Mars

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I wouldn't call myself a fan of the shoujo genre, so for me to give Mars a score of 10, must mean that it transcended the trappings of the genre and connected with me on a universal level. And it did.

This story of a boy on the wrong side of the tracks, and a shy artist girl both falling for each other, captivated me. Its not some innovative blast of originality, there's no genre deconstruction, no super twist that tips the world upside down. Its just a love story told really well.

Fuyumi Soryo is an intelligent writer. Her use of all the ... tropes of high school based manga feels refreshing, and her focus on mental, emotional instability and psychological scars is fascinating and compelling. It’s assisted through the use of contemplative dialogue and characters interacting to move the plot forward, rather than the plot conspiring in convoluted or clichéd ways to move the characters.

I think maybe that Mars is so accomplished; feels so fresh and realistic, despite mild helpings of melodrama along the way, because Fuyumi Soryo was in her thirties when she wrote it. This may be a tenuous assumption because a lot of manga authors are in their thirties anyway, but the fact that as a female she'd racked up a decent amount of life experience before putting some of it down on page, must have had some substantial affect on this manga's final form and popularity. You feel that like unlike other authors, especially males, Fuyumi is writing about what she knows, not what she dreams or masturbates about. This isn't delusional wish-fulfilment like so many romance manga out there focusing on a harem setup, with dozens of girls chasing a nerdy guy to get into his pants.

As for the melodrama aspect, it has to rear its head eventually, because the longer you make your shoujo romance tale the sooner it will appear. At 15 volumes, Mars has to have some melodrama to sustain the story, but it doesn't bring the manga down, because Fuyumi is a skilled writer with characters you genuinely feel for. You get lost in the story so much you have no idea you're wading through melodrama, and by the time you've waded out, you don't even care it was there in the first place. The characters never suffer as a result, they are never compromised, they are always the author's top priority.

Mars feels authentic. When we watch lovers meet, when we watch them spar; make love, it all feels sweet and romantic. I don't think its even josei manga, yet it treats sex in a way that most shoujo probably wouldn't. Sex isn’t something discussed in a round-about way, or never seen directly, or just hinted at, it's not something laughed at or demonised. Sex is not a prize. Sex is just sex. Some characters have it all the time, some have never had it; some have hang-ups, some don't. Sexuality is as much a focus of Fuyumi's pen just as much as psychological issues, an area that she excels at, and explores more with a later manga: Eternal Sabbath.

Despite the cute character of Kira, and the fact that she cries every five minutes which admittedly grates, it doesn't feel saccharine at all. The character conflicts, the world the story is set in, the way everything pans out, it feels authentic, and when it doesn't it's at least in service of the story. Because its 15 volumes, stuff just has to keep happening to our main characters, it wouldn't be much of a story if only a handful of things happened, but Fuyumi has the skill to make it engaging and flow from one story arc to another seamlessly.

You're willing Kira and Rei to pull through it all, like lovers on the run from the world. The biggest criticism of the manga would be that the last major threat; the last antagonist; that last hurdle that every story must have, in this case began to feel too generic for my liking, but it never becomes boring at least and resolves itself swiftly.

Mars has gorgeous art. It's clean, soft, and beautiful to look at. Fuyumi makes it look so easy. The beauty is in the simplicity. There's no unnecessary detail, just what is essential. Essential for characters, essential for the story. The scene composition is masterful, and so is the design of the panels. It just flows so well. The best way I can describe it is that it all makes sense. The panels are arranged in a way to make the reading not just efficient, but to lead you along the narrative. Rather than have a page with one image or too many, Fuyumi will make use of all that extra space with smaller consequential panels for key character reactions, but the skill is in her juxtoposition.

It's hard for me to explain, but hopefully you'll understand what I'm talking about. It's not something pushed into your face, it's subtle and affective. Basically I wish more artists utilised page space as efficiently and skillfully as Fuyumi. Mars definitely has the most romantic art I've ever seen in manga. At one point I was actually shocked by what I was reading: Mars has better race scenes than anything I've read in over 400 chapters of racing manga Initial D.

One of the things I love about this manga and Fuyumi Soryo, is that even though she inserts humour here and there, it never feels forced, but more importantly it never feels like she's using it as a crutch like so many other manga do. There are manga out there that have more humour than romance in their love stories; more super deformed faces than normal art. They drown out the narrative and characters with jokes, but Fuyumi doesn't torture us this way.

