Manga: Love*Com vol. 1

Love*Com

Story: 7
The manga is very similar to the anime (or the other way around, but I happen to watch the anime first) but it has some extra elements in the story the anime cut out. I feel that events are better explained in the manga and it all feels less rushed. The absurd humor still manages to get across to the reader. The height problems Risa and Otani face are funny and the way they tease each other with them is hilarious.

The whole school sees them as a couple except the both of them, who in spite of their similar characters don’t seem to get past the fact that a shrimp and a jumbo gal don’t match. They do however combine forces to get the attention from the persons they have a crush on. This doesn’t result in the results they have hoped for and somehow they manage to be the only ones in their friends group who don’t have a relationship, resulting even more in spending time together constantly. It appears to be the base of a solid friendship.

Art: 8.5
I wasn’t expecting too much because the anime went with a style that was rather unique but not really eye-catching, however I was glad the manga was much more stylish. The character design is much more detailed and cuter. It still has the weird facial expressions I loved about the anime, but it didn’t really have the overhand. A lot of time has been spent on designing the outfits of the characters who did wear all kind of different outfits for a change. It was a nice detail I liked because in most series characters seem to wear the same clothes all the time.

Characters: 7.5
Risa and Otani are really fun characters. They first dislike each other but after they join forces to go after their crushes, they start to appreciate each other more and they even become friends. This of course still doesn’t go without some insults or fights. I like the fact that they aren’t plain characters without weird quirks, it’s rather the opposite.

Chiharu and Suzuki are also playing a rather large part in this volume. Chiharu is Risa’s friend and Suzuki is a guy from another class that Otani becomes friends with. They are Risa’s and Otani’s crushes as well but sadly for them they end up being a couple together.

For a first volume there is a lot going on already and I liked that. The series is build on the characters more then on the plot, but with main characters such as Risa and Otani this isn’t a problem at all.

Overall: 8
Even though I recently watched the anime, the manga still managed to amuse me a lot. The over the top comedy between Risa and Otani is still very entertaining. The manga brings across that point as well as the anime does. The story follows along the same line still and therefore I should rate it the same as the anime. However since I really liked the stylish artwork much better then the animation the anime used, I rate this a bit higher.

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April 17, 2008 :: Comedy, Manga, Romance, Shojo ::