I finished "Pearl Pink" by Meca Tanaka last weekend and I think I was satisfied with the way it ended. If you read my initial write-up after reading the first volume, I was concerned about the direction this manga was going when the main female character, Tamako, decided that she wanted to be an idol. I think it played well for me because I felt that the story didn't deal so much with Tamako becoming an idol, so much as how Tamako and Kanji deal with Tamako's pursuit of stardom. I think the most important part of this was Tamako forcing her independence from Kanji and her mother's stardom and Kanji letting Tamako go for the sake of her career and their relationship. Sometimes that can tough, and I think the stress of being apart for long periods and the general wanting to the know at all times about the well being of a cared about person were shown well in this manga. Kanji also had to grow-up and become independent from his father and his father's business for Kanji's sake, as a person, and for the sake of the business he will one day inherit.
I felt the business about the identity of Tamako's father came out of nowhere and really didn't move me because it felt so inconsequential to the story. I think it would have worked better for me if that part of the story had been introduced earlier and with more impact, rather than as an afterthought.
I give this 4 volume manga series 4/5. Oh and another thing, this manga sorta has the same feel as "Faster than a Kiss" -- more like a "-lite" pre-cursor to try out the idea of relationship between a older, somewhat career decided adult male and female student love interest and to play with the idea of a guy who has a fetish for dressing up girls in costumes. In many ways Kanji is like Ojiru, but without the bad history.