When she uses humour, it comes naturally from the story. It provides a break from the angst of the characters and it's never used as a crutch. It's used sparingly, so when it comes we don’t expect it and it works all the more better for it. The story doesn't need humour at all, but she provides it for our benefit, not because she needs it to pad out a chapter.

Mars, the red planet, the warrior of war, the fiery passion in us that love ignites; drives us out of our minds; pushes us forward whether we like it or not, and makes us sacrifice anything and everything to sustain it. You see it all in this manga, and that’s why I gave it 10.

I'm saddened to see that this manga is not so known around fans of the genre.
I found out about this manga in this site while I was browsing around.I read one of the reviews here and thought to myself,why not try it?It has gotten a really high rating and must be good.Alright,sometimes high rating can be in fact misleading so I wasn't so excited at first and wasn't expecting a lot from this one.How wrong I was...
And here comes my review on this manga.

Story 9/10
I didn't give this a 10 cause the story is really common,you know....girl turns bad boy into a sweet boy.We've heard ... it.Why didn't I give it a lower score then?Honestly,while this doesn't impress you,the story manages to catch your attention from the very start.Even the way the characters meet and so on.The mangaka really manages to not drag the story and in fact it's very creative later on.

Art 10/10
At first you'll doubt me but as you continue reading the manga the art improves.The style is quite unique and it has become one of my favorites among shoujo mangas.My favorite part of the art is how the mangaka draws the faces,I don't know why but for some reason I love it.I also appreciate it that she didn't make the boys look like girls.

Character 10/10
The characters are really deep.In my opinion it's the characters that attract you so much as to continue reading the rest of it.For me at least no matter how good the story of a manga can be,if the characters are just uninteresting,it'll discourage me from reading the rest.While it's not really hard to find good character development and good interaction between characters in shoujo manga(I think that's where shoujo wins shounen) this one presents another persepcrive of the characters.Here we're also shown the very dark side of both protagonists.And when I say dark I mean with the whole meaning of the world.That of course is one of the things that makes the characters even more realistic.

Enjoynment 10/10
I admit that at first I was like..."Another high rated manga,I hope it worths".But to be honest it drew me to it from the start.I enjoyed every moment throughout the manga.The only thing that discouraged me from wanting to read it all in one day was that it had many chapters and I thought that I'd get bored with so much to read.I was again wrong.You don't even realize it because you're so focused on it that you don't notice how many chapters you've read(at least me).When I finished it,all I could think was how much of a great manga this was and I wanted more.Even the next day that I had nothing of this to read I felt like something was missing from my day and I was pretty sad.I still am when I remind myself this manga and that I've finished it.

Overall 10/10
I give it a ten from all aspects.It has become one of my favorites of all the time.If someone where to ask me to recommend him a manga this would be the first I'd recomment.But be aware,if you're a romantic fan with all the lovey dovey stuff going on and the cutesy then stay away from this,this is a heavy manga and some events in it can be pretty shocking for certain types of people.

Too bad I cant give it more than a 10. Its the all time greatest shojo there is. I could keep reading it forever. The main character Rei has problems with his past that make him slightly unstable but Kira, the other main character, falls in love with him after a little teasing >.> hehe. It progresses from there and we find out that Rei isnt the only one thats a little messed up in the head. Drama ensues and im sure you'll cry while reading it. I did. The first 4 volumes are a little slow but that's not saying much considering how much ... this series ROCKS. Volume 5+ is just nonstop awesome and jawdropping drama. Every manga fan should read this.

I just finished reading Mars and i had to write a review. I am happy to say that this manga was far from what i expected. This story was intense, loving, and amazing. The depth this story had was incredible and i can't help but want to read it all over again.

Story: I gave the story a 10. This was by far the best manga i have ever read. The story had so much depth and heart that i finished it all in one day. This story caught me off guard. Not knowing how it was going to end, will they stay together? Will ... they break up? Will they get past their serious issues? These thoughts kept crossing my mind as i intensely read it from beginning to end.

