Clover

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I didn't really know what to expect from the manga, and especially its main character.

The story itself is your typical shounen story with the villains that escalate in power with a modern delinquent aesthetic. Its the case where the characters make the story as an experience better than it actually is.

Hayato is probably the most endearing loud mouths I've seen in a while. He's very much a thug, but you can tell he means well and will do anything to fix his errors and is very considerate about how others feel. His interactions with the various characters are dynamic and especially entertaining.

The art is ... very well done. I just have a love for the quasi-realistic style for this story. The designs are pretty damn diverse in terms of fashion like cornrows, mohawks, dread locks, dyed hair, afros and the like.
One of its downfalls is that the female characters aren't as detailed as the male characters and suffer the most from the dreaded "same face syndrome" which unfortunately affect some of the male characters near the last quarter of the manga's run. There was a weird point of the manga where the backgrounds are clearly black & white photos which is nothing shy of off putting to me.

The action is pretty disappointing. There wasn't any real choreography for most of the fights. Just a war of attrition of punches, kicks, an occasion back kick or headbutt. I know these are street fights but you can be a lot more creative where the environment is practically a weapon. And there's a weird trend where most of the thugs' main choice of weaponry is a police baton.

The story is rather simple and easy to follow, but it gets really repetitive near the end from the story beats to the dialogue. It probably knew it was losing steam and ended which has my respect because there wasn't much left to show off without turning into a broken record like some shounen tend to be.

This is a good shounen manga worth your time for the characters and how they bounce off each other.

I just want to preface something before the review starts. Everything I'm about to say pretty much aligns with the other two reviews on this page. It probably wont be anything new but I thought I'd share my thoughts anyways. If you found this review helpful please like their review and not mine.

Story (6): Just like RefinedTyro and Nervin said this is a Shounen manga. You essentially get a monthly villain who does something to a friend of Misaki. Misaki comes in to save the day, the end. Each new villain is slightly stronger than before but worry not the power of friendship will persevere. ... Its very formulaic and at some point becomes very predictable. This does not mean the manga is bad in any way because it does what it does well. It gives the typical shounen manga a little twist by adding delinquents. Its a nice twist and the character development helps with making it very enjoyable. Unfortunately the ending felt a bit abrupt with 2-3 questions left unanswered. No spoils: There's a 10 chapter fight arc right before the ending and right when the fight is over it cuts into the future and we get 3 chapters concluding the manga. Also quick note: The manga isn't always serious and when it isn't serious its pretty funny. It does a great job in switching tones.

Art (7): The art starts off like any old school manga (wacky as fuck) but give it some time and it evolves into a pseudo-realistic art style (RefinedTyro). I personally loved it and it gave the manga a bit of style. Only problem is that all the chicks look the same and technically all the dudes look the same to (RefinedTyro) but they're given differentiation via clothing and hairstyles. You could probably make them all bald and they would all look the same just like how you can make all the male characters in DBZ bald and they all look the same. Unfortunately, the female characters get no love they all look the same dress the same and got the same hairstyles (Nervin). I didn't really mind because none of the female characters were apart of the main cast and as a result them having less detail put into them didn't push me away from the series. Overall the art style is nice and the semi realistic art helps give off a delinquent manga style. When shits about to go down it does a good job in expressing it with sharp lines and great composition and when its getting light hearted its able to strip all detail away and make it look very goofy.

Characters (7): Everything RefinedTyro and Nervin say is correct. Misaki is a lovable loud mouth and of all the manga I've read he's probably the most endearing. He's just a really good guy and always sticks up for his friends. The main 4 characters get a good amount of development but obviously our boy Misaki gets the most. None of the side characters get as much development but their fleshed out enough to the point were you don't really complain to much. The interactions between the cast is natural and done pretty well. It never goes against how the character was developed.

Enjoyment (9): This manga is a very entertaining read. Never once did I feel like it was getting boring or stale even though the story writing formula was very predictable. The fights were great even if there wasn't much choreography and it just resulted in a slugfest and attrition with a spice of friendship. The comedy was nice and the development of the main cast made me feel attached to the characters. Even the small bits of development for the side characters got me attached to them. Great manga that makes you feel pretty hyped when Misaki beats dudes up

Clover is one of the longest-running high-school furyos in the genre. As I've been interested in this one for a while, it was only natural that I should read Clover. Unfortunately, it arrived a little late in my reading list, and I have to say that I have mixed feelings about it.

It's not all doom and gloom, as the manga has a lot of quality.

First, let's talk about the characters. The cast is pretty good, with equally likable personalities, except for one female character who is simply unbearable and pointless. Fortunately, she only appears in the last few volumes, otherwise I would have found ... the manga sincerely unpleasant. For the rest, everything's cool. We find all the archetypes of furyo manga, with the bonus of having female characters and bonds that develop throughout the story.

Next, what I found appreciable in this manga was the author's graphic evolution. The drawing between the first volume and the last has absolutely nothing to do with it, and it's really great to be able to observe this kind of thing in a comic. At the outset, it's clear that the author hasn't really found his style, and is content to copy that of Hiroshi Takahashi, the modern master of the kind. From the facial expressions to the layout, I had the impression in the first few volumes that I was reading a copy of Crows. Thankfully, by volume 20, the author's style changes and we find the one we know now from Nine Peaks (an excellent manga, by the way). The cutting is classic, and we can feel the violence shared by the characters thanks to the facial expressions and dynamic strokes during the action.

Unfortunately... and this is where I have a problem: the manga adds absolutely nothing to the genre. If you have already read a certain number of furyo manga, you'll certainly have a good time, but you'll be anticipating the whole scenario. There are no surprises in the manga, either in the scenario or in the fights with the antagonists. It's a real shame, because the manga is a very easy read. The narration is fairly fluid and the events follow on well, but that's where it ends. This manga brings no surprises and no added value to the furyo genre.

Personally, what I appreciate in furyos is the social dimension. I like to follow high-school students in their troubles and see how they manage to forge links with each other and with the world around them. Clover tries to do this, but doesn't follow through. It's a pity the author didn't accentuate the story around the main character's past, as that would have added considerable value.

All in all, I'm still very lukewarm on this manga, even though I had a great time discovering it. I like reading furyos, but I think that with the ones about high school, I didn't find the surprise that I had with mangas like Worst or Rokudenashi Blues.