Haru no Houtai Shoujo

tl;dr: A manga that has a good main couple and a story that has good concepts but is told in a really messy manner. 

This manga is primarily held up by how amazing the main heroine, Natsu is, which results in the relationship between Haru and Natsu being pretty amazing and well developed, which ultimately is enough to hold it up quite a bit. Still, beyond that it’s pretty rough. The other main characters such as Aki or the true arsonist are pretty weak in terms of personality and development. The general story and mystery is pretty good, at least in concept, but it didn’t feel like it was told all that well. It jumps around too much and things happen too suddenly and without proper buildup, especially dealing with the villain, so there’s really awkward pacing. There are also various things that are never properly explained that feel important enough that they should have been. Still, despite that, in the end I was fine with how the overarching story came to an end, and the strength of the main relationship was enough to make the ending satisfying overall. The art has some really good emotional shots, but in terms of the art itself its only okay. 

A disappointing mystery combined with a refreshing romance. Haru no Houtai Shoujo is a pretty good manga that is frustratingly close to being a really great one.

Story (6): The plot centers around a group of people all trying to catch a serial arsonist, and most of whom have some kind of supernatural abilities. It's a solid enough premise, but the execution isn't very good. For one thing, the story is lacking in suspense. The build-up to important events happens too quickly, and false leads are exposed almost immediately. More damningly, however, is the fact that hugely important aspects to the plot are never explained.

Art (8): It's not beautiful artwork, per se, but the characters, settings, and action sequences are all drawn clearly and consistently. Characters are distinct enough to be instantly recognizable, and the action sequences are all clearly drawn so that the reader knows exactly what is happening.

Character (9): The characters here are fantastic. They all have interesting back stories, understandable motivations, and they act on those consistently. More importantly, the relationship between the two mains is fantastic. Haru and Natsu truly love each other, for reasons that are crystal clear, and who want to do everything they can to protect each other. More importantly, they both have a rock-solid faith in the other's love. I loved every single conversation between them.

Enjoyment (8): It's definitely a fun read. After it's over, you'll be scratching your head about the many plot holes, but most of those won't hit you until after it's all over.

Overall (7): With better pacing and better exposition, this could have been a truly great manga. All of the pieces are there: interesting characters, solid premise, familiar-but-different setting. Unfortunately, the plot falls flat. Still, watching Haru and Natsu interact is so refreshing, so lacking in melodrama, that Haru no Houtai Shoujo is worth reading anyway.

I have only read seven chapters as this many are posted online, but I will try to leave a proper review as no one as yet.

Story(7): Pretty good. A guy, Haru, has the power to burn anything, anywhere. He's basically a human torch but he can't control his power and causes many disasters. One day he accidentally burns his friend, Natsu, pretty bad. Even so, Natsu decides to keep all of this a secret because she's in love with Haru. 'The Secret Arsonist' becomes a problem in the city.

Art(8): This is the best point of this manga. I really like the art. Nothing else, it's just.. I like it.

Character(7): While Natsu is strong-willed and does anything she can to protect the one she loves, Haru is really weak. Like I said, I didn't read the whole thing, but up until this chapter Haru is a pathetic main character. He lets a girl protect him and keeps setting houses on fire. Even though he can't control his power and he's not doing it intentionally, it's still not ok. There's a chance he will develop and become stronger, so let's not lose hope.
About Natsu, she's a really interesting character. She protects the one she loves, act as if nothing happened for his sake but she still has her own secret.

Enjoyment(7): I had fun reading, it's refreshing.

Overall(7): You should give it a try.

Feedback is always welcome. =)