Quick Reads: Otona Pink

Otona Pink (Manga 2007-2008)

By Zakuri Sato

I decided to read a short shoujo manga entitled, Otona Pink, and it was a disappointment.

A high school girl, Mikuni Senoh, is confessed by a boy she liked for a long time, Chiho. With their mutual feelings, the two were about to have their first kiss, but they were interrupted by their home room teacher, Ataru Nishizono. Nishizono is somewhat of a strange teacher, and has a bitter outlook towards love. In fact, he teases Mikuni that her relationship with Chiho will only last three months.

One day, Mikuni’s mother tells her daughter of a sudden, unexpected job offer, where she will be moving to the South Pole to study penguins. Mikuni’s mother hires a guardian while she is away, who ends up being Mikuni’s homeroom teacher, Ataru Nishizono. Mikuni isn’t thrilled about having her grumpy home room teacher as a guardian, and plans to find a way to get rid of him before her boyfriend, Chiho, finds out because he will be concerned about the living arrangements.

The love triangle in Otona Pink is weak. It is understandable that Mikuni’s feelings for Chiho may have a change of heart since they are at the early stages of their relationship. However, I couldn’t find any sign that indicates Nishizono’s feelings for Mikuni until the end. Someone could argue that the numerous times he teased her is a form of flirtation, but I felt like there is still a boundary between them as a guardian and a child.

Also, the readers are introduced to Nishizono’s former fiancée, Rin. She attempted suicide right after Nishizono proposed to her, and now she is residing in a hospital. Rather than seeing her as Nishizono’s former flame, I got the impression that Rin is more of an obstacle that prevents Mikuni and Nishizono’s relationship from ever starting. Mikuni clams that she “loves” Nishizono. However, I found it immature and selfish for Mikuni to persistently ask personal questions about Nishizono’s relationship with Rin. It is a private matter that he isn’t ready to talk about, and to go so far as to visit Rin’s hospital is disrespectful towards Nishizono and Rin. Since Mikuni is still a high school student,  I don’t think she understands the degree of pain and sensitivity when losing your significant other. Her action really bothered me, and made me dislike her character.

Otona PInk has a weak storyline, and the characters are not developed or fully explored to their full potential.

1.5/5