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I think as far as yuri/Girls Love goes, this is a hidden gem.

The art is absolutely gorgeous, and for such a short story it does have a decent enough plot and character development. The story has a cute set-up, it's not breath taking but it's also only 9 chapters. I don't want to say too much with out spoiling but it's really refreshing to have a yuri that is unapologetically queer. The characters are sure about their feelings and it isn't filled with misunderstandings to drive conflict. It's not explicit and doesn't suffer from oversexualization. If you want a gay sweet story with some ... pretty art, give this one a go🤍

This movie was fascinating.

The main characters, Taku and Rikako, are both flawed, somewhat impulsive, and slightly wrong in the way they handle things. Rikako is selfish, as she painfully tries to work through her parents divorce. Taku, understandably, wavers between getting fed up with her and sympathizing with her. He's a naturally kind person, but that kindness will only go so far. In youth, sometimes it's hard to understand or see other people's perceptions because you're so caught up in your own feelings. I think Ocean Waves captures this perfectly.

The movie's plot is essentially high school drama, but watching how these characters deal ... with the drama was interesting, unexpected and realistic. At times, you hate these characters and at other times, you understand them. I think the films provides a realistic portray of teenagers.

It's not a masterpiece, but I don't think it's as terrible as some say either. Ocean Waves is about how in our youth, we get so caught up in things and at the time, they seem justifiable. Looking back, they seem like nothing. It provides a space for nostalgia, and captures the fun in getting caught up in the moment; even if two people are completely uncompatiable at the time.

"Kimi ni Todoke", translated as "From Me to You" or "Reaching You" is one of the sweetest and most heartfelt stories I have ever read. After reading it for so many years, I couldn't stop myself from writing this review.

It's slow-paced, simple and delicate in the best of ways. I feel that it mirrors the pace of true high school life: little things happen day by day, inching slowly towards the end. It's a story about love, of course, but it's so much more than that. It's a story about expressing your emotions and love for others, all kinds of love: romantic, friendship & ... familial.

The story starts with a pretty standard trope: unpopular girl meets popular boy. But, the way this plays out is honestly far from the standard. The main leads are both shy, kind and the relationship is balanced. It isn't one of those relationships where the boy is highly experienced, always reassuring the girl who can't understand why he would like her. If I recall correctly, Kazehaya may have to reassure Sawako in the beginning but after that, they are comfortable and confident with one another. Sawako and Kazehaya are always trying to improve themselves and always want to communciate. Of course, this may take some time to develop as there as initial misunderstandings (like many other real relationships). But I think the two main leads are adorable and depict a very sweet and healthy relationship.

The romance is sweet, and the friendships are sweet too. This story is full of girls lifting up girls, supporting one another, admitting their faults and forgiving each other. Yes, there's a popular "rival" like pretty much all other shoujos but there's alot of slow and satisfactory character development.

There isn't much else I can say without spoiling it but if you want a heartfelt shoujo manga please give this one a try!

Story 6/10
Art 10/10
Character 5/10
Enjoyment 7/10
Overall 7/10

I have a soft spot for shoujo manga so I tend to be more forgiving of it. I did enjoy reading this manga despite a few issues...

The characters are poorly developed and I never particularly sympathized with them. You don't get to learn much about them other than their personalities, which remain unclear/inconsistent (especially the male lead). The second male lead was promising at first, he seemed protective and had good intentions but then he just disappeared and you didn't learn much about him either. They were a bit static.

The story has little conflict besides misunderstandings between the two ... protagonists and very little outside conflict is introduced. When it is, it just disappears instead of having a build-up and resolution.

Despite these things, I did enjoy reading it. If you want a quick, light read and aren't looking for too much substance, go for it. I went in with lower expectations. It's fluffy and has a few cute moments, I didn't think it was that terrible. However, if you want a compelling shoujo romance with character growth, conflict and lovable characters, I would search elsewhere.

This little story is packed into one chapter but it was an enjoyable read!
Since there's no reviews on here yet I thought I would give my input.

The author managed to cram in an intro, rising action, climax and resolution all into a chapter and give the characters a backstory as well. I found the premise to be interesting and characters to be likable: you can relate and sympathize with them. The art is also pretty and makes the chapter enjoyable to read.

It's quite short and fast-paced, but I think a good read if you want a cute and engaging story!