... Last updated on January 3rd, 2017, 6:38pm

Just finished reading this,
no genuine character development,
the story is interesting,
The art is descent,

The relationships are disturbing. (Like psychopathic only-think-of-me-and-no-one-else psychopathic). The female lead is weak willed, submissive, and cries too bloody much.

But hey, I enjoyed it. Good for wasting time.

Yes, that's what it is for me. A "cliche" Shoujo classic with a late 90's feel to it, but - What's so bad about getting, what one expects to get? Kkk. You get your typical love turn arounds, with an indecisive and whimpy female lead, that constantly shouts out her wish for being protected, family trouble bound to lots of drama - and of course almost every kind of (stereotyped) lead guy out there, ranging from the jealous boyfriend to the popular model childhood friend and caring brother type.

Hatsumi, the female main character, is one of the biggest weaknesses in this IMO, because she hardly shows any character development and gets into trouble just too easily, mainly because of her indecisive behaviour or her inability to try taking care of everything on her own (when she is not even able to do so at least in one case properly).

The male characters are also not really showing any growth, but at least Azusa seemed in the end to move on and let things kind of go. But - Considering the hints of his situation and his first rushed actions, it seemed a bit forced and not natural to me. Sighs. The male counterpart Ryouki was the whole time the same as usual, so there is not much to say about him after reading the other comments already pointing out his personality, and her brother kind of just left me with a bitter aftertaste. Yes, he was the good guy, but that's life ... Again, sighs.

The ray of light was in my eyes the plot about Azusa's background and the happenings of the past, which got revealed one by one. The result was no big surprise, but that's okay and at least everything got more or less solved in the end.

In short: You get, what you can expect from the tags and if you don't take every dialogue (or issue) to serious, then you can spend a weekend with this Manga classic in no time. It's a time killer. Haha.

If the mangaka could have focus on the growth of the two characters as the story progresses, the rating will not be so bad.
I've read shojo mangas with the same storyline before. For example Hana Yori Dango. While the mangaka of HYD made sure that Tsukasa and makino matured towards the end the mangaka of hot gimmick failed in making the character mature and gave us an unfulfilling ending where the main character is still crybaby and immature.

Overall I gave this manga a 7 rating because of the good start and middle but minus 3 for the crappy ending.

... Last updated on November 28th, 2012, 7:33am

It's not as bad as others see it. Ryoki might be a bit over the line but other elements of the story were well laid out. Too bad it ended rather abruptly. Azusa had potential but lost part after being revealed as a 'bad boy'. His character was kinda confusing. Shinogu gave up too quickly and Ryoki is just down right selfish. Hatsumi jumps from one guy to another offering herself which is kinda annoying. If her feelings showed more development and less hesitation, it would've been good. OTherwise, the story was rushed and ending was just...

I find it really unhealthy how he does all these horrible things to her but she still stands by him. I mean it wasn't even tsundere ryoki is a jerk and not attractive at all. Getting taken advantage of by a nerd. Kinda sad.

Ah, everyone is going to think I'm super weaksauce, I'll admit, I cried a few times reading this. I was able to immerse myself completely into their lives and I could really connect with the characters, I think that's what makes any piece of writing great.
That onii-chan, how can anybody's heart not break for him? He's so sweet, caring, self-less, humble, devoted, SO CUTE, amazing, smart.... haha okay I need to stop. Everytime I see his face, I just want to give him a hug and take away all of his pain. Poor guy. I actually really liked the ending where he wanted to go to the monastery because he couldn't stop loving Hatsumi. It sucks balls for him, but it just goes to show how much he loved her, and that there was absolutely no way for him to stop loving her. He couldn't forgive himself for his feelings, and that he was unable to stay by her side, so the only thing for him to do is to become a monk, as punishment. I was bawling but I thought it was really meaningful.
And there WAS character development! Hatsumi grew to be able to make an important decision for herself when she chose who to be with, despite Ryoki always telling her what to do. Ryoki, who grew up as a spoiled but lonely only child, learned to make compromises, and that he can't use force alone to get what he loves. Akane was mean to Hatsumi at first, and didn't take sex seriously, until she met someone she truly likes, and at the end where she comforts Hatsumi showed that she is starting to mature.
I give it a 10 because the story didn't have random, useless crap characters/events that were introduced once, and never appeared again. In a way, everything is tied together, and there was meaning behind all that happened. Ahhh I LOVED it, from the start to the end. So good so good!

... Last updated on June 22nd, 2010, 12:31pm

This manga could have been good but the heroine is simply too weak.The lead guy is abusive(verbally) When will mangaka learn there is an destinct difference between dominate Alpha personalities and just plain abusive?And the twist with the brother *Rolls eyes* It was so not needed. In the end this manga just doesn't cut it.

... Last updated on July 6th, 2007, 4:05pm

Aahh I love Ryoki! Sometimes he does get a bit violent and childish but..there's just something about him that i find attractive

I think the ending was a bit too sudden? and too short? I don't think I suppose to talk about the ending but I really didn't like how it ended..especially for Shinogu anyhow I think it's an awesome shoujo manga, i really liked it