Ranked #429

Koizora: Setsunai Koimonogatari (Manga)

“Were you happy?”
“I was so happy”

Some relationships are toxic, they tear at your soul a piece at a time. By the time you realize this, it is too late.

Mika is ecstatic about high school, three months in and she loves every minute of it. Her “friend” calls her drunk one day during their school break and before she knows it on the other line is the smoothest voice she ever heard, his name is Hiro. They enjoy each others conversations and before they know it they talk every day of their time away from school. When school starts again Mika is shocked to find that Hiro is the notorious delinquent she has heard about. Only problem is she’s already in love with him. Through Mika’s eye we see the twists and turns of love, sex, drugs, rape, pregnancy and heartbreaks.

From the beginning you know that she’s already speaking in past tense and has a Sand Chronicles feel to it. Now, it’s going to sound like I wasn’t happy with the story, mind you that is not the case at all. Even though I enjoyed the flow of the manga very much, some of the topic weren’t that realistically displayed. Starting with the main one which was rape. Despite the fact that Mika’s thoughts were genuine her actions weren’t. She was upset about it but she was still acting normal and in no time she was normal. And none of her actions fit with her “safe” personality but I am sure that‘s because love makes us act like we are on crack.

I loved, the pairing of Hiro and Mika but their relationship was doomed from the beginning and makes me believe in foreshadowing that much more. Every time something good happened, something bad followed and stalked them and beat the good moments to death.

It does a great job in portraying a one person perspective, as it is, you will feel for Mika and dislike the people that wrong her even without knowing their reasons, though you’ll feel like a jerk afterward. It is because of that reason that I felt that line above (toxic…) was fitting. I thought that until a little more than half way and then changed my mind, a little. While I still believe it’s true (where the first half is concerned), I also think that their love was actually quite beautiful.

The twist the turns and the falling off a cliff:
Every manga needs it twist and this one is no different. Though the climax of the story was there I felt that the actions taken by the subject in question (Hiro) were less than favorable. Word to the wise out there fellas, it is not OK to choose what you think is best for someone and make them hate you because you think it’s for their greater good. We all sympathize with martyrs but give the girl the benefit of the doubt. Confused yet? Sorry, that is all I am willing to give without any spoilers.

I won’t lie, I did watch the live action movie for it. Did the manga make me depressed for hours at end? Yes Did I HATE some parts of it and want to burn it? Heck Yes. Did it finally give light to my masochistic personality thereby making it come out of the closet? Unfortunately yes!

Mika was your average do gooder, she did well in school, somewhat shy, and was known for being nice. She is a perfect example of someone who’s life got thrown into the wind like a deck of cards in a hurricane. Her attitude is not always the best, or should I say her script? But she isn’t annoying and you want to see how it all plays out for her.

Hiro was a nice enough guy but he was, tainted. He wanted to be good deep inside but in the end he always went back to what was easier. After all, losing yourself to any drug is better than facing a cruel reality. His character brought this story to life but it was also him that tore down the girl he loved. The perfect example of love and hate, his character is.

The art was average. Though at times was really beautiful. It is safe to say that this story is not about the art, it’s about the characters, it’s about life.

There are more characters that emphasize the better and sometimes worse part of human emotions. Aya is Mika’s best friend but you get a glimpse of how she really thinks and feels and it doesn‘t make her a bad person, it just makes her easier to understand and she gets character.
The ending although predictable it still was sincerely heartbreaking. It’s bitter sweet, that means it’s sad people, and my eyes got watery which is as emotional as I get anyway. Don’t expect a happy ending *coughs* me *coughs*, I mean the title says it’s a “Sad Love Story.”

It gives closure to the manga, which isn’t that really what we all want?

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Can't believe no one has made a review about this manga yet. Let me give this a shot.

Koizora - Setsunai Koimonogatari may be one of your common sad love stories you can read at your nearest bookstore. The fact that there are heartbreaks and cheesy parts you see in some typical shoujo manga aren't surprising to find in this manga. For those who prefer heavy drama, this may suit you.

The art style is very absorbing and the quotes are giving me the chills. There were pages I wanted to miss just to get to the drama scenes fast. It has a touch of light humor but no more than that.

Betrayal, trust, jealousy, forgiveness, friendship, love and hope are clearly emphasized in every chapter moreover every character gave different impressions on how they value friendship and love. Though there were points that are still in blur, the author manages to fill it up unwaveringly.

