is a Japanese

Japanese language

is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

 manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written by Shouko Akira and published by Shogakukan

Shogakukan

is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

. The manga is serialised in Shogakukan

Shogakukan

is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

's Betsucomi

Betsucomi

, formerly known as Bessatsu Shōjo Comic, is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shogakukan, originally aimed at young girls, but increasingly marketed to older teens and young women. It is released on the 13th of each month...

. The manga is licensed for an English-language release by Viz Media

VIZ Media

VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...

.

Summary

After her political father is disgraced in scandal, Haruna Aizawa transfers to a new school. Haruna Aizawa thinks that school life is just like a monkey mountain - all the monkeys form cliques, get into fights, and get back together again. The school that she just transferred to is no exception. There's even a boy called Macharu(baby monkey) Yamashita [ actually named Masaru Yamashita ] who reminds her of a baby monkey!

It's hard enough fitting in at a new school while dealing with family problems.... Will Haruna remain jaded and distance herself from everyone around her? Or will Macharu win her over with his monkey magic?

Characters

• Haruna Aizawa is the new transfer student. She transferred out of her old school because her father was involved in a political scandal. At first, she is very reserved and quite condescending to her fellow peers, comparing them to monkeys. She quickly ends up falling for Masaru and even though they start to date she likes to deny her feelings for him due to embarrassment.
• Masaru "Macharu" Yamashita is a goofy boy that attends Haruna's new school. He is often referred to as 'The Baby Monkey' because of his personality and appearance. He is very close with Atsu. Macharu's family runs a produce store, which keeps both of his parents busy. His little sister, Misato, resembles him closely. Like Haruna he quickly falls for her. The two eventually go out. Masaru thinks that he will marry Haruna one day and was so sure about this he told her father this.

• Atsuyuki Kidao is a classmate and friend of both Haruna and Masaru. He is the student council president, and is popular with the girls. Though he seems like a player, Atsu is very kind and caring, often helping Masaru and Haruna make up when they fight. Later on, however, he seems to develop feelings for Haruna, though he doesn't act on it till later on in the story. He often teases Masaru. His family runs a beauty salon.

• Chika is a classmate. She attended middle school with Haruna where she was the captain of the girls' basket ball team. Chika greatly admires Haruna, resulting in her thinking Masaru isn't good enough for Haruna. Chika joins the student council with Atsu.

• Kobuhei is a classmate. He is seen as comical as others often tease him because he is really fat. Though he doesn't have good looks, Kobuhei is talented in singing, even joining a band and getting gigs.

Reception

Theron Martin at Anime News Network

Anime News Network

Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...

 comments on the author's depiction of both the male and female lead having the same height. Manga Life's Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane commends the author for "contrasting the emotional moments and the hectic school scenes". Comics Worth Reading's Johanna Draper Carlson comments on the manga's uniqueness in the shōjo

Shojo

The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...

genre.