Honey Hunt


Honey Hunt is a shōjo manga series by Miki Aihara, originally published in Japan by Shogakukan. The series began serialization in the manga magazine Cheese! in December 2006, with the first tankobon published on June 26, 2007, and the latest on December 24, 2009.
Honey Hunt is licensed for English language publication in North America by Viz Media. It premiered in Viz's monthly manga anthology Shojo Beat in the September 2008 issue. The first volume was published on April 7, 2009. In 2009, Honey Hunt went on hiatus.

Plot

Quiet and unassuming Yura Onozuka lives in the shadow of her famous parents - Yukari, a beautiful and talented actress, and Takayuki, the first Japanese composer to win an Academy Award. When Yukari coldly announces that she and Takayuki are getting divorced, and Yura learns that Yukari has been sleeping with her best friend and crush, Shinsuke, Yura feels abandoned and left alone by everyone around her.
Yura decides to become an actress with the goal of becoming better than Yukari so that she can show everyone that she is worth something as an individual, and not be judged a disappointment because she is continuously compared to her parents. Keiichi Mizorogi, a professional manager formerly employed by Takayuki, scouts Yura and aids her in her quest.
Yura gradually develops the confidence to land the lead role in an upcoming television drama series. Along the way, she also gains the interest of two rising male idols - composer Q-Ta Minamitani, who first meets Yura when she is running away from her hotel during her parents' divorce, and his twin brother Haruka, a member of popular band Knights and the male lead of the drama Yura will star in.

Characters

; Yura Onozuka
; Yukari Shiraki
; Keiichi Mizorogi
; Q-Ta Minamitani
; Haruka Minamitani
; Nanase Shinohara
; Ryouko Nishiwaki
; Kenji Nakazono
; Takayuki Onozuka

Reception

Reviewing volume 1, Eva Volin of ICv2 said "There isn't anything here that you wouldn't find in any average to above average shojo manga." However, she added that volume one is too early to give an accurate review of the series, saying "While I can't call volume one a powerhouse introduction, it is an effective set-up for the series and I'll be looking for volume two to see where the story goes."
In a review of the first volume, Casey Brienza of Anime News Network criticised the plot as "a transparent rip off of Skip Beat!. With a mopey heroine instead of a magnificently angry one and a cast of pretty boys with potentially bad intentions", but favorably compared Yura to Hatsumi Narita, stating the former "has a bit more backbone". In a review of the second volume, Brienza applauded Aihara's restraint, regarding her characterisation to be improving. In particular, she praised the introduction of a rival for Yukari, stating "It's both rare and refreshing to see an older woman character of this sort in manga, and I hold out hope that she will become a permanent recurring member of the series' supporting cast".