I've read countless of shoujo mangas, I hated those cliché plots to the point that it makes me puke. Koizora makes me think of what happens to who, who gets on with who and the like. The story also focuses on the psychological problems present today with the younger generation. On how they should come up with a solution rather than giving up, rather than sulking over spilt milk.

Finding new love to forget the old one.
Trusting true friends over the fake ones.
The feel of loving someone unconditionally and that someone loves you back.
Making new friends and keeping the old ones intact.
Changing for the better, not for the worst.
Accepting faults and differences.
Enjoying life.

Flip a page,enjoy Koizora- Setsunai Koimonogatari. read more

If I ever write a review here, it must be because the manga or the anime have been so bad it's simply inhuman not to warn others about it. "Koizora" is of course, the case of that. It tells a story of incredibly stupid teenagers, who should be rather be called robots, since they act NOTHING LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE. The main character - Mika, gets in all sorts of very unpleasant situations, and her reactions are always far from understandable. Her boyfriend is the same.

Generally speaking, the author wanted to throw some big problems into the story, but could not draw decent psychological portraits of the characters. Because of that the problems look EXTREMELY unrealistic, and the whole story loses meaning, sense and enjoyment.

READING THIS MANGA HURTS, and the art does not help - its normal for shojo. Everybody looks the same, not much background, anatomy is not the best. The fact that the main heroine has no brain, pride or personality also kills the enjoyment.

IN SHORT - this manga was attempt to create a story with depth and serious problems. It failed. read more

=This is my first manga review, so I greatly appreciate feedback ^^. Thank you!=

Some things hurt so bad that you feel like it’ll kill you – not in a single stroke, but forever, by never allowing you to be happy again. Some experiences are just like that – damaging beyond the instant they transpire, for the seemingly permanent pain they etch upon our minds. Thankfully, the eternal flow of time provides space for us to move on, do other things, fill our mind with new thoughts, and thus realize that we can still experience happiness. We just have to remember two things - what we have today, we might not tomorrow and that this philosophy also works the other way around.

In Koizora (Love Sky), Mika, an enthusiastic little high school student, learns the hard way that that happy times, just like the sad times, will eventually pass and that all we’ll be left holding onto are memories of them. After falling for Hiro, a delinquent from the neighbouring class, her life seems to be on cruise control, until she is brought crashing back to reality by incidents that scar her for life. As the title suggests, the tale that follows is a sad and sorrowful love story, peppered with moments of school life.

The first thing you’re going to notice about this manga is its pace. The story moves forward at a breakneck pace, packing all the (mature) shojo elements within a hundred pages. Although the ride gets bumpier further along, the pace does not slacken for the first ten chapters or so. While swift starts have worked very well in cases like Death Note, the same cannot be said about Koizora. Since the manga deals with very down-to-earth issues about high school students who have been hit hard by puberty, a slower and more relaxed pace might’ve allowed the reader to soak in the emotions and flavour better. However, the mangaka seems to have got wind of the situation and quickly slows things down thereafter, giving us a lot of time to stop and smell the roses.

However, that out of the way, Koizoro does do something that many manga don’t – it’s very bold. While there are a few clichés thrown around, it is overall exciting. It is fresh and is not afraid to manipulate the main characters just to keep the adrenaline pumping. And yes, that does go to say that this is a wonderful psychology manga, peeking into the dark and twisted corners of the human mind. This might turn off some shojo fans looking for a happy feel-good read. When the title says Love Sky – A Sad Love Story, it means it. It can be downright nasty and as a man, I can say that women (especially ones that have endured a lot of suffering, physically and mentally) have my utmost respect for picking themselves up and moving on.

The art was good, but nothing standout. The characters did look disproportionate occasionally and almost all the male characters looked alike and I had a hard time telling them apart. Nothing intolerable though.

The characters are ... interesting, I suppose. They are blissfully stupid and even borderline psychotic at times. While many would consider this a negative factor, I beg to differ. Characters making inexcusable decisions do annoy me as a reader, but as a critique, I have to say that it kept things alive. I mean how interesting would Harry Potter be if Voldemort just decided to come clean and the rest of the seven books were just about Harry’s normal school life? Individually, there is not much to be said about either, but as a couple, Hiro and Mika make for an entertaining dysfunctional pair.

