But Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is a lot more than that. Sure, the story is not extremely original, but if there's something that I've learned from life is that it doesn't matter if you're the first to come up with an idea - what matters is if you're the best at portraying that idea. And while Yoshikawa Miki might not be the best out of all the authors, she sure knew what she was doing.
She created lovable characters with very distinct personalities, most of which you will very likely start caring for by the end of the first few chapters. I found myself really living their situations, their achievements and their disappointments, found myself rooting for them like they were great friends of mine. And one great thing about them is that they're not cookie-cutter either. You will get seriously angered by some of them, too, because they will mess up terribly. All of them are given equal screen time, more or less, although of course Yamada is considered the main character and everything revolves around him. What I mean is that all the other characters go through their hardships and own mini stories and Yamada's own life sometimes takes the backstage in such cases.
The story is engaging. Like I said, I couldn't put the manga down because I couldn't wait to find out what was happening next. It has some plot twists that will leave you flabberghasted and others not so much, as they are a bit predictable. But overall, I think the author was very creative and played her cards well. She could have transformed this manga into something very unidimensional and boring. Yet it's clear that she really gave herself to her work. You can feel her dedication in every sentence and every stroke. She also mixed a lot of genres together and didn't really give a preference to just one.
The art is flawless, as far as I can tell, and very emotional. It transpires the mood of the characters completely. I could hear them screaming, feel their tension and the butterflies in their stomach, smile whenever they smiled, feel sad whenever they cried. It's ecchi, of course, so beware if you're not into that kind of thing. I usually am not so seeing as I love this manga, that's something to consider. Maybe because it's not something blatant and overplayed. It's more of an accessory and usually acts like a comic relief more than anything else. It's not gratuitous like in some other mangas, which I enjoy.
Definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a good laugh and looking for a refreshing manga. Ignore the fact that there are storylines like these. Ignore the cheesiness that sometimes takes place. I guarantee you will fall in love with Yamada and the gang in no time.
Beware also of the harem feel in this manga. If you don't like that sort of thing, it will put you off. There is some romance, but not in extreme. So what will happen is that you will be so excited about it everytime it happens, your enjoyment will be off the chart. There will be some yaoi vibes too, although not in the way you'd think. I would approach this manga in a very open-minded way since it is so worth the reading, regardless of these elements.
