"Instead of being the pursued, I rather be the pursuer."
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
❗This review is spoiler-free❗
This was the very first manga I have ever read and the one that got me into reading many other mangas afterwards. I was just a teenager when I first found this, completely by accident I might add, and I'm so glad I did. It has become a comfort for me, something to read when I want to cheer myself up or when I want to get out of a reading slump. I'm so excited I finally get to write a review for it.
Anyone who doesn't like this gem is a dummy. No doubt about it. Yes, I am prepared to fight for this. It is full of romance, humour, and delightfully ridiculous and feel-good moments. Even the bonus chapters were gold. It is easily one of the most adorable stories I've ever read. It leaves in my head rent-free and owns my heart unconditionally. No, I am not exagerating. I remember reading this while it was still ongoing and me going completely crazy waiting for the next chapter to come out. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you can find this manga online because I'm pretty sure I would still be reading it to this day. I still haven't managed to get the hard copies of all the volumes. They are unfortunately incredibly over-priced and there are so many of them. 😅😅
Ayuzawa Misaki is one of my most beloved manga characters. She's such an amazing, badass main character. Insanely strong, independent, passionate, loyal, and the absolute cutest. Did I mention genius?? Because she is!! I could go on and on forever describing this queeeeen 😍😍 It's no coincidence that everyone who meets her falls head over heels in love with her. She deserves the world and I would have given it all to her if Usui hadn't beat me to it 😝😝
Speaking of Usui Takumi, the man of the hour, the perverted outer-space alien 😂😂, he is also one of my most loved manga characters and has a permanent place in my heart and my fictional men list. And I'm not even into blonds most of the time. He's got that certain kind of charm that mesmerised me. 😍😍 He is Misaki's equal in every way. Maayybe is a little better at times. 😅😅 And the softer boi you'll ever meet. I had such a huge crush on him as a teenager. I mean have you seen him on the covers?? The same goes for Misaki by the way. She's a total knock-out, especially when she wears that maid outfit. So I guess they are yet another couple I'm totally crushing on. It's not my fault though. I never stood a chance.
Their torturously slow-burn romance was one of the purest, most adorable, feel-good, and frustrating ones I have ever come across. Not to mention all the top-tier tropes that went along with it. Grumpy-loves-sunshine, guy-falls-first, (sort of) hater-to-lovers, all of which are some of my favourites by the way. I've read this manga over a hundred times and I still squeal like a little girl every single time. At this point, I don't think I'll ever grow out of it. I'm twenty-five already and cannot stop doing that for the life of me 😅😅 I live for those sweet moments between them. Oh, you should see them blush at one another. It's the cutest thing in the world.
However, while I love their love, I did find their dynamic a bit unbalanced, especially in the beginning. There was this idea that if a girl is strong, independent, and intelligent, by extension, she would be angry, violent and a man-hater as well. Whereas, a guy that was strong, independent, and intelligent was admirable and kind. While Usui was seen as this bigger-than-life guy that literally everyone admired and loved, Misaki was literally called 'The Demon President' and was both feared and hated by all the male students at the school. That never sat right with me and is the only reason this otherwise-beautiful manga isn't a full five stars.
If you think that the main characters are the only ones you will absolutely love, then you're absolutely wrong. Even the secondary characters are lovable. Every single one of them. Even those you don't quite like at first 😝😝 There is honestly no character that I hate. Annoyed, maybe, but hate, absolutely not. Each one of them has their own special characteristic that makes me like them no matter what they do. Not to mention that they are all hilarious, too.
Thoughts on the anime:
The only thing I can say about this delightful anime is that those who decided to cancel it should be tried for being morons and making life-ruining decisions. No joke.
Mangas are amazing, aren't they?