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I can't really do a long review from this once because I just finished reading it and really felt overwhelmed with the feelings I felt throughout my time reading the manhwa. Like, seriously.

STORY: 7 - GOOD

It was good, I guess. It was interesting. I really loved the innocent encounter they had in the beginning! ^_^ I still don't believe in love at first sight, but they sure proved that true love could work if you just stop misunderstanding each other, man... Because with love at first sight, it basically means that you fell in love with a person out of instinct without getting to know ... about the person first. That's some strong instinct that Jarte has, I should say.

I mean, Jay, is his FIRST and LAST love.

*cue the chills* I wonder if such a thing exists...

If it does... *shrugs*

ART: 6 - FAIR

I have never been a fan of manhwa art, but I guess that's because I'm so used to the pretty manga art that I haven't been exposed to much manhwa art. The art for this manhwa disturbed me at first... you know, the lips are just too detailed. But soon, I got over it and it didn't really bother me anymore every time I look at the detailed lips. Because besides from that, the art is pretty and well-drawn. The action scenes, the bloody scenes, and the emotions (like love, embarrassment, despair, anger, fear, hope, hopelessness, etc.) that each and every character went through were perfectly portrayed.

It certainly made the story 10x better because I got the message that each panel is trying to portray quite well.

CHARACTER: 7 - GOOD

The characters were well thought of. What I meant was that each character had a role they had to play and not one character was just a waste of panel. They contributed to something in the plot, whether it was a minor character or an extra.

The character development was also quite good. I can't explain it in just a few words because I can't write for too long and it wouldn't do justice to how much the author went through to flesh out the struggles and change that the main characters had to go through. So, just trust me that when you finish reading the manhwa, I'm sure you won't feel any bitter feelings to any of the characters anymore... Well, that's what I hope at least. Because I felt the same after reading it. The antagonists: Ewan, Luigi, Kairen, even Jarte, himself... the bitter feelings I had against them were neutralized as I continued reading the manhwa until the epilogue.

ENJOYMENT: 6 - FAIR

Despite the rating I gave to the manhwa of the enjoyment being so-so, I finished the manhwa. But the only reason why was because I needed to know how the manhwa would end. Would Jay and Jarte get a happy ending? I didn't really have that much enjoyment compared to the despair and frustration that I felt with every problem they faced.

But, I did enjoy a few thing. Like Jarte's innocent boyish blushing face in the first few chapter and at the end of the chapter. Also, the only character that I had probably fangirled over was Lennox, lol. I thought I wouldn't mind if Jay ended up with him.

OVERALL: 7 - GOOD.

It was a good read. 'Nuff said. If you don't believe me, then with your own taste and expectations, just give the manhwa a chance and read the first chapter, at least.

Because you can never know how good a manhwa is with just a few chapters. You should judge the manhwa, manga, or manhua after you've read the whole thing. That's what I've learned from my past experiences, lol.

But, I assure you, though, that once you read the first chapter of this manhwa, you'll be reeled into it till the end. ;)

I only picked up this manga because I thought it was an interesting plot... until I read further into it.

Story: 6 - FAIR

The plot is supposed to be about two couples, a normal girl with a handsome guy, and a normal guy with a beautiful girl. The normal girl and boy were held back in class because of class duties so their partners (the beautiful handsome ones) waited for them in another class. When the normal girl and guy finished whatever it was they were doing they went to go back to their respective partners only to find them "seemingly" kissing each other, even though ... it's NOT CLEARLY seen: just the girl standing in front of the boy while he sat on the chair with his hands on her hips... It may look as if they were kissing you know... but, seriously, if you think about it, IT'S NOT LIKE THEIR LIPS WERE BOTH SEEN TO BE TOUCHING... But... apparently, the two main characters (the normal-looking duo) just assumed it because it seemed impossible that they were doing something else... SO the normal girl stupidly and brashly decided, "Why not we have an affair?" SMART MOVE BAKA. Why not choose the option of confronting them instead?! GOSH! But NO! THEY CHOSE THE STUPID MOVE. I know that the whole fake affair thing is basically the whole plot but seriously... It's wrong in so many ways. You shouldn't get revenge on someone by doing the same wrongful act as they did. It's just stupid. 'Nuff said. But, whatever, because of that, I continue to read it on only because I wanna know whether they'll get busted so bad and finally realize their stupid actions... So far, they haven't yet and I'm on the verge of dropping the manga. I don't fudging care if they found love through having an affair, WHICH IS WRONG BTW, I just want them to realize that they're hurting more than 10 people in the process. I'm exaggerating, but that shows how frustrated I am.

UPDATE: After reading the story much further, I've decided to update this review to make sure I rate this manga with justice and I'll just say...

The story was interesting enough to get me to read the first chapter and until I have to wait for their updates. Main characters who are having an affair? It makes you want to know where they're going to make the story go and how it'll end...

Art: 9 - GREAT

Aside from the twisted and sick plot-line, the art was so DARN BEAUTIFUL!!! After this, I'm going to check the mangaka's other mangas! The character's emotions were drawn so beautifully that I get so KYAAA in my heart whenever the boy shows a mischievous expression or have a slight blush. Yet it also annoys me whenever the girl's overflowing tears were seen... It's beautifully drawn, but because she was crying over something stupid, I got annoyed over it...Like, wipe your snot and MAN UP, GIRL! Other than that, the art is splendid!

