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clowdywings's review against another edition
4.0
Predictable, but entertaining.
I’m not a fan of the “MC falls for step-sibling” element but as their parents didn’t get married yet, it’s okay. I also don’t like the era’s art style. I do like Yuu’s hairstyle.
The ending was pretty sweet. Often the titles aren’t explained in mangas, unless the author talks about them in the extras. This one directly talked about it, which was super surprising.
I’m not a fan of the “MC falls for step-sibling” element but as their parents didn’t get married yet, it’s okay. I also don’t like the era’s art style. I do like Yuu’s hairstyle.
The ending was pretty sweet. Often the titles aren’t explained in mangas, unless the author talks about them in the extras. This one directly talked about it, which was super surprising.
akookieforyou's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a good start!! Even though the premise is strange, it's definitely my brand of weird. I love the drama already presented to us, as well as the two main characters, especially Miki. I appreciate that she stands up for herself, and that she's pretty relatable.
I had never heard of this manga series before the 2018 movie adaptation, which I really liked by the way, so I'm happy that it's off to a strong start, especially since I tend to have very mixed results with older shoujo manga (even if I enjoy the adaptations, like Hana Yori Dango). I hope it continues being enjoyable!
I had never heard of this manga series before the 2018 movie adaptation, which I really liked by the way, so I'm happy that it's off to a strong start, especially since I tend to have very mixed results with older shoujo manga (even if I enjoy the adaptations, like Hana Yori Dango). I hope it continues being enjoyable!
declnlynch's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia.
heyjudy's review against another edition
3.0
~3.5/5
[Also available at my blog.]
I just recently bought about three different manga, two complete sets and several books of another, online for cheap, and this was one of them. I’d wanted to read this for a while, and I think I might have read volume one before, or watched the anime, if there is an anime? I don’t really remember. I do know, though, that I’d wanted to read the full series. Not seriously enough, though, I guess, to try to find all of the books. When I saw this one online, though, I knew I wanted it. And after reading the first book, I’m glad I got it.
This book was full of general, cliché-like, shojo. And I really enjoyed every bit of it.
In the first chapter of Marmalade Boy, we meet Miki, whose parents are switching partners with another couple. She’s got a crush on one boy, Ginta, although he turned her down and they’re still very close friends, but ends up being stuck with her new step-brother, Yuu, who is obviously going to be the main love interest. Within the first book, we see Miki overreact about her parents and how weird they are (even though they didn't seem all that strange, aside from the switching partners thing), that Ginta still likes her, and that she’s starting to get feelings for her step-brother, although he’s always teasing her, and she meets his old girlfriend. Miki pretends to be asleep at one point and Yuu kisses her, we find out that the rejection, which included a love letter, between her and Ginta was a misunderstanding and he confesses his love to her at the end of the volume. The confession was actually pretty funny, with how abruptly he kisses her, and then they continue yelling at each other before he blurts out that he loves her. I thought it was fun, at least. It’s full of very typical, shojo material, but I enjoyed it fully.
Miki is an alright character. I hope to grow fonder of her later, but right now she’s not too bad. She tends to exaggerate and overreact to everything, which her friends and family are used to. But she’s not too bad so far. I like her best friend, Meiko. She’s a bit more calm, straight-faced, and protective, and I’m looking forward to her storyline, which I’m hoping there will be one. I do like Ginta, he seems sweet and nice, but I have suspicions that he’ll end up with someone else in the series. I also like Yuu. He’s obviously got feelings for Miki growing as well, and I’m just looking forward to watching them grow. I even like their parents, who are all enjoying living in the same house and being with different partners, and who tease and care about and trust their children.
While being a typical shojo, this is a very cute, sweet, endearing read so far. For me, there isn’t quite as much of the more physical romance parts that I would like (at least, I’m assuming there aren’t,) but I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it nonetheless. I’ve got all eight books, and am really looking forward to reading them. I’m hoping to get through them, but reviewing them will probably slow me down a little.
Now, on to volume two…
Sidenote: Throughout the volume, I noticed in some of the side panels that there were messages from Tokyopop. One mentioning how the book was right-to-left instead of left-to-right like American books, and another about how the school systems are different... I just thought those were interesting, as I hadn't seen them before. Was that common, when Tokyopop first started? And, my main question, did that take away some of the panels the authors wrote, or did they have to make extra space to put them in?
