Lovely Complex by Aya Nakahara

             Happy Valentine's Day (though its a day late... )! Today I'm posting a manga called Lovely Complex, it is one of my favorite manga, and Aya Nakahara one of my favorite mangaka, so I really hope that my review will get you into one of the best shojo ever written, because you won't regret it.



Lovely Complex (or Love*Com) by Aya Nakahara

Art and story (c) Aya Nakahara

Genre: School Shojo
Length: 17 Volumes – 68 Chapters with extra volume called Love Com Plus



            Art is modern, and while the faces may not initially look like they have a lot of detail, the expressions are very endearing with a good variety to the eyes. The mouths have well planned shapes, with shading and tones used to define them, though the two main characters are often shouting so the mouths do hang open a lot. The hair is always interesting to look at with many different styles through out the course of the story, and the clothes are very stylish, though some times filled with engrish that distracts a little, but the clothes are always well matched to the characters who wear them. Body movement is fluid especially during the comedy, its easily imaginable what exactly is happening. The backgrounds are come and go, though, usually there are a lot of tones to cover it up and sometimes there is not. Though, not uncommonly in manga, the old people can be a little freaky, it adds to the comedy though.The whole manga looks polished.

            Risa Koizumi has been the tallest girl around since she was little, always standing in the back of the line for class assemblies and being noticed when she least wanted to be. First year of high school, to make things worse, she is paired with the shortest boy in class and nicknamed "All Hanshin Kyojin" by the teacher, equating them to a comedy group consisting of a tall person and a short person, and only the two of them think that the name doesn't fit. When the two make plans to help one another get a boyfriend and a girlfriend so they won't be lumped together anymore, Risa finds that Atsushi Otani maybe isn't as bad as she thought despite his shortness. Still, with six inches discrepancy between him and her, Risa knows she will never fall in love with him and Otani will never fall in love with her but perhaps they can become friends.
            Lovely Complex is a story where I watched the anime before I read the manga, and is just about the only story where I still want to watch the anime now that I've gotten the source material. Its that heartfelt and funny. Switching the trope of tall boy and short girl is interesting enough, but the fact that the two of them have complexes about it (which is were the title 'Lovely Complex' comes from, I guess) makes for an excellent romance. Not only is the premise interesting, though, its actually quite refreshingly not cliched about many things, which is hard to come by in the school romance genre. There are a few instances where their respective heights are shown in centimeters, like the picture over on the side there, and you may have no idea what that relates to in feet, its okay you aren't alone, the English release fixes that, luckily because this is very worth the buy.The humor is high energy and laugh out loud, Risa is absurd and Otani is a dumb-ass and together the two of them are the poster children for 'idiot couples' while the supporting cast is perfectly suited and well rounded as characters. Its not your traditional school romance, that’s for sure, though it has the earmarks for the same type, it also likes to throw the usual ways of the shojo out the window from time to time. Its just as much fun to look at as it is to read, Lovely Complex is pretty much an instant classic. Now, I can rant about how much I love Risa and how awkwardly cute she is, or how much Otani is the nicest jerk ever, but I'll just add, its the heart of the story that allows for all the silliness that runs rampant to really shine. The heartbreak and the feelings of the romance really hook you deep. You are rooting for the two of them right from the beginning and though its a bit of a long read it pulls you along easily because you care about this world the two of them live in. Even though I've read uncounted school romance manga in my time, nothing compares to Lovely Complex.



JUST READ IT WHO CARES ABOUT SOME ARBITRARY SCORE I GIVE IT, LOVELY COMPLEX IS THE GREATEST!! ...sorry for shouting


And as a little added bonus:



Lovely Complex Two by Aya Nakahara

Genre: Shojo
Length: One Volume – 4 Chapters



            For art, refer to the previous description.
            Four short stories concerning secondary characters from Lovely Complex. Two chapters are about Risa's little brother, one stars Otani's next door neighbor, and the last is about Risa's boss.
            This volume is well worth the read if you enjoyed Lovely Complex, its a bit of a continuation just with people who didn't get any closure at the end of Lovely Complex. Its a bit cruel actually, since it leaves you actually wanting more. Its cute and silly, though, and feels just in place with the original work. Make sure to add it to the 18 volumes you already have to read, you won't be disappointed.