Love at Fourteen, Vol. 1 (Volume 1)

This first volume of Love at Fourteen is a wonderful introduction to some interesting characters. The realistic progression of the young couple's relationship (from class idols who are really childhood friends who act more mature at school than they do when they hang out after school, to a boyfriend and girlfriend who realize that the 'mature act' they have been putting on has become their actual personality and that childhood friend from yesterday looks a bit different now, in a good way) is handled with a natural flow of conversation and behavior. It is really well done.

I've been reading manga for awhile, and I've become pretty selective about which series I want to buy. Love at Fourteen was a series I knew I definitely had to get. What is Love at Fourteen? It's a light-hearted romance that's part coming-of-age and part slice-of-life. The series starts off with two teenagers, Kanata Tanaka and Kazuki Yoshikawa, who are not only best friends, but the most mature appearing students of their class. They initially think of looking mature as a sort of keeping-up-appearances game, but slowly start to realize that they are becoming more mature, which involves, of course, falling in love. The series primarily focuses on this couple, but later on includes other characters struggling with their unique first love experiences. There isn't really a deep drama and most of the chapters are stand alone. It's like taking the best aspects from a collection of short stories and a serious shoujo title; each chapter delivers a powerful impact while continuously building on the same characters. Another series that comes to mind with a similar format is Yotsuba&!. So what makes Love at Fourteen different from other shoujo/josei titles? 1) Fantastic artwork. Because of the nature of the industry, shoujo manga artwork often doesn't look great. There is a focus on the characters, but not so much on the environment. This is not the case here. Fuka Mizutani is extremely talented in her craft and you'll see great detail put into all her panels and fine lines with the character models. From start to finish, the art looks more realistic, and I applaud the author for that. 2) Approachable irrespective of gender. The narrative shifts from different perspectives of the female and male characters. This creates a fantastic dynamic that allows you to put yourself in the characters' shoes regardless of who you are. The story's subject matter is probably going to appeal to the female demographic, but as a guy, I still found myself enjoying the story immensely. Love at Fourteen is a great series that continues to get better and better. I highly recommend that you try this title for yourself!

Good manga

I read the scans of this story and loved it and just had to support the English release of the manga. Great manga about young love and can't wait for more volumes.

<i>Love at Fourteen</i> was a fun story, but not exactly thrilling. It keeps your interest, but the difference between the main protagonists and almost everyone else is too much to believe or take seriously. This will be discussed more in detail. The tale is about two students, Kanata Tanaka and Kazuki Yoshikawa, who are in middle-school and are revered by the other students for their air of maturity, good grades, and so forth. They are, in fact, unbeknownst to most folks, childhood friends who hide their friendship due to the discomfort that the already too much attention they get separately from others. This becomes harder once they start to develop strong romantic feelings for each other, and share their first kiss. Suddenly, they are trying their hardest to explore these feelings and at the same time hide their new relationship from others. The story is engaging and fun to read. The sweetness of their love for each other and exploration thereof is really wonderful to witness. But the way it is presented in the illustrations and actions of the students is both a pro and a con. The pro is that they are written as very much older acting and more mature looking to make the point of why they stand out. Only one other student does so too, as he is kinda having problems with the two leads. The con is the same part though. You see, the behavior of Tanaka and Yoshikawa is so much more sophisticated, and their looks so much older, that it is somewhat ridiculous. It gets to the point where the two of them, and their friend look like adults and the others (mostly) like little kids compared to them. While this differentiation makes them look different and helps them, it also makes everyone else look ridiculous by comparison, and that was hard to take seriously. Overall, a fun story, if problematic in the above regard.

~4/5 I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I started this—mainly how mature it would be, or how cute it would be. I was sure it would be good, though, and it was. Kanata and Kazuki are mature for their age, and they put on a more conservative and serene air when at school with their classmates. When together, they’re themselves, more goofy and relaxed. And slowly falling for each other. This makes it increasingly hard for them to figure out how to act, having the two worlds intersect, mixing things up in their heads. There’s a lot of cute scenes here, how they don’t react in class, but then comment later together. Like when Kanata’s hair is done during class, and later Kazuki gives her a surprise kiss on the neck before fleeing. Or during art class, when Kazuki volunteers Kanata to model so she won’t have to draw, only to blush as he realizes he has to then draw and stare at her. We also meet a classmate who catches them, and teases and blankmails Kazuki, only for the tables to later be turned on him. This is a very cute, pretty vanilla volume. It was charming and subtle and thoughtful. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to the next one. [More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

Everything is fine

this book is really good.came next day delivery.came in perfect condition.thankyou.

Der Manga kam (mit anderen Bestellungen in einem Karton) ohne Schutzfolie daher war er leider etwas schmutzig (was nicht all zu tragisch ist) und die Ecken hatten auch schon leichte Eselsohren... Aber der Versand klappte perfekt und ohne Probleme!