10 Nov / Dengeki Daisy (vol. 1) by Kyousuke Motomi, translated by JN Productions
Teru Kurebayashi is pretty much all alone in the world. Her parents are gone, and her beloved older brother is dead … but before his tragic too-early passing, he left her with a secret guardian angel: “From now on … Daisy will always be there for you in my place.” All Teru needs to do is call (actually text him, as my daughter always tells me … they are a different generation and they don’t make live calls anymore!).
As a scholarship student at the privileged high school she attends, Teru is often bullied by the wealthy student council members. When she finally fights back, she ends up somehow breaking a building window. The mysterious, bleached-blond school custodian is determined to make Teru pay for the damage “with [her] body” and carries her off kicking and screaming. But this is teen-shojo manga … so it’s not like that!
Teru becomes ‘Lord’ Kurosaki’s custodial slave, weeding flower beds and keeping the school grounds pristine while he puts his feet up with a fancy computer and the ridiculous cigarette always dangling dangerously over the keyboard … who IS this guy anyway?
Being the new custodial help comes with a new vantage point … and Teru learns that wealthy doesn’t necessarily mean smart, that teachers don’t always know everything, and that someone is after her dead brother’s secrets. Will Daisy always be there to bail her out?
Teenage girls will surely enjoy this new manga series … all the perks of having a protective, perfect, virtual guardian, not to mention a young, chiseled boss with the perfect hair. It’s a bit fluffy in tackling serious subjects – from class issues to possible murder – but the balance of lovey-dovey mystery mixed with ‘go-girl!’ adventures is surely going to get giggly readers seeking out the next volumes …
Readers: Young Adult
Published: 2010 (United States)
DENGEKI DAISY © Kyousuke Motomi
Original Japanese edition published by Shogakukan Inc.