This might sound weird but I love this manga not because of the main characters but because of Andou and Mayuka. I really admire them. They're both selfless, and were willing to sacrifice their own happiness for the person they love, even if it's to see them be with someone else. Very admirable, isn't it? Main characters are meh. I leave the passionate comments about them to other reviewers. =P

I don't know how I feel about this. It hard to judge, because it is different from anything I've ever read. Everyone is so nice, considerate, and understanding. Even the mean girl I thought" someone to hate had made their arrival" is a nice person too. All problems handled maturely like adults. This is a first. However, this is certainly not slice of life. It was nice...very nice I guess.

I actually dropped it after reading two volumes. The plot is rather typical for the genre and almost completely predictable, despite the claims otherwise.

I do not recommend this for anyone around or above my age (I'm 16) or anyone who's looking for a serious read. However, I do recommend this for a younger audience with a more idealistic approach to life.

In all, I rather liked Andou, rather disliked Ren, felt bad for Ren's first girlfriend, and ended up being annoyed with Ninako.
- While Ninako does have some character development, it's not particularly good character development. She doesn't really learn anything useful, except maybe that love doesn't always work out, in the first two volumes (but that doesn't really count, because she ends up getting the guy) and becomes progressively more annoying as the chapters proceed.
- Although Ren had an actual personality, he was a boring love interest -- a Marty Stu by any other name is just as irritating.
- Andou and Ren's first girlfriend were actually very enjoyable characters. The former, because of his flaws and the latter, because of her relatable insecurities.

I get how some reviews say there is character development with this manga.. that after facing a heartbreak, Ninako gets back up on her feet and never gives up on her first love. However, the male lead in question already has a girlfriend at the time of her confession.. which is rather inconsiderate of Ninako as it would definitely waver his feelings he has of his girlfriend. I understand how you should fight for your love, but certain as the girlfriend, don't you find it unfair?

Being a typical formulaic shoujo manga, I'm sure the male lead falls for Ninako in the end.. and I don't approve, because that's not how it should be. This shows that while the male lead already has a girlfriend has strayed and it doesn't matter if the girl he falls for is the heroine - he's cheated in his heart. I find this despicable and just can't move on from that, I'm sorry for being harsh and obstinate but this manga is dead to me.

Having read some reviews before picking this one up I saw lots of mixed opinions, some thought it fell right in line with others, not being special and boring; I beg to differ, really. Sure, it's shoujo, lots of relation stuff remains the same old relation stuff, but the characters are believable and the plot, pacing and art is nice. I quickly drop shoujo I don't find promising, but this one stuck with me. Do give it a try, it's one of the more balanced shoujo around.

One thing I don't like is manslut characters, but oh well. On a side note, with shoujo there's often moments where you feel like dropping the manga entirely just because something plain.. retarded happens. Awful unneeded drama, characters suddenly acting out of character, you know the kind. There's not.. too much of that, at least not until the late volumes and it's still pretty tame at that. It all remains logical and believable which is a big plus.

Oh, and don't miss the side story in the middle of the last volume, it's easily the sweetest thing in the entire manga T_T.

... Last updated on July 7th, 2012, 2:12pm

It's a typical unrequited love turns to requited love shoujo manga but the way It's so innocent and cute hooks me, and how even though there is a love polygon, the heroine doesn't waver or bounce between two guys and not just her, they're all determined to see their love blossom. For some reason I love how the male lead tries to restrain his feelings for the heroine and the way the heroine grows on the male lead. The art is also good. The only thing that annoyed me a bit was the heroine's facial expression in the first few pages, (the heroine herself annoyed me for the first few chapters but quickly grew on me) and how the guy that was originally "in love" with her first, moved on so quickly (but it's okay since she didn't like him back like that at all). Other than that LOVE everything else about this series. I have a feeling I won't come across anything this satisfyingly good in a while. One more thing- you might find it a bit annoying when she and how the male lead doesn't seem to try as hard as his rival to get the heroine but I think he handled his feelings in the most appropriate way possible. Don't let that stop you from reading this, though. It's a cute love story!

... Last updated on June 6th, 2012, 9:06pm

Although I don't hate this manga, I don't really like it either.
The story is nice. I like the realistic touch of the scenes and happenings, and the artwork is very well done. Very detailed and soft and..well...shoujo-y. Although I must admit, those weird pouty faces that Ninako makes irritate me beyond my own understanding.
And also...I don't like Ninako. But hold up, I'm not saying that I don't like her because she's not tough and she doesn't punch people. (to prove my point, I don't really like Ayuzawa Misaki from kaichou wa maid-sama either)
I just don't like her because she's SO ANNOYING. Yes, she's sweet and nice and cute, and I like heroines like those but I dunno, I just think she's annoying. I don't like overly violent and perfect heroines, but this Ninako Kinoshita character is just too dumb and annoying for me to take. There are lots of manga heroines that are cute and nice and shy that I like, but that's because they were interesting. In this manga, my biggest turnoff is the heroine herself. I don't find her interesting. She wasn't shallow or bland, I just found her uninteresting.
I did like Ren though. He's definitely a sweet guy, and at least he wasn't mean to the main character.
Anyway, perhaps I'm just a person with bad taste. Read the manga to be sure, because I heard that lots of people like it. And also, I found it lacking in the comedy department, perhaps that's why it really failed to entertain me.

The plot is simple, the heroine is typical, and the bishounen is very much cliched. All in all, its very predictable but what makes it outstanding is how the mangaka showed the reality of unrequited love. It's slow paced and light.. It showed how people developed their feeling towards their love ones... never fast and shallow. Its about "love is knowing".

Lengthy comment by Lija-chan made me understand that this one is indeed quite different from the pack. While the central theme still loiter around boys met girls, and the boys still the most popular among the flock (while the girl is nowhere near special), the execution is somewhat different. Centering on character development, sure Strobe Edge gives a little refreshment.

But I hate cliche so much. And I hate art that has too many decoration. Reading Strobe Edge still gives me that "What the heck was I reading?" No new issue to deal with, no new point of view to be appreciated, no lesson can be derived, no interesting theme to be enjoyed. After spending few minutes reading the first volume, I can only say, Strobe Edge is just another ride that only hurt my eyes.

Thats why i reffuuuussee to drop a manga unless its really incredibly bad(this one certainly is not)
As much as i hate weak main leads specially females, and she wasnt the greatest at first,i totally love this manga, i love it all. The art is super cute just like shojos are, the plot isnt the most unique one but it does have here and there some refreshing things, its super and beyond adorable. Believe me, me who gave up on shojos long ago hahahaha...
No but for real, its really cute and pure and all that, the characters are all likable, when you think you hate one of them, it comes a side story to make you love them all.
Overall was pretty well done.

... Last updated on April 23rd, 2012, 3:41pm