After enjoying the first half of the first season (of the anime), I became really excited to read the manga. I figured if the anime started off funny, maybe the manga would be just as well because the author wrote it. Frankly, I don’t really know how I feel about it. I know many claims that it is amazing, but I couldn’t really love it as much as I wanted to.

Storyline:
If you watched this anime or read the manga before, the first few volumes may feel really boring. I guess this is of one of those stories that you cannot read twice (at least for me anyway). However, the first few volumes did go by really fast. I tolerated most of it because it was still interesting and funny. Plus, I still believe that the elementary arcs were the best because the mangaka incorporated humor and drama at the same time.
However, when the middle school arc started, we kept getting clichés after clichés. It’s done really well so I do give it props for that. But at the same time, it kind of took away the reason why I wanted to read the series in the first place.
Lastly, when it looked like the show was about to end because the drama subsided and the comedy was released… BANG! BANG! BANG! Another set of drama began! The emotional roller coaster never ends. I thought the last arc was brilliant in its own right. However, I did not feel that it was needed for this manga. It felt like the mangaka was milking the cow dry for all the money it could bring. I would have appreciated that arc more if it was a separate manga.

Pros:
1) Since this does deal with children, some of the clichés seem fitting. If these were high school students, I probably would have dropped this series because there are so many of them out there
2) Parents do play an important role in the development of their children.
3) It incorporates the element of fiction and realism all at once. There was a moment when someone fell off a cliff, and nothing really happened to the person (don’t worry, that’s not really a spoiler). It was used as a comedy moment. Then there were moments when something happened to other characters, and all hell broke loose.
4) The emotions are raw. You can really feel what the characters went through, and what they are going through.
5) This series talks about abandonment, bullying, pregnancy, parental love, friendship, suicide, growing up, and even sex in a very lighthearted way. What I mean by this is that the topic wasn’t overbearing. The message comes across really well for kids that are facing it (although there was one part I wouldn’t recommend kids reading, but that’s life).

Con:
1) Clichés after clichés. We already knew who the main character was going to end up with, but there are these repetitive storylines used that I just couldn’t take. After the first real arc, everything starts off as unoriginal.
2) Love triangle/ love square. Some parts were interesting, but I didn’t like it all.
3) The storyline for the last two volumes. Drama began when the drama already ended.
4) I don’t think there was anything wrong with this con, but I do believe this series was not specifically targeted for kids (they do have some very serious topics) but maybe of preadolescence/ teenagers? Some of you guys might disagree with me on that.
Characters:
If you cannot stand hyperactive girls, I suggest you don’t read this because that is exactly the word that defines Sana. Personally, it was bearable knowing that she was really young, and that this personality matched exactly how some children are at that age.

Akito appeared to be insensitive (stiff), but that’s only because he didn’t express himself through his facial expression. He is also your typical anime character, but I enjoyed his character development, his background, and his loyalty to people.

Asides the two main characters, someone who stood out to ME was mama. I loved the way she disciplined her child. In the manga, there was a huge emphasis on what a decent parent acts like. There was so much realism in her attitude that she became my favorite character in the entire series. (This is mainly due to the fact that in Shojo manga, parents are nowhere to be found when their children are being stupid… even in the house.)

Art:
This is your classic 90’s shojou art style. Some might find it unbearable to look at (it’s an acquired thing), and others might feel nostalgic.


Overall feelings: 7.5 = 8
I don’t really know how I felt about it. There are moments when I enjoyed it, and there were moments I couldn’t take it.
Would I recommends this?
Not to everyone. I know there will be people who will dislike it completely. I do recommended it to people who loves seeing some twist in storylines, are obsessed with shojou and its clichés, loves a mixture of comedy and drama, doesn’t mind love triangle/square, and can appreciate the good even when there are some huge flaws.