UPDATE: Hah, nothing much to update because the art is still as beautiful as it had been since the first chapter!

Character: 7 - GOOD

Sorry, not sorry, but yeah, you suck main characters. I would love to rant on how HORRIBLE the characters' characteristics are... but... nevermind, I will.

FIRST... I don't mind if the main character has flaws and irritating characteristic, behaviors and mannerisms, after all, everyone has imperfections. I always came to like characters in other mangas who were so darn irritating at first. They were irritating but they had something admirable and likable in them and because of that, they would slowly develop themselves into a better person, a better human, better... PERSON!

But this girl? She's irrational, brash, loud-mouth, indecisive, liar, idiotic, heartless, selfish, crybaby, weak, and petty. Other than that? Well, she has bad judgment, she can forget a "love" she had for her boyfriend just minutes after spending time with a guy who was NOT her boyfriend (was it even considered "love" at all, lol), she doesn't give a damn about anyone but herself: as long as she's happy, gets the guy she wants... then she'll be fine... not. She's also so darn forgetful who's girlfriend she is and who's boyfriend that she's crushing on is, making me pissed off when she unconsciously believed that the affair she was having was real... even though she was so noisy telling the normal guy that she won't ever like him... But, in the end, she was careless and out her heart on her sleeve just to get it snatched up and crushed by me, with pins and needles sticking into it... Just kidding.

And the guy? Well, what an idiot as well, even though he is quite cute. I seriously don't know whether he's truly heartbroken about her girlfriend kissing the guy or... meh. I don't even understand as I write this. It feels as if he's just playing around with both girls. At times, it feels as if he really like the normal girl, and other times it feels like he's so heartbroken about the girl... Talk about indecisive? Well, we go through that in our life once at least.

And... let's see, if I try to look REALLY HARD for something good in them?

Well, the girl would probably.... er.... um... I'm having such a hard time. Gosh. Oh wait, ah.... Nope, got nothin'. Maybe I have to read further in to find something... Oh wait! There's something. She has guts... Too bad, she used them in cowardice. If she could use that guts to confront her boyfriend instead of having an affair? Well, you get what I mean.

And the girl, he's quite hot... and I guess, he cares about the both the normal girl and the beautiful girl... Not that that's a good thing. Er, also, he's good at hiding a secret?

UPDATE: Before the update, I rated the characters as a mere 1 - Pathetic だせ. But of course, that just shows how I shouldn't judge a character before getting to know about them for real. So after reading a few more chapters, they did learn from their mistake and got out from the they made mess becoming someone much better than they were before at least. They acknowledged their mistakes, knew their weaknesses and pathetic character. I guess what I had been reading since the first chapter were just characters who had yet to develop themselves and their characters. They were, after all, still high school students and would still have a plethora of things they'd have to go through when they get out into the real world.

I guess I got too used to amazingly mature, realistic, down-to-earth, and likable characters to appear in the first chapter of a manga because of the unfortunate "past" they had to go through in their childhood years, in the age when they should have lived their lives being innocent, happy and selfish brats.

So yeah, the characters here were as realistic as how any normal human being in their shoes would be like. I can't wait to read the next few chapters and see them develop their characters even further.


Enjoyment: 4 - DECENT

How could it be outstanding when I cringe and slam my head against my phone every three panels. The 2 is only because of the art and the enjoyment of seeing them dig their own grave... -_-

Sorry, not sorry.

UPDATE: It was rated as Dreadful (2) before this, heh. But any normal manga would have you go through emotions like this and I'd say that manga who can make you feel feelings throughout the read is quite good. It just shows that I'm human, at least. :p

Overall: 6-7 (Fair-Good)

To me, it was. But, to other people who're sick of cliche, fairy tales, good characters on so on, I guess you might like it. Meh. It's interesting, but too darn painful and unbearable to read it. But I'll continue to read it. Not because I'm a masochist, but because I'm holding onto that sliver ray of hope that they might finally realize the darn mistake they did and pay for all the damage they've done...

Ah, I'm so tired from ranting.

UPDATE: ... All is well if you've read my updates in this review.

Just one thing, read at your own risk. And... don't judge a manga before you've finished it completely. ;)

After reading Handsome na Kanojo from the same mangaka, I couldn't wait to reread Marmalade Boy after reading it two times and dropping it. This time I finished without dropping and read it in a duration of nearly half a day.

I dropped it twice before probably because I was still immature and hated love triangles not even giving it a second thought that they will end up together in the end anyway since most Shoujo manga do. But a third time, I've read countless other Shoujo manga and was exposed to many more genres, storylines and ending that left me sad and heartbroken but ... totally changed my view in life in a more realistic way. So when I gave this manga another shot, I read through all the hurdles and obstacles the main leads had to go through and I rather quite enjoyed the character development they had after going through those problems successfully.

