I'm a die-hard shoujo fan, so this review is, admittedly, a little biased.

Strobe Edge surprised me by being refreshingly unique for having your basic shoujo skeleton (Love triangle, two guys, etc. etc.). I don't know, there's just something about it that draws you in, and you can't help but root for Ninako (and Andou!) The art is good, the writing is superb, and overall, it's a great story. The only thing is that Strobe Edge will probably appeal only to shoujo fans, as it is /intensely/ shoujo-centric. If you're even remotely interested, though, you should definitely pick it up.

I'm not a big fan of shoujo (even though I've read my share), but I admit, it's surprisingly good for such an unoriginal story. (: The pace, characters, thoughts - everything is very natural. I hope it will work out all right for them. When an opportunity presents itself, give it a try. I definitely recommend it!

... Last updated on March 16th, 2011, 3:53pm

This one is making me cry... And it's hard to do that when you're reading disjointed chapters months apart.

The art is really good, the characters are well thought out and very well developed, the plot is genuine and realistic without the drama so characteristically found in shoujos. It's just really really good. It's the kind of work where if you read one chapter now and one more in 3 months, you'll remember everything and be equally into it just because it tugs at your heart strings so well.

... Last updated on March 13th, 2011, 4:50pm

Well, it I have to admit, the series is pretty good. Most of the characters are very likeable, and the art is a decent eye-candy. It has comedic undertone once in a while, and Sakisaka Io really knows how to draw dramatic scenes without making it seem too stupid (i mean, cmon, some shoujo mangas are way to dramatic to even enjoy). Getting back on characters, I really like Ninako and Ren. As in people. In real life. The thing is, the plot and love triangle shit is a bit cliche..First love? High school? Love Triangle? UNREQUITED LOVE?! if these were the things put out before reading a manga blindly, i would've turned off my computer and tell my self to finally get a life. But seeing the ratings, I tried it out. The first few chapters seemed boring, but after iono, chapter 9? i started to really like the manga.
It really is a shoujo manga; with its cliches, and drama. Typical shoujo manga like this is why my boyfriend hates shoujo manga (he's a shounen freak /shot).
Personally, I hate love triangles because they get in the way with the 2 main protaganists.
Ok, enough with the negative feedback from me. I really enjoyed this manga actually. Ninako's persistence was really amusing, and she seems a bit like a role model to be so strong-willed and happy. You really shouldn't over look it because it can be a bit heart-warming. Even though it is cliche, the way it is protrayed is really great.
Reccomendation: I think this is mainly for hardcore-shoujo lovers. Anyone else that reads it, probably won't appreciate it as much (/cough)

After reading up to volume 6 (unfortunately, the series hasn't been entirely translated) for the fifth time, I decided I needed to write a review.

Every school life shoujo has the same skeleton: heroine has some love conflict with a boy at school. But what makes shoujo's different from one another are the little characteristics about the plot, characters, settings, themes etc. Strobe Edge, sticks to the base of things--the skeleton, he conflict of character(s) and love. Everything is really simple and realistic (well as real as a shoujo manga can get without pregnancy or anything "mature"). The humor is mild and cute. The characters aren't over the top, but layered with development (nearly all of them are).

Ren, the love interest, isn't a delinquent, smart ass, cold, jerk or extremely smart. He's just quite from everyone's perspective. Andou (the third corner of the triangle) is the persistent, "I'm not losing" type. He's sweet, funny (practical humor) and charming. Niniko, the heroine, may seem typical but she's not. The first chapter really gives the impression that Niniko is naive. Which she is when it comes to love, but after three chapters you've come to see she's not stupid or dense. She's observant and always eager to learn in a childish way. Yea, sounds like it doesn't make sense, but it's hard to describe her. She's pure hearted (Of course tons of people are going to disagree.)

Also, there's no "villain." No mean girl. No sabotaging guy. No mean parents. The conflict is all from within the characters. Niniko isn't sure if a painful love is worth it. Andou's heart and brain can't seem to agree with each other. Ren, who is has the deepest conflict of all, can't figure out what's a good change and what's a bad change.

