Alright if you're reading this you already know what Pretty Face is all about. That being said I have to admit that the set-up for the manga was more than a little bit ridiculous and highly unlikely (I mean c'mon Rina's parents had NO idea that they didn't have their real daughter?) But hey, it sets up into a pretty good and entertaining story. Randoh's continuing search to find the real Yuna and his adjustment to living trying to disguise himself as a girl certainly helps to drive the story. Additionally all of the awkward humor that arises from Randoh's new development as being the new "hot piece of tail" of the school and fighting off the advances of knucklehead guys and his trying to contain frequent nosebleeds while being around beautiful girls changing is absolutely fantastic. One negative was how iit seemed like every chapter Randoh would freak out and get into a fight with SOMEBODY. Not that I don't enjoy fights, it just seemed like they happened way too often. Overall I thought that the pacing and progress of the events in the story were well done although the ending left a lot more to be desired I felt but that is mostly due to the fact that the series was being dropped so the mangaka had to finish it quickly. Still, it leaves you with a warm and fuzzy, yet fairly satisfied feeling after reading.
Art: 8
The art for this manga was fairly good, nothing fantastic. However I will give praise to the artist' ability to create a set of unique-looking characters and the action and fighting scenes were also very well done. Plus some of Randoh's outfits were pretty sexy, which was awkward because I'm a guy...
Character: 9
Characters were the strongest part of this manga I feel. Randoh's development from arrogant karate hard-ass, to then realizing that everyone, with the exception of Rina, actually hated him when he was alive, to then developing into to a much kinder, friendlier, and sensitive character, even breaking into tears at the end of the series (read the manga if you want to find out why!). Rina, the main love interest, was a pretty good character although for the most part she seemed to be in the background. Although Rina's sisterly care for "Yuna" does provide a fair amount of humor as poor Randoh has to try to contain his romantic desires for her and keep from blowing his cover. Also Dr. Manabe, Randoh's plastic surgeon/doctor/advisor, was absolutely hilarious, probably one of my favorite parts of the whole series. Supporting cast kept their initial roles throughout the series for the most part, but they were so much fun that they contributed to the series without need for much development.
Enjoyment: 9
Overall I did actually really enjoy this manga. It took a pretty unique twist on the genderbender/genderswapping genre with some pretty good results. Even though the premise and some of the plot developments were a little bit questionable for realism, that didn't stop me from enjoying this manga a lot. The humor was always spot on and hilarious and Randoh's development as a character was fantastic. The ending, although rushed was still really good and, although I wish it would have ending somewhat differently was still good enough for me. After all it isn't about the end it's about the journey!
Overall: 9
Overall this is a pretty good manga which while bringing nothing outrageously new to the table, has one of the most original premises out there and executes its humor fantastically. A recommended read for fans of genderbending and also highly recommended for fans of comedy.
