It's not all doom and gloom, as the manga has a lot of quality.
First, let's talk about the characters. The cast is pretty good, with equally likable personalities, except for one female character who is simply unbearable and pointless. Fortunately, she only appears in the last few volumes, otherwise I would have found the manga sincerely unpleasant. For the rest, everything's cool. We find all the archetypes of furyo manga, with the bonus of having female characters and bonds that develop throughout the story.
Next, what I found appreciable in this manga was the author's graphic evolution. The drawing between the first volume and the last has absolutely nothing to do with it, and it's really great to be able to observe this kind of thing in a comic. At the outset, it's clear that the author hasn't really found his style, and is content to copy that of Hiroshi Takahashi, the modern master of the kind. From the facial expressions to the layout, I had the impression in the first few volumes that I was reading a copy of Crows. Thankfully, by volume 20, the author's style changes and we find the one we know now from Nine Peaks (an excellent manga, by the way). The cutting is classic, and we can feel the violence shared by the characters thanks to the facial expressions and dynamic strokes during the action.
Unfortunately... and this is where I have a problem: the manga adds absolutely nothing to the genre. If you have already read a certain number of furyo manga, you'll certainly have a good time, but you'll be anticipating the whole scenario. There are no surprises in the manga, either in the scenario or in the fights with the antagonists. It's a real shame, because the manga is a very easy read. The narration is fairly fluid and the events follow on well, but that's where it ends. This manga brings no surprises and no added value to the furyo genre.
Personally, what I appreciate in furyos is the social dimension. I like to follow high-school students in their troubles and see how they manage to forge links with each other and with the world around them. Clover tries to do this, but doesn't follow through. It's a pity the author didn't accentuate the story around the main character's past, as that would have added considerable value.
All in all, I'm still very lukewarm on this manga, even though I had a great time discovering it. I like reading furyos, but I think that with the ones about high school, I didn't find the surprise that I had with mangas like Worst or Rokudenashi Blues.
