The Cartoon Introduction to Statistics

57 This volume is one in a long series of manga guides translated and published by No Starch Press (www.nostarch.com/manga). Like the Manga Guide to Databases or the Manga Guide to Calculus, the Manga Guide to Statistics tries to introduce a subject with a reputation for being difficult and technical by means of a cliché story full of huge eyes, naïve school girls, and geeky geeks lacking social skills. As opposed to the Cartoon Guide to Statistics, this book reads more like a standard comic book with panels and a story line. The story centers around the school girl Rui, who wants to learn statistics to impress the handsome Mr. Igarashi. To her rescue comes Mr. Yamamoto, a stats nerd with thick glasses. (Spoiler alert: Guess who she falls in love with in the end?) The story and artwork are archetypal manga (including very stereotype gender roles), but if you can live with that, it is a pretty fun story.