Quick Reads: Taro-kun wa Kou Miete Igai to xxx desu.

Taro-kun wa Kou Miete Igai xxx desu. (タローくんはこう見えて意外と×××です.)

(Manga 2014-2015)

By: Shou Ichikawa

For this “Quick Reads” post, I decided to go with a cute shoujo manga called, Taro-kun wa Kou Miete Igai xxx Desu.

Nohana loves babysitting the children that are living at the apartment complex, Tsukigaoka Heights. One day, she meets two new residents, the cute innocent little boy, Jiwo, and his delinquent-looking older brother, Taro. Taro isn’t a “people” person, and due to his shyness, he ends up having a scowl that makes others fear him. However, Nohana learns that it’s all a misunderstanding and  eventually befriends Taro.

What I found interesting in this manga is how the main guy, Taro, is actually half Japanese and half American and how the author tries to address and tackle this issue of race/ethnicity. Taro is treated like a foreigner in more ways than one. First of all, the most obvious factor, he isn’t a born Japanese citizen. Taro and his brother moved to Japan to live with their grandparents because of their parents’ demanding jobs. Given the fact that he wasn’t born in Japan, he does not know much about Japanese culture and values as evident through various incidents in the manga. The second way he appears as a foreigner is how he looks. Taro looks like a delinquent due to his blonde hairstyle and his piercing as well as the scowl he gives people. He isn’t someone you would want to hang out or meddle with. Adults assume that he is a troublemaker. Furthermore, his lack of social skills makes him unapproachable and isolated from others and is unable to make friends.

Now if you like the kids from Love So Life, you will instantly fall in love with these chibi little kids. In fact, these toddlers are a lot wiser than you think in which they provide love advice to Nohana about Taro. I found the episodic moments in the manga to be adorable. Taro, Nohana, and the kids all seem to have fun. It is also interesting how the dynamics of this manga is primarily focused on creating a positive community around the apartment complex. We see Nohana taking care of the neighborhood kids, including new members like Taro and Jiwo, and also creating fun events, such as holiday parties, for residents of the apartment complex.

Taro-kun wa Kou Miete Igai xxx desu. is a cute manga. If you like chibi kids, then you will definitely enjoy this manga.

4/5