Nazo no Kanojo X

Well first of all, if you don't like to be bewildered by a transferee student with short hair, long bangs and has a weird hobby of cutting different shapes with scissors, then don't take this!

The story begins with Urabe being introduced to Tsubaki's class. She does not attempt to be sociable with her fellow classmates, choosing to sleep at her desk during lunch, and soon earns a reputation as being strange. One day, Tsubaki wakes Urabe (who was again sleeping at her desk) late after class to tell her the building will be closing soon so she needs to go home. After she has left, without thinking, he tastes the drool pooled on Urabe desk. A few days later, Tsubaki falls ill with a mysterious flu-like sickness and is absent from school for five days straight. Urabe goes to visit him at his house, telling his sister Youko that she has classwork to give to him. She has Tsubaki lick drool off of her finger, which causes his symptoms to immediately subside. Urabe says this reveals that Tsubaki has feelings for her, and that they have a connection though their saliva. Over the next few days they began walking home together so Urabe can give Tsubaki a taste of her drool every day to keep him from falling ill again. She shows him her hobby of cutting designs out of paper with a pair of scissors she keeps tucked away in her panties. She also uses the scissors as a defensive weapon. Tsubaki later becomes her boyfriend after a showing of his emotions by dramatically destroying an old picture of a girl he once liked that he had been carrying with him for years, thus leading the story through the progression of their relationship through different events and the telepathic connection they share through their saliva.

A few years ago I discovered a small anime titled Mysterious Girlfriend X which apparently wasn't received that well according to MAL. However, despite its low rating, I ended up loving nearly the entirety of its short run. Like most animes that only get 1 or 2 seasons, Mysterious Girlfriend X suffered from never getting an ending due to the manga not being finished at the time of its premiere and because Studio Hoods still hasn't bothered making a second season. Out of interest, I of course read the manga and unsurprisingly still loved it despite some of its flaws.

Story: 8
Mysterious Girlfriend X has one of the weirdest plots I've ever seen. High school student Tsubaki tastes the drool of a weird transfer student named Urabe and ends up getting love sick of it. Because of this, Urabe and Tsubaki start dating and every day Tsubaki must taste her drool after school in order from not getting sick anymore. Again, its such an odd yet unique plot that ends up working really damn well.
The series starts off strong and only managed to get better for the most part. There isn't THAT much of an overarching plot, and for the most part these are pretty much episodic chapters that resolve their plot by the end of a single chapter. Despite only having 2 10+ chapter long arcs, I actually did end up loving all of these chapters, and this is coming from someone who usually complains about episodic and non arching plots. The reason for this is probably because every chapter is just really well written. The author somehow manages to take a tiny simple concept and turn it into an interesting 25 page long chapter. Something as simple as Urabe making curry, seeing the fireworks on the school rooftop, and having a mole on your body all turn out to be enjoyable chapters to read.
Although I've been praising it up until now I would like to point out 2 of its flaws. After the Idol Arc, the series steps back for about 10 chapters and goes back to its usual episodic based chapters. Chapters 62-70 is the Mysterious Movie Production Arc but is sadly the second and last major arc in the series. For the remaining 20 or so chapters, it's pretty much just the usual formula. Again, I do love these chapters and all, but I do feel as though the series suffered due to not having a third major arc. This also brings me to my second complaint: the ending. The last 2 chapters are titled, "Mysterious Sunset" and while they are still great chapters, they don't feel like an ending to the series. It just feels like a more satisfying chapter ending if anything. The ending definitely doesn't ruin the series for me, but I was disappointed with it. It's unclear whether or not the author decided to abruptly end the series or if it was cancelled. However the author, Riichi Ueshiba, did write about 20 chapters with not much of a plot progression so the likelihood of it getting cancelled is possible and understandable. Even if this was the case, the ending is still not satisfying, and without spoilers, there was just one change he could have made which would have made the ending be meh to bittersweet.

