"Bitter Virgin" is a step above the normal seinen drama fare and definitely aimed at more mature readers due to the themes it handles, which include: rape, pregnancy, abortion, single motherhood, adoption and still birth. If the aforementioned list of tragic circumstances sounds like a recipe or cocktail of depression to you, then it's almost guaranteed that you understand what "Bitter Virgin" is about.

That being said, the manga is very accessible because although the subject matter is serious, the characters are introspective and for the most part remarkably mature while still remaining in character as teenagers. Some traditional manga tropes are present like the wishy washy male protagonist or the love-lorn childhood friend, but these never come to dominate the plot.

For the most part I felt that the characters were well done and nothing in the plot approached absurd levels of melodrama, which is always a risk with these types of plot lines. That being said, there were still plenty of cliff hangers and tear jerking moments as you would expect given the dramatic nature of this story.

The art itself is crisp and well defined, with Kusunoki's particular style being close to what you might associate with shoujo or josei manga, but with bolder lines and less sharp and slightly more "moe" features. She also has quite a talent with panel layout and story pacing, so each page is a breeze to read instead of being a distracting mess.

On the whole, "Bitter Virgin" is an excellent drama and love story with an unusually serious premise. If you can handle the themes it presents then I think most people will quite enjoy it.