Love Me Love Me Not Vol. 04

Great books. Arrived fast and in good condition.

Story: ★★★★★ Art: ★★★★★ There were a few elements of this volume that made it inspirational to me. First of all, Sakisaka's work is phenomenal. Her faces, especially those eyes, are as impressive as they are emotive. The girls are beautiful and the boys are handsome—both genders rendered distinctly and skillfully. Sakisaka clearly studies the human form. Secondly, the story has captured me completely. I've seen step-sibling storylines in manga before. They're a shoujo trope. However, this one was handled deftly with a sensitive touch. The relationship is treated more as a complication than a scandalous titillation. However, my favorite storylines always involve Yuna. What an amazing character she is. She is shy and insecure, but since she is tired of her static life, she makes decisions that create change. She more than Akari moves the story forward. Thirdly, the slice of life stories by Sakisaka that fill the ad spaces in this volume are wonderful. They reveal cute details about Sakisaka's life while being entertaining in their own right. I wish my journal entries were half as entertaining.

This is a REALLY good series for preteen/teen kids to read. So many of us just struggled & floundered during our formative years. So many issues we didn't know how to handle. Crushes, unrequited love, being embarrassed publicly, arguing with friends and/or family, Feelings of low-self esteem, struggling to understand our feelings of self-worth. This series deftly handles these situations in ways that are kind, endearing, & kind of cute at times. Art, fantastic. The girls are gorgeous. The boys are handsome & debonair. Such fun. Dialogue, very true to life. Such feelings of angst! Characters, believable, likeable, relatable. You just want to love them.

Came in perfect condition and was amazing!!