Having found this from a recommendation sending me from Beauty Pop to here, I wasn't expecting much.
But I must admit, I got more than I was hoping for.

The story maybe isn't the most original, but in the world of shoujo manga, what is these days? The female protagonist, Nijika, as a young girl is saved by a mysterious boy who tells her "When you eat something good, you smile." These words, a flan dessert, a spoon with the engraving of a famous academy named Seika and her promise that she will one day make him the best dessert ever, stick with Nijika, until she studies hard and gains entry to the prestigious Seika academy - all to find her 'Flan Prince'.

I was incredibly impressed with the pacing of this story, having read it in a day its still very fresh in my mind and I applaud the way the writer has done it. Often a story can be too rushed or too slow to pick up - especially one with only 10 volumes but is a fully-fledged story. For example, shoujo's can very easily become a minefield of 'filler' chapters reverting back to cliches when its moving too slowly. Or, on the other hand, it can just seem to go too fast, the main character seemingly jumping into a relationship with the guy faster than I can click my fingers.

Saying that, this story definitely falls back on those oh-so familiar plot lines. There is a love triangle, controlling parents and love rivals littering the path of this poor heroine's quest for love and ultimate success. But I think it's refreshing the way the writer approaches them. Or maybe its the fact this story is full of plot twists I was definitely not expecting, which almost made up for the cliches.

The art was incredibly well done for a cutesy shoujo. Sometimes the characters can go from one look to another in a matter of panels, giving us unfamiliar looks to our favourite characters we've come to know so well. This definitely wasn't the case here, the characters stayed true to form beginning to end.

Talking of the characters, they were all developed fairly well. Nijika is an admirable heroine, and didn't change throughout the whole thing - and stayed stronger than I would of in those sorts of situations. The two main male protagonists were developed to the level acceptable for a 10 volume shoujo, though no more than necessary. The few other filler characters there were, were kept up to date and involved throughout the series, something I'm always pleased to note.

So reading this, you'll probably wondering why I didn't give it a full 10 marks - considering how much I seem to be raving about it? I think for me, it was because, while it is an enjoyable manga, by no means did it break the boundaries. Having read classic shoujo such as Mars and Akuma to Love Song, I don't believe this shoujo did anything but stick to the boundaries of the said genre, and stick to them well.
However, if you've got time and your looking for a enjoyable and fairly well done manga, I'd definitely recommend this.