Amazing plot and very detailed. I wish there was more romance at the end since they are finally happy but I just really enjoyed the story

The classic shoujo manga, still good, still impactful. Good characters, great arcs, some crazy amazing art. A distinct 90s feel. Loved to reread.

My feelings for Mars are a bit difficult to describe, but I’ll try anyway (why else did I write this much).
For the first five volumes or so, I was absolutely stunned by it and then unsurprised because it was made by the same author of another work I was deeply engrossed with, which was Eternal Sabbath. However, one focus of their genres’ aspect differed greatly, considering Mars was more centered on a shoujo perspective while Eternal Sabbath was seinen. Despite this (because the audience is VERY different), I felt it was an amazing and captivating read and was astounded by the amount of depth the characters had and remembered this was what impressed me so much about her other work. Sometime during or after volume five, however, I could feel the focus of the story shifting and becoming more psychological; it already had the psychological tag beforehand, I’m sure, but it became more of the prime focus for a few volumes, which was something I was not too ecstatic about. Don’t get me wrong because I love the psychological genre, and the author best exemplifies this in Eternal Sabbath (which I know I’ve mentioned three times now), but I felt that this should have ended before a certain character was introduced and more heavily involved. The story kept going, but I felt like it was rather unnecessary, even though it did build up and create more character growth and development than ever before and giving a greater insight to the main characters, which certainly made the buildup seem worth it for the most part. However, maybe it’s because I knew where this was headed that I was a bit irked by this new direction the manga was taking (did I already mention that there was someone I really did not like? Who knows).
As others have pointed out, there is a certain flaw that wraps up the problems of the characters rather too nicely and simply, when this manga was all about struggling and enduring and confronting issues straightforwardly; it seemed like such an easy way even though it was most certainly NOT without its own setbacks, or at least, initially.
Mars was definitely worth the x amount of hours I spent binge reading it in one sitting, but not the entire x hours, as I could have also been spent on more productive means (such as sleeping, eating). My issue lies with length of volumes, which I consider some to be “extra,” especially concerning the ending.
Again, I liked the character growth, but I felt like one character in particular, was rather annoying, although he did serve a useful purpose in revealing the inner layers of the main characters even more so than before, which really peaked my interest and kept me interested enough to see how it would ultimately end.
Now, the ending wasn’t anything really terrible that I would berate badly enough to make me try to forget I ever read the series at all, but when I remember how Eternal Sabbath ended (yes I am bringing this up again, and for the last time), I felt like it could have been executed better, or been given one more volume to finish (even though I complained about the number of excess volumes before).
Overall, I enjoyed it for the most part, because despite certain flaws (again, also mentioned below), it also combined elements of surprise and suspense that kept me coming back for me enough to continue reading all night/morning instead of just simply spoiling the ending for myself by skimming through.
If the question being asked is if I would read it again... Yes, I would, but I would not give this series an outstanding ovation because of certain plot points that irked me to such a degree (which you can find below, contained in the hidden section (ahem, spoilers!), which I hope you won’t read because the story is much more interesting than even I give it credit for).

... Last updated on February 12th, 2017, 8:37am

I didnt really like this manga. While it has some good points to at least be able to finish it, it also has some, in my opinion, unrealistic stuff and situations that bother me.

I liked how the story focused on surviving despite all the different setbacks. Also how the main couple had separate lives before and after their relationship which continued on into their future. There was notable improvement from Rika starting out and Rei who slowly realized how self-destructive his prior lifestyle had been. However, I feel like the ending lacked the impact since it had been resolved easily compared to everything else going on at the time.

Art is dated but still works with the story. I'm a bit bothered by how she draws girl's eyes since they look awkward with the realistic art style. I didn't mind it that much compared to other retro titles.



... Last updated on August 9th, 2016, 6:52pm

Yes, this series has a lot of drama. It sometimes seems like a soap opera. Love triangles, amnesia, car crash, childhood trauma, mental illness, bad parenting, suicide, violence, bullying. . . the list is long.



But underneath all the action is the author's understanding of humans. We get hurt, but life goes on. One accident alone can cause overwhelming pain, and all the deaths around us can make our world seem crazy. All we can do is keep on living. So we stand up again, and put a bandage over the scars. We all can either die or keep existing. This manga made me think about how I've taken a lot for granted. The messages the author delivers through MARS really resonated with me, and i found myself crying at how immature this manga made me feel.

There are lots of plot holes in this story, and the characters are all flawed-- i don't like the main guy for his violent temper, for example. But to me, MARS is a sincere love poem to humanity. For all the pain and cruelty that we give each other, we humans are a beautiful paradox of fragility and strength. Humanity is just like the God of War, Mars, cruel but kind, and burning with violent passion.

I recommend this to everyone who has ever gone through hard times.

... Last updated on May 15th, 2016, 12:06pm

I already watched live action (Taiwanese Drama) long time ago, and at that time I don’t know that this drama is adaptation from manga. I never thought that.

When I know this manga, I pass it, since I already watch the live action; I’m scared that I will disappoint with this manga. Since I like the live action very much. But I was wrong, I love this series. I love this much much than the live action.
The art is good, I love that. I love how Souryo Fuyumi draw Rei, and after I finish this manga, I feel more happy about my life

This is the best shoujo (josei would have also made sense) that i ever read and impossible to put down.
The art is great, the topics the manga carefully addresses feel well researched and the romance is one of a kind. The way the series handles death/suicide and sexual abuse and sexuality is unsurpassed in the genre and only Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan (9,5/10) comes close. Every single characters is alive and it must have been thrill ride to read the series weekly back in the day. I couldn´t even find real flaws while i reread the series a while ago and the structure of the narrative itself is a sight to behold too. So much foreshadowing! No subplot is wasted and the series ended on exactly the right note. Fuyumi is my favorite female mangaka and i hope that she will finaly be acknowledged with a few anime adaptations one of these days. It least she has the award side covered (but sadly not for this gem). Overall a rare perfect series.

... Last updated on July 18th, 2015, 6:44am

the characters in this manga all are multi-dimensional, and their expression of personalities lend a dramatic atmosphere to the story. the male mc is the usual good looking bad boy, and the female mc is the usual naive innocent cutie, however their characters are explored and magnified making us root for their happiness. the side characters did a great job in supporting the mc in making their love bloom. some characters seems big, however lost significance in just a short while, so it might throw you off.

the mentally unstable aspect of the characters are also a huge draw of this manga. every one of them have at least a little bit that's broken, and both of the mc is too broken that they can only fix each other. i really love that rei never change his psychopathic tendency, he is only moderated by kira's presence.

even though i love the development of the story, it is a little bit stretched. sometimes i feel a whole volume gone by without anything of significance happen. this is because of the style of art, where sometimes there is only one or two panels in a page and a lot of extreme closeup. this do make a more dramatic feeling, however progress is much slower. also one can get bored as they endlessly profess their love to each other, sometimes their touching and kissing are too much as nothing else is going on.

still, though their drama is a bit too dramatic, it is quite entertaining. the art is also very beautiful and light and pleasing to the eye. one can get lost in admiring them.

Although it may not seem too dark at first glance, just assume that the darker points in the beginning is the typical tone of the entire series; not to say that's all Mars has going for it. It was a great read that left my heart in shambles at one too many points in the story. My only gripe was with some of the psychological aspects being a bit far-fetched, namely but I'm not so hyper critical to allow that to devalue Mars as a quality series.

... Last updated on August 6th, 2014, 5:15am