Shigeyoshi Takagi

"Billionaire bad boy with too many guns loves a stoic girl with super strength."

This is an old review from when I first read this in 2015. Keep in mind I haven't read this in a while.

Hana ni Arashi is a wild ride about a super strong girl and her breezy billionaire lover. It's Riko's goal in life to be ordinary, but Ran's not having that!

Story:
The basis of Riko's ordinary life gets encumbered by Ran's crazy life daily. Whatever wacky hijinks of the chapter usually revolves around two plots: 1. Assassin trying to kill/capture Ran 2. Assassin wanting Riko for himself (usually to be his bride).

With assassins as the forefront of the story, things do get somewhat serious. Large machine/military guns can be pulled out of anyone's pocket at any time though that's mostly done for a humorous effect.

SN: The side stories in Hana ni Arashi are mature and deal with abortion and molestation.

Characters:
After a bad rejection, Riko has dedicated herself to becoming ordinary when she's anything but that. The manga called her extremely flexible, but I think that's a bad translation for "super strong." This chick picked up an entire Christmas tree by herself!

I liked how when it wasn't needed for the plot (this is shoujo y'know) she saved herself. She did not regularly play the damsel in distress. Riko even had to save Ran once and issue out a rescue mission. Not much of her personality was shown, but she seemed to be stoic until Ran made her open up.

Ran, I think, is my favorite character. He's an eccentric, billionaire bad boy with too many guns and too much fun. He falls in love with Riko at first sight and tells her at GUNPOINT she will be his bride. Although being associated with him endangers her life, he can't stay away due to liking her so much. Instead, he places tracking devices on her.

He is just unorthodox like that. He's a clingy teenager who is used to being spoiled. There could have been some hidden development in his character if we had gotten to see his mother. Unfortunately, the mangaka couldn't squeeze that in. All in all, Ran's a goofball!

Baldy was a close second for my favorite. He had the best one-liners. Riko's classmates as a whole were cool. I loved how when an assassin attacked the school these idiots retaliated by throwing paper balls and WON.

Tachibana was confusing. I could never figure out if he was good or bad? I guess he stuck true to what most assassins believe; their allegiance is to the highest payer.

Relationship:
The relationship was rushed. It went from Ran annoying Riko to marry him to Riko deciding he wasn't so bad to her soulmate. I guess maybe it was fate that they were together. Riko never said "I love you," but it was shown in her actions.

Art:
I liked the art. Most of the characters were plain in appearance (Read: Riko and Baldy), but Ran and his father were gorgeous! They knew they had to be the eye candy with the way everyone else looked.

The only female assassin had the weirdest breasts, whenever she was in motion her side boob would stay static no matter what. I don't know if the mangaka was hinting her breast were fake or not, but it was funny. Also, I like how often Riko's eye-ware changed and the covers of the manga were excellent.

Overall, it's all right.

In conclusion, I wish the ending could have been more meaningful. Hana no Arashi was a mostly entertaining story though I got bored during the middle chapters. This should be a fun try for anyone looking for a short read.… (más)

Originally posted here on Anime Radius and here on Yaoi Radius.

The first volume of Flower in a Storm was an introduction into the always hectic world of one Riko Kunimi, a high school girl who insists she's an average teen when in fact she has the physical skills and stamina of a fleet of ninjas. She never expects to fall in love, especially since her first true love dumped her for being so different. That's when young millionaire heir Ran Tachibana drops like a bomb into her life, telling her that she is now his. Naturally, Ran rebels against this crazy Casanova's advances time after time, always finding herself an unwilling participant in his daily adventures (which more than often involved dodging assassination attempts against his life). Somehow, without seeming rushed in her storytelling, manga-ka Takagi showed Riko slowly falling for Ran's charms in an actual believable way - and now with the second and final volume, we get to see if Riko will actually realize what her feelings mean in time for Ran to hear her. With more death threats and assassins than normal going after Ran, Riko might want to realize it a little sooner though . . .

Ran and Riko seem like an unlikely couple as ever. They are constantly fighting and getting into squabbles; Riko's physical strength and class difference makes her feel estranged from Ran's world and Ran's constant romantic (and yet oddly endearing) advances make him more than just a minor irritant in Riko's daily life. But as the story advances, we see that Ran and Riko is actually not only one of the oddest couples in modern shoujo history but a couple that, after volume two, makes a lot of sense. Riko is a girl struggling to accept herself as someone who is not seen as 'normal' by society; Ran is someone who falls in love with Riko at first sight and thinks her physical feats of strength are beautiful. He accepts and loves Riko for who she is and cannot help but pour his affections on her in the most dorky and extravagant ways. In turn, Riko grows fond of Ran's odd behavior and protective of him when he is threatened by assassins (which is a lot) and her affections soon grow to the point that the idea of living without Ran's vibrant present is too sad to bear. The story of their romance is a delight to read for all shoujo fans and I can't see anyone not falling in love with Riko and Ran by the end of this volume, especially after the short Bonus Storm' chapter, which is simply too darn cute for words.

