Manga: Akuma to Love Song Review

SPOILERS

I don't remember what made me pick this one up. I just saw it, decided to give it a read, and that's the end of it, I guess. So what do I think of Akuma to Love Song...

I'll be frank, for as much as I love it, I hate it too. No, not for reasons I've seen like 'I hate the drawings' or 'I hate Meguro'. No, my problem is with EVERYONE in this manga.

Let's be honest, yes, Maria seems like one of those people that may be a little hard to get along with. She's frank and speaks her mind, one of those people that irk the breathing hell out of most. However, at some point, when these students are going to the point of treating her to this extent as well as the teachers and just ANYONE she runs into, you have to wonder who the hell are these people she's forced to be around? I can't even blame her for possibly being cold, I wouldn't wanna be around all these pricks either.

The fact is this gets way too hard to swallow after a while. It's like a LINE of people that hate Maria for pretty much just open honesty. I guess the truth hurts but really, being a bitch about it might just prove her point further. This story with Anna kills me the most, this girl that was supposedly her best friend turns out to hate her and then gets in the way of her and Meguro's relationship. How low must they fall?

I saw a lot of Yuusuke fanshipping on boards but I really don't like him that much in terms of being with Maria. To me, he is the friend. You don't go skipping around, melding lines with love with the friend. I don't mean A friend, I mean "the friend", just to clarify. That's the guy that advises you how to not do this, the one that's there to make sure you're not doing something crazy, the guy that looks out for you. And when you skew those lines, it seems to me that maybe you have the ideal guy, the protector, the one who looks out for your best interests, but you still lose something there and stand to lose something if it continues.

That said, Meguro definitely needs to man up and get over this BS Anna fed him. "If she's hugged, she'll be reminded of her mother that committed suicide!" So really? This poor girl is just going to go her entire life without any chance of physical contact? That's what therapy is for, dears. Especially since Maria clearly wants a relationship with you, it's not fair to deny her when you want it too just because she or you might want to get snuggly.

Grade: A to C-

At it's best, you get Maria opening up and expressing her adoration of Meguro. At it's 'kill me now', you get people pretty much going to impossible lengths to make her life useless. Honestly, if I had that teacher, I would have definitely switched schools. Or beat him the hell up.

This needs to get scanlated A LOT faster too. I was reading a summary of ten chapters AHEAD of what's currently translated from 2009! That's some American serialization rates XP But as for suggestion, give it a go. The drawings are different than standard manga, Maria's got some very pouty lips. And at times, it looks very amateurish. But if you want a good lesson on how to not treat people, let this be your handbook on how to be a good person.