Kingyo Sou
I really liked this. I really like any manga that highlights the difficulties someone with a physical handicap faces and how they live on despite (or because of) it.
Oshaberi Na Jikanwari
It was cute but also really boring. I guess that was because the author took from her own life to write it but...the story was completely bland, like drinking flat, warm soda.
Kimi No Sei
Started off kind of promising, with the heroine wanting to get revenge for her past, though she was an absolute idiot in the way she went about it (popular boyfriend + zero guy experience = obviously falling in love). But then the story quickly deteriorated into a sloppy, jumbled mess. The worst part is, the author goaded me into anticipating a potential hookup with the professor (I'm such a sucker for mature, intelligent guys!) only to drop that plot point as soon as I got excited. Boo! And don't even get me started on the stalker girl and her creepy sis-con brother with undue resentment towards Takaya. Ugh and that cheesy line about not turning them in because they also wanted to "protect their loved ones" was ridiculous. Not only did the girl literally say she wanted to see Takaya hurt, the guy who actually hit Yurina over the head was some random dude! Who the hell was he protecting?!! All in all, an average read but with enough wasted potential to disappoint me.
Hirunaka No Ryuusei
I'm not too sure how I feel about this manga, tbh. Story wise, I'd give it a 3 or so? But I really love this mangaka's art; her male characters are so sexy somehow >.
Doubt
Tags say it all: girl who was teased in middle school goes out of her way to be beautiful in high school and falls for the first asshole she meets. She then spends the rest of the manga chasing after him, shrugging off him cheating on her, disrespecting her, and generally treating her like crap. And the one moment she actually stands up for herself, tells him that he's not worth it, and you start to feel there's hope for her after all...nope. It's gone. The story immediately goes back to him doing whatever he wants and her chasing after him like a sick puppy. What a great message for girls: if he's rich and handsome, it doesn't matter how awful he is; one day you'll change him! Next time, I hope the author can write about a girl who not only improves her appearance, but her sense of pride and self-worth as well.
Kono Ie de Kimi to
It was alright though something about it was kind of gaudy (reminded me a bit of Yamatonadeshiko?)
Naisho No Jikan
Even though I usually dislike (read: hate) this mangaka's works, I'm glad I took the time to read this as I genuinely enjoyed it! It didn't stretch on for too long, or have any over the top love triangles or pointlessly bitchy/mean characters. Just a nice, simple shoujo.
Matsuri Special