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Oct 5, 2019
I've been into webtoons lately, and I think this is my very first one to complete from start to finish. This is also one of my first romance comic involving vampires. I am typically not a big fan of the whole vampire thing, but this one was quite a pleasant surprise in how they utilize the vampire drama.
Let's start with the first category: story (8/10)
The story focuses on the ice princess, Mari Baek. She is a beautiful, lonely girl who transferred into a different high school. Because vampires aren't accepted into the human society, she isolated herself from her classmates in order to
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avoid heartbreak and betrayal. But her life changes when she runs into the school's hottie, Jaemin.
This entire story is really about Mari struggling with love, friendship, and most of all, self-love and acceptance. The author did a fantastic job in building up the tension between humans and vampires, which complicates Mari and her relationship with the male lead, her classmates, and her new friends. The plot does go a bit off tangent at times because of the drama and romance, but the story follows Mari's conflict with her own identity and desire to be with the ones she loves.
Art (10/10): There's no doubt that the art is amazing and gorgeous. It's like a colored manga panel each page. I can't get over it.
Characters (7/10) : Mari is a breath of fresh air when in comes to female protagonists in romance genres. She's not the typical whiny, over dramatic, naive, or timid protagonist. She is certainly not a pushover either, which really helped my sanity. Even though Mari is usually calm, stoic, and cold, she has hilarious moments so it makes her somewhat balanced and quite enjoyable. There are times I can see where some may find her actions frustrating, but that highlights her biggest flaws that dictates the plot: her cowardice and insecurity. She kept her mask for years to avoid rejection and betrayal, causing her to become stone cold and pushing away those who want to be with her. This character flaw becomes apparent throughout, and the author executed Mari's conflict well until the very end. She's one of the dynamic main protagonists I've seen yet.
The main male lead was good for the most part. Jaemin's behavior during the times he tried to court Mari was dislikable (you'll see). He's quite rude to females (except for Mari), very persistent, and somewhat cocky. But don't worry, he has a reason for his off putting personality, and that also helped his characterization. It's better to have a character with flaws than a perfect prince charming (well, in my opinion of course).
So if I found the main leads well-written, how come I rated the character category low? Let's start with my criticism in this section.
Although I appreciated Mari's realistic flaws and personality, I felt sometimes her character was inconsistent in some parts. I won't pinpoint the exact moments where I felt as if she changed a bit too drastically, but those moments didn't sit well with me.
Now I have a few complaints for the secondary characters. Just a few. First, I feel like we haven't gotten much closure for them, especially the male love rival, Si Hoo (a character I was really interested in). Si Hoo wasn't utilized as well as he could have, despite all the amazing moments he had and how much he did for Mari. Honestly, I found him way more interesting than any other character in the series. Yet, we don't get to see his ending, whether it was a happy ending or not.
Mari's friends Suri and Woomi had good roles, and there isn't anything wrong with them. They had some mistakes, drama, and own backstories (Suri specifically), which blended well with Mari's development. I just wished Suri wasn't written out in the final act (slight spoilers but not really).
Now, there are two female love rivals or I could even say the antagonists of the series that I shall not name cause of spoilers. One was written really well. She had a full character transformation from the most cliche love rival one could ever be to a better, developed character. I have a few problems with her, but I won't address them now. The biggest I problem I had was with the other female love rival. We don't get any closure from this one at all, even though she may as well be the final villain of the story. It's as almost as if she had been forgotten, which by the way she shouldn't be cause of what she did. Also, she did a full 360 in her character; I'm not sure if that was a good move or not. It's a hit or miss.
Overall and enjoyment (8/10). Overall, this was a good work. This series can get very emotional and touching at times, so prepare to tear up (i certainly did). The author didn't just deliver us romance. In the midst of this drama, there were messages of self-love, discrimination, forgiveness, and acceptance. It is a wholesome webtoon, and for those who are looking for a romance filled with drama and a touch of the supernatural, this is the story for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 10, 2018
I am shocked that this adorable manga has not received a single review yet! I am fairly sure that this manga is quite popular, yet I haven't seen much hype or reviews so I shall start one now.
