Story:
The story is similar to many other Shoujo plots out there. You have the childhood friend and your first love, an enemy that likes your first love, etc. Yet somehow, this manga is refreshing to read despite being overdone. Why? Probably because the heroine is different from most heroines in other mangas. (I'll get to this later in the "character" section). However, I do think the plot is getting a bit draggy just because it's been over 30 chapters and the two main characters haven't gotten together yet despite their love for each other!
Art: Typical but beautiful shoujo-like art. The girls were all pretty and the guys were all pretty cute. Good eye-candy.
I have to say that I really liked the art of Mabuchi. The way his face is drawn is somewhat different than what I have usually seen in shoujo mangas (particularly his eyes)
Character:
Futaba (the heroine) is very unlady-like in the beginning for reasons you will soon find out in the beginning of the manga. This of course made me fall for her even more. She's loud, eats more than guys, and doesn't use any makeup at all, making her not very "feminine". My favorite part about her is probably her persistence (although I also hate this quality of hers at certain times).
Mabuchi's character bugs me the most. He likes her but can't portray his feelings out loud due to certain circumstances in his life. It's like things happen at the wrong time and he can't manage to grasp the right time to say his feelings out loud for Futaba.
I like the other characters as well. Futaba has two friends, a cute and adorable friend that all the girls envy (and hates), and a quiet and meticulous girl. Of course, there's a funny and loud guy that seems to patch up any gloomy atmosphere.
The art also emphasizes the traits of the characters. Ex: cute friend gets bob cut, quiet friend gets dark hair, etc.
Enjoyment: Quite enjoying this so far but most likely because of the love triangle surrounding Futaba. If there wasn't a love triangle, I would've given up just because the manga would have gotten too draggy and mopey for me to read (since the girl will always have an "unrequited love", although not necessarily the case since Mabuchi likes her too).
Overall: Definitely check this out. Of course, not the best I've seen but a refreshing read that will most likely tug at your heartstrings.
