Amakura, Volume 4 Cover Art, Heroine for Hire, Kodansha.
Heroine Hajimemashita – Information
Author of Story: Fuyu Amakura
Chapter Count: 4 volumes, around 16 chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Sexism, misogyny
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Heroine Hajimemashita – Plot Summary
Heroine Hajimemashita (also known as Heroine for Hire in English) is a simple and cute shoujo story.
Shuko Kodakamine is the heroine of this story, but does not give the usual shoujo heroine impression! After training from a young age in multiple sports such as judo, wrestling, and karate, Shuko has become very athletic and strong.
However, her dream is to simply enjoy her high school life “as a normal girl,” meaning she just wants to enjoy non-athletic activities and perhaps meet a special someone!
Things become interesting fast when she encounters Masaki Serizawa, as he is sprinting down the hallway to escape an angry schoolmate. Serizawa is a handsome schoolmate who is often accused of stealing girlfriends, flirting, or being too friendly towards girls. In other words, people think he’s a playboy.
Because of this, he is often misunderstood and therefore targeted by the angry boyfriends of some girls in the school. However, he’s actually just nice to everyone, trying to make friends, and not very good at telling people no.
Therefore, he asks Shuko to become his bodyguard in exchange for helping her have a fun school life and giving her advice for dating! This silly premise is the main plot point for Heroine Hajimemashita!
Amakura, Volume 1 Cover Art, Heroine for Hire, Kodansha.
Why I Enjoyed Heroine Hajimemashita
Heroine Hajimemashita is a quick, easy read with less than 20 chapters and a tame, enjoyable story overall. There aren’t any major conflicts or super invasive second leads. We primarily just get to enjoy the school lives of the two main characters, as well as their eccentric personalities.
We first have the athletic and talented FL, Shuko. Although she is strong and sporty, she still has a cute appearance and demeanor. I especially like this character design because oftentimes “strong” female characters in manga are made out to be abrasive, rude, and narcissistic.
I’m not a big fan of that trope, as it’s just a tad bit overused. Plus, you can’t always determine a person’s physical strength by their appearance. Nice to see a cute and sweet heroine that’s still super tough!
Shuko is also a tad bit air-headed, has a liking for cute things, and is a little unconfident in herself. She’s a little bashful (such as when getting too close to Serizawa) and has a normal desire to date like many other high school girls. She’s totally a normal shoujo heroine, just with more strength and athletic ability!
Although I say she’s cute in appearance and demeanor, Shuko is also the kind of person who doesn’t put up with behavior she doesn’t approve of, and isn’t afraid to do what’s right!
I also like that this story doesn’t really try to force Shuko to change (although she sort of thinks she has to) in order to be “a girl.” Although many of the background characters treat her a bit rudely, in the end she seems to accept herself; as does Serizawa. I like mangas that explore different identities or personalties regardless of gender, as Heroine Hajimemashita does.
Serizawa’s character is fun, too! He comes off as the attractive playboy type, but in reality is actually very kind and thoughtful. He never insults Shuko the way many others do, and helps make her appreciate more things about herself. I like that his character comes across as gentle, but also a bit goofy.
Amakura, Volume 3 Cover Art, Heroine for Hire, Kodansha.
The romance in the series is very sweet and mostly innocent. Sometimes there’s an occasional suggestive joke, but entirely for comedic purposes. The relationship throughout this story stays very appropriate and cute.
The main two make a very cute match, who rely on each other and bring out the best in one another. Feelings develop very naturally as the main two stick together frequently!
There are a few common shoujo tropes in this story, although they don’t all pan out as usual. You’ll have to just read Heroine Hajimemashita to see what I mean!
I’m glad that the story wasn’t just a copy-and-paste of other shoujos, and made an effort to bit a little unique. The author does a nice just of keeping things slightly different while still adhering to the usual shoujo-style scenarios.
Lastly, the art style is pretty nice, featuring a modern manga art style with two attractive lead characters. Even the two side characters are very pretty! It’s not too simple, nor too complicated; it also makes use of common shoujo stylistic choices that make the story feel cute and fluffy.
Any Cons?
There aren’t many cons story-wise for Heroine Hajimemashita in my opinion. However, for one thing, it could be mistaken that the story is supporting themes of sexism. For example, the main character, Shuko, mistakenly thinks that being strong and athletic isn’t “girl-like.” She seems to think “being a girl” means she must be timid, weak, and soft.
However, I think the point of the story is to show that this is wrong, and that people can simply be as they are (hence the switched “gender roles” that are traditionally expected by society). The main two care for each other regardless!
Shuko ends up not needing to change herself in order to win love, so I truly hope that this is the positive message intended by Heroine Hajimemashite. Spoiler warning here: After all, there’s even a part where Shuko thanks Serizawa for “treating her like a girl” and he corrects her with: “I’m treating you like you’re special.”
I will also say that the story isn’t incredibly eventful, but you also can’t expect a ton of story within 4 volumes. I would recommend this story mostly for readers who are alright with a laid-back, simple shoujo. The main activities are really just the two main characters learning more about each other and enjoying high school life, which is wholesome and sweet!
So, Heroine Hajimemashita is a great read for those wanting a relaxed friends-to-lovers romance.
Final Thoughts
Heroine Hajimemashita is a relatively simple story, but is still a cute and enjoyable read. There’s no crazy conflicts or problems, so readers looking for a calm slice-of-life will enjoy this manga!
The romance is gradual and sweet, fitting for a high school love story. It’s got a cute concept (strong girl protects misunderstood boy) and overall is a satisfying shoujo.
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Fuyu Amakura, Heroine Hajimemashita, Heroine for Hire, Kodansha, 2020.
