So far, this manga has been great. The characterizations are near perfect and there is room for further development. In just six chapters, we come to understand the two main characters very well and we also understand their motives. The main character is very unsocial and sees anything aside from achieving high grades as unnecessary, but due to interactions with his childhood friend who he hasn't spoken to in nearly 10 years, he begins to open up again and feel the joys and agonies of youth and an unrequited love. You can feel the main character's problem, because the love rival isn't some douchebag, but a sympathetic and hardworking individual who probably deserves good things as well, so you don't blame the main character for initially holding in his piece about the way he feels for the heroine. Speaking of side characters, there have been a few characters introduced and they're quite easy to understand, as well, like the caring teacher, the friendly girl, the concerned parents etc etc. As you can guess, this is a character driven series, and having good characters is an essential part -- something the mangaka has succeeded in creating.
If you read the first chapter, you'll know if you're going to like/dislike the characters, and you can decide whether this is a series for you.
As far as art goes, I'm very happy with it. There are instances where the mangaka makes the effort to draw the scenery and backgrounds, and he/she does a good job with it - a lot of detail in clothes, the sky, buildings and general background art. I say "he/she" because there is a mixed tone in this manga. The plot is shoujo-esque, but there is an undeniable seinen feel to it. This is not your average shounen romance series with a tsundere, a harem of girls or misunderstandings or any of the annoying crap you'd read in most shounen series.
This is a 9/10 from me, and I normally don't rate shounen manga this high. A definite candidate for my top recommendation list, and the best series I've read that's started in 2013. CHECK IT OUT!