Plot (8/10): This manga is almost a replica of Kimi Ni Todoke, story wise. This manga is about a girl name Uka Ishimori who is constantly misunderstood and bullied for her odd behavior of freezing at a presence of someone else. Uka desperately wants to change herself and dreams of having longtime friends. She believed that what she was striving for was an impossible dream, until she
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met the main male lead, Kai Miura. Yes, this is a story of the typical shy girl receiving help from the popular, standing out dude just like Kimi Ni Todoke. If you really liked Kimi ni Todoke setting and storyline, then look no further. Honey Lemon Soda not only focuses on the romance between the shy girl and the popular guy, but this manga showcases Uka's growth and willpower to overcome bullying, weaknesses, and tough goals.
Art (9/10): The art is gorgeous. Whenever Uka or Kai smiles, it's just so pleasing to look at.
Characters (9/10): At first, I was worried about Uka in the beginning of the manga. She is the typical, shy, good-natured, and sensitive shoujo lead. But boy was I glad that this manga proved me wrong. Although she does get saved by Kai plenty of times in the manga, she knows how to defend herself and have a strong mentality. Seriously, I get easily impatient with shoujo leads lately and their constant whining/crying/misunderstanding. But Uka is a composed, reasonable, and selfless character that made this series much more enjoyable. Of course, she doesn't start out this way, and reading her grow into such a strong character is a refreshing feeling. And when she does do typical cliches habits such as running away in embarrassment, she improves flaws and ceases these actions. As for my final thoughts on Uka... she just deserves everything cause she's such a pure, strong girl.
The main male lead is also quite different. He definitely has a soft side, but he's no good guy like Kazehaya from Kimi ni Todoke. It's kind of hard to describe his character because he's a mystery to all the other characters and the readers. However, he is a strong support for Uka, and not only does he develop Uka's character, but Uka also helps him grow. And yes, he is dreadfully handsome and many girls fawn over him.
I would have given the character rating a 10 if this manga didn't mess up on one thing: the side characters. I was pretty excited to learn about Uka and Kai's friend group, but they were pretty much ignored for a good chunk of time. I don't even remember their names (sadly) but I am interested in their characters.
Another positive aspect of the characters is the love rival role. The main love rival was actually incredibly likable and sweet. Usually in other shoujo mangas, the love rival has ulterior motives, is manipulative, and sometimes just plain annoying. However, I really appreciated the change and how the love rival didn't cause too much drama or cause tension. A bit of spoiler, but to have a good taste of the love rival, Serina dumped water on her friends when they started to bad mouth Uka in front of everyone. Serina had no ulterior motives to look "good" in front of Kai or because she wanted to have a good reputation, but she really was pissed that her friends would straight out bully her classmate.
Enjoyment (10/10) : I think I may have ranted a bit too much of the character category, but really, this was an enjoyable manga. Although this may be similar to Kimi -ni Todoke, I personally enjoyed Honey Lemon Soda more. This series may not be as fluffy, but the characterization, development, and lack of drama are there. While the romance doesn't immediately happen (you have to be a patient person haha), there are many adorable moments in this manga that can make for it. It's sometimes funny to read because whenever there is a potential cliche moment that makes you cringe, Uka disproves the readers by taking a REASONABLE action that prevents the infuriating drama that it could have caused.
Anyway, this is a sweet manga that you should definitely read. The manga offers a slow-paced romance, inspiring characters, and a lesson to never give up as well as finding an everlasting bond between friends.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 1, 2018
This manga seriously reminds me of Last Game. The male lead is almost a clone of Yanagi, and behaves very much like him. He's handsome, athletic, popular, smart, and everything you can be to meet the requirements of a shoujo male lead. And just like Yanagi, he is a bit of a tsundere and a girl magnet.
The main female, however, is quite different though than the Last Game female protagonist, Mikoto. This female lead is not so emotionless or quiet, but actually quite clumsy, popular, and hilarious. She has this "disease" where she can't help but act like a gentleman towards people. This flusters
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females and males (especially the main lead) which is always amusing to read.
