I LOVE Mars, I really do. I don't know but the first time I read this series, I felt it overly dramatic, a bit cheaply written with all the tragic plot twists and the hidden pasts etc. I dropped it afterwards. But I went back and read the series.

But the second time around, I can see the love between Kira and Rei, how it really does fit into the "Love can conquer all", and all sorts of other cheesy things..It's so sweet, so enthralling and just pure. I don't see Kira as a weak heroine - she's supported Rei and overcame obstacles. It's more like that clichéd metaphor of a caterpillar evolving into a butterfly. And Rei, oh Rei - he's just what the manga states him to be, so full of colors all strong but both beautiful and sad. I admit, there are parts that seemed a bit predictable and overly unrealistic - but heck, I wouldn't have it any other way. An endearing love story about opposites that attract, flavored with tragedy, passion and sweet youthful love. God, if you haven't read this yet. DO IT NOW.

im one of the fewer people who started reading this,like now (meaning recently),even though its quite old,but actually im glad.because i realised how my taste in maga changed over the 2 or 3 years i started reading them (maybe because of growing up,or just simply it took me time to get to know all kinds of types of manga,bad and great,and get a chance to compare),but if i HAD read this at the beginning, then there would have been a hell less manga that i could have enjoyed, because it would have set a higher benchmark for my expectations (as others have said). True,this way i managed to read all kinds of cr.p manga in the 'early years' ,but i think it was necessary.

Anyway,this manga is very good,realistic all the way (true,with more drama,but it is being told in a belivable way,where you can actually relate to the charachters),the psychological parts are my favourite,because its not between good and bad people,but complex human beings,with the darkness inside them. One more thing,which was surprising for me,that the art is really good too,considering the age it war drawn,of course the clothes and hairstyles are a bit outdated,but who cares anyway when you can immerse in a story like this. i havent read the final volumes yet,but i think it cannot go wrong from this point.

As my first manga this is very special to me. This manga has strong character development, along with the plot. What people need to understand about Mars before reading it is that it's not filled with happy sunshine moments, it gets pretty dark as the story moves along. Very serious, unspoken physiological issues are dealt with in the story. Despite the shift into a very dark, serious mode, Mars still manages deal with these problems without it feeling dragged out or boring. Each chapter contributed to the story. Really amazing manga/ story, don't miss out on this one.

One of my favourite manga.

The art is really good - I especially liked Kiras drawings... it's art within art haha

As for the characters and storyline ...
I liked it but if youre looking for something realistic be warned:
The romance and characters are realistic enough, but their actions and the storyline are kinda, um, overexaggerated (in the later volumes)?

Still gave it a 10/10 since I liked the relationships between the characters (I liked the main couple's relationship but I loved the sidecharacters)

Man, this was one of the mangas I read that got me into reading manga in the first place. I read it then, and I'll read it again. Over and over..haha.. the story is great! I do admit that Kira cries a lot but I love how strong she is when Rei and her are together. Having a genre that includes psychology is nice for a change.

This is very deep manga...after I a volume or two I couldn't help but do some deep thinking. I think that the song "Mad World" by Gary Jules would sum up how I feel about this one.

From reading other reviews I can tell that this is a love/hate relationship with this story. I totally fell in love with it! I didn't read all in one dose because I feel that I would appreciate the storyline deeper if I actually thought about it in-between volumes.


If you looking for something like the classic shy girl meets rough boy shoujo then will be the one but everything in this manga is not cotton candy sweet. For me, everything hit the heart and it has been a while since I read a manga that would touch me so deeply. The story line is very heavy and at times a little dark but all in all it is a great read.

From the comments it would seem you either love it or you hate it. I happen to be on the love it side. The plot in a nutshell? Two emotionally damaged people learning what it means to trust and love someone. Someone said that in the real world Rei wouldn't look at Kira, but there's actually a very good reason that she first drew his attention. Granted there's a lot of drama, seems these two can not catch a break, but it's done in such a way that it doesn't seem all that far fetched. Some of you might scoff at that remark but really when you think on it it does make sense. There's a cycle of emotional damage and turmoil throughout this series, of how one persons instability can effect others and what it takes to end that cycle and start to heal.

The art is lovely, the story is touching and laid out to you in a way that keeps you guessing (in a good way, it's like a puzzle and you need to keep reading to piece it all together). My only issue, and it's a very small issue, is that I felt it was a little too long, for me the last few volumes lacked that same spark or something. It's hard to really describe what seemed to be missing for me.



I think I would have to agree with this 100%. Mars was perhaps the second full series I read when I got into manga and since then I continue to look for something that will captivate me the same way it has. I

The long and short of it? It's dramatic, it focuses on some rather touchy and some might even say triggering subjects but it really is worth the read. (and reread as the case may be)

... Last updated on January 13th, 2010, 9:46pm

I'm EXTREMELY picky about the manga I read and this hit the mark just right. It was deep, emotional, the characters had so much depth and the story line was incredible. The first page you read just hooks you in. Not to mention that the artwork is beautiful. It's definitely the first series I will ever reccomend to anyone. Even if you're not really a fan of manga, it's still a must-read. It is and probably always will be, my number 1 favourite.

... Last updated on January 12th, 2010, 7:53pm

Ok here we go, I don't generally write reviews for mangas but after reading a handfull of the ones already up here i decided to have a go at it. I want to defend this manga, its personally one of my favorites. But i'm not going to be all like "IT'S GOOD, YOU DON'T LIKE IT? YOU SUCK"

I highly enjoyed it, i don't understand why anyone would think that there was to plot or character development, i thought the characters developed nicely. Yes the main character is weak, but she does find strength later on, you need to read the whole thing first before judging, this is why i don't go complaining in reviews about why i didn't like a manga cause firstly it's probably just not tuned to my tastes, or i never ended up finishing it.
I also don't find the backgrounds of the characters to be TOO unrealistic, at least not as unrealistic as a posy of super rich kids attending a school for the mass of super rich people out there and then ONE girl who on the brink of poverty just happened to make it into the school. But then again there's nothing wrong with that, it adds to the comedy, and just isn't my cup of tea.
What i'm trying to get at is i found this to be a wonderful manga because there was nice development, it had me hooked, and it was very like something i would read.
you can't call this one unrealistic and say hana yori dango isn't. Life comes with TONS of different situations so just cause all of them don't follow the same story line doesn't mean they aren't very relate able, not to mention is it were COMPLETELY realistic it would be pretty boring no? honestly if the manga were based off OUR lives people would be reading about kids who sat their large rear ends in front of a computer reading manga all day. it just depends on the person.

... Last updated on December 25th, 2009, 6:13pm

Not all girls are STRONG like the girls in hana yori dango or other heroine shoujos. Just because the main character is some what weak and may cry a few times, if you read on there's a reason why she's so fragile and why she likes the tough, knight in armour main chracter guy. And yeah the guy's past may be unrealistic, but... it's a manga and most of the time manga's turn the unrealistics into good stories (and to me this guy's past is not wayyy out there). To those who hate this manga, I think you shouldn't even rate the MARS until you have fully read the whole 15 volumes. If you can't finish it, then don't rate the 5-6 volumes you've read because that's only the beginning of the whole drama.