My Girlfriend’s A Geek Vol. 1 (Manga)
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: May 2010
Price: $10.99
Creator: Rize Shinba, based on a story by Pentabu
Format: 196 pgs.; B&W
ISBN: 978-0-75953-173-4
Age Rating: Teen+/Mature
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

The title fails to do justice to this hilarious manga.  In American slang, we think of a “geek” as being like the guys on The Big Bang Theory.  That is misleading in this case.  In Japan, the manga’s title is more precise, and the word used is fujoshi, not geek.  The difference matters, a great deal.

The story, based on a now-infamous blog, is about a young man who falls hard for a slightly-older co-worker who is pretty much his perfect fantasy girl.  It’s only after they get involved that he realizes just how much of an “otaku” she is, an enormous manga fan, but with a special area of interest.  She’s a fujoshi, i.e. a fan of yaoi manga, which are written for women, but about romantic relationships between two or more men.  This is similar to American women who write or read fan fiction about Kirk/Spock or Luke/Han relationships...

Much of the humor in the manga is based on Taiga trying to understand Yuiko’s world, and being dragged into it.  The portrayal of Yuiko as a yaoi fan was very believable, and the humor was clever.  The artwork was cute and convincing.

Not everyone will like this manga, as some people will be uncomfortable with the concept of gay relationships mentioned in the story.  There is no sex in the story, only a few very mildly sexualized fantasies, but the story is aimed at older teens and adults.

Four stars, for open-minded readers.

--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.