I found that Skip Beat was one of the few shoujo titles that I've really come to love and sticks out in your head as being exceptional, compared to the many shoujo readings I've downed and forgotten.
For one, the main character is brilliant. Usually shoujo's are stuck with drab, sterotypical uninteresting main characters that are shadowed by their relationship with some attractive guy, not Kyoko. She even dominated the popularity polls in her manga, and while that might seem like a "duh" thing, normally with shoujo the main male characters get the fangirl vote. It's near impossible not to love Kyouko and her demon "hell have no wrath like a woman scorned" routine. She's dynamic, fun, and strong.
Her relationship is unique with her romantic interests. Some people are complaining about "amg nothing has happened" but I digress, I think a lot .has. happened, it's just that they are not "together" yet, which is understandable because they both are growing as individuals, plus her rivalship/friendship with Shou is just as important, if not romantically than simply as people who compel each other to rise above their faults.
The other thing I love about the manga besides the chemistry and comedy, is the fact that the author does not sacrifice character development just to shove in shiny overdramatic romantic drivel. She's actually growing as a person, actor, changing her goals and overcoming her problems as someone who wants to be "better" than she is now. Kudos to the mangaka.
Problem would be the art, sometimes the faces look awkward (seriously, the faces are complete "v's. They din't have a jaw line >_>, I actually am more comfortable with drawing the deformed comedy heads rather than her normal) and their bodies are creepily lanky and disproportionate.
(-40)
