Yeah, it goes round and round in circles, but there's still very important and realistic character growth happening between each "rotation" of the plot, lol. Which is to say - I think that people often actually behave like this in real life, as in, they break up without meaning to, and then they get back together to resolve what couldn't be resolved before, and end up breaking up again because they can't recapture the past. THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
I found this TONNES better than most shoujo manga that don't grasp this sort of complexity... Sure, the characters make stupid mistakes, but so do many other people in the real world. At least I didn't think any of the mistakes they made were inconsistent with their characterizations or were psychologically unrealistic... As is the case in 90% of shoujo. I much prefer reading this to some unrealistic baloney about a "one true love" that never fades.
I thought the characterization of the lead male was AWESOME. There are people who are just that afraid of love, and just as oblivious until life smacks 'em upside their silly little heads. I like the fact that he had this quiet sort of melancholy to him, along with the surface smiles - that kind of vulnerability is rare in the male heroes of shoujo manga. This guy's more of an anti-hero, anyway. I mean, there's no way I'd date him at the beginning (argh!), but I can understand why some women might want to, and I do appreciate that he's actually a good person. What's great about this manga is that it charts his VERY GENUINE character growth - by the end of it, he does become the sort of guy I wouldn't mind dating, even if at the start, the very sight of a guy with such apparently "loose" morals would drive me off faster than a jet engine.
Really good characterizations and a story worth reading. I only wish it was a little longer, and showed the male and female leads in an actual relationship, although I can foresee just from the ending that things will go well for them (barring the occasional angst attacks that one might expect in any fledgling romance). I just wanted to see the guy actually live out his new potential, that's all... I wanted to see him being devoted to her. Well, I guess we DO see that, just not as much as I'd have liked...
Still, way better than most shoujo romances. I rate this a 9 and strongly recommend it to people that like their coffee bitterwseet. 🙂