The Story is pretty cliche but I give it out of nine because it has its own original elements and the last arc at the end of this manga made me think, wow, that was good and unexpected. Because this was a considerably old manga, I guess the act of incest wasn't approved in society's eyes unlike the less strict society today. So, the last arc was quite unexpected in more ways than one and in that arc I felt absolutely engulfed in Miki and Yuu's feelings. It almost made me cry too. Also, I gave it a 9/10 because of the supporting characters having their own story along with the main story line. I would probably get bored if the manga is all about Miki and Yuu ALL THE TIME. So I get refreshed every time the manga also tells the story of the supporting characters, like what happened to them, how they felt and what happened after so every time they finish telling the story of a pair of supporting characters and turn to Miki and Yuu back again, I feel even more excited.

The Art is to my liking yet again which is one of the reasons I gave it a 9/10. The other is that the mangaka really drew and displayed the characters emotions, inner turmoil and thought really well. She also used each and every panel according to the story arc to add up in the perfect portrayal of the drama, sadness, tremendous shock and other feelings of the characters. It totally add to the emotions you're feeling inside when you read it. Plus. because of the art, I nearly cried in the last arc when I literally felt the amount of love, sadness and despair portrayed by Miki and Yuu. Especially Yuu. Despite the story line not totally revealing the reason why Yuu fell in love with Miki, but the way the mangaka drew Yuu's emotions in that last arc made me truly believe, with not a single doubt, that he loves Miki with all his heart. It really touched me, man.

The Character in this manga is worth 9/10 as well. There are annoying, likable, and the idol kind of characters in this manga. I got angry, frustrated and fretful over the characters at times because of the decisions they made and all. But that made the characters all the more real and relatable as they go through character development. At the end some characters may be quite the same as they were at the beginning of the manga but there were some changes, albeit, unnoticeable. But the fact that I ended up having neutral feelings towards all the characters, losing all the hate and annoyed emotions towards them, is a feat that not much manga has, I guess.

Enjoyment is a 10/10 this time. I really enjoyed the ups and down the character went through. I enjoyed the Romance between the characters, the love triangles, the humor, the drama and probably everything in the manga. Sure there were flaws here and there, but it 's nothing much compared to the amount of fun I had reading the manga. I just LOVE old mangas!

Overall, it's a 10/10 and I have clearly stated the reasons why, I guess. The ending gave a good closure to the story. I was content with all the characters, the art is a favorite style of mine and the roller coaster ride I went through reading this manga was fun. The only thing left is probably watching Marmalade Boy Movie to get a good idea of the reason Yuu fell in love with Miki. I'm looking forward to it!! ;D

It took me two days to read this but only because I was busy during those two days. But the important thing was I enjoyed this manga pretty well!

I first discovered Handsome na Kanojo by looking through the Skip Beat's recommendation page. I like the synopsis, the fact that the main character is an actress, the plot revolving around show biz and the kinda old art which made me quickly decide to read it. It was a good choice.

I give the Story and 8/10 because it is a typical showbiz story line. They have similar hurdles, and story arcs with only a select few ... twists to make it original. Even though it's kinda typical, I enjoyed reading Handsome na Kanojo just like I enjoyed reading Skip Beat, Glass Mask and any show-biz manga I've read. You can't help but enjoy reading the same thing. After all, you read the same thing because you enjoyed it in the first place.

Next, I give the Art a 9/10. I'm a fan for old-art, 'nuff said. Although this art isn't kinda old (unlike Glass Mask, Kanata Kara and Red River) but it gives that old art vibe especially with the story's time setting being in the late 1900s I think. But aside from that, the art is pretty good in displaying the emotions and the hidden thoughts the character have. Also, being a show-biz manga with acting as the main focus, you need to portray the facial emotions and expressions that an actor has properly and the art in Handsome na Kanojo did just that and probably better. When Ichiya said that Mio was his perfect Handsome Woman, I very much agree because the art that drew Mio and portrayed her facial expressions, body language and while she acted in Ichiya's first debut movie gave that vibe of a handsome woman indeed.

Thirdly, for the Character in Handsome na Kanojo, I'm giving it a 10/10. The only reason was because all the characters had real character development. The reasons why they did what they did was made clear and I thought it was reasonable. It was so good that when the manga ended, I had no ill feelings nor hatred towards any of the characters in the manga. In addition to that, nearly 3/4 of the characters got paired so I'm happy XD!

Nearing to the end, I give the enjoyment 9/10 and I truly enjoyed it. With that small exception of getting really annoyed and pissed by Ichiya's reluctant decision to go through with a relationship at the beginning and Arthur and Keith's persistent nature (I have a problem with stubborn people. It's good but not too much, please). But all ended well so I got over it quickly. Along with the side stories and Omake, it was quite an enjoyable series. I mean the side-stories, besides being one-shot, were pretty enjoyable. The comical side of the series were also good!

Overall, I give it a 9/10 because it was good in many place but it does have some flaws at times but you can't deny a manga being good because of those flaws. Just give the first chapter a try and judge whether you want to continue from there or not. And I just realized that the mangaka who wrote this was the same as Marmalade Boy... Well, I'm planning to read that next since I hear that Ichiya and Mio will be mentioned in it or maybe appear in the series! ;)