I honestly felt the strongest need to write this review since I adore this manga so much. Often the Shounen Ai genre is overlooked and not taken very seriously which is why it's really great that there are mangas like Silver Diamond out there to show that great manga can come from anywhere. I can't imagine anyone ever really regretting reading this.

Story: 9

It's kind of hard to believe that Shiho Sugiura didn't plan every part of the manga before it was released. It had that feeling of being meticulously planned out to play out so well. Although the pacing sped up as the series went on, I think this worked more in it's favour instead of becoming rushed like it could have.

A few people thought the ending could have been better and usually I am pretty picky about how stories should end but in this case I think things were settled nicely with a sense of hope for the character's and an openness to their futures. It's definitely not a bad ending although maybe not as final as some people might want.

My one and only complaint about the story is of course that I wanted the relationship between Chigusa and Rakan to be... more defined? It's not like I was looking for anyrhing explicit and they certainly have very strong feelings but... I can't help wanting more. The dynamics were just so perfect that you can't help but want more out of it!

Art: 10

The art in this is so captivating... Ah the drawings are just so pretty to look at but don't take away from the story focus at all. There are some little extras that the mangaka put in volumes every so often and one has detailing on the screen tones used... Ah I couldn't help but being fascinated due to my nerd status.

The character designs are really well done too. It's hard to get confused between characters despite there being so many of them. I find that this can be something a lot of mangakas struggle with but I was really glad that wasn't the case here. Each character is easy to identify and unique. Not to mention so beautiful!

Characters: 10

Speaking of the characters... I don't really think they could have been made any better. The main four guys (Rakan, Chigusa, Narushige and Tohji) are all really interesting with diverse personalities. Even with their lighthearted behaviour they all have something to struggle with and these internal conflicts make them so easy to connect with.

Not to mention the supporting cast... somehow each and every one of them feels unique and it's hard to call them minor characters when they often feel just as important as the mains. They all come together really well to create vital scenes and without one another the characters wouldn't truly develop properly. Chigusa in particular becomes more complex as the series goes on and his character develops without you even noticing...

One thing I often find in this particular genre is some sadly unlikeable and unrealistic female characters but in Silver Diamond, although there is few, the girls really are perfectly made. Karaku, Sae, Rinrai and Shigeyuki are all unique and interesting characters with their own complex backgrounds. I wish I had seen a bit more of them all but they were perfectly placed in the story.

Enjoyment: 10

I think I've made my point. Silver Diamond is extremely enjoyable. It's up there with other 'mainstream' manga and easily one of my favourites. I've read it a few times actually and with the length of it, I'm not just doing it because it was 'okay.'

Overall: 10

Please just go read it. Or if you've come here because you've already read it than go sob about it being over for half an hour before trying to move on.