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Ichikawa Kei is great at creating these slice-of-life stories that aren't particularly steamy, but will still tug at your heartstrings. Slow Starter is no different.

Frankly, Ino and Kiyo are adorable. Both are a little awkward with one another, but they're just so happy to spend time together - it's heart-warming. What I love about this manga is that it leaves out a lot of the romantic plot tropes that we usually see (like a character being bullied, neglected or injured in some other way). Ichikawa Sensei completely ignores the Seme/Uke dichotomy, with both Ino and Kyo being your average High-school males - and that's ... so refreshing.

It's important to keep in mind that this is a Shounen-Ai manga, so any steamy parts are kept to a bare minimum. But, that doesn't take away from this story at all - instead it keeps the focus on Ino and Kiyo's relationship from a romantic point of view rather than a sexual one.

The artwork itself isn't extraordinary by any means, but it's not bad either. Ichikawa Kei has a way of drawing her characters that feels sweet and wholesome. When the characters smile - you'll smile and when they laugh - you'll laugh.

Overall, I'd say this is a fantastic Manga if you want something that's heartwarming and sweet - and because there's hardly any graphic images, this book is safe for younger teenage readers as well.

From an artistic perspective, this Manga is beautiful. Perhaps an homage to it's name, this manga starts off with several beautifully painted Full-Color pages. The art style continues to impress with clean lines and careful draftsmanship of a salon working environment.

The plot starts off fairly straightforward, but takes a darker turn midway through. I found the characters themselves to be rather unlikable. If you like manga with sweet characters and heart-tugging romances (like from Ichikawa Kei, Junko, Natsume Isaku, ect) then you probably won't like this manga.

However, if you have a darker taste and enjoy manga like Caste Heaven, then you will ... probably like this manga.

Ultimately, I liked the artwork and the pretty characters and the story was intriguing, the characters were unlikable, and not suited to my tastes. Once the series continues publication in Ciel Magazine, I probably won't continue to read it.