Tenka and Sato only have a couple more days left in their trip to Seoul, but it’s clear their paths have already diverged: While Sato is riding high on plans for another audition before take off, Tenka has given up and just wants to enjoy the Korean BBQ. She’s satisfied with having tried…right? Sato convinces her to give it one more shot before she leaves, though, and the two head out to Gangam to an open dance class where, if you sparkle enough to catch the eye of the famous teacher, you may just find some open doors. The class pushes Tenka in ways she wasn’t expecting, but it also brings to light her particular talents: She may not have Sato’s spontaneity and bubbly joy, but she is a masterfully technical dancer, and can mimic anything she sees, even that intimidating rival girl! But is it enough to get noticed? And more than that, could this experience light a fire in Tenka powerful enough to inspire her to own the dream of becoming a K-pop star? Or, upon returning home, will Tenka retreat to safety behind the mask she presents to the world?

Quick Takes

claire: Well, that was over entirely too fast! Great pacing in this volume; mangaka Midori Tayama has really hit her storytelling stride here. If volume 1 left you sitting on the fence, be sure to check this one out before making the fateful decision to pick up or pass on this series, because this volume really shows off the emotional depth Tayama has to offer with this story. 

Laura: Oh my goodness, yes! It really was over too fast! I didn’t think I would feel that way, but I’m relieved it’s not just me! I am strongly seconding all of what you shared, especially since over halfway through this physical volume, I realized I had surpassed what I read digitally on Comikey! I never expected that the emotional journey I’ve been on thus far would amp up even more, to the point that I cried during two scenes!

On with the spoilerific review!

All About Tenka

claire: The fact that volume 2 is very much All About Tenka struck me as both surprising, given the cover image, and surprisingly welcome. Volume 1 hooked me more because of Sato and the way she drove the momentum in the story. Sato and, of course, the delightful one-sided-rivalry dynamic the girls share, which was really more Sato’s doing, albeit inadvertently. If I’m honest, I found Tenka to be a bit dry, lacking in the verve needed to pique one’s interest in a crowded subgenre. But after this volume dedicated to her POV, I gotta say, Tenka has won me over! I’m all in with watching her story unfold, even if Sato and their rivalry end up being backgrounded. Tenka really stands on her own two feet in this volume.

Laura: I agree, and would even add how much we saw of the real Tenka! In hindsight, it’s almost like Tenka was hiding her real self even from us readers! 

claire: That’s a really good point!

Laura: I wouldn’t say, though, that I felt she was dry in the beginning, just that she was not your “typical” shoujo manga heroine in the sense that it was very hard for me to find something inspiring about her character. As “boring” as it might sound, I love my happy-go-lucky, cheerful heroines! Haha! This is probably the second manga I’ve read where it was from the “villain’s” perspective, so to speak, and that factored into my trying this manga digitally the first time, but also into my dropping within the first two chapters. However, when I saw all the excitement during the physical license announcement from VIZ, I decided to come back and give it a second chance! I’m so glad we’re both now hooked on Tenka’s story, even if I confess I’m going to miss seeing Sato!

claire: I’m sure she’ll be back eventually! As for Tenka, we really start to go deeper into her character here, too, as various facets of her story and personality clarify. The aspect that really stood out for me was the way in which Tenka’s drive to achieve actually drowns out her ability to discern how she feels about things—what she enjoys, let alone what she loves and is passionate about. It’s like her drive toward a productive outcome hijacks her enjoyment of the process, even short-circuiting it. It means that she is having to work so hard to be able to reach the place where she can have fun again—or maybe even have fun for the first time. This is probably something most of us have experienced at some point, forgetting how to find joy in life. And it’s so well captured here.

Tenka’s Vulnerability & Catching the Dream

claire: I really love how Tenka’s decision to own and pursue the dream of K-pop comes about. It is such a raw moment; my heart really goes out to her! Here she is, just trying to live up to her own (high) standards while protecting her heart, and everyone keeps on misunderstanding who she is, even Harumi, the boy she likes. No one sees beyond the armor of her “look” and talents, even when, like Harumi, they know the armor is there and are deliberately trying to see past it. So she screws up the courage to take off a piece of that armor, the breastplate, protecting her heart, and she confesses to Harumi. It doesn’t go well. Not only is she rejected, but also, adding insult to injury, this is actually the moment when the boy makes it clear how deeply he’s misread her, as he changes the subject and instead cheers her on to become a K-pop star, which is Sato’s dream, not hers.

But what happens next—literally, on the following page—blew me away, and it really conveys just how genuine Tenka’s desire is to grow and mature. Rather than being hurt and offended by Harumi’s assumptions about her life’s dream, she listens to what he is saying, reflects on it, and realizes that, actually, yes, she really does want to work toward excellence in K-pop, for her own sake and not just to fulfill people’s expectations of her or to outdo Sato. She turns an instance of potential offense-taking into a moment of truth, allowing someone to speak into her life in a way that prompts a change—or rather a quickening—of heart. Beautiful! 

