Perfect World

I’m usually not into romance but I gave this a try and actually really liked it. The story was good, I found it interesting learning about what someone who is disabled might face in a relationship because it’s not something I’ve ever thought about before. Also, now I know way more about the health conditions that spinal injuries can cause. The only thing I didn’t like in this manga were some of the characters. Half of them were irritating and annoyed me but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing because they grew on me a little but towards the end. The author explained thecharacters feelings very well and so although I didn’t like a certain character, I did understand why they acted the way they did. Absolutely loved the ending and the artstyle tho. Because of this I give Perfect World a 7.

From age 5 to age 11, I lived with my grandmother whose body was 96% immobile. From Monday to Friday, she'd take care of me (alone, my grandpa was dead by that time). During the weekend, I'd be with my parents. This is why 'Perfect World' was a personal premise to me. Especially as I have hazy memories of my grandma's condition - she became wheelchair-bound within 2 years of the first symptoms. Enough personal stories: let's see why the manga is a solid 7.5/10 to me. Here are 5 bad and 5 good things about it: The bad things: - Kawana's growth took way too long. She spentso many volumes being the typical shoujo protagonist in a manga narrative that warrants a quicker growing pace. - The middle volumes were filled with too much drama which sometimes almost reached 'Domestic Girlfriend' levels of forced character confrontations/plot 'progression'. - Reducing the above drama a little and instead focusing a bit more on the architecture/industry details and its interaction with barrier-free projects would have been amazing. - Slightly disappointing treatment of one of the main side characters. - Slightly jarring time skips - realistically, the manga goes through A LOT of years. I'm not fully sure, but it covers a 5-6 year span or so through its entirety. The good things: - Aruga-san has done extensive research for her work and it shows. From complications to the general lifestyle of wheelchair-bound people, her compassion and interest shine through. - Ayukawa is simply a great character. Later on, Kawana becomes a fleshed-out counterbalance to her earlier persona. - Decent side character cast. They can be one-dimensional, but it's better than your typical shoujo manga. - Extended period of time covered -- I said it's a bit jarring (the transitions just feel awkward); however, it's great to see a series which follows the main couple through several years with distinctive progression and life situations. - Simple, but very expressive art style; some beautiful chapters and tear-jerker scenes. I guarantee you'd feel irritated and itch to drop it around the middle, where the forced drama is the worst. Highly suggest you persist through that, the latter chapters are very slice of life and more mature. As I said, 7.5/10, a solid one. I wish my grandma were still alive, so I'd read some chapters to her.

I will share my opinion about this manga as the son of a father with a physical disability, similar to the main character's condition. This manga was disappointing. The beginning was very good, especially when they showcased the protagonist's physical problems, his back injury, and his suffering. Everything was fine up to chapter 20. Then, the manga took a turn for the worse, focusing on introducing many new characters into the romantic relationship between the protagonist and the heroine. The heroine became one of the worst characters I’ve ever seen. The manga strayed from being a story about a couple's life to something more like aTurkish drama. These poorly executed scenarios can only be found in cheap Turkish and Indian series. Now, let's talk about the final chapters. The final chapters were good, but there is one issue: why, in these chapters, did the relationship between the protagonist and the heroine start to feel strange? If you watch them, you’d think the author forced them together. Also, the manga portrays life for people with disabilities, even in matters of childbirth, as unbearably difficult. As someone whose father has a disability and based on what my mother shared, it wasn’t as exaggerated as portrayed in this manga. Finally, let's discuss the characters. All the characters were bad, especially the heroine’s father. I understand that he was concerned for his daughter, but the reaction was exaggerated. Even when the protagonist visited him in the hospital, his reaction made it seem like his daughter was being handed over to a criminal. In conclusion, I believe the story would have been much better if the author had focused more on the main plot and dialogues between the protagonists instead of adding unnecessary relationships that added no value.