Oh, another thing I noticed that Tokyopop used to do, or sometimes did, maybe when they felt like it: the 'In the next issue/volume of:'. I always kind of enjoyed those, and just thought it was neat seeing one again. Although, I mean, sometimes we never saw another volume, or I already had it, or there just wasn't one of those. It always bothered me that some volumes had it while other didn't.
[Also available at my blog.]
I just recently bought about three different manga, two complete sets and several books of another, online for cheap, and this was one of them. I’d wanted to read this for a while, and I think I might have read volume one before, or watched the anime, if there is an anime? I don’t really remember. I do know, though, that I’d wanted to read the full series. Not seriously enough, though, I guess, to try to find all of the books. When I saw this one online, though, I knew I wanted it. And after reading the first book, I’m glad I got it.
This book was full of general, cliché-like, shojo. And I really enjoyed every bit of it.
In the first chapter of Marmalade Boy, we meet Miki, whose parents are switching partners with another couple. She’s got a crush on one boy, Ginta, although he turned her down and they’re still very close friends, but ends up being stuck with her new step-brother, Yuu, who is obviously going to be the main love interest. Within the first book, we see Miki overreact about her parents and how weird they are (even though they didn't seem all that strange, aside from the switching partners thing), that Ginta still likes her, and that she’s starting to get feelings for her step-brother, although he’s always teasing her, and she meets his old girlfriend. Miki pretends to be asleep at one point and Yuu kisses her, we find out that the rejection, which included a love letter, between her and Ginta was a misunderstanding and he confesses his love to her at the end of the volume. The confession was actually pretty funny, with how abruptly he kisses her, and then they continue yelling at each other before he blurts out that he loves her. I thought it was fun, at least. It’s full of very typical, shojo material, but I enjoyed it fully.
Miki is an alright character. I hope to grow fonder of her later, but right now she’s not too bad. She tends to exaggerate and overreact to everything, which her friends and family are used to. But she’s not too bad so far. I like her best friend, Meiko. She’s a bit more calm, straight-faced, and protective, and I’m looking forward to her storyline, which I’m hoping there will be one. I do like Ginta, he seems sweet and nice, but I have suspicions that he’ll end up with someone else in the series. I also like Yuu. He’s obviously got feelings for Miki growing as well, and I’m just looking forward to watching them grow. I even like their parents, who are all enjoying living in the same house and being with different partners, and who tease and care about and trust their children.
While being a typical shojo, this is a very cute, sweet, endearing read so far. For me, there isn’t quite as much of the more physical romance parts that I would like (at least, I’m assuming there aren’t,) but I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it nonetheless. I’ve got all eight books, and am really looking forward to reading them. I’m hoping to get through them, but reviewing them will probably slow me down a little.
Now, on to volume two…
Sidenote: Throughout the volume, I noticed in some of the side panels that there were messages from Tokyopop. One mentioning how the book was right-to-left instead of left-to-right like American books, and another about how the school systems are different... I just thought those were interesting, as I hadn't seen them before. Was that common, when Tokyopop first started? And, my main question, did that take away some of the panels the authors wrote, or did they have to make extra space to put them in?
Oh, another thing I noticed that Tokyopop used to do, or sometimes did, maybe when they felt like it: the 'In the next issue/volume of:'. I always kind of enjoyed those, and just thought it was neat seeing one again. Although, I mean, sometimes we never saw another volume, or I already had it, or there just wasn't one of those. It always bothered me that some volumes had it while other didn't.
readingwithstardust's review against another edition
5.0
Rereading this series for the first time since high school -- I'm so tickled.
jennabuythebook's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Reading this for a class in my last semester of my Masters degree!! After being so utterly confused in the beginning, once I got used to the manga-ness of it all I actually kinda liked reading this. And the story...they aren't kidding when they call this a teen soap opera. Drama drama drama! But I'm not gonna lie, I kinda want to know what happens in volume 2...
jlaue93's review against another edition
4.0
The stuff with the parents is a little cringey, but I read this series in middle school and I decided to read it again as a 28 year old. It’s not too bad, just the stuff with the parents is a bit weird.