I mean it! At least the story didn't drag on for that long. Surprisingly, I didn't get sick of the characters. I recommend those serious readers to read the first parts in which Keito slowly comes out of her shell. It just turns into a typical shoujo series after the time skip, so you can skip all the way to the ending. It was usual that she ended with the third guy she met, I guess that was somewhat unique. Sorry to compare it to Hana Yori Dango, by the way, but I think some people may have just come here because they watched the drama of that series and wanted a similar series. Well, there are some things you need to know: First of all, the main character, Keito is not as annoying as typical shoujo MC's, considering that she's a hikki , second of all, the series isn't as light-hearted and funny, but it's not super dark, either, Keito doesn't wreck Nako's life, and lastly, the art is more modern, so that may be appealing. Actually, I wanted to say that the drama for CS looks so much less appealing than HYD...the cast looks like they're in their late twenties. Geh... Anyway, I think it was overall an interesting read and would recommend this to the casual reader.

Ah, I'm so happy that I got to read this manga. Finally a shojo which couple you ddon't expect. And the heroine gets to have set backs in love instead of straight getting to be with her boyfriend. Refreshing! I liked the idea of the story and the characters are all lovable. I think there wasn't any annoying extra, I just loved the manga! 10/10 for me.

It started good, then it went cliche towards the end. Although I like Keito's positive attitude when she failed in her audition because she can't read kanji, it hurts to read the parts when she's generally alright with things, like the misdeed of Natsumi. While I like time progression and time skips, the romance lacks the tensions. Suddenly it was presented they love each other that much. While there where hints, the storytelling and illustrations fell short in invoking the characters' romantic feelings. Though, I have to commend the character designs and clothing fashion in term of the arts.

Perhaps, I might have enjoyed and rated this manga higher if I read this prior to reading the works of GEORGE Asakura, ASHIHARA Hinako, and IKUEMI Ryou.

Quite philosophical and character-building...
BUT IT NEEDS MORE >♡moe♡< SCENES!!!!! GAAAH!!

oh, a word of advice for those who despise love-triangles (like me).....--> analyze the cover pic.

Despite what a lot of reviews say, I didn't find the protagonist's 'self-discovery' really emotional or striking. In fact, I thought the whole story would have a little more content. The 'shoujo' portion of the story really debased the plot and and the whole experience.



Overall mediocre. It wasn't a pain to read but...just, just mediocre.

...got bogged down by the typical conventional shoujo cliches halfway through.

You can say the first half was good, but frankly, should've ended halfway. Seeing Keito progress and overcome her "trauma" bit by bit, discovering her voice and confidence back, and finally deciding her place in life was the only highlight of this manga.

Then the love crap happens. Overbearing and unnecessary cliches were thrown left and right, almost like an excuse just to crank out more chapters. "Misunderstandings" between the main love interests, other filler characters there to hamper the progress between the two, more crying, more tears, flowery speeches... you get the idea. Basically the second half becomes a dramatic soap opera. And as if the author hadn't already kicked the readers down enough with this crap, the last few chapters are dedicated to an angry "misunderstood" girl harassing the main girl. Really, I had to struggle past volume 5 and force myself to finish this, having once dropped it before for these very reasons I mentioned.

Maybe it's just because I have an extremely low tolerance for shoujo cliches, which ruined this whole manga for me, but I would not recommend this unless you've got nothing else to read. Or if you're not like me and have a high tolerance for these things, then by all means go for it.

I read this back in December last year, so I'll keep this short as I probably don't remember enough to go in detail (also, I have a cold).
I find most shoujo mildly entertaining at best. There are some good comedies out there but the drama in the ones i've read are often mediocre. [EDIT 2: It's 2024, I'm reading a 11.5 year old review and there's a larger selection of shoujo and I no longer hold this view. This still may be the best of all-time, though]
This series is in my top 3 shoujo (alongside Reimei no Arcana and Oresama Teacher). In fact, it may be my favourite. It's simply amazing. I love these type of stories that deal with insecurities ad damaged people. I love seeing how they heal, how often they encounter the catalyst by pure chance. Keito's innocence was completely believable too.

Another thing. The time-skip in this series was done extremely well. I would've liked to see more of what happened during those years but...yah, it was well done.

I originally rated this 8.8. I'm bumping this up a bit though. It's one of the few series i actually feel like re-reading.

I never read Hana Yori Dango, sounded kinda interesting but ultimately cliche. After reading this though (same mangaka) I've got to get round to that. [edit 3: still haven't 😛 not sure if i ever will]

EDIT 1: I'm bumping this up to a 10. Really, when I think 'great shoujo' this is the first one that comes to mind as the others I've read are either incomplete or inferior but this kept the quality up the whole way through.

... Last updated on February 1st, 2024, 3:41am

I love it. The art reminds me of Hana Yori Dango, so I like it

It´s very realistic. I really identify myself with this manga. Even though I don´t have a traumatic experience, I got an experience which changed my life and my point of view, I traveled to another country, which language I didn´t know and had to learned there, all this in my adolescence.

The way I was before the trip and the way I was after the trip were totally different. I became anti social, I glare at people (just like Kouichi do hahaha), I didn´t smile and I didn´t talk to anyone. Inside my house I was still the same girl, but outside I became anti social. And so I came to question the relationships between people, the so called friendship, and how I could get back to being how I was before the trip. And so I know how hard it is to not have someone to talk to, someone who will understand you and give you advices.

I also liked how Keito faced her fears, how she became more understanding as she faced life. And also there a part in the last chapter that remind me of the ¨Myth of the Cave¨ (Allegory of the Cave) of Platon.

I also like how the mangaka showed that life, as it can become meaningless in no time, it also can become the most wonderful experience in no time. But, of course, with the right guidance to show the right path and with the right friends beside you.

At first I was really skeptical to read this manga. But I have a thing about "not judging a book by its cover", so I gave it a try. After reading a few chapters I fell in love with it. Now, it's one of my favorites! It's a very interesting story. So, for those of you lost souls out there you should try reading this. Cat Street the book version of El Liston.

I was laughing and making little excited noises like a true otaku while I was reading this one xD. This manga is really a good shoujo which does not make you think you're losing your time on some stupid story. Art, characters, morals, everything is good and even people usually looking for josei (like me) can appreciate this read ! (actually, I think it's closer to josei than shoujo !)

... Last updated on May 19th, 2012, 1:47pm