Manga Monday: Monkey High!
Monkey High! (Volume 1) 
Monkey High! is a shojo manga that follows one of the more memorable characters I've encountered in manga recently: Haruna Aizawa, the beautiful daughter of a politician recently engaged in a scandal. Following her father's downfall, Haruna transfers to a new school, where she observes that things are pretty much the same as at the prestigious K Academy where she attended previously: the students act like monkeys, bickering, establishing hierarchies...she finds it all tedious and obnoxious. Unfortunately for her, the popular boy Atsu has taken a shine to her, and likewise, all of the girls have decided to dislike her. But the short energetic boy Macharu (whom she thinks looks like a baby monkey) seems to be the only one who can melt through the standoffish front she's put up to keep others at a distance.
Shouko Akira
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Monkey High! is a shojo manga that follows one of the more memorable characters I've encountered in manga recently: Haruna Aizawa, the beautiful daughter of a politician recently engaged in a scandal. Following her father's downfall, Haruna transfers to a new school, where she observes that things are pretty much the same as at the prestigious K Academy where she attended previously: the students act like monkeys, bickering, establishing hierarchies...she finds it all tedious and obnoxious. Unfortunately for her, the popular boy Atsu has taken a shine to her, and likewise, all of the girls have decided to dislike her. But the short energetic boy Macharu (whom she thinks looks like a baby monkey) seems to be the only one who can melt through the standoffish front she's put up to keep others at a distance..
I really enjoyed this book. It's a great romantic story with very human characters. Like I said before, I love Haruna. She's a little bitter and quietly disgusted by those around her, but ultimately, she does care about how people perceive her as much as she'd like to pretend she didn't. She doesn't really know where she belongs in the scheme of things, but she's content to blend into the background, if only the people around her would allow it. Akira's pacing and the tension she creates is pretty much perfect. there isn't a dull moment throughout the story - it just kind of draws you in and doesn't let go. The supporting cast is pretty great, funny at times and tender at others. This is easily one of the best shojo manga I've read all year.
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