Junpei Manaka encounters a beautiful girl on the roof of his school. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, with the wind blowing through her hair, Junpei manages to catch a glimpse of her strawberry-patterned panties. Embarrassed, the girl runs away before he even gets the chance to talk to her. His only clue is the math notebook she dropped, with the name 'Aya Toujou' written on the cover.
The next day, he finds that the 'Aya Toujou' who owns the notebook is the exact opposite of the girl he saw on the rooftop. There's no way it can be her... Can it? Junpei then has to juggle school life, tests, his girlfriend, and all the other girls he finds attractive. Just who will he end up with... Who is the girl for him?
Synopsis: norine07
Story & Playability
Okay to start off I just want to say that I am reviewing the manga only cause I haven't finished watching the anime
series. Okay Now lets beging.
This entire series is extremely sad and touching. I started this manga on a sunday and finished the next day. That was
how hooked I was. From the moment Manaka saw those strawberry panties fallin in front of his face to the end when Manaka
finally chooses (I won't give away the end for those who read this without reading/watching the series). Well it
goes beyond after he chooses someone but I will just leave it at that. Each scene has such depth to them that I had
actually reread the series twice so I can fully understand each squence. There is the main story then, to me, seems like
an even deeper story underneath it. This manga had so much sad yet exciting moments, it actually got me to tears. I got
angry at points when the characters got mad (I got even more ticked off when stuff happened to my favorite character).
When each new chapter starts, a new plot twist is introduced, whether its a new female character that Manaka gets hung
up on, or if its some long awaited confession from a certain girl, it will really get to you. Each character has such
depth, not just the normal romance between each other and the basic personalities. I am talking true depth. You would
see one side of a character for a while but then on the next page you willl see a side of them you never new existed. I
was surprised at how Kitaouji Satsuki acted sometimes. Most fo the time she is this rowdy, carefree of a girl, next
moment she has a somber expression on her face and being really serious. You will not be disappointed with this line of
characters. Although...I was not happy with the character Amachi. He bugged the heck out of me. Everytime he entered the
scene, it just made me want to skip over the page and go onto the next one. I can't say whether its the dramatics
that make me hate him or if I just don't like the character. I think it was the dramatics that followed him around
which included my favorite character into the mix, alot. This is a good, riveting storyline with a good solid set of
characters.
Rating: 9
Graphics
The art blew me away. I haven't seen this type of style since the Fushigi Yuugi manga, but even this artwork blows
that out of the water. It must be the new age or something of manga. I loved how each character looked. They each had
their own set hair-style, their own way of wearing school uniforms, and even their own way they move their mouth. The
creator of this series did and excellent job. I was speechless after the first 2 pages when looking at the depth of the
drawings. Its seems like it would take months just for one volume to be released. I wish anime could look like this one.
The scenaries also looked real in a way. The way the wind blows or the rustling of bushes when someone is inside of
them. I tiup my invisible hat to the creator, job well done.
Rating: 10
Sound
Well this section is null and void since i am reviewing the manga. I did take a chance and downloaded some of the music
though for the anime. I am gonna review the music that I have heard so far. I like the ending song "Ike Ike"
but it reminds me too much of the Six Flags commerical. It didn't seem that original. So I guess it loss some
points there but the other songs make up for some of it. The one song that is the best I think so far of the ones I
heard, is Toujou Aya's image song. It is a perfect choice for her. Overall of the 2 episodes I ahve seen and the
music I have heard, it gets a pretty good rating. Remember this rating is totally official since i have not finished the
anime yet.
Rating: 7
Fun
Overall the series presents itself, in manga form, in one of the best ways possible. The covers of each volume stand out
so much it immediately attracts my eyes. I haven't read any other manga yet that does that. Every piece of this
series is attractive and I think that is mostly because of the artwork, but I have to give credit where its due and give
some to the storyline and characters as well. I think one of the big reasons why the manga is this good is because of
the style used, the other reason would probably be the several big plot twists that take place.
Rating: 9
Final Verdict
8.8333 (very good)
Reviewed by Aoshi101, Sep 25, 2006