Manga Review – Behind the scenes of “Behind The Scenes Vol 1”

Bisco Hatori, author of Ouran High School Host Club, latest release on Viz Manga, Behind The Scenes introduces us to a new gang of students including Ranmaru Kurisu, the principle character of the series.

Two months into Ranmaru’s college career, and if he’s learned one thing, it’s that he’s really uncomfortable around other people. But when he stumbles into a zombie mob attack, he’s totally forced out of his comfort zone! Of course it’s just a movie shoot, but when he wakes up from his ignoble faint, he’s been whisked away behind the scenes with the Art Squad! Could this group of weirdos be what Ranmaru’s been looking for all his life?!

 Behind The Scenes
Behind The Scenes is Ouran High School Host Club all grown up. Why’d I say that? Well it’s another school club series with an ensemble cast and an awkward but adorable lead. Ranmaru Kurisu might as well be an older, less awesome, male Haruhi Fujioka. That is not to say that the manga is a direct knock-off of her earlier work, but fans of Ouran High School Host Club will love The Art Squad gang.
I definitely enjoyed reading this manga as it was fun and quirky. Hatori brings each character to life and The Art Squad gang reminds me of my high school days where I could be just a little bit cool and a little bit awkward at the same time. The story is really about finding your place in the world and embracing your uniqueness. I will admit to having felt some nostalgia after putting down the manga, it was like saying goodbye to the fun, “carefree” days of school all over again.
With an ensemble cast, it’s kind of hard to get a feel for each individual character as there is limited space for them to bloom but Hatori does her best to give us a feel for each character’s perspective. While Ranmaru, and his internalised self hate, is the front runner of the manga, it”s not a depressing read as we can almost get a feel of the emotions expressed by the rest of the gang.
Behind The Scenes 2
Bisco Hatori’s storytelling is spellbinding, and she weaves a web over her readers keeping them interested in the adventures of Ranmaru and the Art Squad. Her character development is spot on, with each character being given distinct personalities that helps bring them to life.  The artwork is top notch due to Hatori’s attention to detail is profound. She is an amazingly skilled illustrator who puts a great deal of thought into the facial expressions and costume designs she use for each character as it allows her to let their personality shine through.

Final Verdict

Behind The Scenes isn’t the best manga I’ve read for 2016, but it’s still a favourite, and is currently in my top five manga to re-read list. This manga is more comedy than romance, though this is only Vol. 1,  but the scene is slowly being laid for Ranmaru to potentially fall for a member of The Art Squad, however, only time will tell if this turns into a romantic comedy. Fans of title like the aforementioned Ouran High school host club and other series like it may be the the ideal first adopters for a series like this one.
Behind The Scenes Vol. 1 is available digitally via the Viz Manga app for $6.99 and physically for $9.99. This manga is easily a good way to spend a couple hours so be sure to get a copy if you can.

Kaleigh John

Manga Editor | Podcaster : She offers a different prospective on nerd culture that you may not expect.