Art: 8
I really like the look of the manga. Like with most manga, the first few chapters don't like as good as the coming ones but still they're well drawn, nicely detailed, and pleasing to the eye. The style has a unique charm and that mostly comes from the character designs. I just enjoy the unique style of the eyes, hair, faces, etc. Where the art really shines would have to be in its expressions and single paged panels. I have to stop and enjoy some of these expressions longer than I expected to and some of these panels are just really interesting and impressive.
The only negative I have with the art would be in sudden drop in quality for a few chapters. This happened once the author switched form hand drawn to digital and it definitely showed for the first couple chapters around half through the series. The characters still looked good, but there were a lot of panels without backgrounds and this makes it harder to get emerged into the series. Luckily this was fixed so again this isn't really a big problem at all.

Characters: 9
The series' biggest strength would have to be its enjoyable cast of characters. Mikoto Urabe is by far best girl and continues to be in my top 20 favorite anime characters. She's so unique, interesting, and just fun to see interact with Tsubaki and the rest of the cast, although rare. Tsubaki isn't as great as Urabe, but he isn't a generic soulless character. Yes, he's a normal high school student but he's also perverted, has his own perks, and cares deeply for Urabe. There's a good amount of character development mostly with Urabe, but others such as Momoka and Suwano get their fair share of moments too. My only small complaint would be for Ueno and other side characters to get more time and development.

Enjoyment: 9
As mentioned, I love this series. I had a blast reading every chapter, and was hooked on the 2 big arcs. The manga is so fun and enjoyable to read, the chapters may not have flied by during my reading but I'm honestly happy about that. While only being 25 pages long, there's a perfect amount of time needed on a page and scene. None of the chapters dragged on and I was always left with a smile on my face after reading them.

Overall: 8
Mysterious Girlfriend X isn't for everyone. It may not be everyone's forte, maybe you find the story weird, the lack of over arching plot a nuisance, or something else entirely. But for me, I love it. I might be generous with my score but I can't help it. The ending might not be good and the story isn't perfect, but a lot of its upsides make up for it.

I wanted to be fair in this review, so I think an 8 was pretty well-deserved.

As much as it pains me to think that my needs in any manga or anime, especially that of the romance variety, are so simple I truly believe this manga ended in a way that I can't really be too upset about.

It wasn't what was done that gave me satisfaction but, instead, what was said.

Those last couple of lines were enough to keep me sated even if only mostly.

Story - 7/10:
There really wasn't much "story" or "plot" per se. Rather, it was more like a bunch of short stories strung together by a wonky sense of continuation. It had some arcs that seemed to carry it along, but nothing substantial that could be considered a "plot". Still, it did what it did and it did it well.


Art - 9/10:
Very old school. I liked it a lot. Despite its simplicity, it was very detailed and really made you feel like you were seeing the world through the character's eyes. This was perhaps one of my favorite things about this series. The design of the characters had such an innocent and approachable feel.


Character - 8/10:
I think the characters were likable enough. I liked that Akira was a typical teenager but had his moments of maturity. It reminds me a lot of myself. Angsty and hot tempered at times, calm and collected the rest. Really relatable. Mikoto was also very likable. Despite how standoffish she was, she was very cute and girly. As the story goes on, her personality really opens up and you start to see how adorable she can really be. She finds her comfort in Akira and thus opens up with her honest feelings more and more.


Enjoyment - 7/10:
I likely won't be writing home about this one. Not because I didn't like it. On the contrary, I really enjoyed this series. However, it didn't give me anything to really cheer about. I praise it for its simplicity and honesty but I can't say I'd ever have a discussion about it with a friend.


Overall - 8/10:
While I may not have been totally satisfied with the ending it did end. I had hoped that maybe there would be some short stories to show what life was like after high school or something but it appears this series is over and done with. Riichi could have done a much better job at creating emotion and depth, I think. It seems like the story hit a plateau and never changed from there. I would have definitely worked up the ending a bit more and probably just give the readers what they were after from the start. That being said, I did think about why Riichi might have ended it the way he did. I have theories though I'm not sure any of them will prove valid enough. All in all, it was a good run but, ultimately, it left me wanting more. Which is nice, so long as you have something to look forward. I don't think that will be the case with Nazo no Kanojo X.

