I chanced upon Dengeki Daisy by accident, really. There is a section in MyAnimeList.net where they attempt to recommend a manga based on the user's history. So, since I read and watch Ouran High School Host Club (OHSHC), it appears in my feed. It goes, "If you like OHSHC, then you may like Dengeki Daisy." Out of curiosity, I checked that out and felt that hey, this doesn't sound bad. Going against the norm (I'm usually picky with my manga selections), I started reading right away.
The initial chapters were alright but I find myself drawn to the story as I kept reading. It IS a shojo manga but I felt that the shojo parts were kept to a minimum. What I really like about Dengeki Daisy is the driving force of the story. Sure, there is the main couple who likes each other as is required in all shojo mangas. However, what's really fascinating is the mystery that is slowly revealed to the readers. Basically, Dengeki Daisy is about Teru, a 16 year old high school girl who was given a cellphone by her dying brother. He told her that should she need any help, she can always contact Daisy through the cellphone. After he passed away, Teru has always been communicating with Daisy via the cellphone about her thoughts and life. She regards him highly and thinks of him as a kind and gentle soul, much like her deceased brother. In an unfortunate incident where she accidentally breaks the classroom window, she became somewhat of a servant to the school's janitor, Kurosaki who insisted that she helps him with his duties to pay back for the broken window. Soon after, strange events began happening and the catalyst of it all seems to be Teru's deceased brother's past. He is a computer engineer and people began intruding into Teru's life, wanting to search for a purportedly custom software.
As expected, both of them will slowly fall for one another and readers will guess if Kurosaki is really Daisy. But, that's not just it! The entire plot is like a detective story, hidden behind a love story. Or rather, a love story shrouded with mystery. Why did Teru's brother left her with Daisy as her protector? If Kurosaki is really Daisy, why is he hiding his true identity? What did the people want with Teru?
Surprisingly, I don't really care if they get together. Being a shojo manga, I know they will be together in the end. I am really more interested in the investigations and knowing what actually happened before Teru's brother passed away. Of course, I do enjoy the chemistry between Kurosaki and Teru. Teru and Daisy's relationship is more of like a mentor-mentee whereas you get all the fireworks and laughs from Kurosaki and Teru. Teru's famous one-liner goes like this, "Go Bald, Kurosaki!" She usually says it whenever Kurosaki pokes fun at her or makes her mad. It's really, really funny! In case you are wondering...they have a tsundere-like relationship. :p
Some of you may wonder, what is Kurosaki's appeal factor? Kurosaki's tsundere attitude coupled with a seemingly dark mysterious past may just be the right formula to stir up those feelings. In my case, it's his hair. His hair reminded me of Sanzo's hair in Saiyuki and it just gives me a feel-good feeling. I don't really have any favorite character yet but that may change! Anyhow, readers who enjoy romance, comedy, school and slice of life genres would find this manga entertaining and slightly different from the other shojo mangas. Not only is it written by a male mangaka, it also ranks No 5 in mangareader.net's manga popularity list! Not to mention, fans of hackers, codes and computer engineers.... =)
