Rating: 2 out of 5
-Characters: 1/5
-Cover: 3.5/5
-Story: 1/5
-Writing: 2.5/5
Genre: Fashion/Shoujo/Slice of Life
Type: Manga
Worth?: No

First want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review! Tokyopop has had some really good read and sometimes they do not. In this case, this is not a great read. I don't know why I had some kind of hope going into this knowing damn well it was about modeling.

Do I hate modeling? Kinda. If it is body positive, I don't. This book is disgusting in terms of it. The girl is so mistreated by her manager it isn't funny. Not only that but the fact that this woman straight up grabs her breast and butt without even asking just sends me to another level of heated. I know I rated it 2 but it is only that high because of the cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this manga!

Mame Coordinate is the story of a young girl from Tottori prefecture who wants to be a model. She hasn't had much success before, but a new manager comes in, determined to take her to the top.

This manga has a cute premise and an adorable art style. The cover alone really drew me to it. As a fan of down-to-earth manga like Kitchen Princess, I thought this this might appeal to me. However, while this manga was cute and I enjoyed reading about Mame growing as a model, a few things really held it back for me.

The first was the food shaming. I've lived in Japan and have experienced this personally, so maybe it just hit a little close to home. The constant criticizing of Mame's food choices grated on me. I don't think it sends a very good message and food shaming should just stop.

Second was the weird groping scene in the beginning! I know that Japan has different standards about things like that, but reading it was just weird. Who flips over a client on a restaurant table and starts touching her breasts and bottom? It was too much and really soured the story and that character for me. While I liked the message of the scene (that models shouldn't be perfect or they aren't people to aspire to), the public groping made me feel like I was reading hentai rather than, you know, a cute manga about a girl who wants to be a great model. I think this manga would be SO much better had that been changed/cut.

I would give this a read if you know about that scene going in and aren't going to be triggered by it. It's not super uncommon to find things like that in manga, but it was so weird and out of place here that it brought down the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and IPG (TokyoPop) for allowing me to read this manga ahead of time!

From start to finish, this manga was simply delightful!

Our main character, Mame, has left her countryside hometown after being scouted by a modeling agency from Tokyo. Mame is cute, friendly, charming, but doesn't know how to dress or act the part of being a model. After being rejected numerous times from auditions, she is set up with a new manager who is determined to see her succeed! I truly adored watching Mame learn and take on new challenges. It is really important that all her doubts and second thoughts are expressed and addressed. We see so much growth already in just one volume. I think it is rather refreshing to see a manga where it is plainly stated that the character has issues with being bullied and has a lack of confidence in herself. And her manager is there ready to help her fight all these issues coming up and help build her up not just as a model, but a person.

Originally I heard about this manga from my IPG rep and I had them preordered for my store. I knew based on the concept and the art that this is something I would want to recommend for younger readers. But honestly after reading it, I really love it too! I don't think I'll have any problem selling this title to any age manga reader.

This was very cute but not really for me. I’m sure it will interest others. A nice, wholesome slice of life series about a country bumpkin getting into modeling. The art style is very cute as well. Has comedic moments and seems to be setting up for some mild drama as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Tokyo-Pop for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I found this manga to be disturbing in more ways than one. First, the amount of bashfulness towards the main character was uncalled for, and I just found the manga to be very discriminating.

This is about a girl who doesn’t have any self confidence, and has social anxiety. She decided to move from the country to the city to become a model. She ends up auditioning for different model shows and ends up getting rejected. A new manager is assigned to her, and the manager is bashful towards the main character, in regards to her appearance and as to why she keeps getting rejected.

The only thing I liked about this manga is the art style.

Mame is a country bumpkin who was scouted to be a model; however, she keeps getting rejected. Her manager passes her off to a new one closer to Mame's age. From first look, the manager figures out why she is being rejected since she doesn't dress/appear like a model. Mame starts training for a potential modeling job.

The art is cute and it's a cute read, but the one thing I didn't like was definitely limiting what she can eat-I know it's common in the industry and it is good to have a balanced diet besides just fried foods. I also have a feeling that Mame's original manager really didn't care about helping her advance, seemed like he has been setting her up to fail. Her new manager sees Mame's potential and is trying to help set her up to succeed. It's funny how she learned how to walk in heels with a traditional folk dance and was given advise from kids at the park on her walk/smile.

Thank-you Netgalley and Independent Publishers Group, TOKYOPOP for the chance to review this ARX.
Mame Coordinate by Sachi Miyabe was a joy to read. This is your typical Shojo.
I loved the character design, and the stories keep you turning the page.
The characters are endearing, and they dig their way into your heart.
Can’t wait to read more!

Himekawa is a model in training but she always manages to flub her auditions and the next one is her last. She teams up with the chic and sharp Kisragi san and they work together to make her dream a reality.

Overall this was a cute read. Nothing that stood out to me but it was simple and easy to follow. The aspect that carried this book was the relationship between Himekawa and Kiragi san. It was nice to see them get to each other and also how Kisragi had to get Himekawa out of her shell.

One thing that made me really uncomfortable and almost made me drop the book was the first time Kisragi posed Himekawa. The tone took a totally different direction and it felt out of place and weird in the story too.

