REJECTION OF ALL "FEMINIST" OBJECTIONS
Yup, everyone can come in with their own impressions. It's fine. However, the danger with literature is when it's banned, not when it's allowed - when one sort of perspective is deemed correct and another rejected. So I completely disagree with all opinion about how poor, young, 13-year old girls will be negatively influenced - it's their choice on what they want to read. Extension of such dangerous logic will have you banning every manga that includes smoking, violence, addictive internet games... in short, becoming an unbearable megalomaniac control-freak. (PS: for all feminists out there, you will realize this manga's actually saying females can kick balls better than males do. Read before reacting, please.)
IS IT REALLY ONLY MEANT FOR THE RUBBISH CHUTE?
It seems this series has especially bad press. (I ordered comments by Usefulness and found that the most useful comment rates this series as 1/10, and the others aren't far off.) I do agree with many valid points raised: the characters are a bit excessive (seriously, raping a girl just to win a bet?!) and Midori's disguise isn't something'll that'll hold to any normal observer's eyes. But in manga, reality's always twisted slightly, and while it might be disconcerting or even distasteful that everyone seems to not realize her true gender, do keep in mind that we readers have confirmation bias (I mean, duh, you've seen her as a girl and the mangaka tries to draw boobs in every time so of course you'd notice it), and that laws of physics are rarely obeyed in fiction. So it's fine.
WHAT WE SHOULD REALLY BE LOOKING AT
The important thing, I think, is artwork, characterization, and plot. Artwork's good and appealing - and this is really a question of taste, since if you have no stomach for chibi, you're better off elsewhere. While Tsukasa is quite unbelievable, I think Kazuma's turned out fine - the only criticism, really, is that he's rather too perfect - and Midori's less swoony than your average shoujo female lead, at least initially. The plot's premises are standard and decent, pretty much - revenge on a rival you have past enmity with is one of the more commonly used devices, but it works, and you should know if you've read Skip Beat!
All in all it's a fine manga and has potential to hit 8 if it limits the damage Tsukasa is dealing to its credibility, has Midori do some real character growth and lets Kazuma be a little bit selfish for once. A nice, satisfying ending can push it even further.
(-18)
(+68)
