Shugo Chara!

First of all, I'd like to say that the score I gave is clearly biased, but this manga doesn't deserve anything less than 8. Shugo Chara! may look like a typical shoujo, but its peculiarities make it unique in my opinion; the main character, Amu, has doubts and insecurities normally present at her age, the classic love indecision seen in any lead in the genre, and a will for being the best she can be that seems innovative to me in this category. There is the everlasting love triangle, but it doesn't maintain itself as the primary aspect of her life. The little 10, 12 andeven 14 yo me could see themselves (myself (?)) in her and feel motivated for solving the questions that were brought up. Each time I re-read it, its flaws become more evident, and you must read it acknowledging them (most of them centering around romantic relationships); they could've easily been removed or changed into something more fitting to the story... but yeah, they're there and there's not much we can do about it. Despite them, in my opinion the good messages in the manga can bring much good to youths who grow confused and scared of never finding themselves - after all, that's the base of the story: Who I am and who I want to be? Shugo Chara is a kids' mahou shoujo manga, and follows the structure of the genre presented in most of its titles; but first of all it's a story that deconstructs and questions genre views, brings to children meaningful questionings in the process of growing up, and a good message about all the possibilities of who you could be, but most importantly, about the wonderfulness of being who you are.

I like the art - clean, straightforward, and very pleasing to the eyes. I thought the character's emotions were also clearly reflected in the art. The story was okay. It was fast-paced which is good. I love Ikuto's character very much. Hehe. There was too much idealism which isn't much too my taste. And at the end, there was a confusing all-fantasy arc that surpassed space and time which I didn't really like. But overall, I thought the manga was good and I definitely enjoyed it. I liked best the dokidoki moments of Ikuto and Amu. Hehe. I also liked how Ikuto was portrayed and thosetimes when he couldn't express himself very well. There were things that came out unexpectedly (I thought Tadase liked Nadeshiko :P), but they were still interesting. P.S. I watched the anime first but after episode 8, I gave up and read the manga instead. The anime was very slow-paced and has a lot of fillers. I'm not sure if I'm gonna continue/finish it, but if it's for the sake of Ikuto, maybe I would. Hehe

The idea for the story was good, and it had plenty of humor and kept me hooked... at first. But as I got more into the story, I noticed that it just didn't have the right... appeal, or feeling, so to speak. The concept was creative, but the story overall could be better. And the ending was confusing and a lot went unanswered. Overall, this manga was alright, but could have been better. I was hoping for a better story, and a better understanding. It is also considered a "children's manga", but I highly disagree. With a few strong curse words and a couple ofsexual references, it would be best if "children" did not read it until they are older.

I have got mixed feelings about this one. The start was way too boring. Nothing that was happening made sense to me. The characters felt boring and one-dimensional. I felt as if this would be a 6/10 manga. But something changed. Halfway through the series, the characters grew on me, the story started to make sense and everything that felt a little off started to click. This series is more focused on emotions and drama and the process of solving it rather than the technicalities. There are so many plot holes and plot points that don't make any sense. Even though it had so many problems, Ireally loved the way it handled all of them. A major focus was put on the characters and their connection than the overall world setting. It would have been an 8/10, if not for the ending. The ending was just straight-up bad. It made no sense whatsoever. Everything the ending volumes had built, all crumbled in the last few pages. It felt as if the author had run out of ideas on how to end so they chose the ending which was the happiest and sweetest disregarding the bittersweetness in the preceding chapters. It left a really bad impression on me. If the ending was just given a little thought, the result would have just been so much better. Conclusion: A very hard manga to recommend. Many messages such as - "How do others see me", "What is the better version of me", "Best version of me", "Fear of becoming an adult", "Fear of future", "Fear of jumping into the unknown" and "fear of choosing". I'd suggest reading the first 4 volumes. If you like the characters then continue or just drop it.