Art: I gave the art a ten because i thought in it's own way it was beautiful. Just they way it fits with the characters and the story, it was one of the things i loved about this manga. That everything about it has more than what it seems. Sure the art isn't the best in the world but once you get in the story and fall in love with the characters it just seemed liked so much more. (That is just my opinion though)

Characters: i gave the characters a 10 because they were nothing what i expected. They were more, much more. In a typical romance shoujo manga it usually goes like this: A pretty, ordinary girl has two guys that are in love with her, one is a good guy and the other is a bad boy. The good guy seems to understand the girl from the outside but the bad boy understands who she is deep within." I thought that's how that characters were going to go. I thought the main character Kira was going to be a nice, calm ordinary girl that doesn't stand out to much and not have much more than that. But i was wrong. The author really gave the main characters a lot of issues, i don't really know how to explain it but the author also put so much more into the characters than any other manga i have read and for me it took my love for characters to another level.

Enjoyment: I gave the enjoyment a 10. Reading Mars was like i was on a roller coaster. I have never been so engrossed in a manga before, i mean their were times when i wanted to bust out in tears from joy and sorrow because i felt what the characters felt. At least for the parts i could relate to. This manga always kept me on the edge of my chair and i loved every second of it.

Overall: Overall i gave it a ten. This was by far the best manga i have read so far. I loved every bit, and every character. I highly recommend this manga. You will not be disappointed. I know i wasn't.

This manga's been in my "plan to read" list for so long, and after rereading one of my favorites manga for the 5th time i decided to change it up a bit and read Mars. It saddens me to say that i was truly disappointed.
Maybe i just had really high expectations for it, cause of all the amazing reviews, but at the end of the day it did not blew me away...
The story starts off very interesting, the quiet artist and the bad boy, but i started to lose interest by the 3rd volume. Yes, this story is darker than most shoujo mangas, but ... at some point, for me, it was overdramatic, and sometimes not even believable. While reading the 90 chapters i felt like the whole story could've been easily resumed to 30.

About the main characters:
- Kira: at the begging i thought kira would the surprise of the whole thing, she's a painter, she would have personality, but as i read she just turned out to be the typical shoujo leading lady. This also had one of things that really dislike in mangas of this genre: oportunities for her to be the victim and cry! Besides that, the fact that this was story about a painter and that by the end of it she only had 1 finished painting was a bit annoying.

- Rei: Rei was what saved this manga for me, i kept reading to find out more about him, and his past. He's a free soul and so passionate that sometimes i would envy him a little bit. Besides that he reminded me of my idol in the racing world, to be honest, it actually made me a bit emotional, when i realized how alike they were.

I guess i would've rated this manga higher if it wasnt a romance, if it was a drama story based on rei, i could've overlooked a lot of these things, but for a love story, by the end of it, i was still searching for the love...

A big disappointment. The first two volumes were gold, but then as I read on, it devolved. I thought volumes 8-9 were at its peak in terms of the drama. But onwards, it became even more unbelievable as it went on. Becoming a Kdrama essentially.

I read it, thinking this would be like Fruits Basket. But that's hardly the case. I was apprehensive about this being a soap opera.

It started off rather grounded in the first two volumes, but by then, it became something outta a Kdrama. Hugely disappointing. Disclaimer, the drama is highly triggering for those who are sensitive. It tries to be much ... deeper than it really is when really, this is the perfect kdrama plot.

Kira suddenly is cured of her trauma due to the power of love.

All their problems are solved because of a Kdrama plot, which is money solves everything.

From the premise, the mangaka had no idea how to introduce Rei's father, his family.
It did drag. In an unbelievable manner.

I can't say I enjoyed it. Sorry but Rei is still kind of a horrid ikkemen. I guess it's hot in the 90s, for the sexually aggressive tsundere types, but Rei kind of sucks. Like, the plot is set up so Kira has to become entirely dependent on Rei. He's honestly, dated for an Ikemen. Rei was like the Domyouji of the 90s - you know, doesn't understand what "consent" means...

Kira loses any ounce of her independence. But hey, money solves everything.

(Taken from my blog at http://ritsuinfigureland.wordpress.com)

Mars, by Souryou Fuyumi, ran from 1996 to 2000, which justifies it’s dated (yet astoundingly beautiful) drawing style.

Like I’m never tiring of saying, all my posts contain spoilers. You were warned.