This manga was very enjoyable. The characters are okay. The premise is a little weird. It also kind of just drags on with no progression until the very end. It just ends... It just ends. No No not like this.
It just. It ends. Just like that. Why. Pls. Don't do this to me. I'm too young. Pls. No. Not liek this. 92. It ends. You don't see it coming. There is nothing. It just ends. No. Why. I cry cry cry cry. It just ends. It always just ends. There can be no more. It is always the end. It will always just end. You will find something that can't be explained. Something that can't be kept. You will find no hope. You will find no salvation. I've seen the end. What is the point of living if it just ends. I question why I pain. My mind is numb. My body is in pain. I try to find console in God's script. It helps naught. For I have seen the end. It is something that I can not ignore. For there is no end to the end. It stretches on and on and on. The end is not something you can endure. For beyond the end. I see no hope. It dulls my senses until the pain subsides. For the pain is sweet. Because now I know. I have seen the end. I here the heathens. The trickster. The accusers. The unholy one. I see all the demons in my head. They call out to me. For this is the end. Until I find another, please save me.

I started this manga 8 years ago, it was the first manga I ever read. I only just finished it a couple of days ago. Despite all it's flaws I still hold it in high regard next to the decently large amount of manga I have read. I would even say that it's flaws are part of what are keeping that hazy feeling with me days after I have read it it. The strange premise mixed with the real to life characters reminds me of my first love when I was Tsubaki's age. I even had a few moments where I went "Ha! I remember being so foolish and naive"
Those feelings along with the nostalgic art and abrupt ending made me kind of feel like it was my own memory of those past days. The start and end are kind of unclear and the details in the middle are bit all over but you dawn a little smile on your face and then continue on with present life.

Nazo no Kanojo X (Mysterious Girlfriend X) was an accidental manga for me. It happened to cross the page on my iPad when I accidently touched it's link. I was very annoyed at that time, because I just saw the part when Goku dies in DragonBall Z. However, I just decided to read it anyway.
The first chapter was very weird, because I was felt like critiquing the art. I was like... What is this? But after reading a couple more chapters, I was completely hooked onto Urabe Mikoto and Tsubaki Akira. I loved the drool bondage between the two of them, because it was a refreshing type of relationship for me. Soon after, I spent most of my day downloading and reading all the chapters. Even while I was sleeping, I was still thinking about how awesome it was. I love all the times when other girls come between Tsubaki and Urabe, abd I also loved especially chapters 37-48, when Urabe and Momoka get mixed up. That was I really started getting addicted to this manga.
This series was truly the best I've read. Even though the art-work isn't the best at the beginning, it gets better, and the plot and characters really made it work for me. I'm still addicted to re-reading this manga, even though I only started reading it 2 days ago. IT IS SIMPLY AWESOME and I really hope Riichi Ueshiba keeps up the good work, and continues to produce such high quality manga.

After reading the first chapter i had to ask myself one question; What in the world am i reading? It was hard for me at first to determine if this mange would be any good. So, giving it the benefit of the doubt, i decided to give this one a chance. And it urns out i made the right decision!

The story starts of like about every school themed manga/anime out there. The protagonist, named Tsubaki, leads an average life, until a strange exchange student (Urabe Mikoto) appears. She's quiet, sleeps during breaks and generally covers her face with her bangs. It doesn't last long until she becomes the class weirdo, and off course, until Tsubaki falls in love with her...

So far so good, you'd think. It turns out after tasting Urabe's drool, Tsubaki is somehow hooked on it.The saliva also binds them on a different level. Thus starts a story both interesting and weird, and definitely worth a read.

Art-wise, I have to say, it's quite inconsistent. Sometimes the panels are brilliantly drawn, while others seem way too bland. Although I may sound a bit negative about the art, it doesn't bother me at all. The simplicity of some panels really accentuate the beauty of others. Also, the somewhat old-school character design fits the rest of the art well. You'll either love or hate the art style, but it certainly is well done.

Basically, there are only two characters that matter: Tsubaki and Urabe. Tsubaki is a typical character in manga like this. Easy to relate to and generic. There aren't many interesting things about him to tell you about, but i can't think of anything bad either.

