Editor's Sidebar: Where we hear directly from VIZ editors about series they're working on.

I’m excited to introduce the new shojo series I’m editing, Takane & Hana, Volume 1! If you like your comedy with a lot of bantering between two main protagonists who are utter opposites, then this manga is for you! And as the author Yuki Shiwasu says in an author note, “Don’t take it too seriously. Just enjoy it!”

Sixteen-year-old Hana Nonomura agrees to stand in for her older sister at an arranged marriage meeting with Takane Saibara, the heir to a large and powerful conglomerate in Japan. The plan was to just get through the meeting with no drama…but Takane says some mean things, and Hana ends up throwing her WIG at Takane!

This defiant move actually piques Takane’s interest…

And Hana is not going to let Takane get away with his ridiculous words and behavior!

I really enjoy Hana’s spunk and straightforwardness, and it’s fun watching these two get to know each other as they do their dance of always trying to one-up each other.

It’s not all fun and games though, as the question of how long the two of them should keep seeing each other comes up. But Takane definitely isn’t one to let people push him around about that sort of thing either…

I can’t wait to continue seeing how these two play things out!

As an aside, the bonus stories in the back of Volume 1 are hilarious! They imagine what life must be like if Takane and Hana were married with children…and the children all resemble Takane…

I hope you guys all enjoy this book! Check out a free preview of Volume 1 here and let me know what you think!