There are elements of Sata and Erika’s relationships that are the exact kind of awkwardly cringe shoujo moments but ultimately, Hatta rounds these sharp edges by allowing there to be moments of actual development between our lead couple. Yes, Sata makes Erika his “dog,” but despite the images that conjure up, Sata’s request is more innocent than not and ultimately manages to push Erika into a confidence she didn’t have before. In fact, it’s the opposite, even if it doesn’t look like it at the start. This series, though, doesn’t have anyone taking advantage of Erika’s eagerness. She talks without thinking she’ll get caught in a lie about her fake boyfriend and only because she wants to fit in. Having been a teen girl who didn’t fate until high school, well, I’ve been where Erika is. The pressure to be at the same stage as your peers is unrelenting, and Volume 1 comedically captures that. One of the best things about Wolf Girl and Black Prince is that it directly confronts the pressures that high schoolers feel to grow up – and that includes romance. The catch? He’ll save her reputation, but she has to be his “dog.” When Sata reveals himself to be a blackhearted prince instead of her white knight, Erika has to balance her lies with the very real fact that Sata is pushing her out of her comfort zone. In typical shoujo fashion, she chooses the latter, and Sata gleefully becomes Erika’s fake boyfriend. Only that boy is her school’s prince, Kyoya Sata, and now she has a choice: fess up to the life or decide to tell him the truth and bring him along for the ride. So, she decides to do something about it, lie, and take a picture of a guy she thinks they’ll never meet. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, Wolf Girl and Black Prince follows Erika Shinohara, a girl who’s never had a boyfriend but is entirely fed up with the fact that all of her friends have. Published and localized in English by VIZ Media via their shoujo-focused imprint Shojo Beat, it features a translation by Diana Taylor with touch-up art and lettering by Aidan Clarke. Wolf Girl and Black Prince is easily one of my favorite shoujo anime, and it’s a great feeling to finally get to read an official English translation of mangaka Ayuko Hatta’s manga of the same name.
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