THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

So I'll start with the art. It felt pretty average. It was good in terms of skill, never distracting and I had no trouble telling characters apart. They all looked pretty average to me, in terms of their self-expression and visual portrayal, too, but that may be meant to help things feel relatable.

The first chapter sets an interesting tone. It brings up deeper topics that shoujo doesn't always touch on, such as teen pregnancy, emotional abuse between dating partners (that is actually pointed out to be wrong and hurtful), and the peer pressure/bullying that can occur in company housing. Having read the first chapter, I was absolutely sold.

Unfortunately, it felt like a pretty big bait-and-switch. It talks a little about the peer pressure/bullying, but for the most part it's only really talked about as something that could happen and seems to mostly just be used as a plot device. Worst of all, in my opinion... Well, if you want a series where you watch a girl choose a romantic partner between her emotional abuser, a guy who tries to have her gang-raped, and her own brother*, this is the series for you! (*I don't care if it's biological or not. She has always seen him as a brother.)

The most distressing thing about this series for me is the messages it sends about abuse. "He might be blackmailing her into a relationship with him, force her to get physical, and constantly threaten to rape her, but it's okay, because he never ACTUALLY rapes her and he really does love her!!" She constantly tells him she doesn't want to be with him and doesn't want to have sex with him, and he blackmails or physically forces her into it. The only reason he doesn't rape her is because every time he plans to, they get interrupted. Of course, as far as I can remember, the word rape is never actually used, but there's no other word for forcing somebody who is telling you they don't want to do it, and constantly threatening to is definitely sexual violence. He also puts her down and doesn't give her choices in much of anything, always pulling out the blackmail. The whole thing was pretty sickening to read, and I just kept hoping it would eventually address this....