The plot is what allured me to read this manga. It is interesting to see the female lead dominating the popular, good-looking, just flat out perfect shoujo guy instead having the roles other way around. But that's basically the synopsis of this story: the story of a prince-like female and the typical shoujo male falling for the female lead.
I have high hopes for this manga, and I cannot wait for the next update. If you really liked Last Game's character Yanagi and having reversed roles in shoujo, definitely check this out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 23, 2018
I just binge read 43 chapters of this manga, and let me just say, this is surprisingly a comical, cute series. The plot is just your average shoujo manga. A popular, beautiful student having an unexpected crush on a quiet nobody. What's different though is that instead of the typical handsome, rich boy, the story revolves around a popular, good-looking girl liking the normal-looking guy.
The main girl Erika is what drives this story. She is known and labeled as the most popular girl in her school due to her gorgeous looks. She has some characteristics of a tsundere, and this becomes quite notable at
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the beginning when she denies her feelings for the main male lead, Kuzumi. Even though I get annoyed at tsundere characters, it was quite funny seeing her deny her feelings for Kuzumi, yet blabs about how she constantly stalks him and finds his smiles cute XD. She really is an honest and clumsy girl, but that makes her character enjoyable.
When I mentioned earlier on how Erika drives the story, I literally meant she drives the romance. The main male lead is as boring as everyone in the class and Erika herself describes him. He barely speaks in the manga (I believe he only spoke three sentences), he has no face expressions, and he hardly reacts to anything. But do not get turned off by this, because his obliviousness and apathy only makes the manga funnier. I wouldn't say that Kuzumi is shy; it seems like he doesn't like to talk or have the desire to be social. It's not like he doesn't have friends, however. He has no judgements to anyone, hence why his best friend is the school's "bully" Haruna (a very lovable side character). I haven't seen his background story nor his thoughts/feelings, but so far, I really do like his character. He is not the ordinary character with some unbelievable talent (ex. Karasuma from School Rumble, Kawasumi from Hibi Chou Chou) but actually is a weak, lame, and short guy he appears. And I do not know why, but the fact that he is shorter than Erika is the one of the best things I've seen lolll.
The side characters are also worth mentioning, since they do impact the story in one way or another. I usually do not care for the side characters (and sometimes their screen time annoys me), but these side characters are often exciting to see. I especially liked the love rivals of this manga, for they are not the typical jerks or manipulators that commit atrocious acts just for their crushes. Honestly, these love rivals were the most realistic people I ever read.
Anyway, the actual romance is a bit lack luster compared to other romance manga. Erika's hilarious illusions and inner thoughts though make up for the lack of romance, but the romance is still there. You have to be a patient reader for some progress, but every chapter does have its fluff and comedy. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking for any kind of romance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 23, 2018
It is a shame that I am unable to finish this series. It is difficult to find a completed version of this manga or in any of the book stores I went to However, I read up to chapter 20, and I enjoyed this more than I thought. Without spoiling too much, the first impression may throw you off, especially the characters and the obvious romance between the short girl (Kouran) and the handsome man (Shiki). This novel is surprisingly pure, so I immediately was hooked once I read past the third chapter. Besides the fluffiness, the main characters are easy to like. Kouran is
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a fierce, determined, and realistic girl who doesn't beat around the bush. She is quite honest, and does not hesitate to carry out a deed to help her loved ones. She may act as the damsel in distress here and there, but she mostly acts like a hero to her main love interest, friends, family, and other people. The main male protagonist, Shiki, is interesting as well. He is quite mysterious, and we as readers learn his feelings and thoughts later in the chapters. From chapter 1-19, we were only told from Kouran's perspective, so it was hard to judge Shiki. Even from Kourna's viewpoint, I still liked his oblivious, gentle, and naive personality. The thing with Shiki is that he is utterly flawless. Handsome, rich, gentle, pure, mysterious... he is the definition of anyone's ideal type. Well of course he has to be since this is a shoujo manga, but that basically sums up Shiki's character as far as I read.
Anyway, there is no defining plot in this manga other than the relationship between Kouran and Shiki, but there are definitely major obstacles in the way of this relationship. Shiki is in a tough position, and Kouran is striving to become someone of good use to him, her family, and country.
