Reviews for Shounen Shoujo Romance
Back to MangaInteresting plot, failed in execution. I love shoujo and josei, and I keep looking out for what characters and emotions get depicted. Love is complicated, and there are many many ways of exploring that. The premise of this story is fantasies and bullying, which when mixed together has the potential to yield a psychological and philosophical drama. Unfortunately, this story pumped in bad comedy, and leads who could not grow. I'd have forgiven if this had been a one-shot, because there is a page limitation. But 3 volumes all going in a loop without adding flavour... Quite a disapppointment, especially when the mangaka has under her belta one-shot series like Koibumi Biyori. I wish the tone and mood of Shounen Shoujo Romance was kept at the level of Metal Moon. Metal Moon turned out to be way more a complex story with defining characteristics than this failure of a shoujo manga.
Bullying is traumatic. There are several cases of bullying that have left students changed forever. I was hoping the mangaka would be addressing that. Perhaps she found one way of dealing with it, that could be shared as a coping mechanism. Nope.
Okay, so mix in fantasy. Fantasy has the power to turn anything into anything. After all, it's the power of imagination, and it can glorify a bad incident to shield the mind, protect one's soul, one's integrity, one's worth. Fantasy can have the power to shield bullying, and possibly convolute it to a masochistic connection with the victimizer. Do we get to see that? Ehh, I sure hoped so. But nope. .
[Somewhat spoiler below]
This series remained a childish desire for a "prince" without outlining what a "prince" really is. Unless it's just good looks. Throw in a tsundere guy who subconsciously reverts to bullying the girl he has taken a fancy to. Oh but the girl is strong, she doesn't hold a grudge. Okay, we have a stong female lead? The power of fantasy throws in feelings of love. Patience is tested, by others, by oneself, to the brink of death. But the ego still will not yield. Throw in confusion with an ex flame, and a cousin who wants to be the man of your dreams.
[Somewhat spoiler end]
See that paragraph has so much going on. But the saddest part it, there's no exploration of the psyche. It feels like - oh you brought this idea in, now how's it going to develop. But that's it, there's no more at all. It leaves you hanging in a disapppointed place. The only character that gave me some faith is Sou, the cousin, who questions his place.
The series remained mediocre. Some reaaaaallly great elements brought in, but just failed to take it to a level that could have made this a very stong, memorable experience.
The story is pretty different from all the shoujos I have ever read, although, still remains the same as those classic shoujo. Although the some may think the artwork is 'meh', I still like this story despite some heartbreaking moments. I find Ukyo and Ran's actions rather hilarious, I especially love how "tsun" Ukyo can get whether he likes Ran or not, creating the obvious comedy genre to the manga. I recommend this to those who love comedies mixed with shoujo.
Plot is kind of unexpected, so i will recommend this for fans od heartbreaking moments. Art is simpy awful. Messy, ugly. Characters looks bad, and its really hard to enjoy it. But plot is better. Okay, it's somewhat predictable, cause its shoujo, but twist in the middle really came unexpected. I personally don't like any of leads, they are maybe funny, but stupid for sure. Oh, c'mon, you don't fall in love instantly just because boy looks like a prince. Especially if he was bullying you when you were younger, and caused you a trauma. Trauma? Nightmares for ages? Pfff, let's fall in love thismoment and forget about all of it, just because he looks shiny!
If You want to find short, not averange series with different feeling than sweet, cute shoujo - give it a shot, it's short anyway. But if You are looking for something delightful with marvelous art - don't try, it's not that good.
Very bizarre. It's almost better to read it as if the main characters were trapped in a shoujo romcom and forced to act out the various cliches of the genre. The two leads are so trapped in their delusions, they not only impede on their own lives, but also everyone else's around them. The male lead is dummy tsun and knows it, but he constantly goes back and forth about how much he loves the main girl while hurting others. Everything the main girl does is melodramatic because that's how she believes her life should be and she can't grasp what a normal relationship shouldbe. It's strange because all the other characters act realistically or fairly human, the only times they step into the unreal is when one or both of the leads drag them into a melodramatic situation.
The worst part about all of this is that there's a good story and message underneath all of this, but it falls apart in the execution. I can only believe the author didn't want this to become a full-on drama to keep it under the romcom umbrella and the story suffers for this. The story should have ended two chapters before it did; it wraps up nicely with a good lesson for the characters and audience. There's real development for the main character and she has a nice moment of introspection and self-reflection, but then the author throws it all away and everyone regresses to how they had been before for the sake of a comedy gotcha.
It ends as stupidly as it begins but with the rest of the cast left trying to pick up their lives where the delusions threw them out.