In their history or my parents history or my friends where do I fit in? If only I could be a part of it Minor spoilers ahead. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347628487/original.png Before I delve into the review let me disclose something. I am incredibly biased towards this manga. The first time I read it I was the main characters age. Now I am 22. In short this manga has been a part of my life for over six years. Principal is what I would call a comfort series. Typically Im not one who turns to sad or melancholic stories for comfort. But Principals character drama is incredibly compelling empathetic and in the end hopeful. But Im getting ahead of myself. Principal was serialized in Cookie magazine in 2010. It ended in 2013 with 26 chapters total. A brisk read all things considered especially if you are accustomed to longrunning shounen or hundredchapter epics. The mangas author Ikuemi Ryou is a wellknown wellregarded shoujo veteran whose other works include Anata no Koto wa Sorehodo Taiyou ga Mite Iru Cousin and several others. Principal is arguably her most popular work to date and received a live action adaptation in 2018. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347630558/original.png The premise of Principal is straightforward and perhaps even a little redundant if you are an avid fan of shoujo. Shima Sumitomos parents are divorced. Her mother is on her fourth marriage and rather than impose upon the newly weds Shima decides to leave Tokyo and go stay with her biological father in Sapporo. At least thats what she tells people who ask. The real reason behind her sudden escape was a fallout with her friends. After what seemed like a minor disagreement she is greeted by a cold atmosphere in class suddenly ignored and excluded by them. Rather than confront the isolation Shima decides to take the cowards way out by transferring schools and giving herself a fresh start. Its also Shimas chance to grow closer to her father whom she doesnt share much of a relationship with. In his own words shes always taken after her mother. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347628277/original.png Once arriving to Sapporo Shima immediately becomes acquainted with her new neighbors two boys from her class: Wao Sakurai and Gen Tatebayashi. Despite being polar opposites theyre inseparable best friends. On the surface Wao is kind to all with a bright smile and calming presence. Hes been sickly from birth and his single mother struggles to support their family financially. Despite this he never lets anyone worry about him. He is not one to complain or tell other people his problems. As a result Wao is withdrawn and distant in a way that Shima and everyone else for that matter cant quite understand. Of course Wao cant hide anything from Gen: the only person who can read him perfectly and see past the friendly facade. At first glance the latter is rude dismissive and lacking in tact the complete antithesis of the former. He doesnt seem interested in making friends outside of Wao and is incredibly protective over him. In addition to being best friends Wao and Gen just so happen to be the most popular boys in school. Beloved by their peers an unspoken rule has been set upon the two. No one is allowed to get too close to them lest they risk being blacklisted by the female student body. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347631855/original.png When Shima learns of this rule she is terrified of history repeating itself and becoming isolated once more. Despite this fear she finds herself further entrenched in Wao and Gens lives. And as her relationships with the two boys deepen she discovers that their histories are much more complicated than anyone could have expected. At its core Principal is about loneliness. Despite being a shoujo that features not one but two endearing male leads there is little focus on romance. Thats not to say that love is not an important part of the narrative. In fact it is the driving force. But for the main heroine her struggles do not center on burgeoning romance. Not at first at least. 300https://data.whicdn.com/images/347633001/original.png First she must come to terms with her relationship with her father. He cares for her more than anything but due to their estrangement he is a little awkward at expressing his affection. Shima loves him too. She loves him so much in fact that shes willing to cheer him on as he pursues new romance after ten years of solitude even if that means sacrificing her own happiness in the process. Then she must adapt to a new home life where she finds herself closest to the one person shes developed feelings for and who is now completely off limits. Shima must learn to love this person in a different way and support him as he fights for love elsewhere. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347633116/original.png Even when it seems like things might finally be getting better Shima finds herself yet again confronted by inconvenient feelings that she must stifle for the sake of her friends. Again and again Shima gives up parts of her own happiness to support others. Thats what I mean when I say that this manga is primarily about loneliness. Shima is terrified of being alone. Thats why she left Tokyo in the first place. And yet despite having made a new life for herself in Sapporo surrounded by family and friends and a golden retriever all of whom love her she finds herself more lonely than ever. I mentioned earlier that I am biased towards this manga. Its exploration of loneliness and lost connections is primarily why I got so attached as a teenager. There are a lot of sad moments that if youre sensitive like me will leave you big puddle of tears. Its not all doom and gloom of course. There is humor too and its pretty well done if I do say so myself. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347632348/original.png Overwhelmingly however the atmosphere of Principal is a bit melancholic. Not in any excessive or selfindulgent way mind you. But Shima does struggle a lot with feelings of being left behind. If youve ever experienced the despairing realization that you are no ones first choice then I would equate that feeling to this mangas subject material. But dont let that discourage you from giving Principal a chance. There are several other draws to keep you invested beyond the themes. The characters for one are some of the most human Ive yet to encounter Wao and Gen especially. They are initially introduced as untouchable idols worshipped by their classmates. But later its made clear that they are just as flawed as anyone else prone to pettiness and insensitivity and selfishness. The rest of the cast are just as wellfleshed out even the minor characters. Everyone has a motivation for acting the way they do and no one is written without an acute level of humanity. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347632826/original.png Also as you may have noticed by now the art is stunning. Ikuemi Ryous genius does not stop at crafting compelling narratives. Her art especially her character design is distinct and beautiful and so very expressive. Ive yet to find an artist who can capture subtle emotion the way she does. 300https://data.whicdn.com/images/347632951/original.png If nothing else Ive said yet has enticed you then I can at least promise theres a happy ending albeit not the ending you are likely expecting. While I was sleeping today I thought about what it would be like if you never came into our lives and it made me extremely lonely. It honestly astounds me that I am the first to review this manga. Anytime I recommend someone read Principal they always end up loving it. And so it makes me sad to see that even after all this time not many people have heard of this gem. Truly it is an underrated piece of art. There is so much heart and love poured into these characters it would be a shame to miss out on their story. If you have made it to the end of this review then all I can say it please read Principal. Its beautiful and meaningful. I really cant sing its praises enough. 500https://data.whicdn.com/images/347632614/original.png