Hair / Crazy in Love from Glee

Beauty Pop

Author: Kiyoko Arai
Volumes: 10
Publisher: Viz Media

Brief Summary:
Kiri has amazing hair cutting skills, learned from her father, one of the best stylists in Japan. Unfortunately, Kiri no longer gets joy from cutting hair, ever since she accidentally cut her mother's ear as a child. Still, she helps people out when they need it. In this way, she attracts the notice and rivalry of the self proclaimed genius stylist, Narumi, of her school's Scissors Project, a group of boys all determined to open a salon when they grow up.

Review:
Beauty Pop is a shoujo manga that focuses more on the subject matter than on romance. The early volumes are very similar to some other makeover manga, in that they don't have quite as much plot and each chapter centers around a different makeover. The later volumes involve more romance and more leveling up in the stylists' skills.

My favorite thing about this manga is that, despite being a reverse harem shoujo series , the heroine is not constantly concerned about having a boyfriend or focused on romance. Actually, the best word to describe Kiri might be apathetic. Her hairstyle is practical not pretty, as are her clothes. She's sarcastic and disinterested. In fact, when the romance comes into the series, it's the boys who suffer from desperation not the female character, which is rather nice to see.

The first time I read this, I remember being hugely disappointed by the way the romance turned out, as I had been rooting for an entirely different guy to win. This time through, prepared for the ending, I was more okay with it.

Although not one of my favorite series, Beauty Pop definitely has good features and is worth a read for a shoujo fan. Recommended to fans of The Knockout Makers, Ouran High School Host Club or My Heavenly Hockey Club.

"Give me a head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen"