The characters were great. Emotional, unpredictable, intense, and somewhat real feeling. Mars stirs up your emotions and really leaves an impact on you. Actually, it affected me so much it's almost embarrassing. ^^; It was definitely one of the most intriguing and unique mangas I have ever read. It really gives you a new perspective on things; some unexpectedly dark, others ridicously simple and cliché.

I will forever, unconditionally love this manga. No matter how many times I reread it, it never fails to captivate me. You will not be disappointed, READ IT. It is absolutely perfect in every possible way. ^_^

... Last updated on August 14th, 2011, 1:23am

Okay to be quite honest, I hated Mars at first. I only read the first volume and to me it was the typical 'bad boy falls in love with shy girl and changes' cliche type of manga. A year later I decided to reread Mars because of all the positive feedback it was getting. And boy am I glad I did.
Mars is now one of my favorites.

The characters are much deeper than they seem. They both have their flaws. Once you learn their backstories, every single action they've done makes sense. The characters are so well crafted at points that I believe they could be real people. Kira is weak, she's very weak, but everything she does makes sense. She's weak because this manga is realistic.

The only drawback for me was that the whole thing felt like a huge soap opera. A realistic soap opera though... If that makes sense. But lots of people like soap operas (me not being one of them).

In all, Mars is basically a slap of reality in your face. It has cliches, but it's so well done that they don't ruin the story.

... Last updated on June 25th, 2012, 9:00am

slice of life style to me. Honestly it reminds me of Hana Yori Dango and i dunno....its very deep but at times i felt like it was so SERIOUS.If i wanted soap opera drama i would watch them not read manga. There are a bunch of sad story arcs and it just left me feeling depressed. Worth a read, but not a favorite of mine.

... Last updated on July 18th, 2011, 8:26pm

This manga has so many genres packed into one. Romance, psychological, drama, shoujo, mystery, etc. Its freaking AMAZING. Its so intense in ALL of the categories its in. I would definitely read this manga again.

... Last updated on June 26th, 2011, 1:26am

seriously one of my favorite manga, if not my favorite.
it somehow managed to be sweet yet realistic and kinda bitter at some parts.
i'd also suggest reading ES by the same author if you liked this one

You think it's going to be a sweet, cliche, bad boy-is-changed-forever-by-good-girl shoujo, right? So did I, till i realised that the first time they meet, Rei is off to visit a friend who just had his leg amputated, and the second time, Kira is being molested by her art teacher. And you'll never guess what happens in the next 14 volumes....: ) yeah, i sound like a movie trailer voiceover, but don't let that stop you from trying this out. A hundred times better than Kirai, this manga really manages to delve into the murkier waters of the human psyche (just look at the category cloud "Sociopath/Psychopath") without getting stuck in Angst or painfully cliche arcs.The main characters fit together perfectly and the heroine somehow manages to be weak but still bring a lot to the table in both the relationship and the plot. All in all, an amazing romance that doesn't get stuck in the usual ruts once the characters get together (like first date panic, jealousy and "first times") or more like, when it does, the unpredictable reasons behind it make you hardly notice...

It's my most favourite manga in the world.
It is a must read for both shojo and psychological.
I envy those who will read it for the first time.

... Last updated on May 16th, 2011, 12:47pm

I loved this manga from beginning to end. this was the first shoujo manga ive ever read and i loved it to death. i do think it should have been mature but that doesnt matter. the connection between kira and rei is undeniable and it made me cry at certain parts i read all the volumes in 3 days and recommend it anyone.

I read this back in early-2008...
Back then, I was not so much into drama-romance shoujos, as I was just starting to read mangas.
So I had put it on-hold since then. (only read the first volume at the time)
Now, after reading the whole thing from start to finish in this couple of days, I must say...I am really quite surprised. I mean, it's shoujo after all, so I found it really peculiar that this kind of mature series was in a shoujo manga. But then, I thought, maybe it depends on the magazine if they'd allow it or not.

Anyways...the maturity and complexity of this work got to me. I didn't even think "this is so impossible," I thought it was pretty good. It was great. The thing is, the truth was written all over this manga. We can't say that EVERYONE is good deep inside...but then again, NOT everyone is bad deep inside either. The story touches the points of how humans ARE in real life. There are just people like that. It can't be helped...there are laws that were given for us to follow...and as long as it abide the law, it is NOT RIGHT. My point about that, is that...just because of the laws, it doesn't mean it's always correct. (so you can say I even agree with Kirishima on that part) But I also think, we were given reason to know which WE think is right to do and which isn't in this kind of society. The world goes round and round, people will continue killing, people will live their lives, people will still be dying, babies will still be born, some people will be sane, and some people insane...etc.
Humans are ugly, I always thought this...well, to be honest, I still think it's this case. But there are some that make me think "humans can still be beautiful in some way." Nowadays, these things are hard to find...however, I've seen it in this manga again. We can live the way we want, and I like that that's what this manga was trying to tell me...at least part of it. We can live all we want, but sometimes, we can't always succumb to something that we know may never bring us back to how we really are. After reading this...I feel compelled to keep living the way I want "a person that will do what she things is right and not be forced to do things she knows will not make her happy." Mostly, do good, and no matter how bad times will come, don't succumb to the darkness and stay and follow the light.

Anyways...don't be afraid to try this out. If you all think it might not satisfy you, no, you should REALLY TRY this series. It might open your eyes, so I really recommend this. (Even if you think you might not like it, you should still give it a try. I mean, I was once there...but I don't regret giving it a try even though it's late. ^_^)

I'll first admit this isn't the type of manga I'm usually interested in ... although I've had it in my Wish List for some time, I would only ever read the first chapter, then give up only to try again a month later.

So I'm only 14 ... but I liked it. It was pretty dramatic, but remotely realistic, in a way, and I liked how the characters gained more depth throughout the books.
I mean to be honest I thought Rei was going to remain the traumatised playboy he is ... but I was wrong. I was expecting him to be a little similar to the main male protagonist in "Heart" by Rie Takada, but no.

One thing is though, I might have to spend a while convincing my mum to let me buy it with the amount of "maturity" inside the books ... --"