Forbidden Dance

Infobox animanga/Header
name =


caption =
ja_name = 天使のキス
ja_name_trans = Tenshi no KisuInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Hinako Ashihara
publisher = flagicon|Japan Shogakukan Publishing
publisher_other = flagicon|USA TokyoPop
demographic = Shōjo
magazine = Betsucomi
first = 1997
last = 1998
volumes = 4

nihongo|"Forbidden Dance"|天使のキス|Tenshi no Kisu is a shōjo manga by Hinako Ashihara. It was published in English by TokyoPop in the fall of 2003. It is currently out of print in the United States.

tory

The story follows the life of Aya, a young, talented ballet dancer. In the first chapter you learn that Aya, was injured while dancing before the story starts in the National Ballet competition and she has just recently recovered. Right after she recovered and returned to her ballet class, she finds out her all time rival, Fumika Yoshino, has taken the lead role-Princess Aurora- when she was gone. She was disappointed but nonetheless says it couldn't be helped and shrugs it off. Few moments later, the teacher talks to Yoshino about giving back the lead role to Aya since she's back. Yoshino is angry and as she walks away wishes Aya "Ms. Graceful, I hope you choke and fall off the stage again! But good luck!"

Right before the performance, Aya's ankle/feet started to hurt again. The doctors had said it was healed but it seems to be psychological. When she was getting on the stage, shortly later she fell. Everyone in the backstage is whispering to encourage her to get up, and keep dancing, but she was overcame by her fears and thus the recital was stopped.

However, Aya is still haunted by her fall, and she seems to have developed a bad case of stage fright.

Yoshino slaps her and blames her for throwing the whole class's efforts down the drain. She's at loss for words and blurts out "I-I just quit ballet"

After she quits, she decided to stop dieting and eat as much junk as she can, despite how she doesn't enjoy it. She goes to the park and sits there, tearing up a bit when she realizes how much she loves ballet when Tetsuya (in a bear suit) comes up to her and hands her a ticket for COOL troop's next performance.

After seeing the all-male performing group "COOL" perform, Aya longs to be a part of the group. She approaches, Akira Hibiya, the director of "COOL" and asks to join the dance troupe. Akira agrees on one "simple" condition; she must win first prize in the upcoming National Ballet competition, the same competition she was injured in just the year before.

She overhears the group question Akira if he was serious about letting the girl join. He replies saying there's always restrooms and floors to be cleaned. In anger, Aya throws a empty can at Akira, proclaiming that she'll prove it to him that she's over her stage fright and is a talented dancer.

Her plan was to watch each of the group's practice and memorize someone's program. On the day of the recital Aya takes the lunch her mother made and laced it with laxatives. She gives it to Okada and takes his place in the performance. Akira finds out in the middle and threatens her to not trip on his stage, but couldn't say more since he was due on stage. Afterwards, she was punished with doing errands left and right.

Few days later, the highschool was preparing for exams, and Tetsuya's under a lot of pressure from his parents who expects him to be a doctor (they expects him to get 95 for up for all his tests). He takes notecards around to study during his small amount of free time. But during practice his note cards fell on the floor and Akira finds out he was studying during practice, meanwhile Tetsuya was kicked in the face by accident from a fellow member because he was lagging behind.

Akira threatens to take Tetsuya off the group if he makes a single mistake again. Aya calls his a cold hearted bastard.

Major characters

* Aya Fujii
* Fumika Yoshino
* Nachan
* Akira Hibiya
* Tetsuya Takahashi

External links

* http://www.tokyopop.com/S-1145/4.html - Forbidden Dance section of TokyoPop