I am a bit horrified that some reviewers and the one topic about the manga call Michiru who is a borderline broken rape victim a whore as what she is going through a genuine condition but on to the review.
Her Kimi wa Pet is good but way too long and ultimately a soap opera but this follow up is neither a melodrama nor can i quite recommend it to a large audience as the narrative is to unflinching and frankly complicated to delight the masses. Just read my opening sentence again. The sport of ice skating is presented very well and in a realistic light as the lead are not the beast skaters ever but this is not quite what the manga is about in the long run.
The series could also have run in a Seinen publication as the first review noted with only minimal changes as the somewhat depressing mystery plot around a child prostitution ring and murder is central for big parts for the story.
A lot of characters have a history of abuse and this focus cannon be overstate for fresh readers but the tale is ultimately a positive one and themes of overcoming the past and development of meaningful relationships are the ultimate focus even if the journey takes a toll on all involved. The central love story is very well done and i like that all characters have a relationship that evolves over time and changes. The art is borderline perfect and the occasional physical comedy and characters quirky are a nice use of comic relieve. Michiru´s childlike state of mind comes of as believable and well researched and my only slight fault with the manga is the somewhat short epilogue. Don´t get me wrong.
I like the ending and where everyone ends up but at least one more chapter would have been nice but at east everything is resolved beyond question. Some of the characters actually reappear in her later and again recommendable manga.
If you liked this serious take on overcoming abuse then move on to the classic and even better Boku no Chikyuu o Mamotte and Mars (both a 10/10).

... Last updated on March 10th, 2016, 7:18am

I really wanna know which one of the guys she is going to end up with, but the suspense and drama in the story is so great.
So sad that I can't find a japanese Translator to continue scanlating it with me and the rest of the Evil Flowers team.

To me it seems that there was some sort of attack or trauma at the beginning that we do not know of. That sort of trauma can obviously make a person mentally unstable. There does not seem to be any indication that there is any healing and it just seems to be confusion after confusion. I rarely will tolerate reading any story where the heroine is the victim of rape or sexual abuse. While I have not seen any clear answer to what the trauma actually was in this story it to me looks like it has all the marks of rape. The only time I can tolerate those types of stories is where it is a story of healing and not a story of confusion.

It's like Kimi wa Pet, very similar, at least the characters, not the story. Which is very disappointing.

i'm dying to know the whole story.... urgh cliffhangers!!
The art is beautiful, romance is so cute, and yes... the plot keeps you on your toes.

After you read any of Owaga's fine manga work, you will get hooked! Not only she has great sense of drawing, but her stories are so touching! So dedicated! I have come to like ALL OF HER WORKS!

Oh, wow is it by the same person that did Kimi wa Petto? The whole time, I was comparing the art to it (like the way the girl's and guys lips are done, and the nose shapes). So far, I really like it, because I can't see what's going to happen (though from some reason I feel like Hikari put a hit on his own brother ..>>;). Its really dramatic, and I enjoy the characters interactions with one another. People should check it out.

I can't help thinking what happened to michiru when she was young. The plot seems to be thickening up and is getting good! Looking forward to more of this, definitely.

It's surprising that I never noticed that this was by the same author who did Kimi Wa Petto. I actually did not like the beginning of this manga. The introduction, the past about Michiru, her skating, it didn't seem to fit into the Josei genre at the time. It appeared a lot more seinen-ish and mystery-like. But it gets a lot better later on with Michiru's childish personality and some relationships developing.