Story: Aso Kira is a very shy teenager who rarely speaks to anyone and prefers keeping to herself doing what sets her free – drawing, which she is exceptionally good at. One day, while drawing at a park, she’s intercepted by Kashino Rei who asks her for directions. She draws him a map without saying a single word and walks away. She knows about Rei: he’s the best-looking guy at ... school and a rebel of sorts, passionate about motorcycles and not giving a damn about anything or anyone. Her total opposite, the one who could intimidate her the most. As for Rei, he never noticed Kira before but something about the way she gave him the map arose some curiosity in him – especially the image drawn on the back of the sheet: that of a mother holding a child. They meet at school the next day and Rei is quite persistent in talking to Kira. She slowly opens up to him and gathers up all of her courage to ask him to model for her. He accepts. And so these two complete opposites start getting closer and closer together, learning more about each other, caring for each other and realizing that sometimes what we need is someone different from us to complete what we’re lacking. The story follows the couple’s development as they learn about each other’s personal tragedies and how they choose to cope with them and with the world around them.

Kashino Rei: Rei is a twin. His brother, Kashino Sei, comitted suicide when they were attending junior high and Rei never stopped blaming himself for what happened. Little does he know about his twin’s true identity, which Kira slowly starts to comprehend. The reasons for Rei’s guilt are gently shown to the reader (and to Kira): either the fact that he took his brother’s girlfriend from him, the fact that he was always defending Sei from his bullies making Sei feel weak or, above all, the fact that he told Sei that their father wasn’t their real father. But the real truth is something completely different, something relating to Sei’s true self, which is a surprise to everyone. This is his personal tragedy. After his brother died he turned more of a rebel, leaving his father’s safe house to live alone in squalid conditions and dedicating himself to racing, his biggest passion, something he devotes himself to almost recklessly – that is, until he meets Kira. Kira tames the rebel in him, bringing him back to life and to life’s responsibilites. Making him want to feel responsible for someone for the first time after Sei’s death. Apart from all the guilt, Rei also has to deal with his feelings towards his ex-girlfriend, the one he took from Sei, who still has feelings for him and keeps stalking him wherever he goes. This plot occupies several chapters, with Rei trying to decide between past and present, real and fantasy.

Aso Kira: After Rei’s past is revealed and dealt with, Kira’s darkest secret comes to life. Rei had always found it very strange how she coiled away from him when he kissed her more passionately, or the way she always ran away from sex, despite telling him he loved him all the time and always being there for him. One day he decides to test if his theories are correct and indeed they are: Kira was raped as a child by her stepfather and this is what made her shut herself from the world all this time, pouring her soul on her drawings. Kira tells Rei that her stepfather doesn’t live with them anymore but the minute she says this he returns home, telling Kira’s mum that he’s all different now and promising economical stability to their family, which Kira’s mum gladly accepts. Rei feels infuriated by Kira’s passive attitude right after her mother chose stability over her daughter’s safety and even more so with Kira’s naïvety in believing that her stepfather really had changed. So he breaks up with her which is the worst thing he could do, but well, this is a dramatic manga so there had to be some sort of situation like this. Luckily the break-up is short and serves to show Rei how deeply he loves Kira and how he can’t go back to the one-night-stand way of life he led before. And all in good time, since Kira’s stepfather tries to abuse her again. She runs away from home, moves in with Rei, they finally have sex and Kira discovers a whole new way of life.

This is melodramatic manga at its best. In fact, I think Mars is everything NANA wanted to be but failed at. And I’m a hardcore NANA fan, so it must really mean something if I’m saying something like this. The difference is obvious: Mars knows where to stop the tragedy. Sure, that last episode was a bit too unecessary but since it all ended well and contributed to move the story even further it doesn’t make much damage. With NANA, Yazawa didn’t know where to stop. The tragedy kept coming, and coming, and coming, never stopping, and it has now come to a point where I truly believe she doesn’t know what to do anymore. I know she had her health issues, but she’s been working on song lyrics for a while now, leaving NANA completely behind. So yes, I really feel she does’t know what to do with the plot she created anymore, which is a shame. I might be wrong. I want to be wrong. But Mars completely wins over simply because of this. There’s nothing unecessary. Everything’s in its right amount. Drama, romance, tension, everything. And guess what, Yazawa? Everyone does live happily ever after.

I give this a 10/10. It’s undoubtedly a masterpiece I strongly recommend.

