Koi Dano Ai Dano

Koi Dano Ai Dano is surprisingly awesome for a highschool romance manga.

1: The main heroine is not the typical female romance lead. Yes she's a bit of a plain jane, and she knows it, but she doesn't care in the least. She's too busy blackmailing, bluffing, and otherwise manipulating the school around her. Completely oblivious to love, and not interested in it. The closest approximation for her I can think of is a gender flipped Lelouch but without the angst or troubled royal back ground. Maybe with a pinch of Haruhi thrown in. Although that's probably unfair to her as she's much too unique a character to compare to others.

Tropes associated with her: Guile Hero, The Chessmaster, Pass the Popcorn, Oblivious to Love, Pet the Dog, I Was Just Passing Through, The Spock, Deadpan Snarker, He Is Not My Boyfriend, Just Friends

2: The male lead is a bit more of the typical "bad boy" type that all the girls want. Or least so he appears on the surface. A friend of the heroine from middle school he knows all about her manipulative ways, [but mainly he's frustrated at the ever more ridiculous levels of obliviousness of the heroine to his courting of her. Still, he gets a lot of character development as he struggles between being possessive and I Want My Beloved to Be Happy.

Tropes associated with him: All Girls Want Bad Boys, Decoy Leader, Jerkass with a Heart of Gold, Tsundere, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Crazy Jealous Guy.

Has a pretty cool moment when someone proposes Operation: Jealousy to him and he rejects it as being a cruel and stupid way to treat the person you love.

Which is probably why I love this manga. The normal romance tropes keep getting subverted. Except for Oblivious to Love which is at such a level that it crosses over into being funny instead of annoying. Plus it does have a justification, a little bit.

The other thing that is fun is how well established all the characters seem. Most of them are typical stereotypes on the surface: The dumb, pretty, but nice girl. The bitchy girl. The easygoing good-natured guy. The crazy quirky girl who fantasizes too much. The dojikko. Yet behind each of those stereotypes lies a real person who has thoughts and insights into the situation that makes them more then stereotypes. Makes me think of Rumiko Takahashi characters actually.

The middle school precursor, Warau Kanoko Sama is also funny although not as much as the highschool version.

edited 14th Apr '12 6:52:29 AM by Sackett

I actually enjoy Warau a lot because, well, it's about Kanoko. Who's awesome.

Though Koi Dano Ai Dano is my new favorite shoujo~

Anyone know what the schedule is on this one?

I saw the raws are out, but no translation as of yet.

New chapters are out.

Keeps getting more complicated. And the Oblivious to Love levels continue to increase. I didn't even think that was possible, but somehow it is.

Just read them. I love love love Naedoko. Otabe is also an interesting addition to the mix, ahaha.

A couple great chapters.

The dream team student council.

New chapter.

Woot! Tsubaki managed to get inside Kanako's bedroom! Only to be blocked by his annoying cellphone.

I love this manga.

Wooho! Another chapter. The drought is finally over and regular releases are here again.

Also... Kanako the Matchmaker - perfect success.

Yesssss...

Ahaha, this is glorious.

edited 30th Mar '14 1:21:46 PM by Arilou