Suffers from the “male lead can be better than you if he Tries” trope, but not too bad overall.

It’s just.... It was especially grating to have that tired, gender dynamic confirming cliche shoved in my face after reveling in Kanoko’s intelligence & cunning. It was NBD that she academically outperformed him until it became an Ego thing & he had to just study a little to outrank her.

Like. We get it. A het fem protag can’t one-up a male lead in any way (intelligence, social skills, aesthetics, etc) without it being a deliberate choice on his part. Cool. Can we move on & let FMC be exceptional w/o making him even more so?

Sadly I ended up reading this and then found the prequel so a few times I was confused. At the end I read the prequel then re-read this because it's that amazing so I re-read this manga quite often. The main characters relations ships are very unique and wish there were more manga like this but I'm happy just re-reading some of the moments between the character. Tho the end it a little rushed there T~T
It's great at least romance-wise and comedy but some plots with other characters I found boring and wanted more with the main group.

... Last updated on August 29th, 2019, 12:29pm

I really liked Kanoko and the way her character changed with past and more recent encounters. Also, the way she cherished her friendships was very nice to see.



... Last updated on June 27th, 2018, 5:08pm

It felt like first couple of volumes promised me an entirely different manga. "Three Kingdoms"? Highschool political power struggle? Nah. All that build up deflates around volume 3 and then the manga runs in circles for 8 more volumes repeating same patterns and spoonfeeding the plot. Typical stuff.

It's not bad, but it has nowhere near enough charm to carry itself for 11 freaking volumes without plot.

There are very few shoujo heroines as brilliant and refreshing as Naedoko. Take it from someone who has sifted through an ocean of crappy heroines and found less than 10 that are actually unique characters. She really keeps the series entertaining and 90% of the comedy stems from her antics as well as her obliviousness to Tsubaki's feelings. I realized as I was reading that while I love Tsubaki's attempts to get Naedoko to notice him, if he were placed in a typical shoujo series, he'd be relatively uninteresting and cliche, which means Naedoko is the one who single-handedly made this manga a gem. Take her away and the story wouldn't be as good as it is, but have her as your lead and suddenly all the relationships and dynamics with the rest of the cast seem so natural and engaging. This is character writing at its best.

I can't read anything else. Every other shoujo sucks in comparison. I find myself rolling my eyes while reading tbem now. I need more shoujo like this, more heroines like Naedoko. This is a great manga, from beginning to end. 9/10

I can't believe it's over already...

This was a really cute manga. Naedoko and Tsubaki are a believable couple, and the author gives the plotline a cozy, fluffy feeling to it. It might be too sweet to be as 'psychological' as some people market it, but it's refreshing. There's not really any stereotypical shoujo cliches in it.

I liked the development of the characters, and I liked that romance makes the characters more open minded instead of weaker. The relationship is awesome between the characters, and the way they grow is very well done.
However, I wished if at the end .
I liked the stories of the side characters, but there are still two characters that I wanted to know more about.
Well, there are more chapters coming (hopefully). Hope I can see them.

UGH. I TOTALLY ADORE THIS MANGA AND I DON'T CARE HOW FRICKIN' "LONG" OR HOW IT GOT "DRAGGED ON", I finished this in one sitting. I'd never find characters as badass as Kanoko, as adorable as Tsubaki or as reliable as Momo and Sayuri. I LOVE the character development. This manga is too good. RECOMMENDED!

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.