Story: 7/10 - I really loved how the started off the manga. The plot was slightly cliche but was pretty decent. Like how they built up Kou's character to finally reveal his sad backstory. But in the later arcs, I feel as if the whole "love triangle" ordeal was a bit too much. It had pointless drama and the drastic character change in Kou towards the later chapters of the manga felt forced. So forced & drastic I didn't even think that was actually his character. I felt like the author was just throwing random details to try and wrap up the end. Which is a shame because I felt like it could have been something significantly better.
Art: 8/10 - I really love the art style of the characters and how everyone had distinct features. Overall very eye pleasing.
Character: 7/10 - I'd say all the main characters and main supporting characters had some decency. The personalities weren't too bland.
Kou obviously being the asshole of the manga (in the beginning) has very nice development. He was probably the character with the most depth and had the most development. But his drastic change throw me off. It was nice to see a sweeter side to him, but there was literally no gradual transition. Just a "oh, yea, he's such a sappy sweetheart now" It looked like the author was running out of ideas.
Futaba was annoying at times with her almost winy personality. Her character hardly changes except after her fake friends ditch her after the first couple chapters. But the bond between her and Kou is quite pleasant minus all the stupid love triangle jazz.
Now to the friends AKA the supporting Characters.
Yuuri was the sweet innocent type, and her overall character never changes and her personality is pretty typical in a shoujo. Not saying it's necessary a bad thing, but she has no depth.
Murao was the quiet, caring type. She's very straightforward and had good head on her shoulders.
[the next part is a spoiler--skip if you don't want to know]
It's revealed later on that she really likes Kou's older brother, who is a teacher at the school, and they go in a backstory of her and him. It was nice to see how her feelings for him grew and intensified throughout the story. But it was also sad to see her confess and then get rejected. I appreciated her character.
[end of spoiler]
Kominato is that blunt yet very caring guy who you could just have a great time with. He has slight development later in the series, but he's the typical "go to man" for Kou. Not really a spoiler since it states it in his description, but he's in love with Murao, which adds for future tension in the manga.
And now for Kou's brother, Tanaka Sensei. He's a big ball of joy who really cares for his little brother. There really isn't much to say without really spoiling too much (I mean the last chapter of the manga). Pretty average character overall.
Enjoyment: 8/10 - Regardless of my opinion on the plot and characters, I did really enjoy this series. As soon as I saw the first episode of the anime in July, I had to know the secrets that Kou was hiding! So I picked up the manga and fell in love.
I wish my enjoyment level was higher, but due to the obvious things I pointed out, I don't think it's possible. But on a side note, I really loved the last chapter, even though it was obvious, I felt like the very last pages of the chapters were symbolic to the entire manga.
Overall: 7/10 - I know this is probably an unpopular rating, but I really did enjoy this manga. I do suggest that if you do like shoujo, to read this one! It's definitely a good manga to pick up if you're new to the genre :)
