Toyama. Volume 1 Cover Art Cropped, I Am Here!, Kodansha.
I Am Here! – Information
Author of Story: Ema Toyama
Chapter Count: 2 Volumes, 19 chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below, only the literary work itself.
- Bullying
- Mild violence
- Brief portrayal of abuse
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.
In the last review post, I recommended a webtoon that was one of the first GLs I’ve ever read. Today, I’m reviewing one of the first mangas I ever owned a physical copy of! If you’ve read my about me page, you’d know I started reading manga way back in the day on an ipad, haha.
I didn’t live in in an area that was very close to any stores with manga, and manga was not so readily available as it is today. Not to mention, I didn’t understand the difference between reading a manga online vs. actually owning or purchasing a series at that age.
However, we did occasionally drive to the city, where the only Barnes & Noble existed for miles. I remember noticing the manga section and asking my mom if I could get one. It’s such a funny memory for me, as the manga section at the time was significantly smaller and had a lot of series that I didn’t recognize.
I discovered volume one of I Am Here! and took it home to read—my first physical manga! I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I really prefer the experience of reading a physical copy of a series over reading digitally.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what I did with my copy of volume one from back then. However, I was able to re-read the series through Hoopla, and the entire series is also available in English through the Kmanga app.
While I do prefer reading a physical copy, I can’t deny the convenience of digital reading. (´∀｀) This series was collected into two volumes in English, so it’s a pretty quick read, too.
Anyway, now that I’ve finished rambling about my nostalgia, let’s jump into the actual manga review…
I Am Here! – Plot Summary
This story follows 8th-grader Hikage Sumino, a young girl who is practically invisible. She doesn’t stand out very much, and even goes unnoticed by her classmates or other strangers.
At home, she writes a small personal blog under the alias “Sunflower.” While Sumino struggles to make friends at school, she’s always happy to have online conversations with two frequent commenters on her site: Black Rabbit and Mega Pig.
Despite this small bit of happiness and support, her loneliness at school is very apparent. Sumino struggles to speak up, be brave, and put herself out there. However, there might be two bright classmates who can help pull her out of the dark!
Why I Enjoyed I Am Here!
Plot:
I have to admit that this manga, from an adult point of view, is a very predictable and kind of melodramatic. It has a plot clearly aimed towards a younger audience, so it doesn’t exactly provide a plot that I can relate to much anymore.
With that in mind, it’s still a very sweet and cute story that makes for a great first manga for younger readers—or anyone who simply wants to enjoy a youthful manga from the early 2000s.
I likely enjoyed it a lot more back when I first bought it, as I was definitely the targeted age group for a story like this. It’s a very flowery and sparkly story that is oh so very shoujo-esque. Readers will follow Sumino as she struggles with loneliness, but works hard to make a place for herself in her class, make friends, and become braver.
There’s a big focus on friendships in this manga, which is a pretty spot-on topic for a shoujo manga with a younger target audience. It’s very cute!
This series is a bit like Kimi ni Todoke, but with a younger cast and a slightly more dramatic telling of a much shorter plot. If you didn’t enjoy Kimi ni Todoke, I don’t think you’ll like this series, either. The main character is a lot like Sawako in how she struggles to speak up for herself or cries often, and the story doesn’t focus on much else other than Sumino’s personal growth.
However, seeing her growth was still very endearing and rewarding in this cute series. She is able to push herself forward thanks to the kind words from her blog commenters, and learns to provide the same support for others.
I Am Here! also involves a very light romance, of course. It’s not really the main focus of the series, but often shows up in very fluffy and innocent ways. This series contains a love triangle in that classic shoujo fashion, but honestly it’s incredibly tame. Sumino has to make difficult decisions about maintaining friendships even in situations where romantic love may create confusion and conflict.
The romance was very appropriate, light, and fluffy, which is why I think this series could be a great pick for younger readers who want to try manga. I did list a few content warnings, but the portrayal of these topics were pretty mild in my personal opinion.
Characters:
As I mentioned above, Sumino is a character that’s quiet, shy, and a bit of a loner. Even though she struggles to make friends and feels very lonely, she never stops trying to achieve her goals. She’s a kind person who wants to make friends, but not be an inconvenience to others. She has a heart big enough to forgive those who were cruel to her, and doesn’t hesitate to help others.
Then there’s the two boys who help boost Sumino’s confidence: Hinata Mutō and Teru Mikami.
Hinata is your typical kind and popular boy who helps the shy girl open up and make friends. He’s framed as the good guy for much of the series, but even Hinata has his own moments of jealousy. I liked his character, but I especially liked his friendship with Teru Mikami. The portrayal of their long-term friendship was so endearing!
Teru Mikami is the opposite type of popular boy—the more spunky and outgoing type. Although he’s a bit more eccentric than Hinata, his kindness is still apparent throughout this series. While the role he played in this manga is kind of cliché, I really liked his character and the small amount of backstory he gets.
Art:
The art is very indicative of early 2000’s styles which I have to say was a joy to see during my reread. I love these manga art styles, they feel so full of character and emotion. The main character’s design has the classic big “anime girl eyes” and the boys have that signature spiky hair look from this era, haha. I felt so nostalgic reading this series!
I might be biased, but I find the art so charming and incredibly cute. The flip phones and look of the old-school blog really helped seal the deal for me!
Toyama. Volume 2 Cover Art, I Am Here!, Kodansha.
Any Cons?
This series is incredibly melodramatic, and definitely won’t be something everyone enjoys. I won’t judge it too harshly, as it does have a sweet message about friendship and standing up for yourself. I definitely enjoyed it more when I was much younger, but can still appreciate some aspects of the manga again as an adult.
Final Thoughts
While I’m a bit outside of the age bracket for this series, I still really enjoyed re-reading it. I Am Here! is a sweet coming-of-age story about being brave and valuing friendships. It has a couple of classic shoujo tropes and an old-school art style that I grew up with, and so I’m happy to recommend this series and reminisce about it here.
It’s been ages since I read this manga, and I won’t forget how excited I was taking my first manga home. I also can’t help but laugh thinking about how my first physical manga involved a female lead who wrote a blog—and here I am, doing the same. (o´▽`o)
Disclaimer: Many 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: Toyama, Ema. I Am Here!, Kodansha, 2011.
