Ranked #1102

360° Material (Manga)

Introduction:
Minami Touko’s “360 Degrees Material” presents an interesting concept in shoujo manga, where a seemingly slow and isolated, yet cool and attractive male lead, Taki, suddenly blossoms into a far more interesting character when he meets Otaka Mio, when they share a moment by the subway, staring at clouds together.

Story: 9/10
As a school life manga, it is difficult to break out of the usual molds where the female lead almost stalks the male of interest until they magically meet each other. Instead, “360 Degrees Material” Otaka Mio regards Taka as a weird person at first, falling for him only after the two spend some time together. As such, it was both refreshing and interesting to watch the two grow closer and overcome all the common miscommunications and conflicts within their relationship. Additionally, the organization in this manga was very well done. I enjoyed focusing on one distinctive event each chapter, often situated in new environments outside of school. As for the pacing, on rare occasions I lost interest in the chapter as certain events, such as studying for tests, was stretched out. For the most part though, I found that the pacing was enough to keep me reading on, especially since from very early on, the two leads establish a romantic relationship, thus we are able to focus on what happens afterwards, instead of the typical slow and suspenseful manga that ends as soon as the characters discover their mutual feelings. Overall, the story was well done, but was missing a touch of drama or emotion, however this can be expected to be seen in later chapters.

Characters: 9/10
Firstly, the character appeal in “360 Degrees Material” was outstanding. Taka was an interesting type of male lead, who was neither the typical nice, cheerful, and outgoing guy, nor the cool, level-headed, yet sweet and faithful type of guy, both of which usually attract a lot of attention. Though he would later lean towards the latter, Taka lived in his own world, thus Otaka Mio did not encounter many problems approaching him, or even dealing with other girls until later. Otaka Mio on the other hand, was a typical unintelligent girl who is consistently unable to perform well in school. Despite this, she is not overemotional, nor is she constantly crying or worrying about her relationship with Taka, and hence is not as annoying as some female leads tend to be in shoujo manga. The supporting characters are also likable for the most part. The second male interest, who helps Otaka Mio, then falls for her later, is a nice, confident, and respectable rival to Taka, while Taka’s childhood friend is understandable and someone who the reader can sympathize for. As for development, Taka grows into a more confident, involved character, especially as we learn more about his past and former relationships. In general, the characters were appealing, even slightly original, and show decent development.

Art: 8.5/10
For the most part, both Taka and his male rival were drawn in an attractive manner, which is an important component of shoujo manga, whereas Otaka Mio and the other characters lacked some detail. The clothing was pretty plain for the most part, and a little more creativity in regards to casual clothing would have been appreciated. The general atmosphere created by Minami Touko was enough to satisfy the story, and as a certain feeling of gloominess due to the lack of smiles that were depicted on the characters. On top of this, the art was a little heavy and could have been cleaner for my taste, but this is depends on the reader’s preferences. The art was nevertheless enjoyable, although I do believe it lacked several minor components in order to make it outstanding.

Enjoyment: 9/10
For the most part reading this manga was very entertaining I will continue to follow this manga as new releases come out. Reading about Taka is probably the most interesting aspect for me, though it will also be interesting to watch as the male rival develops his feelings and how Otaka Mio will deal with this. The parts that took away from my enjoyment were mostly school related, parts that emphasized Otaka’s lack of intelligence and made her more stereotypical of shoujo manga girls.

Conclusion: 9(8.875)/10
To be honest, at first I thought this manga deserved a 10/10 just because I was able to enjoy it so much, however upon closer inspection, I feel there are minor flaws that restrict “360 Degrees Material” from becoming an outstanding manga. While there was an interesting introduction to the characters and story with decent art, I would have liked to see a more genuine interest for Otaka Mio from Taka, although I have hope for this in the future. If you have a true passion for shoujo manga, I would definitely recommend “360 Degrees Material”, however, for the average reader, it may be just something to pass the time.

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