Scissors

Scissors Volume 1 Cover

The Summary:

Like this. Only not as awesome.

Manga number two on my list, this time going with a light shounen classic from a current manga superstar, Scissors, by HASHIGUCHI Takashi (of 'Yakitate!! Japan' fame). Scissors is a short-lived story following Kariya Katsuhiko on his quest to become the greatest hairdresser in the world (stick with me here). Katsuhiko is at constant odds with his father, a barber who believes that hair should be out of the way, end of story, no artistry needed. Our young protaganist disagrees, and the pair have a serious fight, after which his father gets the last laugh, turning Katsuhiko's precious hair into what the Japanese call a 'punch perm', which is basically a tightly curled Asian Afro. Taking this insult as the final straw, the young man leaves his home on the day of his middle school graduation, saying good bye to his precious little sister Kirina, and using the last of his money to make his way to Tokyo. Once he arrives, he begs and pleads to be an apprentice at every famous shop in the city, to no avail. Finally realizing that his terrible hair could be the root of his problem (see, I made a hair joke there... root), he finds a small shop by the name of 'Scissors' where he meets a man who can only be described as a Beatles cosplayer named Komatsu, who takes his gangster hair and turns it into... porcupine hair? He's apparently a genius. Suspension of disbelief, I guess.

I got nothing to say.

Anyway, through his determination, our main character lands a job as an assistant at Scissors, eventually working his way up to stylist and shop representative. The duty of the representative? To have hair styling battles in front of huge crowds, of course.

And what makes it worth reading?
I think of this story as the spiritual precursor to Yakitate!! Japan. The ridiculous settings, extreme reactions, over the top drama, and hilarious characters are all present and accounted for, with the formula simply not yet perfected. I think it goes without saying that at just 3 volumes, this particular story isn't Hashiguchi's best work, but it's certainly original, has the same great art you expect from him, and is quite good for what it is. Pacing starts well, with talent being discovered, relationships formed, etc, but once it becomes clear that the manga won't be lasting very long (Comics Gatta, the magazine publishing this series was to be discontinued, and this particular manga wasn't popular enough to move to another magazine), things get rushed; rivals are introduced, then removed, competitions are cut short, and character development happens in giant leaps... so basically, it suffers from premature cancellation anxiety, which is a pity.

Manga Facts:

• Scissors ran in Comics Gatta (a now-dead magazine from Shogakukan, which also publishes Shounen Sunday) in 2000, lasting 3 volumes.
• If you look closely (or not so closely), there are quite a few character designs that return in Yakitate!! Japan... hm.

Reuse character design? Check.

Snoopy's Recommendation:

There are two types of people who should read this manga: People who enjoyed Yakitate!! Japan (even if you only enjoyed it until it started getting stupid, this one has the same feel as the beginning), and people who enjoy stories about hairdressers.