The art isn't the great highlight of Flower in a Storm, although it can be very pretty at times and very effective during the more flashy scenes between Ran and Riko. What is this volume's greatest highlights are the action and the humor. There are guns and helicopters and explosions and motorcycles and ninjas and fist fights and lots of other exciting things, including a very dramatic life-and-death struggle involving Riko and Ran and the latest psychotic rich man trying to kill him this time. Plus, there's more of everyone's favorite arrogant ginger gunman - who still doesn't get a proper name, arrgh! Not only is this a shoujo brimming with excitement, it also contains much needed moments of levity (especially considering how the series dances dangerously close to a tragic romantic series in the vein of Sand Chronicles or We Were There). As usual, Ran's constant showering of outlandish gifts upon the unfortunate and unreceptive Riko is always a source for smiles while reading. Then there is the end of the Ran's Fiancee 'Arc' in which Riko takes down the malicious Rinko in her own typical reckless manner - and with a spectacular jump from a high-up open school window.

As the two volume Flower in a Storm winds to an end, I think many if not most of its fans will be pleased by the way it concludes. It is a perfect hybrid of romance and drama that is pretty astonishing to see in a series so short. Takagi really needs more of her manga available to the English language audience, if this is any testament to her skills as a shoujo manga-ka. This manga is one that definitely deserves a place on any fan's bookshelves.
… (más)

"Billionaire bad boy with too many guns loves a stoic girl with super strength."

This is an old review from when I first read this in 2015. Keep in mind I haven't read this in a while.

Hana ni Arashi is a wild ride about a super strong girl and her breezy billionaire lover. It's Riko's goal in life to be ordinary, but Ran's not having that!

Story:
The basis of Riko's ordinary life gets encumbered by Ran's crazy life daily. Whatever wacky hijinks of the chapter usually revolves around two plots: 1. An assassin trying to kill/capture Ran 2. Assassin wanting Riko for himself (usually to be his bride).

With assassins at the forefront of the story, things do get somewhat serious. Large machine/military guns can be pulled out of anyone's pocket at any time though that's mostly done for a humorous effect.

SN: The side stories in Hana ni Arashi are mature and deal with abortion and molestation.

Characters:
After a bad rejection, Riko has dedicated herself to becoming ordinary when she's anything but that. The manga called her extremely flexible, but I think that's a bad translation for "super strong." This chick picked up an entire Christmas tree by herself!

I liked how when it wasn't needed for the plot (this is shoujo y'know) she saved herself. She did not regularly play the damsel in distress. Riko even had to save Ran once and issue out a rescue mission. Not much of her personality was shown, but she seemed to be stoic until Ran made her open up.

Ran, I think, is my favorite character. He's an eccentric, billionaire bad boy with too many guns and too much fun. He falls in love with Riko at first sight and tells her at GUNPOINT she will be his bride. Although being associated with him endangers her life, he can't stay away due to liking her so much. Instead, he places tracking devices on her.

He is just unorthodox like that. He's a clingy teenager who is used to being spoiled. There could have been some hidden development in his character if we had gotten to see his mother. Unfortunately, the mangaka couldn't squeeze that in. All in all, Ran's a goofball!

Baldy was a close second for my favorite. He had the best one-liners. Riko's classmates as a whole were cool. I loved how when an assassin attacked the school these idiots retaliated by throwing paper balls and WON.

Tachibana was confusing. I could never figure out if he was good or bad? I guess he stuck true to what most assassins believe; their allegiance is to the highest payer.

Relationship:
The relationship was rushed. It went from Ran annoying Riko to marry him to Riko deciding he wasn't so bad to her soulmate. I guess maybe it was fate that they were together. Riko never said "I love you," but it was shown in her actions.

Art:
I liked the art. Most of the characters were plain in appearance (Read: Riko and Baldy), but Ran and his father were gorgeous! They knew they had to be the eye candy with the way everyone else looked.

The only female assassin had the weirdest breasts, whenever she was in motion her side boob would stay static no matter what. I don't know if the mangaka was hinting her breast were fake or not, but it was funny. Also, I like how often Riko's eye-ware changed and the covers of the manga were excellent.

Overall, it's all right.

In conclusion, I wish the ending could have been more meaningful. Hana no Arashi was a mostly entertaining story though I got bored during the middle chapters. This should be a fun try for anyone looking for a short read.… (más)