Puzzle

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I enjoy my fluffy shoujos, but I enjoy my dark shoujos even more. And Puzzle is one of those. Sort of. I’ve read darker, but I still appreciate the existence of this manga.

This story touches topics that have been covered plenty of times by plenty of people (bullying, not fitting in, being who others want/see you to be rather than being true to yourself, finding someone who understands you), but I can’t roll my eyes at it or hate it. The story uses the idea of puzzle pieces, and though it’s not an original idea, I still can’t help but find authors/writers who use this ... premise clever—especially when it’s used with romance.

Essentially, Miyabi has lived her life with a façade and has been trying to find a place where she belongs. When it seems like she’s finally found solace in a boy named Kounoike, he’s shunned by everyone else because of his criminal of a father. Miyabi loses her solace, but she changes herself to better fit with Kounoiki. They are pieces of a puzzle that fit together and Miyabi refuses to connect to those who do not fit her “contours”. All she wants is to finally connect with someone, but Kounoiki knows that if he allows himself to be with her, he’ll just drag her down with him.

I can see why this story doesn’t appeal to some readers—as they prefer their shoujo light and soft. But stories such as Puzzle, which is gritty and sticky deserve love too. And I happen to prefer these darker shoujos than the majority of lighter ones. Overall, the raw emotions displayed in Puzzle satisfied me and I only wish that—on occasion—other shoujos will take a risk to a darker “psychological” approach in their stories as this manga did.