It's so good and, at the same time, so bad.
What makes it so bad? Well, let's go straight to the point─the story got too good too early. Yes, what makes it good is also what makes it bad (there's some Yin-Yang shit for ya).
Kimi no Iru Machi (or A Town Where You Live) is good drama. No denying. But the part where the writing was at it's prime happened too early in the story so I understand that to follow up an act like that is difficult. But Seo Kouji had the option of ending the series right there instead of prolonging this shit. So what happens is the experience, the praise, and the respect that you have with this manga are now replaced with meaningless fillers and fan services. If you're okay with that, then fine. That's your business. But that's not okay with me.
I was close to dropping this manga because the story got too boring in some parts.
I mean, sure, yeah, there are some arcs after "that particular arc" that talks about the ACTUAL STORY but when you realize that this happened after "that arc", it'll just feel inferior and that's a damn shame.
I'm sure right now you feel I'm over hyping you about this '"arc" and how it is superior among other arcs. I'm sorry. Results may vary.
(Edited: For those of you who are wondering, I'm talking about the "Tokyo Arc" here; the one the anime was focused on. And of course, the "better" part is everything before Volume 16.)
But let's talk about the good stuff now. KNIM is packed with a lot of plot twists. Some mild and some heavy which will leave you in the edge of your seats. I also like the amount of realism this manga has. It's one of the few things the didn't waver even after the series went downhill.
And the art. MAN, the art.
The amount of details in the eyes of these characters (especially the girls) is insane. Even to the point that it's..... creepy. I don't know if that's a standard to Shoujo mangas (even though it's not a Shoujo manga). I don't read them.
And the BGs are aces. Kudos to you, Seo-san.
It's kinda sad how this manga could have been better of what it is right now had it not been stretched out. But even though that it's been through shit, I still acknowledge this as one of the best that I've read. The emotional roller coaster this series has makes it seem worth it even though at times, you wish you were reading another manga. But regardless, I do recommend you checking this one out.