Urabe on the other hand, is a surprising and interesting character. There is a good reason why the manga is called "Mysterious Girlfriend X", and it'll become clear very early in the story. This character is made very well, and although you get to know a lot about her, she always remains a complete mystery. Her sometimes awkward personality provides us readers with some comedy too.

This the perfect manga for all the people out there who like things weird. A manga with a smile-provoking story, which has enough plot to keep it interesting, and has an eccentric touch too it, often causing you to either laugh or ask yourself what the hell is going on. A great deal of unanswered questions will pretty much force you to continue reading, and the answers to them are often quite rewarding.

With little expectations after reading the first chapter, i ended up liking the manga quite a bit, and i enjoyed reading through it. So give this one a shot, and you might like it a lot!

After looking at the first sites of manga i thought: "What the bloody..?!", but since I had exactly nothing to do I started to read it, and, obviously, became addicted.

I don't know if author had some serious memories coennected with drooling girls in school or what, but he made a fabulous comic.


Plot:
Not much too tell about it. Two young people in their school years. Anything other can by explained with tags. There should be also an "ecchi" tag, though.

Art:
Oldschool. A bit like "Ranma 1/2".

Character:
Although the plot is a bit.. paranormal.. you might say, that all characters seem like if they could really live in normal world.. like many other people. I like that conception.

Enjoyment:
Since I read episode 12 I said to myself: "that's the last for today". Well... It wasn't. I've rad everything from cover to cover babbling too myself that i should stop ang go to bed...

Overall:
If you need to read something funny and optimistic.. Also if you think that modern ecchines is not something that will wipe your humanity away.. Than you should try it.. And the last thing: When you start.. Please, read first 5 chapters. Otherwise you wouldn't know if you really like it or not. Believe me.

Wow...

ECHII... ok maybe not echii in that someone walking by would say what u looking at in fact you could probably read it in an elementary school and only thing you would get in-trouble for would be reading manga... well at least as long as they didnt read the whole chapter... the thought process is starts off is where it gets echii, not that it takes a dirty mind to make it echii you could be a nun/saint and still catch on. This is defiantly a work of art in the lines and situations presented.

unfortunately at first it seemed a bit out there... weird and well perverted and what not was my first impression. A girl who uses scissors as a hobby/defense and carrys them in her panties? i was thinking that was just pushing it to get in a pantie shot didnt feel natural. so my hopes were real low. After a few chapters it kinda balanced out and became more natural, maybe it just fits her personality better after u get to know her but its still very odd...

the idea that people can share their feelings by exchanging spit is just amazing i dont know how many times that could save some one from a bad explanation women and men would be able to date for ever with out having those situations...

I have fallen in love this aspect of this manga the idea just amazes me its an idea that i havent seen much coverage on sure theres multiple personality things out there out telepathic stuff or mind control stuff but sharing emotions? thats something i never would of thought off

when sharing these emotion situations happen its just as good or better then any pantie shot its way better its like the ultimate nakedness a person could experience some1 else knowing how u feel about something would be a thousand times more embarrassing then running around nude in a gay parade as a straight guy

embarrassing moments make a echii enjoyable it has nothing to do with the nudity or panties or anything else


Story:
6 changed to 9 then to 7....

i cant pick! i dont like many aspects but at the same time the way that the manga gets to you can only be credited to the story at the same time i cant see where its going what goals our characters have are they really intending to do anything? its too innocent of a love to pure yet the ones who are in love they are far from pure i dont know how i can explain it

Art:
8

gets the job done and is in a style thats to my liking sure its not the best art in the world but its what i want and expect from manga

Characters:
8

very interesting and easy to relate to mostly realistic sure scissors bit still doesnt seem right. but i knew a chick like Ayuko in high school she was short with big boobs too! and well personality was close! very umm open about things.

