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Thank you to the commenters on the previous Ribon Report who explained that "Taranta Ranta" was a sound indicating a dance number or the sound of a trumpet.

I ended up skipping the third issue of Ribon, since I was so behind. So this is the review of #4, the April issue. (Curiously, the Ribon issues are released on the first date of the previous month. If you were a dedicated Japanese reader, you would buy your April issue on the first of March.) So what’s new this time?

For one, Fujiwara Yuka has a new series called Dancing Baby Karin. This builds on a one-shot story from Ribon Bikkuri, which recently acquired the new name Ribon Challenge. Karin is part of a team that does dancing routines for fun, and her boy, Yuma, is part of an informal basketball team that plays basketball for fun. When a fight erupts over the use of a hangout spot, Yuma decides that it should be resolved democratically by whoever wins a basketball game. Since the opposing basketball team is manned by gangster types with questionable morals, one of Yuma’s team members is soon out due to injuries. Karin insists that she fill in, and discovers that her dancing talent has given her latent basketball skills.

In Sakai Mayu’s Rockin’ Heaven, Sawa asks herself “What is this feeling??” Readers of Ribon such as ourselves can tell her without a shadow of a doubt that it’s genuine love. This love, of course, is for male main character Ran, who has come over to Sawa’s house with his group for a boisterous study session followed by dinner. Ran’s friend Kido thoughtfully provides a love triangle when he decides that he seriously likes Sawa. We close on a shot of Ran looking alarmed.

Back in Natsumi Matsumoto’s Alice kara Mahou, Arisu has to cope with her crush Rikuto’s dog, Bell, who suddenly has the ability to talk. And in Love Berrish, Yuuya’s group of rejects plan for the upcoming sports competition as a possible opportunity to become friends with their non-reject classmates. Yuuya reveals that she’s very bad at jump-rope, so of course she has to draw it in the event selection. But in this cloud’s silver lining, her love interest Azusa , also draws jump-roping.

Animal Yokochou starts a continuing storyline in response to its popularity as an anime.

Hikaru of Taranta Ranta has to deal with her disappointing former crush Michiya’s kindergarten-level villainy this month when he lies and tells her that new and more worthy crush Jun wants her to wait for him after school. After much sitting by Hikaru and much running around by at least three male characters, Jun ends up inviting Hikaru out for ramen, so the appropriate aphorism here would be all’s well that ends well.

Meanwhile, in Tanemura-sensei’s beautifully drawn Shinshi Doumei Cross, Haine has been kidnapped by her father, and we discover his motivation: Haine’s mother, Maika, has been suffering from memory loss ever since Haine’s father disowned Haine and sent her away. He’s brought Haine back to see if Maika will recognize her daughter and recover her memory. Haine finally sees her mother, but Maika doesn’t remember her. Suddenly, the Student Council members come to break her out of her father’s mansion. Shizumasa tells her how much they need her (to clean).

In Ageha 100% Rin and Riku are found by a teacher and Rin is charged with being Ageha. Riku bravely takes the blame instead. Nevertheless they get into an argument, not to mention Rin still has to leave for New York.

After that Hagi Warako’s series ends, but I have to admit I haven’t been reading that one. In Kitazawa Kaoru’s Ya-ya-yah ga Yattekuru, Kinako and her boy band go back to her native Taishou Era, where they see to it that Kinako ends up marrying the one she loves, not the one she’s engaged to. In Kashinoki Chan’s series, the love triangle…shape…gets yet another angle when the main character’s love interest’s childhood friend shows up. Does this ever happen to you? I’ve also noticed that a disproportionate number of Ribon characters were betrothed to someone by their parents. This makes more sense in the Taishou period, but that’s long past and we’re in the Heisei period now! Also, said parents fail to realize that their child will fall in love with someone else, because nothing’s less romantic than being in love with the person your parents engaged you to (judging from Ribon series). A word of caution to parents in Ribon!

Are there any other phenomena you’ve noticed are more common in Ribon than in real life?

(~~Kumorinoko)