Fairly similar to Special A, it has an atypical twist and rather strange romance. It has some shoujo cliches, some action, adventure, and quite a lot of funny and WTF moments. One reader described it as a smut without the smut. I wouldn't go as far as to say that but I will say it's... something else but not in a sexual way. Oh well, I don't want to spoil anything so I'll avoid talking going too deep into plot elements as much as possible.
What does the public say for this manga?
According to mangaupdates.com, a database for manga readers worldwide, users by average scored this story at 8.37. This is extremely high for a manga since most mangas don't surpass a score of 9. My favorite manga of all time and one of the top 5 (completed) only has a score of 8.98 (meanwhile Skip Beat which is still at its peak has maintained a 9.08 wtf). Only 37 % of readers gave this story a 10 (only 2% higher than Vampire Knight and 1% higher than SA).
So here is my scoring for the manga
Storyline/ Writing:
The overall plot is worthy of 8.5
Why?
The story is cute, consistent, and coherent all the way until we start peering into Usui's past. Somethings weren't clear and others were irrational. The whole spin of his past sounds so cliche and so similar to Private Prince. Then the whole england arch, was just overdone and over caculated. Followed up by the final arch, the more their relationship evolved, the less engaging the story becomes. The final chapter was efficent in tying up too many loose ends which is great in some ways but hurt some aspects of the story. It was a rushed reunion and just listing every possible loose end and tied it up (similar to Gokinjo Mongotari but less satifying). The ending was rushed. However 8.5 is reflecting the story as a whole which is excellent. There are many powerful archs, character growth, and love tryst that makes the story compelling. The twist of Misaki, who works so hard to achieve what she wants; for her family and herself, is extremely admirable. Thats something you don't quite see in media anymore. Shoujos no longer reflect that anymore, they mostly reflect on a damsel in distress type of writing.
Art:
Worthy of a 8
Not top notch, but good enough (in comparison to other shoujos), passable enough to be in a higher rank. In the begginning, every character had similar eyes and it made it hard to differentiate them at times. The idiot trio looked way better drawn in the beginning of the manga. Usui did not look hot, overall the art was very 90s and similar to other artists that were popular in the 90s.Take note the manga began serialization in 2006. However the artist does a beautiful job of improving the quality of art. Things become more detail, more modern, the art is completely different from the first chapter by the last chapter. That being said, this story isn't a 10 in art like Say I Love You.
Literary Merit:
Worthy of a 9
Its hard to pick up on these, writing wise, but the ones you do pick up are good. There is a lot of character growth, a lot of chemistry between characters and good variety of dynamics. Its make the story a worthwhile read. This is probably why the story scored so well among readers. The story is rich in character dynamics. Every character is relatable, many foil each other (i.e Misaki two friends are foils), and their relationships are realistic.
Overall : 8.5
My scoring is higher by the general public by 13%. That is quite a big gap (because mangas generally don't score higher then a 9). My guess because I evaluate the literary merit sepperate from the plot. Had I not given the extra .5, my score would of been a 8.33 , in lined with the general public.
My verdict:
GO READ IT! Trust me, it's way better then some of the garbage thats being serialized right now. Depending on your interests, it's just as good as Vampire Knight. The anime is really cute too ---> One of the few animes I enjoyed watching.
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