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I loved Suzuka but I cannot enjoy Kimi no Iru Machi at all despite that both seem to have the same common complaints by readers.

The author seems to enjoy crafting thoroughly unlikeable heroines and gutless main characters who act in ways that no decent human being could sympatize with. Such is the case with Haruto and Eba, the main "couple" of this manga.

To make a long story short, Eba is basically responsible for Haruto losing his chance with his first love, and then as he falls for her, he grows obsessive to the point that even after she vanishes, he tries to track her down - only to find that she had a boyfriend already the entire time. Needless to say, after a certain event, the two break it off, and then finally when things start looking up - Haruto grows up a bit, goes to college, and starts dating a much better girl than Eba, Eba returns yet again and now it has become obvious that the author cannot shake the dreadful "first girl wins" trope and despite how rotten Eba is, Haruto likely will do stupid things to be with her again.

I am a big fan of romance stories. Maison Ikkoku was the manga that got me into manga as a young teen. Many of my all time favorites are romances of either shoujo or shounen persuasion, with series such as Hana Yori Dango and even Suzuka topping my list.

These stories were successful because we actually rooted and sympatized with the main couple. Seo has written Kimi no Iru Machi in a way that unless you're just a zombie, you cannot possibly see anything redeeming in the main couple. And not to mention the ridiculousness of a guy who is now already in a new relationship, dumping her just because the main girl came back into the scene. Seriously, what kind of crap is that? Would you support that sort of garbage in real life?

I have never hated a manga as much as I have hated Kimi no Iru Machi. read more

Just finished reading all of Haru yo Koi. I remember first hearing about this manga back when only the first few chapters were scanslated, and fast forward a few years, I finally have the chance to read the whole thing, and I must say, Saki Kaori, though known more for his pornographic comics, really knows how to tell a heartful story.

Haru yo Koi, despite the initial premise, is really about the main character Sone and his various relationships. We see his first real girlfriend, and then his side girlfriend, and we see the end of those relationships. Fast forward and we see another two girls that Sone will eventually fall in love with and get his heart broken by (or break their hearts). Everything is done in a matter that feels just so real, all of the emotions are those that would surely be experienced by most people at some point in their lives. And that drama is what makes Haru yo Koi so readable. Yes, there's a lot of explicit sex in the story, but it's nothing pornographic and it is a manga for adults after all.

In the end, Sone finally does find a keeper, and though it's not very surprising as to who it is, all I can say is that it works really well and feels quite cathartic. Fans of realistic depictions of romance (not idealistic versions that you find in shoujo comics) will definately enjoy this work.
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I've read a lot of Mitsuru Adachi's works and Katsu! is among my favorites. Like most of his newer works, Adachi sets out to establish the main relationship from the start, and builds up this relationship throughout the series - it's even touching to know that both characters had feelings for each other before they became friends. Lots of Adachi's trademark humor, self-insertions, and a good tie-in to the sport gimmick (in this case, boxing). In addition, the antagonists/rivals are actually pretty decent guys, you don't root for them, but you don't hate them either - you want them to be successful in their lives as long as they don't steal the girl away from the boy.

Unfortunately, which is typical with Adachi, the ending is abrupt and leaves a lot of things hanging (particularly with side characters). But that doesn't spoil the overall work. read more

Recently read this. I am a fan of Mitsuru Adachi's works, and I enjoyed Miyuki despite its age. Unfortunately the last volume completely threw me off with its resorting to romance comedy conventions by making the main characters' relationship unrealistically evolve. Needless to say, I was NOT rooting for the main couple in this manga, and was heavily disappointed by the resolution.