Overall, it's more of a 8.5 rather than a 8.

There is nothing extremely unique behind the concept of Strobe Edge. It's about a girl who experiences love for the first time. It sounds very typical, and I guarantee if you're at first hesitant when reading this, you'll be immediately be put off by Niniko. She comes off naive and airheadish. But what makes Niniko unique (along with other characters) is how normal, real and unleading female she ends up being.

All the characters in Strobe Edge are like that. In fact, I think the most complex, developed character isn't even the leading female, Niniko, but the leading male, Ren. He is by far my favorite shoujo male love interest mainly because he is just as flawed and naive as Niniko in a different way. While Niniko is learning the wounds of love, Ren is learning about what love involves and what love even looks like. I believe that's what makes their progression so great. They're both on different levels from the start and as the series goes on, you watch how both grow and learn at a different rate. You're waiting for them to finally be on the same "level" and at times you wonder if it's even possible.

So, besides the characters, what really hooks you is the art and pacing. I love the art personally. The detailed eyes and face. Niniko's design is a bit strange at first (her lips?) but the lines and art work start to settle and smooth. Also the pacing really has you gliding through the chapters. Thirty pages or so really feels like thirty pages, which is always nice.

It's not an incredibly deep story, but Strobe Edge executes what most shoujo has drilled into the ground. It breathes life back into the genre.