This manga unlike others didnt feel like a typical shoujo manga to me. The plot, characters, art, and just everything about it was truly the best. There was many ups and downs as you read on and it gets you pulled right into it. Mayu and Takuma were both hilarious and in many of the heartbreaking scenes I cried. The characters and storyline of this were realistic and something new. Now it has finally come to an end and towards the end i was BEGGING for Takuma to live and not die. But at the end I was satisfied yet very unhappy about the fact that it CAME TO AN END. What can I say, this was absolutely wonderful and one of my very favorites. I kept up with this manga until the very end for years now, so you can tell just about how much I was in LOVE with this manga<3

... Last updated on August 15th, 2011, 12:26am

I initially enjoyed reading this series since it was a fun read. However now, I'm only left feeling disturbed by how Aoki Kotomi distributes her misconceptions about organ donation via her manga. It's one thing for the teenage protagonists to misunderstand brain death, however for a doctor to make the same error can only be blamed upon the author's biased and misconceived notions against organ donations.

Brain death is the permanent termination of all brain activity and thus is legally valid as a determinant of death. When there is a complete absence of any brain activity over a span of time, the complex brain functionality required to cry from emotional pain (I'm assuming emotional pain due to the lack of any mentioned physical pain reflexes) as described by the doctor in this manga is impossible. Yet he never questions a misdiagnosis and merely accepts that the brain is alive during brain death. By having all the main characters supportive of this stance with the doctor as the only authority and no opposition refuting this claim, the contradiction that the brain is simultaneously alive and dead in all instances of brain death simply becomes the manga's truth.

I also find it somewhat disturbing that despite the donor and his family having consented to donating, other characters would work towards convincing the family to oppose the donor's wishes. Organ donations are already so scarce in Japan due to the lack of donors. Aoki didn't need to further proliferate such antagonism towards signing the donation card with her manga by providing such erroneous reasoning.

... Last updated on June 27th, 2011, 4:56am

2 years ago i found an article, Aoki Kotomi said that the planned ending is sad ending (the movie) but it changed because of her fans begged her. Dont worry about the black frame at the ending because she use it for night scene (see other chapters) thanks to the moon. so, his dream came true.

This is one of the most touching mangas I have ever read. The mangaka really has a way of portraying the emotions accurately - from the confusion when the main character, Takuma, was younger to the determination and hope when he grows up. If you are expecting a light read, this is not the manga for you. You're gonna have to take it slow with this to really grasp all the emotions and feelings the mangaka so wonderfully portrayed. Honestly, I think this would suit an older audience 16+, but if you find you enjoy it, then that's awesome.

There are mixed reviews for the ending, but I believe the mangaka ended it splendidly. It did not feel "rushed" to me because the rhythm of the narration went smoothly with each frame. It made me really want to know what exactly happened with Takuma and Mayu but in such a way that I felt that whether he died or not, everything would be okay.

Note: There may be spoilers in this
It's amazing... The art is good, and I just love how the story's shown from the guy's perspective. Everything was so realistic. I loved how the story began when they were little, but didn't skip straight to the present day after a chapter or two. This manga showed the characters grow up and changed. Although I typically dislike the "let's make each other jealous" thing, I think it really worked for this manga. Before the guy learned that he was going to die before he reached 20, they were very honest about their feelings. It was really quite cool how Mayu declared to her entire class that she was going to marry Takuma. The characters in this manga are very elaborate. Mayu isn't one of those girls that are supposed to be strongheaded but aren't. She's supposed to be strongheaded, smart, stuck-up, and not a total ditz, and the author totally nailed it for her. Dammit, I hope the guy lives... I'm such a sucker for happy endings (Screw the bitter-sweet crap).

In response to cowslaves comment: Just to clarify, this manga is NOTHING like Haou Airen. In my opinion, Haou Airen was more of unrealistically screwing the girl (Yay, a f*** festival) than going through realistic problems in life. And while they're both tragic, the Boku no Hatsukoi is much sweeter.

That's something you can't often say about shoujo manga. I'm very sure it'll end with his death, because of what he thought at the end of the first chapter, when they promised to marry each other when they turn 20.


Want to read it *-*

... Last updated on October 27th, 2008, 11:51am

I picked this series up on whim when I was bored and it turned out to be a really great read.
The story has great balance, with scenes that make you burst into tears and scenes that would make you laugh. It's described in a very realistic way which makes you think "yea I think I would do that if I was in that situation". The author also managed to express the character's emotions really well. It makes it hard or nearly impossible to hate any of the characters. However, there are some parts where I feel that the author could have put a bit more detail into it to help make the readers feel all the emotional pain the characters are going through.

Overall it's definitely a good read if you're looking for a shoujo that doesn't have stupid characters, is realistic and has a nice plot. It definitely isn't a light-hearted shoujo that you could just glimpse through. You'll need to read it slowly to feel all the emotion in this manga.

this is probably one of the best romance series that i am currently reading - the flashbacks and encounters between mayu and takuma are really touching and takuma's conflicting feelings and actions really cause you to empathise with him. for a while i wasn't sure whether i was going to continue with this series because i just couldnt stand it if this turns out to be a tragedy, as it's seemingly going to be, but regardless of how it's going to end, this is a superb romance manga and i would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who has a soft spot for them.

it is a very good story but scanlations are so dang slow..
it probably can make most people cry during the first chapter

... Last updated on October 13th, 2006, 10:14pm

this is like reading a korean melodrama instead of watching.
alot of the same-plot lines and so much DRAMA. some of it got melodramatic enough that i started laughing when i should have been crying. it follows the korean makjang formula so it was pretty predictable.
i think i would have liked it more when i was 13, but then i've always gone in more for action and adventure stories rather than angsty romance, so maybe not.
not a good pick for those who dislike shoujo cliches in general, and melodramatic angst in particular.
i did give it a 4 instead of a 1 because i like some of the art and because it unintentionally made me laugh.