Ayuko is quickly turning into one of my favorites maybe cus i had a bit of a thing on the chick in school who was like her

the main guy has a rather normal appearance not the popular one but not the nerd in the corner just your average joe no big deal not really all that shy not all that out going hes no lady killer just average


Enjoyment:
10

i cant read far before i start to think wow the way the story tells it just drags you right in and then spits u out and has u start refecting on what if i could... how would life be easier? would she really think that? its just like going to a club your not sure how she will respond until you've made the first move it give that thrill that will i be lucky or will i bomb its that feeling when your going on your first date and wonder if its ok to say something or that wondering if your pushing a relationship to fast... all these get pulled up and drag you in hooking you just like your first love did all these enjoyable or awkward feeling exactly the type of things i love from echii sure the perverted things are there but to me thats just part of the process of dragging out those feeling echii isnt about getting a hard on you want that go for XXX

Overall:
8

cant give it a 10 tho i do enjoy it that much flaws are pretty obvious but i can over look them easily enough and would it still be the same with out those flaws?

imagine a transfer student in your school, a loner, not communicating with others, this situation will leave you curious about what is going on her mind, then becasue of some reason you suddenly taste her drool in her desk, what's gonna happen to you?

well, it's my first time to write a review about manga and im a little bit nervous, by the way, lets focus about the manga, mysterious girlfriend x manga is not just your typical school genre manga, it has some interesting and unique plot, and also the fan service is not superb but its great especially the panty-scissors attack! and also the characters are also unique, the drawing, the characteristics, and their role in the story, and also, the one that got me hooked up is the drool tasting routine, i really wish i can also do that with my girlfriend, its something that is unique in reality, all in all! this manga is really awesome! if you are into school, ecchi, romantic comedy, then you should try this!

My god! I finally got a chance to sit down and read the final chapter of this wonderful manga. I was nearly in tears as I read this I could not believe this was the end. It a nice conclusion to this but I want more, I guess I really fell in love with the characters especially Tsubaki and Urabe. The artwork was great I enjoyed how wonderfully drawn they were the color pages from time time were color just right. I really immersed myself in the story every chapter I was left wanting more and got it in the next. This was the first romance manga I have ever read and was blown off my feet by I dont think I could commit to another one. I was hoping that we could see them leave high school and leave it from that but hey Its still great!

The history describes a young couple in love. The girl will most likely draw your attention the most. She is mysterious. First her appearance, her hair covers most of her face, extremely introverted, and barely smiles in public. In general, her expression doesn't change much, it's between neutral and sad. Also, she almost doesn't have a proper background, I mean you get to know about MC's family and stuff, but that's the opposite for her. As for the MC himself, he is very normal.

Easily you can see the difference. In my opinion, we can see how the author views or used to see the girls in general, we can this it through. Sometimes I thought he went a bit too extreme. Anyways, at some point in men's lives, this kind of reflection is pretty normal I guess. At the end of the day, it's kinda a simple concept, however very honest of his part. It's the first time that I see the mysteriousness being used this way and I like it, this is the strong point of this mango. Also, other elements are used to expand this atmosphere to the readers. Expect to see many bizarre arts and pages, but as I said, they make sense in this manga.

Well, it may be strange since we have all this different setup, but the story is kinda generic. Yeah, the mango has this background I described above but is encompassed in normal school life. I mean the couple will do regular stuff that other couples do in romances manga. The pace is slow. It takes some time for them to take another step in the relationship. It's mostly about a romance with a "different" girl. If you like romance stuff, you should give it a chance.

Appreciate all the weirdness the story has to offer. Recognize how the author tried to be honest with their readers, not only showing his point of view or strange stuff but as well a bit of his past, his story. If you're into romance mangas, give it a shot. Its weirdness and honestness are something to be praised. I may not be the hugest fan of it, however, I must admit that Nazo no Kanojo has heart.

Did I ever expect that I would be emotionally invested over a manga that revolved around people who exchange drools???? NO. WAS I?!?! YES!!!

This was so cute and despite the girl being very shielded in her own emotions she is willing to expose her feelings to the guy (through drool) and I think that is cute and it is what kept me reading really.

Though honestly, I was disappointed that they didn't kiss but kinda happy as well but then I didn't expect it would end there because I was hoping for more because it somehow ended it that emotional way and I want to know more of that. It's just that I was really invested and they left it at that I just.. I . I .... WANT MORE.
That's all bye

For me this has been a long time coming, or at least it's felt that way. Like a lot of people, I only began to read the MGX manga after watching the anime; I needed more of the very sweet and honest relationship I'd become obsessed with in the day it took me to marathon the series.

