Shy (manga)
Shy (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Bukimi Miki. The series has been serialized in Akita Shoten's "shōnen" manga magazine "Weekly Shōnen Champion" since August 2019. As of March 2022, it has been collected into thirteen "tankōbon" volumes. The story follows Teru Momijiyama as the Japanese hero Shy as she fights alongside the heroes of the earth to ward off evil and keep world peace, all while learning to control her severe shyness and to deal with the fears and uncertainties that come with being a hero. She is  accompanied by fellow hero colleagues: Stardust, Century, Lady Black, Meng Long, and her closest friend and mentor, Spirits. Synopsis. Premise. As the world was on the brink of a third World War, superheroes appeared around the globe to restore order and bring about a new era of world peace. After the threat of war ended, each hero returned to a country to help with domestic matters, where they were quickly accepted by their respective citizens. One of those individuals is teenage heroine Teru Momijiyama, Japan's hero representative, who goes by the hero name "Shy." The world is not at  peace for long, however, as a new worldwide threat arises in the form of a group of villains who call themselves . As she works with the other hero representatives across the globe and as she battles her own personal shortcomings, Shy fights to vanquish this new terror. To better communicate with each other, all heroes meet at the , a space station used to oversee and discuss matters back on Earth. Theme. Much of the power and story in "Shy" deals with people and their "heart", which is either protected by the heroes or manipulated by the villains. Every hero is  equipped with a pair of that allow them to transform their appearance from civilian to hero and communicate with others in any language. When a hero syncs their heart with the bracelets, they become the source of each hero's power and abilities by storing "Heart Power" for use when seen fit. The stronger one's conviction and determination is, the more powerful one can become. If a hero's Heart Power runs out, they return to their civilian form. On the other hand, Amalareiks can manipulate a heart by forcing a person to wear a special type of ring , which are connected back to their leader, Stigma, as a result of the rings being made from parts of his heart. These rings have the power to draw out the deepest, most extreme feelings in one's heart, which can manifest as black crystals on their body. An Amalareiks heart also has the ability to create a domain of a variable size, like a personal utopia. Media. Production. In 2016, Miki wrote and illustrated a 43-page one-shot story entitled "SHY", which won the Newcomer's Grand Prize in Akita Shoten's "Next Champion", a contest for up-and -coming manga authors, in the latter half of that year. The one-shot was then published in issue #7 of "Weekly Shōnen Champion" on January 12, 2017, roughly 2 years before the story received full serialization. Manga. "Shy" is written and illustrated by Bukimi Miki. The series has been serialized in Akita Shoten's "shōnen" manga magazine "Weekly Shōnen Champion" since August 1, 2019, in issue #35. Akita Shoten has collected its chapters into individual "tankōbon" volumes. The first volume was released on December 6, 2019. As of March 8, 2022, twelve volumes have been released. The manga has been  licensed to many countries in Europe starting in 2020: in France by Kana in September 2020, in Germany by Kazé in October 2020, in Spain by Panini Comics in April 2021, and in Italy by Planet Manga in August 2021. Reception. Writing for "OTAQUEST", Jacob Parker-Dalton compared "Shy" to a similar manga, Kohei Horikoshi's "My Hero Academia", which runs in Shueisha's weekly "shōnen" publication, "Weekly Shōnen Jump". While noting that both manga share similarities on a basic level, such as both protagonists being young rookie superheroes and a planet inhabited by individuals with superpowers, he delved into  more of the differences between the two stories. He noted how "Shy" doesn't have as many heroes compared to "My Hero Academia", and also wrote about how darker and more mysterious the main villain is, saying how Stigma "is decidedly darker as they prey upon the darkest parts of the human heart, converting victims into the kind of corrupted monsters that you’d see on a Saturday morning episode of "Sailor Moon"." And also how he "is decisively more sinister as their identity and motives remain shrouded in mystery." Finally, noting the more serious drama in the story, he  writes, "[Shy's] own ineptitude as a hero, caused to some extent by her bashful disposition, might now lead to a tangible loss of human life. The majority of the series’ first volume and major arc deals with this very real human drama, the likes of which probably never would be published in "Weekly Shōnen Jump"." Steven Blackburn of "Screen Rant" praised "Shy", calling it an "underrated" manga, also complimenting how the story "expertly delves into the insecurities of both the hero and civilian in original ways that other publishers including DC and Marvel have yet to accomplish." In 2020 , the manga was nominated for the 6th Next Manga Awards in the print manga category.