LifE

This Manga really touched me. I can't express enough gratitude to the Mangaka.

Story 10/10
This story contains so many mixed vibes, but i mean that in a good way. There is Bulling,suicide,friendship,true friends,cutting,self harm,sexual assault, and so much more. *may contain mild spoiler* We find Ayumu our main protagonist making a new friend at her new high school named Manami, she is seemingly nice and ayumu is really starting to think things are going very good. Manami's boyfriend breaks up with her, she trys to commit suicide by jumping infront of a train. Ayumu saves her and manami makes her help her get katsumi(bf) back because of a promise they had made. Things go wrong and everyone starts miss interpreting what ayumu was doing and then Manami thinks Ayumu has betrayed her. She thus becomes the victim of an on-slot of bullying, lead by manami.

Art 10/10
Can you say beautiful art that you tremble over? Thats how good the art is. I mean i seriously felt every corresponding emotion i saw in the manga. Such as Ayumus sad; crying face i felt it in my own heart. When you saw smiles they made me feel like the sun had come out from behind the clouds. Scared faces really showed fear, blank stares held no emotion, determination really made you hope she would win. The eyes are one the most beautiful aspects of this mangas art.

Characters 10/10
I felt that the characters were dramatic but were portrayed wonderfully.
Ayumu: weak at first, cared to much of what others thought, Cutt her self to relieve her own pain.
Manami: Your basic popular person, she is like the cheerleader in this type of manga, she had the perfect boy friend, stood out in the class, a big liar, and hated when other people seemed more popular then her.
Miki: The Strong lone wolf, she doesn't care what others say and just does her own thing; providing strength for ayumu when she needed it.
Katsumi: Seemingly the Nice jock type guy. But a sadism loving bastard. He liked tieing girls up/ In other words bondage. He was bound to manami because of both of their fathers businesses.

Enjoyment 10/10
I Really enjoyed This manga to my hearts content. I read each volume as fast as i had could get my hands on it. I enjoyed it so much that when i found out that its publishing company that was translating it into english was stopping at 9...i was so hurt...i had to finish it. I ordered the next 3 in Japanese from ebay and slowly ordered all of them and i learned how to read Japanese because of that. ^__^

Overall 10/10
If i coud give this Manga a high grade i would. It was so epically amazing, beautiful and heart warming. I even after ordering the remaining volumes in japanese i also got 1-9 in japanese as well so now i have 1-20 In Japanese and 1-9 in English.

I recommend this to anyone who needs there heart to be touched. The story is filled with heart crushing disasters but heart warming happiness as well.

This story is about a girl, who just wants to fit in but she gets bullied by the people whom she thought were her friend. It is terribly heart wrenching and if you're easy to cry you may shed a few tears for the main character. Ayumu's struggle is what many children have to deal with on a day to day basis and I believe that many feel the exact same way she does.

Suenobu-sensei's works about bullying and how the main characters pull through it, I believe, are really inspirational. LIFE over all is a story I enjoyed reading and if you are feeling up to it I'd give this manga or the manga called 'Vitamin' (also by Suenobu, Keiko) a read.

Story: This manga follows a girl, Ayumu, who falls into a lot of drama through high school. I have no complaints for the story. situations and problems the main character go through - they really pull you in and make you want more. the plot is quite unpredictable and the pacing is fast.

Art: The art is explicitly drawn to invoke the deep emotions that Ayumu experiences. It goes in favour with this manga - destructive and full of emotion.

Character: The tough moments that ayumu has to go through are moving and you might be able to relate to it if you had similar experiences. there are many 'evil' people in this manga, it's quite surprising actually. all of the characters are very realistic, like i said you can probably relate to her situations; the characters of this manga are the main complication of the storyline. the author portrayed many of them to have a terrible, evil mind on the outside, but we get to see why they have their bad personality later on. The characters are the main attraction of this manga. i have never been bullied to the extent that ayumu had, and i have never seen it like this before. This bully situation is what really hooks you in this manga.

Enjoyment: Life shows how great high school drama can go up to, and how harsh bullying affects a person. We develop a sense of compassion for the main character throughout the manga, and a sense of hate towards her classmates. I'm sure anyone who picks this up will not stop reading. This is a wonderful manga, I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read a dramatic and fast paced series.