I've never cried before while reading or watching anything until I read MGX. I have never been as emotionally invested as I have in a piece of media before.

I picked it up at a weird time. The second (and final) major arc had just ended, allowing me to steam through this and the other arc without the mental and emotional anguish involved in waiting YEARS for plot points to conclude.

Everything that occurs right up to the first major arc is basically perfect. We have the mysterious and fully three-dimensional girlfriend Mikoto Urabe's adventures with main protagonist Akira Tsubaki as they explore their unique relationship, subverting a lot of usual Japanese media tropes. Their relationship advances at a steady pace, confronting their feelings and dealing with them.

This is aided by the special bond they share via drool. She licks her finger, he sucks it. It's a definite hurdle to get over for any reader, but after the first few chapters it's very much downplayed. They can use it to share feelings, a great communication tool as the two are generally unable to open up to each other.

It's all very sweet, lovely and most of all it's honest. The only real mystery is a teenage boy trying to figure out the feelings and desires of his slightly odd teenage girlfriend. She's a human being with her own wants and needs and insecurities, and by the first third of the manga we begin to understand her just that little bit more.

Then the first arc happens and a lot of her character and development is changed or just thrown out the window. A preposterous beginning that suspends all disbelief results in an ill-advised plot which changes the dynamic and nature of the relationship almost irreversibly.

It took a long time for the manga to recover (it seems like the release of the anime kicked the author Riichi into gear), and even the return of the single chapter storys had changed in the process. The relationship felt more like a battle between the two than a shared experience, save for a few genuinely excellent chapters that captured the feel of the pre-arc series.

Pushing through this down period is in some ways worth it though - having re-read the entire run so I could finish it properly, it seems like Riichi had been thinking about wrapping up the story for about two years before it ended. Switching from weird fetish of the week back to actual relationship development began to save it towards the end, with the last six months building up to a fairly monumental moment.

Unfortunately, in a lot of ways the finale doesn't deliver. It seems a little rushed, especially after how much it seemed Riichi had been milking the series at one point. Perhaps there were outside forces beyond his control on the series' cancellation but at the very least he left it in a way that implied their relationship would go on past what the reader was aware of.

It does leave a sense of lack of closure though, wistful and a bit sad, which aren't really the right emotions to have when leaving a wonderful romance story behind.

I've given it a high score but I feel it's... difficult to recommend. First of all there's the whole drool aspect. It does take a bit of getting used to. If you manage to get past that hurdle, there's the problem that it's only up to chapter 36 that I truly recommend reading to. Unfortunately, by that point you'll probably have the urge to read more. The anime does a good job of taking the very best parts of these 36 chapters, changing a couple small things for the better and leaving out some of the less interesting plot points, so watching that may be a better idea, as it also has an 'ending' to stop at as well.

Now I have to go and try and forget about this series so I can go back to living a normal life.

So I remember reading manga scans of this when it was first getting translated over here back when I was in high school and then just kind of forgot about it for years never thinking to ever finish what I at the time didn't think would ever conclude.

Now here we are today YEARS later and I'm at a book store looking though the graphic novel section and I come across some Omnibus prints of this series and remember reading it so long ago but never seeing if it got finished and upon deciding to do some online research (doing my best to avoid spoilers as much as possible) I decided to actually buckle down and give it a proper finish and here I am today after about 3 day's of just marathoning the hell out of this series I'm surprised to learn that I got quite a bit in all those years ago and have finally finished it.

The thing about reading this series was this odd sense of nostalgia I got over what's in essence a fairly simple romance story that drags along one particular aspect of being close with another individual and that's intimacy in this stories case through the exchange of saliva these two kids can seem to recall all the emotions we all go through when we're young and in love and to some capacity I guess taking my time to spend years to finish this series and having gone through these things myself and seeing this story told in a variety of way's this fairly straightforward tale did the job in really giving me something to enjoy.