At first glance, Mars seems like your typical shoujo - shy girl somehow charms the Most Popular Boy At School - but don't be fooled. This manga's a soap opera through and through. If you're looking for standard shoujo - a bunch of highschoolers hanging out complete with the Valentine's Day arc, Christmas arc, White Day arc, "we're graduating" arc - you really won't get it here. This manga's a lot more serious than the usual lighthearted slice-of-life romcom.

The thing about this work is that it feels dated, and it's not just the art. Kira, the female protagonist, is the ingenue of ingenues; so demure ... and innocent she feels unreal, speaking and acting in the odd way people from old teen movies do. This isn't limited to her, though; Rei seems like he rolled out of a 80s movie, too. The most noteworthy thing about these characters is that, as well-fleshed out as they are, they never feel truly organic. But it's not as big a flaw as it seems.

Kira threw me off initially because she's inexplicably too detached, in a Hirunaka no Ryuusei sense. You don't really feel like she's a person who exists, and for a long time, you really don't understand why she is the way she is. But the manga corrects this in the most effective way, giving us a very valid explanation and it lets us see her change into something real. Even if it's a little delayed, that only makes the twist sweeter.

Kira's great development aside, Rei's the real star of the story. In the beginning, he seems to just be the refreshing type, and while he never stops being nice to Kira, as the story goes on, it becomes clear that he's more than that. Because it's the backbone of the manga, there's uncommon care put into his character and his backstory, and it's done mostly effectively and objectively well. Though I can't say I was super enthralled by him, I honestly feel like it's just a personal preference thing, and it's not like I disliked him. He's a well-done character.

The romance is something that finds its way into itself later. At first, it's kind of stilted and informed; suddenly, only a week or so after meeting him, Kira admits to herself that she's in love with Rei, and Rei is fascinated with her for seemingly no reason. Why they fell into each other so quickly is clear in hindsight, but you feel detached while you see it happening, kind of like "alright, I guess this is a thing now." But as their relationship progresses, you start to feel how much they care about each other, and it's pure and sweet love, the way they're constantly there for each other and open about their feelings.

Honestly, this manga isn't as good as people say it is, and it's definitely not realistic (in general, the relationship development is normal to good), but it's not bad, either. It's a soap opera, and while it's not handled quite as well as, say, Fruits Basket, it's a good soap opera. Even though there are going to be times where you go "holy shit, why is she doing that" or small arcs or plot points you just can't get with (you cannot pay me to care about motorcycle racing) and the story needed a bit more direction (the climax arc was clearly jammed in there and didn't stand up well to the rest of the series), when it's good, it's good. My mind was blown a couple of times, and the nuance in characters and backstories and inter-character relationships was, on the whole, really well done. As well as that, there's something to be said for Kira and Rei's character growth throughout the series.

So it's a soap opera; a good one, but take it at face value. While this probably won't become your all-time favorite romance, it's engaging and well done for what it is. Give it a try and keep in this mindset, and I bet you'll like it.

Okay, so actually I already knew the entire story before I even started reading because I've seen the Taiwanese drama remake of this... twice. Obviously I knew I would like it (and if you like this, then go watch the drama -- it's seriously the best thing ever!).
STORY: 10
Yes, it's a "masterpiece". That word is usually over-exaggerated when pertaining to shoujo, because it's so hard to find good shoujo manga and when it's even mildly good, you're inclined to think of it as a masterpiece even maybe when it's not. But I'm serious here, this story was wondrous. Basically, it's about two teenagers -- ... Kira and Rei -- who although come from different backgrounds, both have deep scars from their emotional pasts. They're drawn to each other, and together they begin a journey to try and survive and find happiness in this world.
I know it sounds like it's been done before, the whole "girl and boy with dark lives meet and everything is happy", but it hasn't. Not like this. The story is, as many people have called it, realistic. Yet it manages to tell an overdone plot line flawlessly, and freshly.
ART: 8
Maybe it's because this was produced over a decade ago, but the art seemed kind of out-dated. NOT TO SAY IT TOOK ANYTHING AWAY. It didn't. The art WAS well done, it just shows a different time period, I suppose. But generally most of it was very attractive, and I loved when it was scenery art because I think the illustrator was superb at doing scenery.
CHARACTER: 9
The character development here was outstanding. Like, I've never seen character development like this. You start reading the manga about completely different people than when you finish the manga. They change so much. I actually loved Kira and Rei. They both had so much depth, and it was easy to imagine them as real people -- people who could potentially actually exist outside of this manga. And the supporting cast, wow. They were all great, even the annoying, evil ones. I suppose it's a nine because somehow I feel that TOO many tears were spilled, but then again I can totally understand why because all these characters had a lot of problems, so really I can't judge.
ENJOYMENT: 10
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as I knew I would because, like I said, the live-action was great and to date is still one of my favorite dramas ever. It had a bit of everything. Romance, mystery, betrayal, lies, comedy, sadness -- just everything, and in the right amounts.
OVERALL: 10
I recommend this to everyone and everything. Seriously, I cannot commend this manga enough. There's really nothing more I could say to express how much I loved it.

