*Minor Spoilers*

It's hard to live up to people's expectation, everyone knows that. Even harder though, is living in the shadow of an older sibling or relative who has outshone you in nearly every aspect of life. And eventually, the feeling of knowing that your efforts are just a worthless endeavor in comparison gives birth to lack of self confidence and rebellion. Dear Green tells a story like this, where Aoi, a 3rd year high school student tries to live with the burden of a perfect older sibling.

Story: 8

The basic premises is that Aoi is a rebellious delinquent, who doesn't take her future seriously,thanks to being forever overshadowed by her sister. However, thanks to a chance encounter with a famous youth photographer, there might be hope for Aoi yet.

When I read the synopsis, I could already see that this is going on the usual path of an insecure girl who is coaxed from a very understanding guy to grow stronger and break out of her shell of insecurity. Wonder if my prediction was right? Read this then :D

When I actually finished it, I found that the characters matured quite a bit (especially Aoi). For being only 54 pages long, the plot was quite well paced, as Aoi only rebuilt herself bit by bit, making the manga seem emotionally longer. Unfortunately, I also felt that the bit of romance between Aoi and Yohsuke was a bit too sudden. Even so, I felt like the story was done quite well, and enforced the age old adage "If you can't change someone else, change yourself"

Art: 8

It was quite average Manhwa style, though I still love how everything is drawn quite fluidly. Sakura Aymuu's drawing style makes the characters seem alive, with their facial expression squeezing every bit of emotion you could absorb from them in a nice sympathetic puddle.

Characters: 9

Even though there isn't an abundance, Dear Green has a varied pool of them. For the main characters, we have Aoi, your typical delinquent, who softens up gradually, and Yohsuke, the avoider of fame who is unshakably happy. The interactions between the two really bring out the true character in either (eg. Aoi's passion for the flute. The minor character interactions also helped, as it reflected how Aoi's life has been so disappointing with all the criticisms she faces.

Overall: 8

What can I say.....I'm a sucker for these stories. Considering I can relate very easily with the main character is one of the bonus's of this gem, and along with the true emotional bond as well. Dear Green is overall I quite decent story, with an overall length of about 50 or so pages, should give you a short, but sweet read.