Ranked #87

Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (Manga)

Kaichou wa Maid-sama! is a shoujo manga, but it's not a very original one. The story, and the situations, have been used and reused in countless other stories. So, if you're looking for something with a lot of depth, or a lot of action, or just something a little different, this ISN'T the manga for you. However, if you want a cute story to pass the time, or are in love with shoujo, then you will probably enjoy this.

STORY - As I said, this is just another shoujo. Nothing is really special about the story, but, unlike some others, it isn't totally abominable. It's cute, generic, not very fast-paced, but quite enjoyable.

ART- Usually, when i start off with a manga, the art is... not so great. The mangaka's skills get better and better as time goes by. But, with Kaichou, even though it seems to be the mangaka's first work, the art is quite nice. There is quite a bit of chibiness and face-faulting in this manga, and I think it was portrayed quite nicely with just enough humour. The cases when the characters are being serious are quite nice as well. One thing I especially like about the art is how the male lead is portrayed. His chibis make me giggle (they're just too cute and appriate), but it's his serious face that I like most. When he smiles, his eyebrows are raised, making it seem like a mocking smile, which fits his personality. Then, on the rare occasion or two when he smiles without raised eyebrows, he seems all the more sincere and easy to fall for. I don't know if this was done on purpose or not, but it's just something I picked up on. The reason I give the art a nine and not a ten is because it's not always consistent. The art focuses mostly on people, not scenery or anything like that, and I sometimes notice a weird-looking eye or hand. But it's such a small thing, not worth taking out more than one point.

CHARACTER - This, I feel, is what the manga offers that makes it special. There are two main characters, a girl and a guy. The male lead is very likeable, very funny, and very nice, but he IS a touch shoujo-ish. He just seems too perfect for real life, as likeable as he is. So, even though he's a good character, he kind of generic, and not very special. I DO like his 'wtf' attitude, and I'm sure you will too, so he's a def. win! The FEMALE lead on the other hand is... wow. Okay, so you know how anime/manga girls are almost ALWAYS annoying? Like, how they just let themselves be protected by their guys, get all flustered around the ones they like, how their "assertiveness" is more "bitchiness" than assertiveness, how they want a boyfriend oh-so-badly, etc, etc? This heroine is SO not like that. She is assertive, to be sure, and sometimes puts a toe on the line of bitchiness, but she does try to imrpove her character, which I think is quite nice. But the thing that gets me about her is how NOT annoying she is. In fact, she makes me laugh quite a lot with her thoughts about the male lead, and that gives her bonus points. She's strong, and she protects herself, but she's also not bitchy. She's really great! And I hate most female characters, but the way... she's like, the second out of all the anime and manga I've seen/read that I actually like.

So, the two main characters really stand out here, and I like them a lot. The one thing that I'd like to see ore of is better backup characters. The other girls in the manga seem to be typically annoyingly sweet, and the other boys seem to be typically annoyingly weird/disgusting/b*stardish. But, it's okay, since the mangaks doesn't give them too much of a spotlight.

ENJOYMENT - As I already said, this is just another shoujo. Although it has certain redeeming features, like its art and characters, it is stil just another shoujo. If you like these sort of cute reads, like me, then you will definitely enjoy it. If you're looking for something more fast-paced, I would advise you to look elsewehere. I, personally, enjoyed it very much. It had moments that made me laugh out loud, smile knowingly, squeal, and pity the characters. That's what we're all looking for, right?

OVERALL - A cute manga. Story is merely ordinary which lowers its overall mark, but the art and characters really stand out, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. So, it gets an 8 - very good. :) read more

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