Note: I will probably refer to character names in their natural Japanese form (or whatever the culture of origin) and I will try my best to conceal all possible spoilers (and if I do have a spoiler I'll make sure I make it known that there is a spoiler... or I'll put it in white text)
Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu
Ratings
Plot: 6.5/10
Art: 7/10
Characters: 6.5/10
Overall: 6.5/10
Recommend? Probably...?
Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu is a highly typical Shojo love story about a girl named Hibino Tsubaki who one day has the audacity to cut the hair of the most popular playboy in her grade: Tsubaki Kyouta. The already unpopular bookworm Hibino thus becomes a target of the infamous playboy as Kyouta vows to take away all her firsts!
From the beginning you can see the pairing. Although the story is initially a little disgruntling since the way Kyouta tries to take Hibino's firsts is essentially sexual assault, the pair eventually get together through more heartwarming ways. Plus, Kyouta's blatant disregard for the treatment of women is explained and all seems a bit more reasonable. As the series goes on, you see the relationship between the two progress and watch the development of true feelings. It's all very heartwarming and "kyaaa~~!" inducing like your everyday shojo.
Onto the explanation of my ratings.
The story itself isn't exactly farfetched or stupid, it's just very conventional: the plot is all relatively predictable and nothing really along the lines of breakthrough creativity. That's not to say a series needs to be a breakthrough to be successful and interesting, just pointing out that if you're looking for a series with fresh ideas and unexpected plot twists this manga probably isn't the one for you. Drama it has (oh boy does it...), but the drama is predictable.
Yet, even so, the plot isn't detrimentally flawed in any other way. The only thing I find a bit annoying (spoiler) would be Hibino's personality and the fact that she creates drama and problems out of absolutely nothing. A few "breakups" or misunderstanding could have been easily avoided if she just didn't act so stupid. Yes shojo needs to have some drama to keep going (at least a shojo like this one does), but the drama shouldn't be over something stupid (yes this is all based on my opinion. feel free to disagree).
The art style is actually pretty good. Of course this all depends on your opinion (I for one have some weird standards for art), but I find the art style to be at least a bit above average. She does clothing rather well, and I enjoy the way she draws hair. The hands bother me a tiny bit mainly for proportion and shape reasons, but in general she does a good job with hands as well.
Overall, this manga isn't a bad series. Sure it's on the predictable side, the leading protagonist can at times get on your nerves, but it's a nice story of teenage love and one that is more realistic than some: it's a bit mature. There is no sugar coating: people kiss and make out and they try to move beyond that. That's reality and that's what's in this manga. It's more realistic than those shojo love relationships that depict high school romances as basically plutonic (sure there are such instances, but not every relationship is close to plutonic). Therefore, for anyone who wants a shojo to read, isn't looking for a highly unpredictable and plot-twisty story, and can deal with maturity in manga, this isn't a bad manga to read in your free time. :D
feel free to comment~!
Chang'e
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