Ranked #42

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi (Manga)

This is a review of the manga Sakaiichi Hatsukoi. Judging from the art we can tell this is a work created by the same Mangaka as the popular Junjou romantica Nakamura Shungiku. As an avid Junjou Romantica fan I was looking forward to a season 3 and was a little disappointed when I found out that there more than likely wouldn't be one but I was ecstatic to hear about this being turned into an anime. For some reason for a while I overlooked the fact that it was a manga.

Story: This is often directly compared to Junjou Romantica, which is a normal thing to do considering its a spin off from junjou and it's drawn by the same mangaka. similarities are expected. There are many similarities I will admit but I still notice the differences. Even so this is common practice when a mangaka has multiple titles. Take Koi Suru boukun for example. the mangaka for that one also has other work, and they are all very similar from the story to the character design, let's face it guys...it happens. but if it's a good story who cares, lets just enjoy it for what it's worth and appreciate the work that the mangaka is putting out for us to enjoy. We are all creatures of repetition.

Art- The art is fantastic. All of the proportions are accurate. I like the art in this one better than that of junjou romantica to be honest. The only problem I have is I'm getting a couple of the characters confused for some reason. i'm getting chiaki and kisa confused but whatever its all good, I got miyagi and nowaki from junjou confused also. Other than that all the characters are hot, which is a plus when you are shallow like me :P

Character- eh like I said above there are very blatant similarities between junjou and hatsukoi but overall I think the characters are well developed and typical of yaoi, I've seen them all before but I've also read a lot of BL and there are cliches here but I still enjoy it.(how many BL mangas say "but we're both men")

Enjoyment- I think of this manga like it's food. Sometimes I find myself sitting on one page for an extended period of time, kinda goes along with saying savoring every bite.

Overall I think this is a very good manga and it's going to be worth purchasing for sure. If you can look past the fact that yes...it is like junjou then you will enjoy this manga. If you enjoyed junjou then you will enjoy this just as much it's still "different" and it's still a very good story. read more

Yes...Yes... When we talk about Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, there MUST be comparison between this series and Junjou Romantica... Well, that's because they are both by the famous-yaoi-mangaka Nakamura Shungiku whose Junjou Romantica has become the top yaoi manga/anime known by ALL yaoi-fanatics. And when she came up with the new Sekaiichi, everyone was jumping up and down awaiting its release...

And now that it's released up to volume 6 (right?), in my opinion, it is another amazing work of art. Honestly, I find Sekaiichi quite more favourable than Junjou Romantica! Why? Hehehee... I'll take my time and explain! But first thing's first; I want people to know that I've watched 12 out of 12 episodes of Sekaiichi Hatsukoi anime PLUS the first OVA before reading the manga... I've also watched Junjou Romantica BOTH seasons full thrice and is still catching up with the manga. Kay? Kay? OKAY! So let's begin!

Story;
I'm a sucker for out-of-this-world storylines which would either put my eyes glued on the screen/book reading or make me refuse to even know about what would happen next. The thing about Sekaiichi is that...it is NOT out-of-this-world... A typical first-love that ended up broken for a misunderstanding and these two fated ones are once again reunited via work. I was skeptical at first but once I started reading, the story went on very smoothly and it truly showed what would happen between two actual people in real life.

Oh, and a typical Nakamura Shungiku work: it has 3 stories, the main and two other. I'll be dealing with the main since it IS the principal setting.

In every chapter, there would be these scenes where they end up slowly falling in love. I love these scenes as they are SO CUTE and really moves me...i'm a girl so yeah... but then, as there is the 'stubborn one' in the pair, it will always end with a hilarious gag. Sometimes it might be a bit annoying as the lovey-dovey/smexy scene is like already a BLAST but was cut off with a new chapter... Nevertheless, it'll leave you aching for more. Depends on how persistent you are, that's for sure. ;)

Art;
Hmmm... Even from reading Junjou Romantica, I'm still not all-that with the art style since it gets pretty messed up at times. But then again, it has it's own originality and the potrayal of the characters and scenes are very well-made. To be honest, I find the art style of Sekaiichi much more clean and clear than Junjou so I enjoy reading it a lot more.

But I have to say, the coloured-prints and covers are beautiful... The colouring leaves me in awe as it leaves a girly love feel but the guys still have their manliness and all. I can't really judge base on their art but it is decent enough for me so yeah!

Character;
My favourite bit of the entire series. I. Love. THE CHARACTERS! The main pair; Takano Masamune & Onodera Ritsu is practically the most common type of pairing you can find out there! The tall perfect cool-type and the stubborn headstrong and persistent one. Cliche? Kind of... But the world is cliche enough for me to not even care. Even so, the characters have their own hint of originality. Takano displays the twisted leadership qualities making him quite the eccentric type. You can find these twisted possessive types but Takano is not one to cage his love interest. He can be carefree and very understanding...although his 'understanding' can be seen in a very out-of-the-ordinary way. And Onodera is your cute stubborn hardworker who is very confused and in denial with his feelings. But even with his predictable personality, his descisions (about Takano) can catch you off-guard. A total tsundere and yet, he is one of the most stubborn types I've ever read about which makes him my favourite out of all teh characters.
Originality differentiates with each and every human being. But I can't help feel that these characters have huge reasons of their own which brings the story alive by their presence in every page.

Enjoyment;
Although quite predictable at times, I can't help but enjoy every page and every panel of this manga. People sometimes say that it is very similar to Junjou Romantica and all but I can't seem to relate to them... I see Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. That's it. And all I know is that it is a great work of Nakamura Shungiku. I enjoyed reading and I'll wait like a fool for the next volume! Even when Onodera finally succumbs to his feelings, I'll keep on loving this series no matter what!

Overall;
There are flaws, there are certain parts where I can't really come to like but nevertheless, Sekaiichi can bring me to tears and make me laugh my guts out on the floor. And they're only pictures with words! (That's what my mom says when she finds me reading manga) But that's how I react with Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. It is AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, HEART-WARMING, ADDCTIVE and tells the world's Best First Love story ever made.

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