Koharu no Hibi is one of my favorite mangas right now because it is one of the few mangas based on a stalker/yandere and it is perhaps the only one about a completely realistic relationship with one.

Story: 8 - Koharu no Hibi is the most vanilla manga I have ever read even though it is about such a controversial and sometimes disgusting (to some people) topic. The story revolves completely around romance and subtlety. A lot of the time, you will feel like the main character is reacting to something in an underwhelming or overwhelming way, but when you think about things, the turn of events and how they are dealt with is usually reasonable.

The biggest success with this manga is that it explores the ideation of a stalker and how romance would be with one in a realistic yet simplified light. Even better than that, most chapters introduce a new way to look at the relationship and understand the mind of a stalker. Some of the scenes are really beautiful even though everything is lighthearted and simple (almost like a children's manga).

Another interesting thing is that this book is considered Shoujo targeted for men (the magazine it was published in was for that demographic, but I think it got discontinued). It is definitely not as flowery in presentation or as emotionally sensitive with its protagonist as a normal Shoujo manga, but it definitely feels like reading Shoujo.

The biggest thing that people might consider gross is that the main love interest is probably three or more years younger than the main character. She likely starts at the age of 13 or 12, while the main character is very tall and perhaps 15 or 16 years old. In Japan, I suppose that this stuff is sort of acceptable, but it kind of ruins a lot of the enjoyment you could get from this manga.

The climax of this manga is really fun. I think it succeeds in making Koharu a Yandere without doing what a Yandere would normally do. Also, it feels nice to see the ending, especially given how it unconventially approaches intimacy.

The biggest flaw of this manga is that there is a bit of fluff despite there not being many chapters. Some of the chapters might not feel meaningful at all except for the interesting, romantic, funny or sexy stalker quirk that shows up in every chapter.

Art: 7 - The drawings of Koharu no Hibi are simple most of the time, but the art that is shown is not terrible-looking and has consistent detail. There are a few, rare, well-drawn picturesque scenes to enjoy.

What I like about Koharu (the love interest) in design is that she is not drawn to be pretty. I hate how female protagonists usually look like in manga and it was nice to see such a human looking character. Oddly enough, there is no real reason that she looks more realistic and imperfect. Anyway, stalkers are known to be pretty ugly so that I think that this was an important detail for the author to have included.

The two male characters in the manga look almost the same and that is a bit annoying. Other people are not drawn very often after the manga progresses and I think that subtracted some of the strength in the environment. The other female characters however, are perfectly drawn, especially considering their roles in the story. One of the later characters looks slightly unique and very enticing and she really spiced up the story with her appearances.

However, there are a lot of terrible, terrible panels that almost make me forget about the good things in the art style. What I am talking about are the close-ups of Koharu, which usually look like the same drawing again and again. The technique used in drawing the eyes just looks really ugly and fake and weird and does not portray any emotion. Even though it sounds like that would make sense given who Koharu is, this is definitely just a bad taste in dramatic panels that happens very excessively at the beginning of the series. I am really, really glad that it starts to dwindle down in the later chapters.

Character: 8 - The characters are pretty well rounded. The main character provides the apprehension the story needs to avoid completely sexualizing the Yandere (or women in general) as manga usually does. This more down-to-Earth precedent is essential to Koharu no Hibi and I am really glad that the main character is who he is. Also, he is eased into love and he is pretty relatable in the common sense yet acceptance of the taboo inherent in most of us. He can talk to Koharu in a fatherly way that actually makes Koharu a productive member of society. It is a really cool dynamic that I would not mind being reused by another author.

Koharu is a really fun character, of course. She seems like she will be a static character, but she is actually receptive to the person who she loves (which makes her probably the sympathetic stalker in literature). Koharu will violate personal space and do unsanitary or ambiguously unsanitary things every day. She will become a total time sink for Senpai if he is not able to remedy her. The bento boxes she makes "Senpai" each day are made with her love and perhaps there is something lost in translation that makes it impossible to know what is being implied after the concept is introduced.

One will wonder whether or not this is exactly how a lot of stalkers act. I believe that stalkers really are this way, but I have never encountered one before. I really feel like they are villainized waaay too much. Just like in other crimes, stalking is simply under-reported for women because it is more acceptable. Men are usually dangerous stalkers, but I still think that some could be alike Koharu.

Natsuki really makes this manga wonderful. She is the common Shoujo manga character who pushes the main characters to love each other and uses the term "lovebird" all of the time. The fact that she is in a manga about stalkers would be enough, but she is not deterred by Koharu's actions, which makes it all very cute and fun to watch. I just love Natsuki so much because of how vital she is in changing Akira's (the main character) mind about falling in love with a stalker.

Natsuki's boyfriend is kind of funny. He is completely silent most of the time, but he usually says something to comedic effect. In spite of that, he is always serious and soft in presence, but he totally submits to or helps enforce Natsuiki's whims. It is really funny to see how Akira can not turn Natsuki down because of him.

The character who comes into the manga later on is a huge spoiler, but I will just say that she appears to be perfect fanservice at first, but then is taken in a really cool-minded, constructive direction.

Enjoyment: 9 - Oh my god, this is just my ideal dream world! The combination of everything is so beautiful. If only more characters and polyamory could have been introduced! This manga can be rather boring and lacking, but the good moments are just invaluable and I do not care about the faults that much.

Overall: 8 - I would love to buy some manga and support this author soon. This is yet another mangaka who has surprised me with the deep thought that can be given in examining the stalker/yandere relationship in real life. To support him would show that writing about such 'crazy' societal romances is a profitable, worthwhile choice.