I don't have the words to describe how amazing this manga was! Not only does it contain perfect artwork that shows that every page was important, it also has a fascinating story with characters that you will hate or love if intended by the author.

After completing the book, like me, you'll understand how overly simplified, or even warped the description is. Since I read this before I even had a MAL account, when I read they're description, I thought that I wasn't picking the correct manga! I mean, like other shoujo fangirls, I must've read dozens ... of cliche mangas that were about "A jerk pervert hot guy seducing a quiet, innocent girl where the girl does nothing but cry for no reason" (if you are a fangirl/guy just think about it if you disagree). Yes, if you have read this, you would know that she does cry a lot, but it's not like where you just wanna pop in the page and slap her, because, well maybe just for me, I can sympathize with her. She has legit stuff to cry about, not about "You were talking to that GIRL cashier about getting the receipt or not! You bastard!". Also, the guy is not a jerk pervert. He's actually a dream guy through out the whole thing. Although he was [super] violent, he still had so many compelling factors to over power the bad ones. I say that and yet... I wouldn't want to split them up if I had been a rival to either of them. The author really made me feel like they were in love. Not the cheesy kind either like "I just get jealous because I love you, don't talk to another girl again or I'll tie you to the end of a car and drive to Canada with you still on it. (btw this is a continuation of the first quoty thing)". Both of them get jealous of course, but as I said, not for stupid reasons. Anyway, I'll stop my babbling and give you an overview of the things I needed to rate.

Story: 10!
Fantastic. I'm a dork so, I stayed up all night reading this. Alluring, interesting, surprising, and heart beat acceleration. Whatever adjectives (or descriptive verbs I guess) you can say, this book has it! You should know that the story is not only very sad, but it's also really violent. But seeing that I, the girl who can't actually kill a fly because she's afraid it might... *ahem*... eat her (it could happen), got through it, I think that you can too.

Art: 11!
I say 11 because I won't settle for 10. Maybe it's just me, but through out the book I had romanticized how much the mangaka had put into some of the astonishing artwork! It was dreamy even if it was on a small page. Perhaps it because me abilities with art is, lets say... at a 5 year old level, so maybe I'm over exaggerating, but I don't think so. The only thing I should tell you is that if you can only appreciate 'cute' art, then don't bother looking at beautiful, proportionate people. Then please stop looking here.

Character: 10!
As I said earlier, the author had put the hate in the right place. And the characters that you should like, actually you begin to admire. Their love had withstood so much, and yet they're still together. If you don't understand, please start reading the book!

Enjoyment: 113%
It was a wonderful experience I want to get again. These kind of Mangas don't come out to often.

If you read my review and still have some questions, feel free to comment on my wall and I'll get to you as soon as possible! Or you could just comment if you liked it ^.^

Mars is definitely a series for the ages. It has everything that one could possibly ask for when looking for a great romance manga series, and then some. Whether you are a sucker for gorgeous art, tight-knit plot work, or beautiful characters with dark histories, you will definitely find yourself falling in love with this series before the end of the first volume.

My experience with Fuyumi Soryo began when I picked up her psychological sci-fi series Eternal Sabbath a few years ago. ES was one of the very first manga series that I had ever read and I thought it was amazing. I’m still rather ... inexperienced when it comes to manga, so when I was ready for a new obsession I decided to focus on the classics. Learning that Soryo was the author for this fan favourite, I just couldn’t help myself.