The story is in all honesty kind of nothing to write home about and each arch is filled with it's fair share of repetitive points in regards to what's going on between these characters as well as considering the fact that I don't remember the characters being 17 in the scans I read all those years ago I couldn't help but feel it's time line to be rather awkward to say the least but that's kind of a topic all on it's own.

In regards to the story as a whole I'll say this story contrary to what I've seen Akira as a male lead was solid over the course of the series if not a bit to passive aggressive at points and at others in desperate need of just standing up to Mikoto when she decides to be exceptionally distant in regards to expressing herself emotionally he's a character that did eventually grow and for the most part is a good slate to leave the reader imagining themselves in those situations, and the female cast was also good overall there wasn't a single OVERLY dis-likable trait in any of the women and personally I think Mikoto in her evolution over the course of the manga was a great Love interest that I grew incredibly fond of not as much as Ayuko (hey she's short, perverted, has big tits, and wears glasses we all are allowed to have certain preferences in regards to what we think are attractive physical qualities of a woman but I digress) She was hands down the best girl of the series as a whole and for the most part everyone in this manga managed to be fleshed out just enough to not steal the spotlight from the obvious stars.

Art wise this series was pretty damn great especially whenever they'd go with a two page spread there's truly some detailed pieces of work to be enjoyed and Mikoto's motions whenever she's using her pantie scissors being some prime stuff.

This series was a great read for me overall and while I'll admit the end for those who really invested the time was a bit of a steal overall I think this was always something that you were suppose to reflect on and I did that a lot as I was going through this story again and I got a certain feeling of familiarity reading through these 96 chapters and while it has it's flaws it was still a series that's score is well in reflection what the overall impact of all the elements coming together and giving me an experience I was glad to revisit after all these years.

A 80's style ecchi manga, with the same lack of variety, but with a weird psycho-sexual twist. If that's doesn't sound appealing to you, then stay away. But if you like that kind of thing, it ends up fitting it's archetype very well. The art is perfectly nestled in the Rumiko Takahashi school of character design, but also takes on more low-key, shadowy background art. There are only so many ways to draw someone sucking on a finger, but that oft repeated action is usually the visual highlight of each chapter (along with some crazy dreams sequences). If you're expecting a big twist or any kind of romantic progress, this isn't the manga for you. Personally, it hit a niche that I didn't know I loved.

In the end, it was quite a letdown. I understand being modest, I really do, though I don't really have this trait myself. But there are limits for that too, there is a line between modest and choking. And this story really gets more on the choking side. Being a sucker for sweet romance, I am really sensitive of relationships develoment. So, if you are like that too - be warned, there's not enough!

There's nothing much to say about the story besides that. It rides the whole time on the kinky "drool" thing, even reuses it's own ideas as story in the story. Which is not really bad, but it's also nothing outstanding or immersing. There are some episodes that are filled with genuine emotions but the major part is just the old man (not really too old but already too grumpy) forcing his ideals on us readers. And it would be even fine to do that, but it surely has to be more subtle than that. Punching us in the face with that ending is quite the opposite.

The characters here are not really unique too. Well, yes, you don't see many "drool bonding" girls around, but even Uraba Mikoto is mysterious enough for the manga and chapters titles. She's just shy and knows her scissors, what you're gonna do about it? The good point is that the heroes of the story feel realistic enough and not too stupid, that is really a positive thing. Because stupid wimpy, stupid agressive and just stupid characters can really fire up the rage. But even so, the people of this manga don't seem too deep or too amusing for a story with a 10-year long run.

The art is good, not anywhere near exquisite but that's fine. You don't really have the need to "drool" over every page to read the manga. It is nice enough, detailed enough and also has its own style - which, by the way, presents itself more subtle than authors views on the modern youth and how they should do relationships.

All of that said, I kind of wish I didn't read the manga. I watched the anime first, and the story it covered left room for hope - and I did hope. Well, of course, it's the author's right to ruin thing by doing them strictly his way. But it's the reader's right to complain about it. We all have our sacred things and the understanding of which way exactly they should be treated while being sacred - and that is really my cornerstone problem with this manga. If you plan to read this, don't expect much. Well, don't expect anything, that way you can't be dissapointed.