I thought this was a pretty cute manga, but there were some parts that could be seen as problematic. The main part was when Mame’s manager started restricting Mame’s eating so she would stay slim even though she never seems to gain weight even after eating all her fav greasy foods. I thought the rest of the story was pretty good though. Mame was such an adorable character, and if you can look past her disinterest in becoming a model, then this is a pretty fun story about breaking into the modeling world. I loved the parts with Kisaragi’s family and thought it was so cute how they took Mame into their home and shop. They were so supportive of her career even though Mame felt lukewarm toward it 😅 I’m excited to see what happens next, although it’ll probably be pretty unrealistic if Mame ends up beating the super popular model in the audition.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for this manga although I didn’t know wtf was really happening like the story was bland enough and I couldn’t get attached to the characters involved:/

The manga wasnt what i except, art is beautiful, but i didnt like how everything was put on the story so i think ths volume wasnt for me

I dont know if i will be curious to read more.

Mame is a young countryside girl that decided to come live in the city after finishing school. As she doesn’t know how to do anything, she decided to become a Top Model. But she finds herself frozen because of stress and anxiety during each audition, leaving her with no chance of success. Also, Mame has zero Fashion sense and speaks with a country drawl, which doesn’t help either. She finds herself advised by a new manager, as she is trying everything to achieve her goal.

The art is really pretty. There are several colored pages at the beginning of the book. I loved all the details of the illustrations. This first volume introduces us to the characters and the various difficulties that the heroine has to overcome to become a Model. It is a light story with many comical elements. Mame is a sweet girl, extremely naive. She is obsessed with food, especially fried one. With her, we discover the behind-the-scenes of modeling, and the numerous constraints that are expected to do the job.

I chose this manga, attracted by the cover but having no idea what to expect. Mame Coordinate is a fun and fast read. I overall quite enjoyed it and will continue to read the adventures of the young Mame if I have the occasion.

So this bordered on being uncomfortable to read.

There was something almost intrusive about the nature of the manager-model relationship going on, which likely isn't uncommon in the industry but felt out of place in a manga that seemingly aimed to be a fun, uplifting read. There is an almost ineffable quality to this manga that makes it really hard for me to enjoy it. The characters are tough to connect with as there isn't much depth or personality to any of them. Even in terms of the art-style, it bordered on being on the wrong side of the uncanny valley. What made it worse was the utter lack of direction the protagonist had. The woman has no interest in fashion, doesn't seem to have a drive for being a model, and has no real drive about her. I wanted to like this but what first drew me in about the cover seems to be utterly devoid from the actual story. There's no lightness, no real humor, and no discernible depth to the protagonist or the plot.

DNF 39%

It's the first time I've abandoned a manga, but I wasn't liking it and it didn't invite me to read more chapters.

The manga is about a girl who gets rejected at all model castings and her agent is changed to another girl her age.

What attracted me to this manga was the idea of the world of modeling, how the girl could change, and the cover that is beautiful with those colors, but the story did not work for me. The main character doesn't even know if she wants to dedicate herself to being a model, it's only because they've hired her at the agency and she has nothing else to do, but half the time it seems that she even has a hard time and gets overwhelmed. Her new agent imposes herself in such a way that it overwhelms even me, reminding her all the time not to eat a lot so she doesn't get fat and even a scene in which, in the middle of a restaurant, she begins to touch her whole body in a weird way. -_-

I really tried but I couldn't finish it.

DNF 59.5%

This sounded like a fun, cute concept, but I’m bored reading this so I’m going to DNF. I think this manga would work much better for someone who has more interest in models, fashion, and makeup than I have. Especially as there’s the inherent fatphobia of fashion industry and stuff that hits my poorly, but I was going to push through for the story, but there isn’t much of a story happening. I think this has potential for the right audience, but I’m not that audience.

ARC Copy...it feels like it has promise at the start and did like the slice of life approach to model but feel Mame is getting bullied + forced into modeling career rather then own choice but the panty check was invasive-unprofessional.

Um.

This cover is really pretty. And, like, the idea of it is fun.

But this one was a miss for me. I didn't really feel a connection with any of the characters, nor could I tell you anything major interesting about the story itself.

Although this wasn't for me, there are lots of people who I am sure will enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read a digital arc

So this was an interesting manga! I liked the idea and plot of it, and the scenes that were in color were beautifully done. However, I wasn't a fan of the two main characters, especially the scene in the restaurant. It was a little weird and kind of out of place. Overall, it seems like a cute story as long as you don't look too much into it.

Thank you so much to the author, TokyoPop, and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC!
This review contains my honest and unbiased thoughts and opinions. 🌸

When I read about this book, I was excited to know more. I enjoy reading books about modeling and the modeling industry, fashion, etc so this one definitely had my attention. The cover art is fun and eye-catching and super cute. Artwork throughout is great, pretty and styled to go along with the story.

The characters... at first I thought this was going to be about a girl who absolutely loves fashion and modeling and is trying to break into the modeling world but perhaps is a bit quirky and needs some help.

About halfway in, I'm questioning why Mame even wants to model! I mean, okay maybe she likes it and I'm all for being you and sticking to who you are BUT modeling and fashion are also about well fashion! So I would think at least for photoshoots that she would enjoy dressing up, getting hair and makeup done, having her picture taken. Her lack of enthusiasm for all left me wondering why she wants to model.

The manager... I have mixed feelings. She seems to truly want to help and she does seem to know what "works" and I did like how she handled the photoshoot, figuring out what works in Mame's favor to make her more comfortable. But at times, the manger seemed a bit rude.

This manga did keep my attention and I had no problem getting into the story, I'll pick up Volume 2 to see how the story continues.

Very cute in terms of style, art, and the way this manga was written! Mame is adorable and illustrates the modeling industry in the modern era