[color=red]WARNING! May contain spoilers![/color] (Not sure if I consider them spoilers, but I'll just play it safe)
I am not the type of person to complain about art because I've read Hana Yori Dango three years ago and it really taught me to never judge a book by its cover (and art inside). I absolutely adore the art because regardless of how old Yazawa-sensei's masterpieces are, she draws each panel with so much emotion that I feel like I'm absorbing the beauty of it all. Oh and I think the people who complain about the art as being "old style" need to get a reality check - when mangakas draw numerous manga, you start to see characters who look alike a lot. I'm not a big fan of Yuu Watase because her characters from Fushigi Yuugi, Ayashi no Ceres, Alice the 19th, and Zettai Kareshi always look so similar. Fortunately I read Ayashi no Ceres first, and it will still be my favorite because despite many of its extremities, the twists and turns kept it interesting.
Anyway back to the story, I think what's really gripping about this manga is that it stays so real to me. Some have said it's way too dramatic, but I concur with those who think there's a balance between comedy and drama, which I love best. It keeps you constantly turning the page, playing with your emotions and maintaining its gripping effect. There's many twists and turns, but you are never left totally confused, because Ai Yazawa always lays out everything straight out without ambiguities. As I've said, her art in this story delivers so much emotion that I feel like I'm constantly falling in love with every character, no matter how bitter I get about what happens with each character. Originally I loved Musashi for his simple and complex thinking (I feel like I understand him one second, and I'm set aback the next), then I hated him for leaving Hiroko, then I love him again because he has so much influence over everyone. He's a supporting character, but he's really important to the development of Midori and Akira.
But the character I love the most is Mamiya (Mamirin?) because even though sometimes she can be so blunt (occasionally in a cruel way), she's such a good friend and she's possibly the most down-to-earth and real character in the whole cast. I'm really glad that Ai Yazawa put this character in because she's such an important character. You always need the "best friend" whose there to be the shoulder to cry on, the friend who will tell you the truth no matter what, to support your decisions, to give you a reality check when you're wrong, and most of all be strong for you even when she is suffering because she knows exactly how you feel because the love of her life is always slightly out of her grasp. That is why i love her.
I really do love her current work, Nana, but since Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai is significantly shorter, it goes at a much quicker pace, and maintains its "highschool atmosphere". Love isn't just the whole "yea I like you. Let's date. Okay end of story." There's so much more to that. I dislike those shoujo stories where characters just tease each other and then they end up going out at the end and the story ends. It makes readers think that love is perfect, that it's infinite, without any consequences or circumstances. There's so much more to that and I love that Ai Yazawa gives us that impression.
Fortunately the scanlations are coming to a close (yay we're at volume 7! Thank you Dragonvoice!), so I can finally feel a sense of relief. Ai Yazawa is known to create dramatic endings (look at Paradise Kiss!), but I know that no matter what, I will still be happy because she always ends it with a giant BANG! (in a good way)
(+6)
(-104)
