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If you are looking for a good-girl high school manga, then this is basically the epitome of it! It starts off with this pretty, smart, athletic, all-around good student named Yukino. She has all of the student body looking up to her and basking in her conceited excellence. But, the real her was this attention-craving, self-confessed “Queen of Vanity”, dressing like a slob at home and studying until all hours of the night.
She starts to be jealous of her rival, ... pretty-boy and fellow good student Soichiro, who, when he visited her house, saw her in her true form. He actually blackmailed her, making her do all of his extra work. Finally, after denying him after he told her that he loved her, she finally realized that she loved him too. When they finally were together at last, they made a pact that they would just be true to themselves--not vying for attention ever again, or in Soichiro’s case, proving himself to the world. I have read Volumes 1-8, and, let me tell you, you are in for a good story!
I recommend this manga for lovers of romance and drama. Although I have found that some don’t like the manga because of its “shallow” main character, I have to disagree. The characters blossom throughout the story, and they really do become better people. Each one gains depth. The art is graceful and beautifully high school-awkward. Although the manga’s good, I think the bonus manga are pretty dull, with some exceptions. (And, as an added bonus, the side-splittingly hilarious Tsuda Diaries provide an insight to what real manga-ka are like!)

Smartly drawn, the front cover was the first thing to scream “You’re gonna looove this!” at me. The main character, a tough, red-haired, orange-eyed beauty named Maria Rose, is a safe cracker in the slums of the city. She works for large sums of money to repay a debt in order to get her sword, the “Fake Consuming Inferno”, back. Maria works with a band of people who include Katari, whose head turns into that of a fish at random moments, Azian, the Maria-obsessed, somewhat perverted, dramatic romantic, the clever Tomato, and the timid Safina. They must go on a mission to ... an artist’s dungeon to raid it. However, this proves to have unexpected complications.
The art in itself is reason enough to read it—However, it has some people debating over whether it is shonen enough. Likewise, it should appeal to both gender tastes. This manga would be just the thing for lovers of action, comedy, romance, and fantasy. The characters are wonderfully designed and witty in their own ways. (And Katari’s head invites opportunities for hilarious fish-head jokes.) Maria is the kind of no-nonsense heroine that a successful female-lead manga needs. She is no damsel in distress. Bara no Maria has a satisfying potpourri of romance, action, and comedy (“…Can it be that your eyes and nipples are switched?”) that is sure to have your eyes perusing each skillfully drawn page with anticipation. The story waxes Black Cat, so people who love that manga will looove this! In a few words, this manga should be more popular.