Sachi and I got off on the wrong foot. She wants to fall in love, requited or not. I think it’s one thing if you realize you were happy to love someone, but at least dream about mutual love!
I can’t be too hard on her though. She’s nice and has been told all her life she’s plain to look at. She’s actually quite cute! As for the guy, he was more honest than I was expecting. Props to him.
It’s still early in the story, but both leads have plenty of room to develop. I also got a Strobe Edge vibe from this series, so Strobe Edge fans should definitely check out Crazy For You.
As for the release itself, I was surprised honorifics were used. I wonder if that is a remnant from when Crazy For You was on JManga. This may also explain why the quality of the release is rather low. I haven’t read any of the other Viz Select manga yet, so I’m going to have to take Justin’s word that the other titles look better. One page late in the first volume still has the Japanese text, and the page is translated incorrectly! The art style already looks older than it is (more like 90s despite debuting in 2003), so this release doesn’t help make the art stand out. However, readers shouldn’t dismiss Crazy For You just because it isn’t the prettiest-looking series or release.
Where you can read Crazy For You:
Volume 1: http://www.vizmanga.com/reader/2964-crazy-for-you-1
Free Preview: http://www.vizmanga.com/reader/2976