When I was first getting into manga in middle school, this series was always on the shelf, and always advertised in other books I was reading. However, I was focused on collecting other series, and none of my friends had it, so I never got around to it. It's been long gone from store shelves at this point, but I was digging through some of my online manga bookmarks last night/early this morning and saw it there, so here we are.

I think Mars has a lot of typical shoujo elements to it, namely the jealous female classmate/bully, which is probably one of the things I hate most about shoujo in a school setting. And we also have the main character being quiet and shy and no one really liking her.

That being said, it differs in a lot of ways, too. It's not common for shoujo to address death the way this one does. Rei talks about it a lot, pretty flippantly. He's not particularly suicidal, but he's a bit indifferent to the fact that his adrenaline-seeking hobbies could end badly, even when his friend is seriously injured.

I didn't intend to read this entire volume when I clicked on it last night. I'm in the middle of several other series that I've been collecting, so I'll probably wait before coming back to Mars. But I'm pretty sure I'll come back to it. ( )

This was one of the first manga I ever read. It has all the teen drama. We have opposites, jealously, bullying, twins, abusive homes, teen sex, you name it MARS has it. I loved it when I was 19 to 20. So I am hoping that I will love it now. The first volume of MARS introduces some of those themes I just listed. Kira is very shy so people think that they can take advantage of her. I know why but seeing her being assaulted by the teacher is still as shocking today as it was when I first read it. I like Rei better than from what I remember the first time. I see a broken kid without the love that he needs to handle his problems. Kira is not as much of a doormat as the blurb makes her to be. I think that because if she really wants something she speaks up. Like about getting Rei to model for her. She loves her art more than her fear. And that is what makes this story move forward. Kira being willing to risk for her art. I look forward to all the drama I know it coming.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought with manga with my own money. ( )

Kira Aso is a shy, quiet, Shrinking Violet type of girl who has no friends, hates boys, and loves to draw. Rei Kashino is a loud, boisterous Bad Boy who plays the field and rides a motorcyle (a Ducati Monster). One day, when Kira stays after school to work on a drawing, her English teacher tries to molest her. Luckily, Rei comes to her rescue. Thus begins a 15-volume, drama filled romance about two high schoolers finding love amid all the perils and darkness of the world.

This series chronicles the romance between high school students Kira and Rei. Kira is a shy artist, who does not fit in at school and prefers to keep to herself and her drawings. Rei is an outgoing, popular guy who loves the thrill of motorcycle racing. The two are drawn to each other and must find a way to make their love work, while encountering obstacles of all kinds. This is your typical shoujo romance, but it's wonderful and sweet--and luckily, fairly short as far as manga series are concerned. Good for an introduction to shoujo manga. -Natalie Sapkarov

"Mars" is embarrassingly shoujo (girly), melodramatically angsty, often sexist...and somehow very satisfying for some part of myself I don't like to admit to. Placed in modern Japan, it tells the story of Kira, a conservative, painfully shy art student, and Rei, a brash, charismatic near-delinquent, and how they are drawn together despite every obstacle known to mangakind. This is the series that really confirms that cliches are cliches because, originally, they had emotional impact.
It's also the thing that convinced me that, yea verily, motorcycles can be damn sexy. Wow.