So, even without much drama, I was sucked in. I find the drawings amazing (Ren is so freakin' good looking it's not even funny). The plot soul sucking (you find yourself squeeing at the smallest things). And the characters worth worrying over. Don't let the first few pages or description push you away. Read it. Now.

I was put off by the stupid o-shape mouth of this mangaka's drawing and have put this manga in my unfinished list at least a few times!!! But then all these great reviews made me think again, and so I pushed myself through the stupid 'apple' buying pages in the 1st chapter, and turn a blind eye on the ugly female characters... and I got my rewards!!! This manga is hilarious, sweet, tender and most of the cliche is bearable or has a twist to it (eg the first time Kinoshita met Ren's rejection alliance).

I love this and I regretted that I have put it off for so long before I read it!!!

For a long time I've been avoiding this manga after reading the summary many times, i've encountered this manga in some threads and thought it would be very frustrating,typcal, and have many annoying cliche characters. After reading so many reviews and praises for this manga i gave it a shot even though there's some cliches here and there for some reason this one makes them feel a little different. The characters weren't frustrating at all for me i actually love how they progressed especially the other relationships in the story my favorite side characters being Daiki and Sayuri. I gotta say though Ninako is clueless but she is just too cute that i can't not like her. Experienced romance manga readers don't be put off by the summary at least give this around 10 chapters of a try and see if you like it or not .

... Last updated on November 6th, 2010, 6:14pm

Indeed, sometimes the way a story is executed means everything.
This is one of the lucky cases when seemingly unoriginal situations and characters are dealt in a careful, detailed, gentle yet involving manner, and wrapped in a very appealing shoujo art style - smooth and clear lines, decent body proportions and nice fashion style without being flashy, no overuse of sparklies/bubbles/flowers, big eyes but not freaky big - to boot.
Also... I love the cinematic flavour of some sequences, the author can and does use such quality very effectively. The last volume especially benefits from this. The final climaxes + cinematic storytelling are LOVE.
There's a certain something in this story (especially in volumes 3-5) that just reminds me of titles/artists like Masami Tsuda (of His&Her Circumstances fame), Yuuki Obata ( her Sumire wa blue especially ) and Sprout, and possibly of Ai Yazawa before NANA, maybe without the level of depth occasionally reached by these, but positively without their -arguably- melodramatic/tragic excesses shown on occasions either .
So, if you're in search of sympathetic characters, some sublety and naturally rising conflicts but without pits of endless angst (nothing against *well done* angst and soul-searching, but sometimes is nice to take a break ;D ) and smut/fanservice-free - at least so far XD, but judging from the author's previous works they won't turn that way - , this manga and mangaka might be right up your alley.

Update: upped the rating . 9 points for a refreshing and competent handling of a 'traditional' plot&setting, plus 0.5 point for the oh-so-subjective enjoyment and empathy with the characters. The only thing missing, *maybe*, was some more focus on some of the side characters. Not that the story is lacking, but simply those characters are as interesting as the mains and I would like to know more about them as well .

... Last updated on March 30th, 2011, 6:49am

This one is one of my favorite mangas! I just love everything about it! At first I thought that this is just another typical shoujo manga, but i was wrong. This has an interesting story!! The main girl can be a little bit annoying sometimes, but I dont care about that.

when I started reading it, i thought that it was gonna be like one of those typical shoujo mangas, y' know, a girl falling in love with the school's hottest guy....but aside from that,this manga doesn't give you the same feeling as those other "typical shoujo mangas", it actually has a deep meaning into it...
the female protagonist is surprisingly not annoying me, although she cries a lot and she just can't let go, it seems that she's aware of her situation and acts maturely in most of the times...although she might seem very weak, she's actually pretty strong inside...
and I also like that the male protagonist are also not one of those "stuck-up handome guys"....

this manga really shows you how a true love can completely change a person.... so I highly recommend it!