Oct 16, 2015
"Isn't it sad to strangle yourself with your own hands?"
WHY SAY I LOVE YOU IS SHAPING UP TO BE ONE OF THE BEST SHOUJO MANGA
Years ago, I watched the anime Suki tte li na yo and was underwhelmed. It wasn't bad per se, but it was a rushed & easily forgettable anime. Its characters were interesting, but none were given enough time to be truly fleshed out, so they ended up falling flat. I read the manga to see if it was any better, but found the same thing and ended up dropping it after just a few chapters.
On a whim, I picked
...
it up again, a couple of years after I dropped it, and it was entertaining enough that it held my interest. But then something happened. Or rather, a series of somethings. The series showed its maturity, its complexity, its depth, its beauty. It went from a normal Shoujo manga to something that focuses on something much larger than a girl and a guy and their love.
The romance is nearly a veil that hides the manga's true intentions - it's true goal in its storytelling. More than a story of romance, this is a story about characters and their struggles to overcome their own limitations.
The characters are absolutely, positively, the best thing about Suki tte li na yo. To start with, Mei, our protagonist, is a girl who distanced herself from others because it was easier to be alone. "You don't get hurt that way," was her belief. That in itself is relatable enough to many. However, this story is about Mei's personal growth, and part of that growth is her coming to realize how childish such a way of life is. The antagonists of the manga are believable, full of depth, and their motivations are also realistic. They are treated as more than just "big ol' meanies" out to get Mei, and they are not tossed aside and forgotten when their storyline is through. No, we also see them grow as people, but from the beginning they are shown to be people just as deserving of happiness as anyone else in the story. They are not "evil" because "lol, they're evil" but they are only the antagonists because what they want conflicts with Mei's growth and development.
The art is gorgeous. The art is no doubt Shoujo-y, but it's also unique. The characters are drawn so that they are easily distinguishable from other characters and there is never any confusion about which character is who (as sometimes happens in other manga, Shoujo and non-Shoujo alike).
One of my favorite things about Suki tte ii na yo is that it doesn't skirt over the issue of sex. Sex is talked about realistically and how all of the characters respond to sex (whether it's being spoken about or actually happening) is also realistically portrayed. This is not a manga where the characters take 40 chapters to kiss. No, kissing happens, sex happens, so be forewarned.
If you don't like Shoujo or romance manga at all, this manga is probably not for you, however, because it does still have same of the same typical Shoujo flare as other Shoujo. However, if you're willing to read a Shoujo manga that's executed extremely well, with realistic characters and character interaction, then you should definitely give Suki tte ii na yo a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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