Kiss/Hug

Mar 26, 2009

ishitagupta

Recommended

Preliminary (8/14 chp)

You know some of those stories which make you want to cut out the heroine and paste your own face on her body just to be able to live out the story even more vicariously than is already possible? This is that times 20! Kiss/Hug is exactly as the title suggests, all about x's and o's and the squeal inducing in between moments of two of the most unexpected yet refreshing shoujo characters you'll come to love...

Yukino lives a comfortable existence in a community where she has friends, the caring and handsome senpai, her mother and younger brother and her late father's flower shop where ... she loves to work. But she is also thoughtful and instinctively kind so when she encounters a foreigner who appears to be wandering, she offers him help and thus ends up in close proximity with Ryuu, who for some reasons possesses an MBA, but still wound up as an exchange student in her school!
Been there done that? Wait for it... Ryuu had no intention of being a womanizer when he first came here but can't quite get over Yukino's spontaneity and spunk and Yukino has never encountered such a forward but charismatic kissing fiend! What is she to do but restrain herself from falling for him and punching his lights out when he looks at her with those sidelong glances and catches her unawares with a peck?! But above all, why is okasan taking Ryuu's side in all of this?!

This is a shoujo romance, but thankfully I see no constantly-on-the-edge-of-tears heroine who is insecure or timid about her feelings. Yukino is a boon to shoujos everywhere with her confidence and feistiness, and these are the qualities which appeal to Ryu. Plenty of character development occurs from both sides and each chapter peels off another layer to their personality. None of the scenes make you cringe because of their lameness or trite dialogue, and the overall pace is geared towards making this a delicious read.

Art is different from what you've come to expect with the bishi, but is very pleasant with the pretty and delicate Yukino and the vivacious backgrounds. First off... Ryuu's facials... they come off a bit... formidable and scary sometimes, especially when he's impassioned, which is often. Granted, he's supposed to be intense, what with English genes, sky high ambitions and that blue eye, black hair rarity, but that face can look a bit harsh at times! So he's not the generic prince, but more of a whirlwind presence in Yukino's life who mixes everything up and challenges her to open up her world and experience all the rollercoaster emotions associated with being the object of his over the top affection!

Doki doki... Oh my god, every other page! And each one of these semi intimate moments are mini orgasms in themselves! Never has romance been so chaste yet so capable of making your hear race! None of it is the expected, "Yeh, now she's gonna trip and he'll spontaneously materialize to catch her and (finger quote) accidentally (/quote) kiss her", rather the mangaka works hard at creating genuine tender moments which take the reader by surprise and feel character generated rather than for the sake of the plot.

Enjoyment, let's see... HOT cast, amazing art style with very detailed character movements and absolutely adorable chibi moments, which despite their abundance, don't get on your nerves in the slightest or detract from the romance. Yukino's novel reactions to Ryuu's brazen advances are extremely entertaining! Well thought out supporting characters that all retain mystery about their motives and intentions throughout. You can never completely figure out what Ryuu is thinking behind those brilliant eyes of his, but rest assured it makes for good storytelling! Add to this, well written and humorous dialogue which is comedic and passionate in equal parts and a realistic plot with moving circumstances and you have a great shoujo read, one you won't regret investing your precious manga time in! This is one you're gonna pick up again and again!

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Dec 12, 2009

Splitter

Mixed Feelings

After going through a shounen glut, a trashy shoujo is exactly what I needed, and Kiss/Hug did not disappoint. Kiss/Hug does it by the book, complete with forceful sexual advances and the main girl turning her inner thoughts into bad poetry. It was everything I hoped it would be. What I didn't expect was that I'd appreciate it.

I'll be honest, I don't read manga a lot, and when I do, this is generally what I try to avoid. I was actually pretty tempted to drop it after the first chapter, but what really pulled me through was Yukino. It feels weird that I liked her, ... because I generally don't like girls led along by sexual harassment. Yukino is different though. She's her own person and she doesn't just allow Ryuu to take advantage of her. If she does, it's because she wants to allow him to take advantage of her. Even when he's on top of her, grabbing her wrists so she can't struggle, I never really felt like she was being abused. More that this is what she wanted, but she couldn't express it. I understand entirely how utterly creepy what I just said was but there really isn't a better way to put it, but as the manga progresses, you come to understand that's what it was, as Yukino's experience makes it easier for her to tell Ryuu what she wants of him and what she doesn't; something she was too shy to do at the start.

Ryuu, the second part of the main couple, is a jerk. I'm sorry, any fangirls this series may have but I just don't like him. I admire he loves Yukino enough that he won't bang her right off the bat... but in the end, that's exactly his goal; to bang her! He doesn't even try to hide it, private or public. To me, he's the stereotypically "perfect bishounen" in every way, and my god the lengths this manga goes to beat into me how perfect he is. The manga tries way too hard to make him perfect, but as the story progressed, I began to think that was the point. When he's alone with Yukino, free of his perfection, there's something human there; selfish, but human. And really, Yukino's just as selfish as he is, so its clear to see how they gravitate to one another constantly despite how they clash.

As a story of Yukino learning to love Ryuu, it works. I can't explain it but it does. It has just the right amount of sincerity to both characters that I can believe they have chemistry rather than Yukino having Stockholm syndrome. The whole business aspect was boring and distracting, I thought, and I didn't much care for some parts near the end such as the cultural festival that felt more like padding in an otherwise well-paced short love story.

