Girlfriend

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Ok , I'm not really a manga reader, but here's my 2 cents about this one:

No central story (therefore the low grade), but keep in mind that this particular manga doesn't need one: It's all about the ups and downs of a bunch of (mostly) high-school relationships.The characters are explored in sufficient depth, provided their stories are usually very short.I found the couples very interesting, for each had its unique share of problems.I admit that many of the situations aren't terribly realistic, but it didn't bother me personally.
Many of the other reviews I've read complain about the fact that there is too much sex ... going on in the manga and that many of the girls act slutty, cheat , etc.While clearly there are some exaggerations, I find that overall the manga does a good job at depicting the psychology of the average teenagers throughout their first steps in the world of interpersonal relationships: sometimes too eager, sometimes too shy, excessively horny and psychologically unstable, girls can't figure out their emotions, guys can't figure out the girls, etc, etc.Everyone who's had at least one turbulent relationship in their youth is bound to get this good ol' "been there , done that" feeling at least a couple of times while reading this.
Bottom line, it's certainly not a manga everyone will enjoy, so make sure to give it a try and find out if it's your cup of tea

This is definitely NOT for everyone.
This is absolutely NOT for those who have a strong sense of moral/ethical values.
If you are willing to question what 'ethical' actually means - what is considered right, what is considered wrong - and especially, what are YOUR reasons for it - then you should definitely take this short but equally vast and variegated manga up.

It deals with the taboo, it deals with headstrong and underconfident characters, it questions love, sex, the body, the woman, the man - it pinches your conscience, twists it, emotionally disturbs you and puts a question bang in your face - What ... do these things mean to YOU?


Overall: 9/10

There are two ways this manga can be read:
1) Like an ecchi. And you get what you want with a bit of spicy stories around.
2) Taking it seriously and understanding those characters.

I never expected this manga to be so mature, to be so realistic, to actually be able to have SO MANY different characters all looking quite different, each having their own quirks, their own problems, their own defence mechanisms and their own set of values.

Initially I thought I'd be embarassed to read this and show it on my list, but now I demand, what is there to be shameful about this? Just because it has a lot of sex? I'll tell you, it gets boring to see body after body and no foreplay at all! Hahaha! But it is precisely this feeling that the characters talk about and the mangaka wonderfully makes you feel as bored of sex as they do. Because sex is only fun and healthy if there's an emotional connect. Otherwise, what's the point? It's just irritating.


Sroty: 10/10

All the stories show relationships after the 'I like you' part, well, not always but in a generic sense. It starts off with the premise... 'I like you (maybe)' - 'Okay... now what.'

What do you actually do in relationships? What ARE relationships? What are you looking for in relationships? Is it always sex? Is that the beginning and the end? And one more thing - if you were in their shoes, what would you have done? No, not what you think you would have done, but what would you have actually done?

That, you can never say. And that is what defines you, your values, your choices and whether you like it or not, that's who you are and you gotta accept it. The moment we tangle ourselves into other people's lives, everything becomes complicated. Just because humans are the more evolved species who make societies and set rules to its functionality. But when the functionality that you seek is not in tune with the larger 'demanded' ethical values, how do you deal with it?

All the stories here start with or lead to a problem - and find a means to resolve it, whether it is right or wrong. The body is fickle. The heart is fickle. Is the mind also fickle? You see excerpts of different psychologies, confused decisions, teenagers just discovering themselves, their personalities, their bodies, and coming to terms with what relationships mean. And nothing can be concrete because it never is. It is curiosity - and whether it kills the cat or helps it have an epiphany, it is definitely an experience you've gained.

I like the fact that some of the stories are actual one-shots while others continue over the volumes. It gives you different perspectives, different states of mind.


Character: 10/10

One thing I love about this, is that the mangaka, Masaya Hokazono, discards the idea of the girl as the feeble, cute, fuwa fuwa lolita. And thank god for that. The girls here are not the popular tropes, everyone's hidden side is revealed, their vulnerabilities, their overconfidence, their utter confusion, their selfishness. And the guys are not the knight in shining armour guys either - they are hurt, they are cowardly, they wonder about their own choices, they want to be loved emotionally. You may end up hating the characters, but I saw more human characters in this manga than any other I've read and that's why I love them so much. There is a strong sense of the statement 'Fuck Perfection - it doesn't exist'.

The characters are always curious - the 'what if...' hangs at the tip of their tongues. They are teenagers, young adults, both mature and immature, testing the waters, exploring, gaining insight, understanding bit by bit and thus, seeking something - solace, refuge, affirmation - a way of functioning in their own lives.

I feel Hokazono has definitely been in some of these situations. You wouldn't know to write of it otherwise. He has captured the psychology, the complex mental mechanics so very well, that even if the stories are short, you get a glimpse of that complexity.

Much of the stories deal with the idea of cheating. And Hokazono's not out there telling you if it's right or wrong. You hardly have dialogues that are preachy. He is not here to preach but to display what is as is. Even if your heart says one thing, your body reacts differently. And it can be the other way round. Which space you find comfort in, and how you go about using that comfort in order to deal with other things, whether it's escapism, fantasy or plain selfishness, is really upto you.

I find it fascinating that the characters come to life and are not mediated by the author. At no point do I feel that Hokazono is forcing characters into the direction he wants - instead, it's liberating as the characters decide how to deal with themselves, whether they know they'll regret it or not.

Some of the characters develop, while some are there just to show that such a situation exists, and yes, it can happen. It's true that it falls flat when the character just goes 'let's do it'. You wonder how easy they are with their bodies to fling it around. But in a society that has no conservative restrictions and peer-pressure is galore, modern Japan is something to wonder about. I come from a conservative family so it was a bit hard to digest some of the scenes, but I realise that generations younger to me are perhaps all the more liberal, maybe naive or just wanting to fit in. At times I wonder if teens would really act this way, but as I gather more stories from my friends, I realise all the more how varied lives and lifestyles can be.


Art: 10/10 ; Enjoyment: 7/10

I club Art and Enjoyment together because there is strategy used here. The artwork as such is fantastic, wonderful skill with lines, detailed backgrounds, wide variety of angles, very differentiated character designs (although, initially the girls would all seem to have rounded faces and broad jaws). The backgrounds could have been better, it does get better later on. But while the characters break ground, their designs are still popular - thin, sexy, handsome, cute. Come on, where are the fat people, the freckled etc? Well, they wanted the manga to sell so they catered to the popular demand. I wish at least one story would have had an unpopular, unexpected couple. The spectacled characters are cute too.

When it comes to the sex scenes.. Bettencourt (the artist) in combination with Hokazono's stories makes you question your own excitement of seeing nude bodies. If the excitement is only about the revelation of the body by stripping clothes to see how they actually look underneath, then the mangaka easily dishes out to your fantasy and strips body after body after body to please your eyes and you can masturbate to your hearts content - but that just means you've lost the point and you're looking at this work pornographically. You're losing the essence, the whole implication. The body is just the body, what is there to be aroused by it? It is the person inside who arouses you.


Wow, I can't believe I wrote that much. But that's what I feel. This manga makes you think and think hard. I definitely feel that some places, a few more frames would've been better to emotionally connect with those characters and their thoughts, even if it seems the mangaka was aiming for something. There is a deliberate attempt here at subversion. As much seinen it is, it is also josei.
I definitely recommend reading this through.