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Ring in the New Year, Shojo Style |
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INSPIRED NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY IDEAS FOR THE SHOJO BEAT MANGA LOVER |
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What am I going to do on New Year’s Eve? The question hangs stale in the air
like the smell of onions at the neighborhood deli. Should I try to crash that
party that everyone’s talking about? Should I freeze my toes off waiting for “the ball to drop”? Should I languish on the couch, watching the above over-rated events on television?
The answer is a resounding NO! You and a few select friends should have a New Year’s Eve (or Day) manga party. Heck, make it a sleepover. To help you plan it, we’ve whipped up some entertaining party games inspired by shojo manga and Japanese culture. Looking for food ideas? Check out our recipes in the magazine on page 18 and the Honey and Clover-inspired mocktail game on page 117. Good times. Good laughs. Good manga. Now that’s the way to ring in the New Year.
Games Manga People Play
We took these games straight from the pages of Shojo Beat Manga titles and added a New Year's twist so that you can play them too.
Karaoke
Love★Com vol. 1
Comic rivals Ôtani and Risa spontaneously and enthusiastically duet to
their favorite group at a karaoke parlor.
New Year’s Twist: Got a Wii, Xbox, or PlayStation 2? Order an edition of Karaoke Revolution and rock out with your friends. (Be kind and get the rest of the family some earplugs.)
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Batsu Game
Monkey High vol. 1
A batsu game is basically any game where the loser gets punished by having to do something harmlessly nasty. In Monkey High, Haruna, Macharu, and the gang are making takoyaki (octopus dumplings). They decide to make one filled with a surprising filling...mustard. Whoever ends up eating it has to do the dishes.
New Year’s Twist: Pick whatever game you want (Scrabble, cards, etc.) to play with your friends. Whoever loses has to endure a round of Truth or Dare!
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Twister
Honey and Clover vol. 5
The art school crew plays a nostalgic game of Twister, using the 38-color mat made the previous year by Morita. Being art school students, they renamed the colors on the mat verditer blue, gamboge nova, and other fine art hues.
New Year’s Twist: Dust off your old game of Twister and rename the colors to your liking. Be careful while playing though. You don’t want to recreate Professor Hanamoto’s “physically impossible position” that leads to a trip
to the emergency room.
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Suikawari
(watermelon splitting)
Wild Ones vol. 2
Sachie tries out suikawari, a summertime beach game where people blindfold themselves and try to split a watermelon with a stick.
New Year’s Twist: Watermelon is messy for an indoor party, not to mention out of season. You might try a gentler version with a piñata instead.
You’ll find tons of cool piñatas available online. Choose one that suits your mood, customize it with your own decorations, and
fill it with Japanese candy. See SB’s August 2008 issue for
candy recommendations.
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Arm Wrestling
High School Debut vol. 1
Haruna is an arm-wrestling champ...that is until she arm-wrestles Fumi. She loses unexpectedly, prompting her to realize that she’s actually in love with him!
New Year’s Twist: Arm-wrestle your buddies while you think about your sweetheart or crush. Whoever wins either wrestles the best or loves the least. You decide as a group!
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More Japanese Games
If you’re looking for more entertainment ideas, why not try these old favorites.
しりとり(Shiritori)
If you speak or study Japanese, Shiritori is a fun way to practice the language. Two or more people usually play this game, so it’s great for a party. The first player says a word (noun only); the next player says a word starting with the last kana, Japanese syllabary, of that word. And so on. If a player says a word that ends with ん (n), that player loses because there aren’t any words that start with that kana.
Example: すし(sushi) j しいか (Shika) j かなめ (Kaname)
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へのへのもへじ (Henohenomoheji)
Can you figure out how to draw a face using all the hiragana characters of this made-up word? It can be done! See this month's Beat Box if you get stumped.
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羽根突き（Hanetsuki)
A New Year’s game traditionally played by girls, hanetsuki resembles badminton in that a beautifully decorated wooden paddle, a hagoita, is used to keep a brightly colored birdie aloft. It used to be that the winner could paint the loser’s face with ink. (We don’t recommend this rule.) Nowadays, the game is less popular but many people use hagoita as home décor.
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"Ring in the New Year, Shojo Style" has been edited for shojobeat.com.
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