STORY: The story is about a young girl whose brother drops off orphaned children for her to take care of. The brother is a gambler and the girl is always in need of money to take care of them The story is fairly original, though when the romance is introduced it is kind of cliche. Two boys fight over the girl. Though with one of them it takes a little longer. The romance is, however, the best part of the story. The various twists that go along with the plot increase the enjoyment. This is definetly for romance lovers with some mature themes but most of it is kept along 13-14 and up.
ART: The art was fairly good but certainly not the best part of the series. The men look handsome(though I have seen better bishies). But the females are drawn noticably better. Sumi(the lead girl) when drawn in various dresses is pretty impressive.
CHARACTER: The characters were above average and met my standards.
Sumi's personality is almost like Tohru Hondas from Fruits Basket. No matter how harsh the circumstances, she does what she can for the orphaned children. She at first seems very dumb and clueless, but as the series progresses she has her bright times.
Soichiro is the man who marries Sumi. He brought alot to the story and I adore him. He has a harsh exterior which makes him more mysterious. He plays into the romance element very nicely. Despite his exterior, he eventually falls for Sumi. He is very protective and he cared for his family alot.
Nozumu is a young man who gives Sumi some money and she eventually falls for him. The feelings soon become mutual and he is the main antagonist throughout the series. Ueda does a very good job with his personality and background. There are major changes and twists regarding his personality and character(~im not going to give too much away~). He is seen as a prince-like character but he soon turns possessive and agressive.
ENJOYMENT:
I enjoyed this series very much. The three main characters re wonderful. And like me, any shoujo romance fan would adore this. Despite some cliche elements, everything was new and original. I really enjoyed the romance and love triangle.