Line #33 Manga/Swan


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swan1.jpg]]
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3	''Swan'' by Kyoko Ariyoshi is a classic ballet manga from TheSeventies (specifically, 1976-81). It tells the story of aspiring young dancer Masumi Hijiri as she pursues her dream of becoming a star ballerina. Friendships, rivalries, dance competitions, love triangles and old-school melodrama ensue, along with the kind of vigorous training that makes ''Swan'' feel like {{shoujo}}'s answer to {{shounen}} sports manga (and this was running alongside noted shoujo sports hits like ''Manga/AimForTheAce'' and ''Anime/AttackerYou'').
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5	''Swan'' is notable for being one of the very few {{shoujo}} manga from its era to have been published in English. Sadly, CMX (an imprint of Creator/DCComics) were only able to release 15 volumes out of 21 before closing down, and the series is now out of print.
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8	!!''Swan'' provides examples of:
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10	* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Aoi and Masumi each get one.
11	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Masumi
12	* BrilliantButLazy: Leon is a genius dancer who nevertheless skips out on his rehearsals whenever he doesn't feel like attending.
13	* ButNotTooForeign: Leon is half German and half Japanese.
14	* ChickMagnet: Luci, and he loves it.
15	* CombatCommentator
16	* CostumePorn: Any time there are tutus involved.
17	* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler: Larissa]]
18	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Sayoko slits her wrists after her injury, due to her anguish over the idea that she may never be able to dance the way she used to again. She survives.]]
19	* DudeLooksLikeALady: Lucien, much to Masumi's initial confusion.
20	* EtTuBrute: Masumi's reaction when she finds out that [[spoiler:Yuka quit dancing]].
21	* FatalFlaw: Masumi's lack of musicality, the source of which turns out to be [[spoiler: occasional bouts of deafness, triggered by intense pressure and nerves.]]
22	* FollowInMyFootsteps: Poor Aoishi is under a lot of pressure from her mother to become a star ballerina.
23	* GenerationXerox: Masumi and Aoishi's rivalry echoes the rivalry shared by their mothers.
24	* HeroicBSOD: Sayoko, [[spoiler: after she gets injured.]] Masumi also has a couple of these.
25	* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Masumi and Sayoko both suffer from this.
26	* ImportantHaircut: Masumi gets one at the start of volume 13.
27	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Leon, emphasis on the "jerk" part. Also Larissa.
28	* LongHairedPrettyboy: Aoi and Lucien.
29	* LoveTriangle: Aoi loves Masumi, who loves Kusakabe, who is fond of Masumi but loves his partner Sayoko more. Then there's the love relations from later on, and that's ''before'' we get into all the subtext.
30	* LoveHurts
31	* {{Melodrama}}: Of course! It's oldschool shoujo, so this comes with the territory.
32	* MissingMom: Masumi's mother died when she was a child.
33	* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: My Ballet Is Stronger Than Yours.
34	* NaiveNewcomer: Masumi in the beginning.
35	* OneWordTitle: Presumably named to connect to its ballet theme, and the various swans in ballet.
36	* TheOjou: Sayoko
37	* OjouRinglets: Sayoko often has these.
38	* OpposingSportsTeam: The Russians. Larissa fits the trope well with her "obnoxious rival" attitude, but Lilliana completely subverts it since she's not arrogant or deceitful or overworked — she's just naturally gifted to a terrifying degree.
39	* TheRival: Larissa, Sidney, Aoishi, Margie. Masumi always has at least one of these. Though Larissa fits the trope best, personality-wise.
40	* SexyMentor: Oh, Sergeiev-sensei!
41	* ShirtlessScene: Most of the male characters have one at some point.
42	* ShowerOfAngst: Luci, at least once.
43	* SparklingStreamOfTears
44	* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Masumi is a performer, at least in comparison to her peers.
45	* ToBeAMaster: The main thrust of the plot.
46	* TournamentArc: The various dance competitions take this form.
47	* TrainingFromHell
48	* WingDingEyes: Masumi gets star-shaped eyes when she sees [[GuyOnGuyIsHot Leon and Luci kissing.]]
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Context Manga / Swan