So I don't really have too strong feelings one way or another for characters or story, but the art definitely needs some work. The early chapters looked rather spotty and I never really got used to Ryuu's character design. Hell, those lips made me think he was always wearing lipstick. It's just too brash a style to work for guys. On the contrary, I thought it worked pretty well for Yukino's character design, but because it's from Yukino's perspective, and the manga constantly wants me to look at Ryuu, it has to be in the lower end of the spectrum. Learn to draw guys' lips, Mitsuki Kako!

On the whole though, I kind of liked this. It may be that I don't read stuff like this much, but there was a genuine enjoyment to be had to seeing Yukino grow in her romance. Don't get me wrong, this is still trashy shoujo, but it's decent, bordering on good trashy shoujo.

Overall, I give Kiss/Hug a 6 out of 10.

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Dec 25, 2010

Lenora

Not Recommended

Preliminary (5/14 chp)

I dropped it after 5 chapters.
The story was, as far as I got, really bad. I rarely drop manga, because I dislike unfinished things, but I just couldn't take it anymore. Everything about it was very shoujo manga and unrealistic.

First of there was the art, which I gave a 3. I had very hard time getting used too it. The art was somehow very childish, after my opinion and it annoyed me alot! Usually, I don't think art is THAT importen in a manga, as all artists have their own style and I usually get used to it after a while, though this time ...

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Oct 21, 2010

ashewyn

Recommended

Reading the first few pages of this manga, I have to admit i thought the story was outrageous, how did a Ryuu randomly fall in love with a Yukino on first sight and declared to make her his instantly with barely any words exchanged!?
I wanted to drop the manga because of how cliche the romance sounded like( like the typical trip-and-accidentally-kiss-move) bit I'm glad I didn't :) Because this story shows how love blosoms a girl into something beautiful. We meet a clutsy ,resistant Yukino who doesn't know her way about love, and the end with help from her supporting mother becomes a different Yukino ...

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Aug 26, 2009

ZerosKnightmare

Recommended

This whole manga was outstanding. Girls all over the world will fall in love with the story, about a girl who meets a guy (a bit cliche, which is why I gave it a nine) and they fall in love. There is an odd sort of twist in there, which is why it was as high as it was. The art was decent, but I gave it a nine because the characters were drawn well, but unoriginal. For the actual characters all of them were original, unexpected. Except for the protagonist, who is in short a cliche incarnate, but I assume that's why people love ...

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Jul 9, 2010

LadyAkatsuki

Recommended

HAHHAH!!!!
i feel really uneasy at this manga at first.cause of the fast attraction of the characters i mean, yeah,..i know that Yukino was just recalling...i mean...Yukino gave in to Ryuu so easily!! WHAT IF RYUU JUST PLAY HIM! AND JUST MAKING FUN of HER??? ??? ...BUT I DID LOVE IT!!!!
HAH!!! i chose Kiss/Hug as a manga to read cause it suits my taste.. yesterday, i browse for Genred ROMANCE MANGA!! and i came to dodge KISS/HUG!!!!
What i like in a manga is Romance, and that's what Kiss/Hug gave me!!
-----SATISFACTION!! YAY!!!!

the story seems fine but a little unpleasing,,,...the scene's are okay, but isn't it weird ...

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Oct 4, 2010

cammoGAL

Recommended

Kiss/Hug is a manga that will not lose its 'oomph' no matter how many times you read it. The storyline and intensity of the characters make this a memorable manga that i whole heartedly enjoyed. The overall message of this manga is so powerful that it sparks emotions in the very last chapter. Look forward to it!

Story - 10

The storylien was really well planned and imagined. The author had so much creativity and enthusiasm that was channelled into this story. It has a unique plot line that I adore.

Art - 9

I'm usually picky with art. This manga i nearly did not read because i ...

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Nov 12, 2010

adayday24

Recommended

I'll say it now, Kiss/Hug is a pretty typical shoujo manga love story. Quiet girl meets mysterious foreign boy. She becomes curious of him. He becomes interested in her.
I think you know the rest.
But for some reason, I really do like this manga. I have read it at least five times and find myself having impulses to read it again.

Story: 7
Like I said in the beginning, this story is extremely predictable and cliche. I give the story a seven because even though I knew what was about to happen, the way the author did it still made me want to keep reading.
The story ...

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Dec 13, 2010

Desmina

Recommended

For starters; Yes, it's a typical 'Boy loves girl,boy wants to win over girl and girl falls for boy' manga. But it's a really good one. ^^

The story is, like I said, pretty common. Typical storyline for girls who enjoy cheesy love stories. However, there is more to the story than this. What struck me the most was the way I connected with Ryuu and Yukino. She actually puts up a fight when he tries to kiss her (I saw him with bandages on his body quite alot during the 14 chapters - you go Yukino!-) What I also liked is the -speaking in manga ...

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Jul 17, 2011

creasha

Recommended

This was very romantic the art was good too idk why it has a low rating i loved the girl she was really strong & confident i dislike shy girls that all they do is cry i loved this manga & i recommend it everyone read it you wont be disappointed i promise (^.^)

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Mar 5, 2020

NatsukiMutou

Recommended

I'm going to be brutally honest - at first, after reading about 8 chapters I wanted to give it a very low score. Good thing I didn't drop this manga,hahah.
What really stirred my interest for this manga was its rating. 7.90 isn't actually that bad for a shoujo. That's exactly why I was so outraged initially! Just thought Kiss/Hug didn't really deserve it.

This manga has a bunch of problems, the way Ryuu, the male lead, suddenly just falls in love with Yukino, our protagonist, being one of them. Alright, I get the idea of "love at first sight" but the whole thing ...

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