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Nogizaka46's Rina Ikoma Reveals Her Top 3 Manga
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Idol and actress Rina Ikoma is starring in the upcoming Oh My Jump! ~Shonen Jump Shikyū o Sukuu~ (Oh My Jump! ~Shonen Jump Saves the World~), the live-action series centering around Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. But Ikoma is no stranger to manga. She revealed in NHK's Manga Love: Watashi no Manga Best 3 interview series that she grew up reading manga since her parents were fans too. It was when she entered junior high school that she first read Gin Tama at the recommendation of an otaku friend who would later become her best friend.
Ikoma is still an avid Jump reader to this day. Most recently she sped through the last volume of Sket Dance. It isn't the first time she's read it, but she said she likes to revisit it from time to time. Knowing her love for Shonen Jump, it isn't surprising that she picked Naruto as her #1 manga pick. Ikoma referred to the series as a "textbook on life" and that she can relate to way Naruto thinks and overall finds its message inspiring to keep trying her best when things get tough.
Her second pick is Yana Toboso's Black Butler manga, which she first started reading during a goth phase in high school. Ikoma said she was reading a lot of novels that dealt with demons at the time. She added that she enjoys the story but likes the artwork a lot, so she reads more as an "art collection" of sorts. It was the manga's first volume's cover that lead her to purchase it for the first time. She's still reading the series now.
Her third choice is another Jump title, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan by Hiroshi Shiibashi. Like her previous interest in demons, Ikoma also used to study the Yōkai Zukan by Shigeru Mizuki. She liked how Shiibashi's rendition of the yokai were so cool and just all coolness of all the characters overall.
While those were her top three picks, Ikoma is well-versed in manga. She's also read Hozuki's Coolheadedness, Pupa, Devil's Line, Kamisama Kiss, and Tokyo Ghoul. Her number one pick, Naruto, reflects her character in the Oh My Jump! ~Shonen Jump Shikyū o Sukuu~ drama, Tomoko Himura. She's a college student that loves Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga. Tomoko is not good at communicating with people, and has never been in a relationship, but once she starts talking about Shonen Jump, she forgets herself and begins talking nonstop.
Manga Love: Watashi no Manga Best 3 previously interviewed Aki Toyosaki who picked An Invitation by a Crab (Kani ni Sasowarete) by panpanya, Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix, and A Perfect Day for Love Letters by George Asakura.
Source: Comic Natalie
