Ichirei shite, Kiss

Oh boy, that was one hell of manga. One of the most sensual mangas I've ever seen. Who would have thought that archery can be so erotic. Mikami's love is a little on the extreme side - he is emotional, aggressive, completely attached to Kishimoto - every fiber of him screams, breathes, lives and dies for her. A yandere character in essence. That kind of high-risk love is not healthy, yet you cannot turn away, and you keep longing for more... That's pretty much how you'll feel after reading Ichirei shite, Kiss.

Character gets a '7'. I was hoping for more in terms of character development. Some themes and questions raised in the story were left unresolved, e.g. Mikami's family matters, his best friend's health condition, among others. Kishimoto is not exactly a weak character, but she is rather susceptible, and even though in the end of the story she becomes a positive influence on Mikami, I kept waiting for more and felt like some of their insecurities remained. But still, it was an enjoyable experience. Don't be discouraged by the 'smut' tag. The sexual content is very mild, however, the tension is extremely high. From the first pages Mikami's character is portrayed in a deeply sensual fashion. His expressions are inviting, his gaze is hot. The art is outstanding. A solid '10' here.

The archery was presented in a realistic way. I recommend looking up unfamiliar terms and reading a little on archery, since a lot of professional vocabulary was used. I'm giving the story a '9', because of the unresolved issues, but the main plot is worthy this mark.

'8' for enjoyment. I'm trying really hard to be objective here. I enjoyed this manga a lot due to the themes, wonderful art, and its overall beautiful sensuality, yet the minor imperfections here and there make it impossible for me to give Ichirei shite, Kiss the highest mark.

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Yikes. Mikami is probably the worst male MC that I've ever come across. I don't care how tragic your past was or how much you love the female lead, that doesn't give you an excuse to act like a domineering a-hole all the time and try to pass it of as affection. If you think that it is romantic for the guy to strip half the clothes off of the girl against her will, kiss her and give her a hicky against her will, purposefully try to manipulate her to become more dependant on him, disregard her own feeling and future, coerce her into doing things that she doesn't want to by threatening to take her clothes off if she doesn't, and try to distance her from other people so that she only depends on him.....then maybe you will like this manga. Personally, I found his relationship with An to be abusive, unhealthy an manipulative. The mediocre story and art in this manga would have normally earned it a 6 from me, but with Mikami's character in the mix, my rating drops down to a 4.

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