[tab]From what I can tell, Skip Beat! seems to be a manga that is either hated or loved with nothing in between. As with many slow romances, quite a few individuals love it at first and then begin to hate its pacing. Rather than general shoujo, I'd say that Skip Beat! is a Bildungsroman -- i.e. a work (especially a long one) which is centred around character growth. One of the manga's best features is that this growth may be spurred on by love but is not done by means of love. The character growth seen in both leads is honestly wonderful and heartwarming,
and for anyone who's wondering why it has been so long and the leads are still not an item: both have to resolve their personal issues first (else, the result would be ugly).
The romantic aspect is too central to be a subplot yet is not the only factor around which the plot revolves. It is probably for this reason that the manga avoids the "oh no, life isn't ideal, I must make mountains of molehills" with only a few brief exceptions (remember, the lead characters are sixteen and twenty when the manga starts). Please also keep in mind that by chapter two-hundred-thirty only a little over a year has passed in the characters' lives, as such the pace makes tons of sense with this type of story.
[tab]As for the story's foundation: "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd," (William Congreve, The Mourning Bride). It's hard to summarize the ball that gets the story rolling any better than that, and this element does not disappear, rather it becomes more complex and gains unexpected nuances. Skip Beat! has also been addressing such issues as self-hatred, handling one's past, and identity in an interesting manner using acting and taking on various personae. This is done seamlessly, without disturbing the overall integrity of the work.
[tab]Another excellent aspect of this manga is the characters themselves. The character interactions range from charming to hilarious, and the characters themselves, even the side characters, are likewise. It is also great to see main characters who are primarily motived by their own personal goals (e.g. revenge, a career, a dream, etc.) and leads who are achievement-oriented. Kyouko is an especially wonderful character: she's not some complex-filled mass of female stereotypes, but an interesting and engaging character whom one can genuinely route for, and Tsuruga-shi is equally interesting and unusual. Skip Beat! is NOT a manga where you're left wondering why character A falls for character B nor where the leads are completely obnoxious. Rather than characters who take being dense to professional levels (despite often being love-oriented), the main characters have actual sources of love-avoidance or lack of interest or recognition thereof. The resulting character relationships are far from frivolous. Several individuals have complained about there being a reverse harem, which I find bizarre. Yes, Kyouko is considered attractive when she dresses up -- she is an actress -- however, there is a difference between finding someone attractive and loving someone.
! Moreover, the three individuals, apart from Tsuruga-shi, who appear to be attracted to Kyouko are not so simple: the creep finds her unusual and amusing (the most you can consider it is a crush), the co-star isn't serious, while the childhood friend is (I find) more possessive than in love (he's actually maturing but I still can't see his feelings as love). As for the persona "Corn," there are no real indications of Kyouko having romantic feelings toward him (and to be fair, there's Bo on Kyouko's end).
[tab]The only persistent issue I found was the artwork. It isn't exactly bad and it definitely improves over the course of the manga, but the anatomical oddities often feel slightly more than stylized, especially in the beginning. Although the faces are overly similar, it doesn't feel like the characters are only differentiated by their hair styles, and there are some discernible family resemblances for many of the related characters (mostly in manner and mentality). The mangaka's humour, expressions, phrasing, use of chibi, and so on are perfect. Overall, I'd recommend this manga to anyone (even general shoujo-haters) who's willing to read a long story about character growth and is not opposed to a slow pace as far as romance is concerned.
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