Written by Hinako Ashihara English publisher TokyoPop Magazine Betsucomi | Published by Shogakukan Publishing Demographic Shōjo Original run 1997 – 1998 | |
Forbidden Dance (天使のキス, Tenshi no Kisu) is a shōjo manga by Hinako Ashihara consisting of four volumes. It was published in English by TokyoPop in the fall of 2003 and is currently out of print in the United States.
Contents
Plot
Aya Fujii is a high school student who eats, sleeps, and breathes ballet, but an accident during the National Competition causes an ankle injury for her that left her unable to dance for nearly a year. Although Aya recovers physically, she has not recovered psychologically. It isn't until she is invited to watch the performance of a small ballet troupe, called COOL, that Aya comes out of her funk. Now she has a new goal, to dance on stage with the charismatic leader of COOL: Akira Hibiya. However, since Akira has an incredibly strong presence and powerful charisma many girls have made such proclamations that have been ignored, thus Aya was labeled a fanatical fangirl and promptly escorted from the theater where the performance took place.
As the story progresses Aya struggles to prove her worth as a ballet dancer and earn her place in COOL while struggling with more typical teenage concerns such as grades and her friends. While the main focus is Aya throughout the plot line the readers learn more about the backgrounds of most of the supporting characters. Aya herself is not left out of the character development as she refines her ballet technique and matures emotionally throughout the narrative.