You think you have seen it all??? Not so fast dudes... Not until a pink haired, innocent alien princess emerges right out of your bathtub stark naked. Or not until you are informed of the fact that a silent assassin who is feared across the galaxy is after your head. Here comes the world of To-love ru defining friendship, youth and love (with a bit of ecchi acts, sneak-peek of panty shots and titty-groping... Wait, did I say a bit??? I mean a lot...). I mean what is a teenager school life without a genius alien girl, a shape shifting flirty idol, a clumsy ghost or a busty alien doctor, right?
ART
Artwork is one of the key factors in a manga (especially in an ecchi manga) which really makes or breaks the deal. Now, Kentarou Yabuki has done one hell of a job right there. I absolutely loved the artwork. Everything was bright and crisp. The character designs were really detailed especially of the female ones. I specifically liked the artwork of Lala. I mean who in their right mind wouldn't fall in love with a hot alien princess?? And yeah I also liked the artwork of Celine and Gid. Those two were really cute... hey, hey, don't judge me; I'm not a damn loli lover...
The background, although, sometimes felt a bit less detailed. But who the hell in the holy earth gives a damn to that anyway???
MY RATING: 8.5/10
PLOT
Well, there ain't much of a story as usual. As in a typical rom-com, we've
got our "I'll save everyone" protagonist Rito Yuki. We've got our "beauty-with-the-brain" princess Lala (drooling...ehm..ehmmmm), bossy and strict tsundere Yui, kind and gentle Haruna, clumsy and slightly spooky(literally) Oshizu (or Shizu??? I don’t know...) and many more. So as we speak, we've got all the ingredients and spices ready for a good harem comedy. Now, was the dish worth of a Michelin star or got burnt out??? The plot didn't differ much from many other harem stories. But what does set it apart from others is the fact that it has got sci-fi elements in it(and believe me, the mangakas have used it in the story in every possible ways knowing the fact that how much it appeals the fans...). The story was pretty enjoyable throughout the manga. Each time whenever we're fooled into thinking that there can't be any more surprises, we're slammed into the earth of to-love ru by a new character with its unique traits and activities(or by another crazy and weird invention of Lala... By the way, who the hell does the work of naming them???). And I have to confess, didn't I enjoy it thoroughly...
Although, the manga is filled with oneshot stories afterwards which really hamper the pace of the story... Actually it advances very little after the midway.
MY RATING: 7/10
CHARACTER DESIGN
There is our MC Rito 'the sissy' Yuki. To be frank, I don't dislike introvert or effeminate characters provided that there is enough plot time and character development to explain the transition. But what do we get here???
Rito remains the same sissy he used to be throughout the story but surprisingly enough gathers the courage and strength to face opponents off much bigger and better than him. The only work he does in the entire story is to act as a chick magnet and stumble upon absolutely nothing.
Now for the female leads, they are used as they would get in any other harem manga. They all are cantered around Rito. Absolutely no plot time is given to explain the reason of their affection other than Yui besides Lala (which I'll consider as a special case here keeping in mind that she confessed him in the beginning of the story). There was absolutely no scope of character development whatsoever.
MY RATING: 4/10
OVERALL
Well, there certainly are many shortcomings in this manga if seen critically. But I think we shouldn't forget the fact that it's a light rom-com created solely for the purpose of entertainment of the readers (in contrast to its sequel "darkness" which has apparently more plot with less humour). It has got a lot of ecchi scenes, a lot of fan-service and certainly a lot of belly-aching, jaw-breaking laughter too. I have to warn you though, this is not for everyone. If you're not into ecchi comedies or if you hate fan-service, I've to sadly announce that this is not the one for you (sob...sob). But if you have no problem with it whatsoever, I'll suggest you to give it a try at least once (and you're also welcome to hit me with all your curses if turned out badly). Actually it's been so much popular that it's become a corner-stone in its genre.
And by the way, many are complaining about the ending of the manga. But I personally don't mind it. Because I>it's a harem series. Choosing one of them would also mean to decline the rest which I certainly wouldn't like. II>The creators had the sequel (darkness) in mind. Had they been end it otherwise, they couldn't continue it anymore.
MY RATING: 8/10