Mars literally has everything that is needed for a full-bodied romance manga. There is of course heart-warming romance with lush handfuls of racing, bullying, sociopaths, tragic and haunting pasts. We can’t forget murder and child abuse either. If this was any longer than its 15 volumes, I’d have to say that it was quite the decadent little soap opera of manga. But even with such a variety, Soryo manages to execute it all with luxurious fluidity. As everything unravels, you are never once left feeling that things are happening too quickly or too slowly. The pace is in perfect combination with the events that take place.

One of the things that normally bother me about high school lovey manga is how annoyingly immature they can come off at times, filled with whiny kids who complain about the dumbest things. Most of the time, I feel that those series can be rather patronizing or preachy. Even though Mars is about a couple of kids in high school, the lives and obstacles they are faced with are substantially more adult in nature than I was expecting it to be. I went into this filled with scepticism, but by the end of the second volume my doubt had been totally replaced with serious and passionate intrigue. The focus on all of the tough topics is rendered with an air of realism—the tension and suspense—and for me this was one of the characteristics that had me so freaking hooked.

As I said up above, I’m already familiar with Soryo so when I saw her art again I felt a nostalgic glee in my wee little heart. Even though I recognized her style, the utter elegance of it all just blew me away. She gets very detailed but with a delicate and gentle touch. Her clean panels are charming with their simple presentation. Soryo unravels some dark and disturbing elements in her series but it becomes all the more accessible with the diligence of her lovely artwork.

Mars is a superb romantic manga series. Fuyumi Soryo really outdoes herself. It’s beautiful in both story and style, and I recommend this to any fan of manga who is looking for a serious, suspenseful piece of literature. My rating for Mars is easily a full ten.

Okay, so, when I first started reading this manga, I was kind of expecting what I was used to: A predictable story line. But I like those, so I was okay with it. In the beginning, that is what it seems like, too. But I was so wrong.

This is one of the best shoujo mangas that I have ever read. Honestly, there were points in time where I had no idea why it was even being called a shoujo manga anymore. It managed to capture so many different genres, I am sure that there are a lot of people out there that will like ... it.

The character development was some of the best that I have ever seen, I have to say. And this story has so many unexpected plot twists! The depth of this story is unbelievable, too. It shocked me, but I am shocked very easily, so.... Anyway, this manga is most certainly very unpredictable. Not what I am used to, but I still loved it. No matter how extreme it became, it had enough romance in it, even though it was a very small undertone some of the time, to keep me, a shoujo-addict, interested.

The art wasn't that good, I have to say. I mean, I have seen worse, and it wasn't horrible, it just... Well, maybe it's just not what I was used to. But I did love the way the eyes were drawn.

The only reason I wouldn't give this a 10 is because there were a few parts in the story where I just didn't feel like turning the page. Some boring segments here and there. But those boring segments are very short-lived, so don't worry. And it's good to have a break from all the intensity this story holds.

So, all in all, if you are looking for the typical shoujo romance, this may not be for you. But if you are ready for some slice-of-life shoujo that will make you want to read the whole thing in one sitting, can be very intense, extreme, and emotional, and is about so much more than just love and relationship drama, then this is the manga for you. It was amazing, that's all I can say.

I dont know what to say about this manga except that it is AWESOME! I definitely give this manga a perfect 10. There so many surprises and twists to the story that I couldnt keep my mouth closed when reading it. Once i started reading i couldnt stop. It just so exciting and it kept my attention the whole time. This is an absolute master piece. The way the author showed all the hardships of life. The story is so realistic. must read!

Mars is sorta like a coming of age story, and it went far beyond my expectations—when I first read it. The characters have depth and actually kind of act like teenagers, (Even though some of the concepts are a bit outdated). But I still keep coming back to read it every now and again.

Story 10/10: The story is very good it has a story and sticks to it and add to it. And it becomes a bit more intriguing the farther you go down the rabbit hole.

Art 9/10: A bit "outdated" but unique in its own right.

Character 9/10: They felt real, and ... actually thought with common sense! (Not many mangas with the shoujo genre have that now and days)

Enjoyment 8/10: There was about one, that I didn't really enjoy, but she was only in one volume and not really mentioned after that.