Coming to the enjoyement factor, this is hard. Not only am I a guy, but I’m no shojo fanatic either. So, answering the question, yes, I did like this manga, to an extent. This manga is more about drama than it is about romance. It is the exact same blend used in the Twilight series. But because of the rushed first half, you don’t quite get the melancholy feeling that Twilight did so well. It is, fortunately, entertaining and does awaken the masochist inside of us.

The manga is not yet done and there are still a few chapters left, which are delayed in the scanlating process. However, the ending is pretty obvious at this point and for those who just can’t stand the wait, there is a live action movie adaptation for this, which concludes in the same way as the manga.

Overall, Koizoro is a good read and was enjoyable, for a drama or a psychology manga. It is a devastating manga, in terms of content and characters and will enrage shojo fans that are looking for something happy to read because of its harshness and cruelty. Even though the plot is exciting and filled with unpredictable twists and turns, awkward pacing and average art play spoil sport in this otherwise entertaining manga.

I just have to say this again, because MAL’s tags and synopsis depict it as a very cheerful manga – It is not. It exudes a depressing aura and the story is drenched with sorrowful undertones throughout. read more

this is one of the most powerful mangas i've ever read for those who are not writters or have never been in a powerful stage of emotion in your life you may not quite understand the story.but for those who do you will most definately love this manga it's all about a tragic love story following 2 teenagers who are complete opposites but who are love with one another.the main heroine Mika is who the story is centered around.as you read along about her and her relationship with Hiro you can start to wonder about why these two are together but then it hits certain points in the story and you can just see how much they love each other.this manga is not for readers who are looking for a manga like moe kare this is a manga for someone to read if you like to read about a little of reality and life. read more

It was depressing, especially the end

Story:
at first i thought it was some pathetic shoujo manga
but boy, was i wrong

first of all, i love it when shoujo mangas' main heroine's boyfriend is all feisty at the beginning and goes all soft when they meet the girl so i like Hiro :D
anyways, the story is about some girl who gets pregnant yadda yadda yadda
and all that, so the guy, wants to raise the child, but then
....nuff' said,

Art:
it was fine i guess, just the typical art of some manga,

Character:
uhhh, i didnt really like the heroine's personality since she cries too much
though i did really like the guy

Enjoyment:
i didnt enjoy this
it was depressing,
and i hate depressing mangas

Overall:
a 9, although i hate this manga in a weird kinda good way,
it was quite entertaining :) read more

This story have made cry and laugh and just from the beginning I already knew that it won't be like any other Shoujo Manga.


Story: 10

The story really got me into it. I am a real sucker for romance and it was really a something I could not get my eyes of. After I read this story I noticed something and that was where the player girls come from. Yet the story was sad and there were really times that I hated some characters, but even the end was perfect. When every little piece of the story came together I really felt like this is "One of a hack of Masterpiece". There were twists and things you couldn't predict.

Art: 9

The Art was really great. It showed the changes in characters through the story and It really showed what the characters felt through some scenes.

Character: 10

You see a lot of development through the story. How people change and get mature. The main characters were really great. The girl was like a girl and the boy was really like a boy. It amazed me sometimes, how much they sacrificed for each other and how strong their love is. Strong Female lead and Strong Male lead.

Enjoyment: 10

As I said from the beginning I cried and kept whispering the word "cute". I really felt like I was with the characters when things happened. The feelings when I finished the Manga were also Love, Sadness, Enjoyment. Really kept me through the whole thing captured inside.

Overall: 10

A Manga that I really recommend to anyone. It is really nothing like a typical shoujo. It will surprise you and before you' ll know you are already there when it's happening.

Sorry First review Thanks for reading. read more

You see......this is the second manga I'm reading about sexual harasment and about a taste of life. No matter how much you desperately want that thing you can't always get it. You have to understand and move on with life which is unbearably painful.
The story is basically about Mika.....her love life, her friends and the way she felt about herself. Then about Hiro who loves Mika to the extent of hurting her.
Both stay way from each other...........even though they love each other irrevocably!
Right now we just know about Mika's perspective in the story.............What's going on with Hiro still has to come.
I really enjoyed reading this Manga. There were times it made me laugh and then cry also.
For peole who enjoy reading what experiences life can give us, guys you should definitely read this then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more