Please Like Me, Schoolmate

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Please Like Me, Schoolmate
Image:Plmscover01.jpg
Cover of volume 1
私のように、私の学校の友人の‾!
Genre Romance, School, Comedy
Manga
Author Aiko Murata
Publisher Flag of Japan Hakusensha
Demographic Shōjo
Serialized in Flag of Japan LaLa
 Flag of Canada Flag of the United States Shōjo Beat
Original run August 2005
Volumes 4

Please Like Me, Schoolmate~! (私のように、私の学校の友人の‾!?) follows the lives of thirteen teenagers going through the ups and downs of puberty together. Each one of them have their own faults and flaws, and, contrary to real life, many are banded together by unusual circumstances. This series was first serialized the 5 August 2005 by LaLa magazine, and the latest chapter was recently published on 28 April 2008. A drama CD was produced by the 2007 Lala magazine, and an anime is currently being discussed.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Ganbara High School is located in the mid-east of Tokyo. A number of relatively normal students attend the first-year here, as well as a rare number of eccentric ones. Each character have their own individual backstory, wound into each others. Each character seems to fall in and out of love as easily as breathing, and breaking hearts is just a daily rite. Takara Renaki, the female protagonist, hails from a long line of geishas. However, the school's notorious bad boy holds something of a candle for her - and she for him.

The plot combines many elements of love, lust, fear, surprise and angst to detail each aspect of the teenage character's personality, making it a hit with both younger and older audiences. As the story progresses, more complications arise, and more love triangles occur - not only with the main characters. Takara and her friends are found in embarrassing situations, used, and develop relationships that can't be expressed. Most of the series is focused on minor pairings, while the greater one is under-emphasised but ever-present.

[edit] Characters

Please Like Me, Schoolmate features a diverse cast of characters, all of whom attend Ganbara High School, but most of the protagonists belong to separate classes. Takara Renaki and Kazu Aboyoko are the focal pairing, but most of the attention is diverted to separate love triangles, characters, and pairings that aren't quite fulfilled but hold the reader's attention while the main triangle/pairing is underemphasised.

The supporting class includes Shigeru Miyazi, Takara's long-time childhood friend and secret chocolate-sender; Takara's two close friends; Mina Setsuki, a tomboy, and Eimi Truegold, a foreign exchange student who seems to understand everything; many of Kazu's bad-boy friends; Akira Hotsugu, a notorious flirt being one of them, and many other sub-characters who fill up the empty spaces of the school. However there are only ten main characters who dominate the storyline, which are mainly made up of classmates, friends, and siblings.

[edit] Main characters

Takara Renaki 1-D, Ganbara High

The Renaki family is renown for it's line of geishas. Takara Renaki, on the other hand, is a cheerful and rather ambitious young woman who wants to make a stand in cooking - never mind the fact she has no skills in the area whatsoever. Takara was rather cloistered all her life, so she is introduced a rather cloistered and finicky character. Takara isn't afraid to make use of her good looks - she doesn't even use them the tiniest bit sparingly, knowing how she can achieve what she wants with a simple flick of the hair. However, as the story progresses, Takara is revealed to be a sentimental, and somewhat nostalgic character - dwelling on moments for longer than need be and easily growing depressed after making mistakes. Takara is also shown to have an affinity for animals; she easily charmed the wild cat in Chapter 37, and it's noted that her stationery bears a cat motif.

Takara is also the unwitting love/sex object of many boy's eyes, including Shigeru Miyazi (who is, incidentally, torn between her and Kazu's cousin, Cho), Kazu Aboyoko, and last, but most importantly - Akira (surname unrevealed). Akira's obsession for Takara's good looks and personality, even bordering insanity, is quite obvious. This is one of the things that leads to further the storyline and relationship between Takara and the other two boys. Takara also has two good friends, and while their background hasn't been discussed, they are undisputedly close to her.

In volume four, Takara recently revealed that she has unrequited feelings for Shigeru, due to his adorability. However, being friends - and being far too busy - she can't make time for her.

[edit] External links