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14-sai no Koi is best described as spring. The art style, the story, and the characters all give off a warm, new, clean spring-like feeling.

The story gives the air of simplicity. There's not a lot of angst - which for romance lovers can be a breath of fresh air from the usual. It's heartwarming and it's tender. It's a young love that isn't just "kya! my first boyfriend! I'm too shy to even look at them!" It's two friends who really like each other and how their feelings for each other grow and evolve. It's also not a masterpiece. It's not the greatest love ... story of all time. But it's definitely enjoyable for a break from the angsty love triangles that many romances seem to have.

As for the art, I'm personally a huge fan. I think it suits the theme of the manga very well. It's minimalistic, but I've always said that less is more.
The faces are different but fresh. Once again, it reminds me of spring. It might take some getting used to since it's different from the norm, but the expressions that Fuka Mizutani draws are very good. (I love half closed eyes. Yoshikawa is so sweet ^^)

Which brings me to characters. There's no ground breaking character development, no real extremes one way or another. But the mains are likable, the side characters get developed alongside with the mains. I find the characters endearing. I'm cheering for each of them to find happiness. That in itself is good story telling I think.

In conclusion, although I love this manga series, I recognize that it's not going to be for everyone. I think it's the type of series to be most enjoyed by those who want a relaxed romance or something to comfort them after watching something heartbreaking or gruesome.