Although this manga is shoujo it is like shounen sports game where the protagonist tries hard and meet stronger rivals then suddenly an useless epiphany or team support makes her reach semi final only to loose in the finals which keeps on dragging their original dream, this is hindering the progress in its romantic plot. Will the heroine never realize feeling of love for taich. Its lame to one point with draggy explanations and flashbacks, it makes it all the more frustrating during a serious match.

his grandfather's death through his rejection of what was/is his favorite game. It's not guilt, it's not "wallowing in [his own] melodrama." Is it that difficult to believe that Arata's mourning for his grandfather manifests itself in this manner? It's a very human response, people deal with grief in different ways, this isn't a huge suspension of disbelief.

I would argue that when the flashback ends you feel that the "emotional upheaval" of the flashback chapter feels "cheated" because you have extremely high expectations for ten-year-olds. The flashback's function is to show the contrast of Arata past and present, as well as to show the initial meeting of the three characters, to lay out the foundations of their motivations. The present is where the emotional growth will really begin as they struggle to the top. Frankly, it's refreshing to see that the characters' actions and reactions are realistic. My issues with Chihaya as the heroine aside, I do think you're a little too personally hung up on her outer 'beautification'..

I do agree that there are a lot of panels in which Taichi is gazing at Chihaya - but not always in the 'I like you' way, sometimes in admiration, sometimes in encouragement. What I like about Taichi and Chihaya is that they DO have a relationship beyond the 'potential romantic couple' angle - they're friends who support each other and each other's passion for the game, so it isn't as annoying and infantile as you're making it out to be. (Case in point: look at most other shoujo mangas and compare with this one.)

Yes, maybe the whole deal behind Arata purging kurata from his life is an overdone plot device; but 'painful', no. It WOULD be painful if it was dragged on and on and on... but it's resolved when Chihaya and Taichi visit him. This calls back to the bond forged between them in the earlier chapters, and it also points out that Arata obviously loves kurata. He didn't reject kurata because he blamed the game for making him miss his grandfather's death, but because it served as a reminder of the grandfather who is no longer there, who was a powerful influence on him for liking the game in the first place. Kurata became a painful association and distancing himself from that association is a realistic response, I think. An emotional response, too, which are sometimes both logical and illogical (as in logical to that person, but appears illogical to others). Arata being able to enjoy the game again is symbolic of him moving on.