Not only my favourite 'Maid-sama' is published in LaLa but also many other shorter shoujomanga works I have read are also from that magazine. Therefore I think it only natural of me to want to check whether other mangas published there are equally good. Once looking through the list of LaLa's mangas I noticed an interesting manga title and then read the description and a comment where the manga was highly praised. Soon I discovered that the manga is available in raw so I decided to download and read it in Japanese - if I read a romance, then at least it better be helpful for my language studying. Or vice versa, if I want to study language, I better choose something interesting enough to be of any motivation
Plot and characters
I can tell you exactly why I started reading this manga. After I downloaded it I wanted to see whether it has furigana or not, as it would make reading much easier. One look at the first page of the first chapter was enough for me to become eager to read further - and so I did. The first chapter turned out to be so enjoyable that the next day I ended up reading the whole first volume (oh, one volume is a considerable amount when I read raws). Not only I became fond of it, but I also loved the short story included in the volume. Even reading of the finally scanned and uploaded 5th volume of Dantalian was delayed. I decided that I finish 'Kiss' in a few days and then devote myself to other things. So I read volumes two and three...
What attracted me from the very beginning? Several good points. First is the detailed elaboration of the characters, their types and how the hand of a master placed them in the story. A girl who is protective and reliable and not in the least girly both in her looks and her behaviour, a protective nice guy who seems plain but is actually different, a cute little boy who behaves well and understands everything, a 'perverted' but caring neighbour and friend, and many others. The author's sense of humour made the story sometimes hilarious and thus really enjoyable. Of course the romantic side was also there. 'tis the type of the story I like very much - when the characters are bound by something beyond romance and gradually grow to love each other, appreciate and value each other and develop their feelings. This time what bound them was marriage and living together, which is one of the favourite situations of mine
However the third volume was already enough for me. The plot of every chapter consisted of Fumino getting into some kind of trouble and Kazuma rescuing her - or Kazuma getting into a trouble, but in the end, 'twas still Fumino who was protected and rescued. All feelings of Fumino which were so vivid and attractive in the beginning ceded to the only worry of hers - whether Kazuma loves her or not, and whether she deserves being loved by him or not and therefore, how she can become an adult quickly. Kazuma's feeling was unchanging through the story - restraining himself from doing THAT, what Ryuu and others were constantly asking about and waiting for, because he didn't want Fumino to become an adult
The situations were not of a great surprise either. A standard set of adventures - a school trip/onsen/beach/amusement park/aquarium/school festival/concert/competition/natsumatsuri/so on - and repeating some of them several times, just in case. And a standard set of characters - classmate/relative/a person from the past/sudden encounter/whatever other kind of rival for Kazuma or Fumino. The story began to turn into a reverse harem. The harem includes everyone, even the neighbour who has no intention to lie a finger on Fumino because 'just because', or her uncle who is her relative therefore he is not a character for a possible romantic relationship. If these characters are not Fumino's harem, then at least they are the harem for fangirls
Romance, harem, standard adventures are not obstacles for creating a good manga, nor they are reasons for the possible readers to refuse to read the work. however this time nothing could redeem for them - for me personally
The manga is entitled 'Sooner than a Kiss'. Just as I anticipated - and that is what I was afraid of most of all - the plot turned into a constant flow of awkward scenes when something prevents the characters from that very thing that everybody around was waiting for, starting with kissing. Anyway, I lose my interest in the manga when this action becomes the sole purpose of the whole work. And I lost it in the end in the 3rd volume this time
Something inside me told me that I better check whether I downloaded all the volumes there are in this manga. nope, volumes after 9 are not available in raw! I couldn't find them, at least. since I rarely drop what I already began to read/watch, I simply switched to English translated version to finish the rest much faster. I've been reading and reading up to vol. 7... but then 'Maid-sama' chapter 74 comes out... and I dropped. yep, I really have no more interest in reading 'Kiss' any further. 'tis possible that I will come back to it in the future, but not too likely
graphics
well there's nothing special about it, no bad words and no praise I could use here. very nice graphics, but really not outstanding. just... average...
well maybe in comparison with some of the shoujo works I have read (created probably by very young inexperienced rookie mangakas), this one is pretty good, mature and proportional
conclusion
oh don't be discouraged, though there was no normal kiss (or going further), there were enough indirect ones - like kissing through a mask, or unfinished kisses, and plenty of hugging, falling on the floor together, biting and licking and kissing other places than lips, and for final satisfaction - kissing of other characters
if this is all that you need from a manga, then 'Kiss' is for you
p. s. in the end, 'twas Ryuu who never let me down and, in the end, was the only character I really sympathized with. but hey, Ryuu - who has cameo appearances and never gets enough attention - is not enough, is he? 'tis possible that he has a major appearance in the volumes I didn't read, but still...