Overall 10/10. I really did like this and I found it completely by accident and was intrigued by the synopsis. (I found it because of a video from Anime America) This is one manga that I will keep on going back to.

i loved this manga one of my fav manga's out there .The art was amazing fuymi soryo does an amazing job with the art style and story was also something to look forward to you completly enjoy yourself in the story and the characters to make you immersed in the story.One of the best shoujo mangas out there .It deals with certain issues that really exsist in the society like mental health,depresion,suicide ,domestic abuse . The romance is paced at a good rate
and the growth between their relationship as time progresses is also highlighted
perfectly .overall this is must read for people love romance manga

Mars is a must read. This manga is such a rollercoaster but it's also so good. Everything it's perfect and realistic, even if Mars is like 30 years old it never gets old and I'd never get tired of it. The characters are realistic and well written, the art is SO SO SO GOOD I just love it. It's one of my fav shoujo. This story is very very good and enjoyable, their love story is one of my deepest dreams. Also the characters are so stylish, i love their outfits. Overall Mars in my opinion is a 10/10, just read it <3

Maybe you would say, she didn't even finish it, why the hell she's writing this? and I would say you are absolutely write, but I thought 10 chapters is enough to make a review on this Manga, because it's simply magnificent.
Mars, the goddess on earth for both the characters and the readers. I read a lot of mangas that goes with the same story, the bad guy who fall in love with the sweet girl and bla bla bla. this is your first impression when you start this manga, BUT it's not that simple. no it's not an ordinary story and you are not used ... to this kind of characters. it's when you start questioning why the hell we don't have that kind of boys in real life, he is an angel with some devilish actions aggressive behaviors and killing attentions. yet you'll fall easily in the charm of my lovely Rei. at first he is that handsome guy, the girls go crazy for him, but he's after the only one who ignores him. it's really very weird relationship and target to achieve, he likes challenges, but for him it's worth it. the story is well done and a lot is going on so it never gets boring, but sometimes you could feel it lost for a minuet. Fuyumi Soryo is one of my favorite manga artists, her draws are beautiful and you'll feel comfortable watching it, she made handsome people like Rei.
After that the story gets the them of the painful love, where as a girl really enjoyed to feel the chemistry and the electricity between kira and rei. it was full-of-life, when they kiss, the look to each other and express the love, even in making love, Fuyumi Soryo did a great work on making her manga believable. it's almost real and touchable. everyone who'll read the manga is going to be fascinated by how much this is so alive. I felt the pain with Kira, and the sadness with Rei, I live it with and laughed with them.
The theme of the motorcycles and races is just amazing, and I think Fuyumi Soryo did an amazing job by adding all of these details, as she did with every manga she wrote.
If there's manga to be THE MANGA, this is it for the Shoujo lovers.

OMG OMG OMG.
So like I'm not good with words, and this is my first ever review on MAL, but I don't even care.
This is the best Shoujo manga I have ever read!!!
If you like romance read read read read this! OR ELSE! D:<
The main guy (Rei) is damn hot he is my ideal man soo freaking uhh I don't know fergalicious I'm in luuurve with him, he's a sex god! and the girl is really sweet! I can't help but love her, she can be such a crybaby at times but I don't mind because I love her!
Ummm yeah, if you like romance you'll ... definiitely love this underrated manga, I've read this manga more times than I brush my teeth in a week! (Omg and like I'm totally OCD with teeth brushing, so it's not like I brush my teeth once a day, I brush it like 3 times a day!).
Sooo Sooo Sooo great! Awesome romance, great characters, great story!
I hope I managed to convince you to read this suuuper fun freaking tastic manga!
If not then Boohoo! (T_T)
If I did then yayy! You're welcome, you're very welcome.

Just just just do yourself a favour and read this 'k???

I first picked up Volume 1 at my local library, but I was putting off reading it. The only reason I actually picked it up was because I thought the art was good. I read the first 15 pages and then... I just couldn't stop. Kira and Rei are so relatable. I read the whole series in about 4 or 5 days because I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen next. The art is amazing, I've fallen in love with it. Even though the story line isn't something I've never seen before, It just touched me. A love story about a bad boy ... with a love for bikes, and a shy girl with a love for art. But, the story goes so much deeper than just that. And thats why I love "Mars".

Do i even have to write a review? this is the best thing i have ever read in my entire life. If you dont read this is really dont see the point in existing.