2015 Edit: The manga is finally fully translated for anyone to enjoy. Overall a great series, tons of relatable characters & relationships.

Summary:

Without exaggeration I will start this review with this: Life is one of the best stories I've ever read/watched. That's a big statement. Not only was it realistic and serious, it was heart-touching, and focuses on an issue that is already important in the US, but even more important in Japan where it was published.

The frightening thing about this manga is that it is not fantasy. In this story the enemy is not magical in nature and the challenge isn't to defeat some opponent in battle. The conflict Ayumu goes through are what many children unfortunately go through every day throughout the world, especially young girls.

The manga has some great and subtle social commentary on bullying, self-mutilation, suicide, the perception of child mental health, rape and sexual assault and what it truly means to be a friend. There is also some great commentary on the negative aspects of Japanese society.

This story, as corny as it sounds, made me go through a range of emotions, mostly anger, and the ending is beautifully done. I dare say if every young person were to read this manga, they may be more prepared to face the difficulties they face in their teenage years and understand that what it all comes down to is knowing when to ask for help. It would also be a great example to teachers, administrators, parents and society as a whole.

If you are wondering how I can talk so much praise about a comic, I invite you to pick up this book and go into it without expectations. Although it is a shojou, its story is something that can be related to by both sexes of all ages.


Story:

As said above, this story is amazing. It was human, and although it may some times feel exaggerated becuase of the inaction of the bystanders and adults involved, it is precisely that why the author wrote the story. The inaction of the issues that face young people today is precisely what this book is meant to bring to attention, and it does so very well. This story is frightening, sad, but also sweet and beautiful, especially the ending.

Art:

As a guy who's a sucker for the moe manga and ecchi, I am usually turned off by the girly art style of shoujos; yet although the art style is very similar to a lot of shoujo, the art in this story is beautiful. It is not so exaggerated and girlish that it becomes a bother. all the characters look well drawn and unique. The scenes where a character is crying or screaming or hurt, the author fills the entire page with ink with a plethora of lines that make you seee the emotion; you will see what I mean when you first encounter such a scene. It's great when an author uses art to express emotions that can't be easily felt through description in a book.

Character:

Also very well done. All the characters in this story are not only unique but important. The interaction between all teh characters in way you dont expect make it very enticing ot keep reading. And the characters you hate and want to find and beat to a pulp, even they come to grow on the reader because the author does not portray characters one-dimensionally. There is no "good guy" and "bad guy" in this manga. There's only characters who through one form or the other are victims of other people's, usually adult's mistreatment and disinterest. Even the antagonists who do the most horrible things to the main girl are soon shown to have a number of terrible problems of their own. The characters aren't there to fulfill a role and be ridiculed or glorified, they are there to represent real people who go through complex issues such as those in this manga.

Definitely try this one out, you will not regret it.

Story: 6/10
UNBELIEVABLE. This story is harsh. The mangaka must've enjoyed tormenting her characters, especially Ayumu. This story is harsh and sadistic to the point where the plot is almost unbelievable. I didn't cry for her nor did I pity her. The story is just that unbelievable. Still, I like the way that the mangaka didn't
provide a hero for Ayumu. Most shoujo fantasies have heroes, it's overrated.

Art: 8/10
The art isn't bad. I'll give this manga that much. The mangaka's drawing style really fits the plot, so if you must read this manga, you will enjoy that fact. The drawings are probably the only part I enjoyed in this manga.

Character: 7/10
Very harsh characters. I dislike Ayumu's weaknesses, but I understand that there are girls out there like her. The thing is, there will always be at least one person who takes notice (even if they don't help immediately.) The guys in this story are almost nonexistent, they don't notice the suffering and bullying of the girls.I found this part the most unbelievable. Still, if you like sadism, this manga is for you.

Enjoyment: 6/10
I had to drop it. I couldn't stand such a sadistic manga. That's probably the one word that describes it the most.

Overall 6/10
I couldn't handle the depression, but perhaps you will like the bitterness of it. It's perfect for those who enjoy watching people suffer...wait that sounds a little off. No, it's perfect for those who enjoy an exaggeration of reality. A story that shows pain and suffering with no end in sight. If you love those kinds of stories (which I normally do), then you may try this manga at your own risk.