Zig☆Zag Don

The plot of the manga centers around a love triangle between a girl, her (male) best friend, and a boy with a bad reputation that mysteriously knows her mother. But at its heart, this is a manga about family. The girl is being raised by her brash single mother, who is keeping a ton of secrets about their family. And its really those secrets--and the tensions that they produce--which drive the conflict between the three leads. This isn't a typical forced love triangle drama, where the main couple breaks up because someone left their phone off for an hour. The drama herecomes from a girl having her world repeatedly thrown into turmoil by her family, and the boys who have absolutely no idea how to help her. Story: It told a dramatic romance without much in the way of melodrama or cliche. All good so far. Art: I'm not a huge fan of the art-style, which is pretty minimalist, and a bit too sketch-like for my taste. But if you like this style, this is a good (though not great) example of it. Character: The character development here is fantastic. Even behavior that felt random or out-of-character usually had a reason behind it, if you wait a few chapters for that reason to be revealed. The characters make mistakes and hurt each other, but for good reasons. The best friend is maybe the only one who I didn't end up liking in the end, although even he has his good sides. Enjoyment: If you like dramatic romances, this is a very enjoyable ride. Overall: For some reason, this manga reminds me a lot of some darker seinen manga (Haru yo, Koi ; Sundome ; Ciguetera), just shorter and with a lot less sexual assault and melodrama. If that sounds like something you would be interested in, give Zig Zag Don a try.