Miyazawa (the female protagonist) taught me something that I thought was foolish until I read Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances): never give up on a person no matter how much they push you away. Tsuda Masami created a love rollercoaster -- a couple (Miyazawa and Arima) developed from a hate-love relationship. It is now one of my favorite shoujo manga, especially because the relationship was developed within the first two volumes. Therefore, the entire 21 volumes focuses on the main couple’s relationship throughout high school. It allows you to watch Miyazawa and Arima take their relationship one step at a time.

Kare Kano has the usual shoujo tropes in earlier volumes (rivalry, jealousy, etc.), but they’re short-term (first 4-5 volumes). It results in characters enjoying their high school years to the fullest while also battling their demons. Arima is mainly admired by many, so he isn't seen as the most popular guy in school with several girls crowding around him and causing an interference in the relationship. That cliche always annoys me in shoujo. The reason why Kare Kano truly shines is because it focuses on more than just the main couple. There were a couple of fillers, but they necessarily placed emphasis on the other characters. Each story is unique and shows what characters struggle with and how they overcome drastic situations. There are more romantic stories to look forward to. There is comedic relief every now and then in earlier volumes. Then it later turns into a psychological drama with characters battling their demons or experiencing a depressive state. The emotions are so realistic that it is easy to feel compassion.

Tsuda really cares for her characters, dissecting them and giving them their spotlight. The characters have so much pride, which is what I love about them. They think things over themselves, fix their own problems, and express their feelings with no hesitation. The different talents among the characters and their independence are amazing. Each of them have their own ambition and work hard to improve. Talents range from acting, writing, sports, etc. What amazes me is how Tsuda applied their talents into the story, and it was so well done that fans of the series wanted to mimic them. She was a playwright and member of the drama club when she was in high school, so it seemed like I was actually in the series experiencing high school with the characters. Each character have their own story, and one does not even depend on parents. Miyazawa was my favorite character, as you can tell from the intro. She is inspiring with her independence and ambition, and she maturely handles tough situations. Tsubasa annoyed me sometimes. She was practically the baby just because of her height and shyness around strangers. You will find her sitting in others’ laps or riding on their backs. When chapters were later dedicated solely to her life and romance, I started sympathizing with her.

The artwork has its ups and downs. Age transformations were detailed. Artwork displayed the moods carefully. Even the psychological elements had dark settings with drops of blood and shadowy backgrounds. The characters were drawn in chibi form at random moments, and I got confused a few times when it would go into flashbacks to Arima’s childhood. Animals were drawn as plain and ordinary.

The reason I rated it an 8 instead of a 9 is because I wasn't quite pleased with the ending. As far as Miyazawa and Arima, their story was satisfying. However, after spending so much time with the characters, you'd expect to know more about the characters or believe their life took a reasonable path. Yes, Tsuda gave a brief overview of where they were at that moment. What I was mostly interested in was their family lives. Did they have kids? Also, I didn't agree with how one character's love life steered.

If you enjoy shoujo manga with mature characters and a relationship developed in the beginning, I highly recommend this one. I found myself completely immersed in this manga. It shows you can have everything and still be unhappy. I enjoyed reading about Miyazawa and Arima’s time together, as well as the other characters’ romances and life stories. Tsuda deserves an applause for this piece of work, because it was indeed a good experience.