Plot and characters
I can tell you exactly why I started reading this manga. After I downloaded it I wanted to see whether it has furigana or not, as it would make reading much easier. One look at the first page of the first chapter was enough for me to become eager to read further - and so I did. The first chapter turned out to be so enjoyable that the next day I ended up reading the whole first volume (oh, one volume is a considerable amount when I read raws). Not only I became fond of it, but I also loved the short story included in the volume. Even reading of the finally scanned and uploaded 5th volume of Dantalian was delayed. I decided that I finish 'Kiss' in a few days and then devote myself to other things. So I read volumes two and three...
What attracted me from the very beginning? Several good points. First is the detailed elaboration of the characters, their types and how the hand of a master placed them in the story. A girl who is protective and reliable and not in the least girly both in her looks and her behaviour, a protective nice guy who seems plain but is actually different, a cute little boy who behaves well and understands everything, a 'perverted' but caring neighbour and friend, and many others. The author's sense of humour made the story sometimes hilarious and thus really enjoyable. Of course the romantic side was also there. 'tis the type of the story I like very much - when the characters are bound by something beyond romance and gradually grow to love each other, appreciate and value each other and develop their feelings. This time what bound them was marriage and living together, which is one of the favourite situations of mine
However the third volume was already enough for me. The plot of every chapter consisted of Fumino getting into some kind of trouble and Kazuma rescuing her - or Kazuma getting into a trouble, but in the end, 'twas still Fumino who was protected and rescued. All feelings of Fumino which were so vivid and attractive in the beginning ceded to the only worry of hers - whether Kazuma loves her or not, and whether she deserves being loved by him or not and therefore, how she can become an adult quickly. Kazuma's feeling was unchanging through the story - restraining himself from doing THAT, what Ryuu and others were constantly asking about and waiting for, because he didn't want Fumino to become an adult
The situations were not of a great surprise either. A standard set of adventures - a school trip/onsen/beach/amusement park/aquarium/school festival/concert/competition/natsumatsuri/so on - and repeating some of them several times, just in case. And a standard set of characters - classmate/relative/a person from the past/sudden encounter/whatever other kind of rival for Kazuma or Fumino. The story began to turn into a reverse harem. The harem includes everyone, even the neighbour who has no intention to lie a finger on Fumino because 'just because', or her uncle who is her relative therefore he is not a character for a possible romantic relationship. If these characters are not Fumino's harem, then at least they are the harem for fangirls
Romance, harem, standard adventures are not obstacles for creating a good manga, nor they are reasons for the possible readers to refuse to read the work. however this time nothing could redeem for them - for me personally
The manga is entitled 'Sooner than a Kiss'. Just as I anticipated - and that is what I was afraid of most of all - the plot turned into a constant flow of awkward scenes when something prevents the characters from that very thing that everybody around was waiting for, starting with kissing. Anyway, I lose my interest in the manga when this action becomes the sole purpose of the whole work. And I lost it in the end in the 3rd volume this time
Something inside me told me that I better check whether I downloaded all the volumes there are in this manga. nope, volumes after 9 are not available in raw! I couldn't find them, at least. since I rarely drop what I already began to read/watch, I simply switched to English translated version to finish the rest much faster. I've been reading and reading up to vol. 7... but then 'Maid-sama' chapter 74 comes out... and I dropped. yep, I really have no more interest in reading 'Kiss' any further. 'tis possible that I will come back to it in the future, but not too likely
graphics
well there's nothing special about it, no bad words and no praise I could use here. very nice graphics, but really not outstanding. just... average...
well maybe in comparison with some of the shoujo works I have read (created probably by very young inexperienced rookie mangakas), this one is pretty good, mature and proportional
conclusion
oh don't be discouraged, though there was no normal kiss (or going further), there were enough indirect ones - like kissing through a mask, or unfinished kisses, and plenty of hugging, falling on the floor together, biting and licking and kissing other places than lips, and for final satisfaction - kissing of other characters
if this is all that you need from a manga, then 'Kiss' is for you
p. s. in the end, 'twas Ryuu who never let me down and, in the end, was the only character I really sympathized with. but hey, Ryuu - who has cameo appearances and never gets enough attention - is not enough, is he? 'tis possible that he has a major appearance in the volumes I didn't read, but still...
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