Laura: I second this so much because I was completely taken off guard not only by how she is rejected, but also, I feel that this was her first time being completely vulnerable in the series so far! Then, as you were saying, she not only genuinely reflects on Harumi’s words, but she even asks him to witness her journey as a friend! That is incredible! Considering how long she has liked Harumi, I could not wrap my head around how maturely she acted in this entire conversation! That takes strength and dedication to be able not to run away or lash out angrily at how, after all this time trying to get his attention, she is still not able to in the end.

claire: So true! It’s pretty humbling, too. You know, it’s so easy to get caught up in the ways that we’re being misunderstood or not seen, to the point that this is all we can perceive from others; it’s like our hearts harden with hurt. But Tenka shows us in this moment what it means to have a soft heart, to make room for another way of seeing things, another way of seeing ourselves, and to let it sink in and pull us onward, possibly in a new direction.

Laura: Yes, yes, yes! I think, honestly, this was the moment where I became much more invested in her as a character because up to this point, Sato had been my favorite character. (I’m sorry, Tenka!) It felt hard to relate to Tenka in the same way I did Sato, whose perseverance and bubbly actions inspired me to go for my dreams and work hard at it too. I mean, Tenka was trying really hard, but I think that’s what made this moment humbling, too. This conversation with Harumi shows how she is no longer trying to overcome her rival Sato in everything, especially for Harumi’s heart, but instead, it’s all for her own heart and what she wants to do for herself.

Tenka Takes Hold of the Dream…and Makes it Her Own!

claire: It’s like we get Tenka’s training montage in this volume! She puts the “graft” in “craft” as she works her butt off to develop her own way of compensating for the lack of spontaneity in her dance. I respect how she leverages her strengths here—her ability to mimic and hone her technical accuracy—rather than mooning about for some way of manufacturing what she doesn’t have, waiting for inspiration to strike. She finds a workaround instead! 

You know, too often we focus with such laserlike precision and brutal persistence on our weaknesses that we completely neglect the unique mix of strengths that each one of us possesses; we lose sight of the fact that we’re made in the image of God, not in the image of this or that other person or some ideal we have in our heads or our feeds. I love how Tenka doesn’t waste time fighting to be someone she isn’t, but instead, makes her dream and her route toward it truly her own. 

Laura: I absolutely loved the arc in this volume because, going back to what I shared about how Tenka didn’t feel overly relatable in volume one, seeing her struggle where she could no longer “mimic” the others was deeply satisfying. I don’t mean that in a harsh way! More like, “Whoa, Tenka really is just like me and gets frustrated when she can’t instantly achieve the results she wants?!” I mean, obviously, no one can instantly achieve results like the way Tenka has because we’ve seen and been shown how hard she works, but it was really that relatability—how she’s not perfect and has weaknesses just like the rest of us— that got me invested even more in her story. Seeing her really give it her all in making her own dream was very powerful because you can see a genuine happiness in really working for that dream.

Tenka’s Transformation

claire: You’re so right! It’s such a powerful transformation. And there is some really stunning artwork from the mangaka too, beautifully capturing that genuine happiness that washes over Tenka as she awakens to a new sense of purpose.

Laura: I definitely agree! I think one of the biggest ways we see this change is in her attitude. I remember her saying in volume one that even if she didn’t really try at karaoke, she could still get a score of 90 or higher. She was so cocky in her confidence that her singing and dancing were the best of the best among her peers. Her “happiness” seemed to stem from how she surpassed Sato, and that doesn’t feel healthy at all! Harumi even tells her when she gets back from Korea that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to be “vulnerable every now and then.” I think it was a huge step in Tenka starting to realize and learn that being vulnerable doesn’t mean you’re a “weak” individual, because this felt like it was the “starting point” of Tenka blooming into the confident young woman we see in the latter half. I think she truly smiles for the first time when she comes back to Korea for the second tryout because there was such an air of confidence surrounding her that doesn’t seem to come from just skills alone, but having strong self-worth in who you are as an individual.

claire: That’s a helpful distinction! Before, her confidence was dependent on achieving according to an external metric, that is, on measuring herself against others, but after her experiences in this volume, Tenka is no longer comparing herself to others or basing her sense of confidence on external factors anymore. She’s beginning to find a more genuine confidence from inside herself, which is just like Sato, actually!

Laura: Yes, and that self-worth Tenka exudes doesn’t happen right away! Honestly, one of the most powerful moments for me when reading is when Tenka breaks down and admits that she wants to be awesome. Her having this vision of sorts of Bright Rose, where she is saying how she wants to always believe in herself and to stand up for herself, is deeply emotional in and of itself. 

I think this is the real dream for Tenka. And so, regardless if Tenka becomes a K-pop idol or not, I will keep reading simply to see the joy she is living out by the end of this volume, purely because you can see one of her greatest desires, of believing in herself, slowly coming true. So much so, that the CEO of LJH Entertainment even joined her in dancing in her audition! 

claire: Oh my goodness, yes! That was such a delightful little twist!

Laura: Granted, some of that was a test, but I like to think it was her genuine joy in that moment and her willingness to flounder that resonated with him, inspiring him to get up and dance too. I can’t think of a more impactful ending for this arc and cannot wait to see where her story goes!

claire: And what a great note for us to end on, too! (Insert dance break.)

Outro

So there you have it! We’re completely sold on this series, as it reaches unexpected emotional depths in this second volume. We’re expecting great things for volume 3 as well, the cover of which features the antagonistic rival character the girls keep bumping into in Seoul. We didn’t mention her here, but let’s just say she’s got a strong personality! Should be a fun ride, next time!

Girl Crush is published by Viz Media. All images from Viz!