The female lead is interesting even if she is weak to the male lead. The male lead, however, never leaves the female lead alone, even when she clearly doesn't need him. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't doing it every chapter constantly. I just want to see the female lead make plans and actions without requiring an unneeded male bodyguard all the time.

Although I think this manga is very great, I also think it has been dragging on for a bit.
I love Tsubaki and Naedoko, but I believe it's continued on with a bit too much dragging.
It's not that I don't like this manga, but I think it should move on.

... Last updated on June 20th, 2015, 11:06pm

One of the best shoujo available in my opinion, for a few reasons. Mostly the heroine-don't be shallow like me and pass her up because she isn't your typical doe eyed pretty female lead. I now can't believe I thought that because seriously Kanoko is so cute, not to mention intelligent, clever, and observant. Also a wonderful thing about her is that finding a boyfriend is not her life goal, rather love is not really
in her radar. I also love this manga because of the Tsubaki and his sad unrequited love (this isn't really a spoiler, you find out right away) but I'm the type who likes possessiveness in manga and he is so possessive of her. Read the prequel to get more about Kanoko's personality and the beginning of romance with Tsubaki (there is less romance in the prequel, I think the mangaka mentions that)
Anyways, I love, love, love this manga!

... Last updated on May 26th, 2015, 1:37pm

I am biased i admit... but I love the main character so much. Her spunk and attitude paired with unintentional friendliness and cuteness ---- I'm defeated. <3

She's a great character to read about, and i'd love to be her friend in real life

I have been reading manga since 2011- and I mean, pretty nonstop. I have read it all. Fairy Tail, Skip Beat, Maid Sama, Gauken Alice- you name it, I've read/watched/heard of it all. And in all of my otakuness, I can say with certainty that is is my favorite manga ever. I love it to the extent that I created a category for it on Fanfiction. The only problem is the infrequent updates. It

Naedoko just wants to be a refreshing shojo girl like her best friend, Momo. Tsubaki just wants Naedoko to notice him. The rest of the student body wants him to leave her alone so they can admire him in peace. That's right- this wonderful manga centers around the two least suited people for shojo ever. And that's what makes this manga so great.

Naedoko is cynical. She's a genius. She's insightful. She also happens to be completely oblivious to her own love life. Being that she has a tomboy figure and wears glasses, one would think the obliviousness wouldn't be a problem.

However, the ever handsome, ever popular Tsubaki doesn't really care. He has liked Naedoko since middle school, when she transferred into his class (and Momo's) for a few weeks. She doesn't care how hot he is. She also doesn't take his aloofness- she sees right through him and he fell in love with her. Though he is completely obvious, Naedoko, and the vast majority of the student body fail to see it. Only a couple of hilarious supporting characters understand both his love and her appeal.

Altogether, this manga is amazing. Despite the fact that Naedoko is, as I said, completely oblivious to Tsubaki's shallow attempts to get her to see him, it doesn't get old. The fact that they are best friends also adds to the mix. It is so refreshing to read shojo mangas without shojo heroines. Naedoko is the girl who makes fun of the helpless, innocent, typical shojo characters. Tsubaki so naturally loves such a strange, but secretly cute, girl without any forcing of emotions on the author's part.

I don't know how else to describe this masterpiece. It perfectly meshes comedy, drama, and romance into a perfect mix that doesn't over or underdo any of the three. Each and every character is unique and has a background, whether they are part of the story for three pages, three chapters, or three years. This manga is a definite read- I can't stress that enough. Now, stop reading this and start reading KDAD!