I forgot to mention but the art is gorgeous. The author nails every Chinese traditional clothes and make up. The author also does a fabulous job of drawing Shiki so handsome and the other male characters look plain XD
If you are looking for romance between commoner and royalty, I hightly suggest Mikado no Shihou. The romance is definitely pure and passionate.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 20, 2018
I do not know why, but I have this guilty pleasure of reading forbidden romances. Forbidden romance between family intrigues me (as long as they are not blood-related that is). That is one of the reasons why I picked up on Marmalade Boy.
Marmalade Boy has exceptional art for an old manga. In fact, it had quite a few beautiful panels.
The plot is quite typical for a forbidden romance manga, but it has a different turn. Instead of a regular step sibling, the two MCs families are living together under a same roof (and we can't forget the fact that their parents swapped spouses).
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The story had a good pace at the beginning where our female protagonist Miki couldn't accept her situation right away and had hard time settling in. Along the way, our main male protoganist Yuu is a bit mysterious who doesn't to express his feelings as much as Miki. Already, I liked the contrast and dynamic between the two characters, and it was a realistic, cute development between the two main characters. The love rivals in this manga also had good roles that successfully developed the relationship between Miki and Yuu, and I did enjoy their individual traits, especially Arimi.
Now here is where I start to be critical. While I really enjoyed the first half of the manga, I didn't enjoy the climax and falling action. I don't want to spoil, but I have to say that the drama was a bit far-fetched and could have been easily solved. The conflict/misunderstanding stretched too far to the point where I was almost laughing at how ridiculous they characters were behaving. I didn't even understand how the MCs reached to their "conclusion" and why they acted in such ways. Maybe I am bit too critical, but that is the only memory I have of this manga, which I finished only two weeks ago.
Overall, I did quite enjoy this manga. I just had several problems at the second half of the manga. The family situation was ridiculous but unique, and the forbidden romance was exciting to read. If you don't mind miscommunication and dramatic misunderstandings, then I would recommend Marmalade Boy. The love between Yuu and Miki is definitely strong no doubt, and their struggles were difficult to overcome... I guess.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 20, 2018
If you in a mood of reading a shoujo manga, this is the manga you should be reading. It has similar tropes as many other popular manga such as Kaichou wa Maid Sama, Horimiya, and Last Game, but there are several aspects the author implemented that made this manga a bit more enjoyable.
First off, this manga avoids any unnecessary melodrama. Even though the ReRe Hello's plot is almost the same as other romance manga (a rich, young male and a poor, hard-working female falling in love), the story didn't focus on the difficulties of their backgrounds. The manga tends to stay light-hearted and focuses
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on growing love between the two MCs.
The characters too were quite different than the usual shoujo characters. The female MC is funny, inspiring, and over-all realistic. She isn't the typical quite, shy girl nor the headstrong, tough girl. Ririko is more composed and levelheaded in many unknown situations that comes in her way. It was a breath of fresh air reading her character after experiencing countless of other shoujo female protagonists. If you are annoyed of the "tsundere" trope or the shy protagonist, I can almost guarantee that you would enjoy Ririko in ReRe Hello.
Now onto the main guy, Minato Suoh. He too isn't exaggerated personality wise. Of course we must have a over-attractive character in a romance manga, and he takes the cake. Minato is indeed the rich, handsome boy who lives alone in an apartment. We are first given the impression that Minato is gentle, but we later discover his true colors. Minato isn't a sadistic jerk, not at all. But he isn't the Prince Charming as he appears to be, and that isn't a flaw. What I appreciate of Minato is that he doesn't play around or gets overly jealous. He is also composed, and he deals with problems without making a big scene or drama.
The artwork is also one of the many reasons I picked up this manga. There are some panels I questioned, but overall, it's nothing to worry about haha.
Even though drama makes a romance manga exciting, the author made sure to have some conflicts to keep it interesting. The obstacles as well as the lightheartedness kept me interested all the way, but ReRe Hello may have utilized the "love rival" a bit too much for my taste.
Overall, I would recommend ReRe Hello to anyone wanting a good romance manga. If you are itching for drama however, I wouldn't read this. But if you want refreshing romance story, then definitely check this out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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