This was an absolutely wonderful manga. I can't believe how long it took me to get around to reading this. Such a pity! It had everything I could have wanted. Really, I couldn't ask for more.
The art, first of all, was absolutely stunning! I was a bit prejudiced looking at the cover but for no reason. It gets even better as the story progresses. The style is beautiful and extremely detailed, yet clean. Superb! It reminded me of a mix of Ayano Yamane's and Inariya Fusanosuke's art. Really nice to look at. Especially the kissing scenes were on a level you rarely come by. It really heightens the romance. Now, I confess I normally focus on the characters looks, but in this manga even the backdrop was often drawn so elaborately that it really drew attention to itself. Art-wise one of the best I've read definitely!
The characters in this story are also wonderful. The main couple especially. I liked Iwaki-san best, such an easy character to relate to. I also loved the character growth there and how he goes from distant and detached to passionate but easily irritable and finally from there to loving, tender, and caring. So sweet. Katou matured alot too but his character felt less consistent to me. The side character's were also very interesting if not always sympathetic.
When it comes to plot, there's not much to complain about either. It was realistic, but not in aboring kind of way, just in a way to make it all more believable. I loved it for being so well thought out; in each scene the emotions portrayed by the characters came across nicely and they were presented in a way that made it all seem so profound. No randomness or superficiality at all! I must really praise the plot for all the attention placed on matters other than the main couple's romance as well. Everything about whatever was going on around them seemed so real and the mangaka must have really done some research on the film industry and such. Very good work!
The only criticism I might offer is the lack of a cohesive theme for the manga as a whole. It had more the feel of a really long collection of these slice of life stories revolving around one couple. It did have elements that worked to move the plot along from chapter to chapter but it didn't have any one thing to bring it all together. The storylines were enjoyable, though, and there was real unpredictability and originality. It also had a bit of everything; cute lovey-dovey fluff, drama, angst, tragedy, comedy, and romance all wrapped in one. Oh and the story Winter Cicada was especially beautiful. I think this is the first time a manga has actually made me cry. It was amazing...
I highly recommend this! It's a keeper...