... Last updated on April 21st, 2015, 12:09pm

I have been thinking all the while I have been reading this manga, that's 24 straight from Ch1 till 29.
What was on my mind is simple, "This is outrageously good"
Then I thought about the rules I broke to enjoy this manga, I never read shojo, never pay attention to prolonged texts, never cared for catch phrases outside the speech bubble, and never ever thought I'd read a manga with those Genres or any of the categories either.
But I actually did, I even recommended to my friends proudly.
This manga is utterly the perfect shojo, perfect score and will read forever.
No more tho, I'd rather be impressed and in awe than look for similarities till it becomes regular, this was the one for me, it will always be and it was sheer fate that brought me here~

I am waiting for the next chapters but i dont mind waiting even if it would take years because i love this manga soooo much.

I love kanoko chan because of her obliviousness towardd tsubaki.... i always like a female lead who dont fall inlove easily... and kanoko is just like that, not to mention that she's plain looking and smart and even thought she looked nerd, she keeps attracting bishies... heheehh i just love this so much.....

I know i said i could wait for the chapter release even if it takes years, but if it gets released earlier, i would be much happier... heheheh i love this manga so much... please try it!

KDAD is, to me, essentially the kind of manga I wanted to read when I was a younger, cynical yet hopelessly romantic girl. The protagonist is the smart, likewise cynical, and perceptive female lead that I've always wanted to read about, as opposed to the clumsy, old school, shy and dense country bumpkin female lead I somehow kept stumbling upon during my searches for some shoujo series. Not only is Kanoko absolutely cunning, she's manipulative and rather harsh and, dare I say, cruel by shoujo standards, if there is such a thing. Despite this, she still manages to snag the heart of middle school and high school heartthrob Tsubaki, who sticks around for her adventures and journeys of fun and excitement. Even Tsubaki was like a male lead I've wanted to read when I was younger: he's sensible and not big-headed, he's not excessively mean or needlessly roundabout or indirect. He's also a very chill dude.

However, those were the tastes I had back then. While they have generally been unchanged, I do realize how much of this could actually lead to a slow and drab story. Though the characters themselves I may like, if the story isn't interesting or fun enough the series will just be average at best.

At this point in the story, I feel that the manga has just settled into itself. Though it started as a "battle of the Three Kingdoms" with a bit of "high school politics" (if you can call it that) being the main focus, it's moved more into the romance territory nearly all shoujo manga contain. I don't think it's ruined the series or anything like that, I DO read shoujo looking for love stories, but I am disappointed that the moments of cynicism and manipulation Kanoko displays frequently in the early parts of the manga are dwindling. Though the prequel was filled to the brim with satire on shoujo conventions, it seems that this series has been slowly falling into those tropes. I honestly wasn't expecting anything less, the premise of the series set itself up for that I believe.

So my "final" say? I think it's definitely worth a read, whether you absolutely adore shoujo, spit on it (I hope you don't), or are ambivalent on the genre. The protagonist pulls you in from the beginning, as does the frantic political maneuverings of these high schoolers, but whether or not you're willing to stay to watch the romance develop is up to you. Though the prequel is episodic, I think it's a good idea to read that first to get a feel for the series but do keep in mind that this main story ends up falling back to shoujo conventions. The story itself is average I'd say, it's only interesting when there's a big cast to jump back and forth between, with Kanoko being the driving force. I am looking forward to future romantic developments, but I hope the cynicism doesn't suffer for it.

As for the art, it's fairly standard. The girls are easy on the eyes, but sometimes the guys' faces and even proportions can be a bit... off? It feels off is what I mean. It's nothing amazing or masterful, but it's not terrible or distracting (99% of the time), so: average.

... Last updated on June 27th, 2014, 10:42pm

Kanoko is not dense, it's just that she doesn't come with a conclusion that the hero, Tsubaki which is popular that you can consider to be perfect will be in love with her. If Tsubaki will just confess that will turn the story into more epic, don't you think so?

Kanoko just doesn't know her merits, and considered herself to be lowest (something like that?)

It started with gusto and was plot driven, unlike the prequel. But after a point, you get really sick of Tsubaki and his lolicon. Honestly, all the character development's gone down the drain. The storyline and characters are repetitive and uninspiring.