I first discovered Handsome na Kanojo by looking through the Skip Beat's recommendation page. I like the synopsis, the fact that the main character is an actress, the plot revolving around show biz and the kinda old art which made me quickly decide to read it. It was a good choice.
I give the Story and 8/10 because it is a typical showbiz story line. They have similar hurdles, and story arcs with only a select few twists to make it original. Even though it's kinda typical, I enjoyed reading Handsome na Kanojo just like I enjoyed reading Skip Beat, Glass Mask and any show-biz manga I've read. You can't help but enjoy reading the same thing. After all, you read the same thing because you enjoyed it in the first place.
Next, I give the Art a 9/10. I'm a fan for old-art, 'nuff said. Although this art isn't kinda old (unlike Glass Mask, Kanata Kara and Red River) but it gives that old art vibe especially with the story's time setting being in the late 1900s I think. But aside from that, the art is pretty good in displaying the emotions and the hidden thoughts the character have. Also, being a show-biz manga with acting as the main focus, you need to portray the facial emotions and expressions that an actor has properly and the art in Handsome na Kanojo did just that and probably better. When Ichiya said that Mio was his perfect Handsome Woman, I very much agree because the art that drew Mio and portrayed her facial expressions, body language and while she acted in Ichiya's first debut movie gave that vibe of a handsome woman indeed.
Thirdly, for the Character in Handsome na Kanojo, I'm giving it a 10/10. The only reason was because all the characters had real character development. The reasons why they did what they did was made clear and I thought it was reasonable. It was so good that when the manga ended, I had no ill feelings nor hatred towards any of the characters in the manga. In addition to that, nearly 3/4 of the characters got paired so I'm happy XD!
Nearing to the end, I give the enjoyment 9/10 and I truly enjoyed it. With that small exception of getting really annoyed and pissed by Ichiya's reluctant decision to go through with a relationship at the beginning and Arthur and Keith's persistent nature (I have a problem with stubborn people. It's good but not too much, please). But all ended well so I got over it quickly. Along with the side stories and Omake, it was quite an enjoyable series. I mean the side-stories, besides being one-shot, were pretty enjoyable. The comical side of the series were also good!
Overall, I give it a 9/10 because it was good in many place but it does have some flaws at times but you can't deny a manga being good because of those flaws. Just give the first chapter a try and judge whether you want to continue from there or not. And I just realized that the mangaka who wrote this was the same as Marmalade Boy... Well, I'm planning to read that next since I hear that Ichiya and Mio will be mentioned in it or maybe appear in the series! ;)
