Bitter Virgin

"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.

Definitely one of the best mangas I've read, the story, the characters, the maturity impregnated in these pages, are simply amazing, the manga will cause a feeling of sadness, yet, it makes you think about what really is love, the ending is a bit disappointing to what one expects, but, thinking, no doubt they'll be together for all life. and will have the support of all those around. those without hesitation.
Sorry for the bad english

This is an extremely mature Manga, don't let a kid read this. I am a sucker for a deep and well thought out storyline, well I found it in this series. Its a great story about how an abused girl who feels she will never love again after being abused by her stepfather, falls in love with a boy. The boy who has mutual feelings for her and knows her terrible secret, must find a way to show his affection with out driving her away and without letting her know that he knows of her dark past. This was a great manga, very deep and emotional, I loved it. That's all I really have to say.

I finished this manga with my eyes burning because seriously, it is a pretty sad story about a school girl who was molested by her step dad and had to give her child for adoption. She also has a fear of men because of the trauma. Our male lead finds about this in secret and the pair of them get to know each other throughout the manga. It's also sad to see the male leads sister go through a tragic time as well. Since I'm keeping this review spoiler free on all sites involved, read this manga yourselves to find that out!

What really put me off reading the rest of this manga, is the fact the two side character girls were such a "bad smell" distraction and the male lead is just a complete utter simp for trying to "please" one of them by forcing him to go on a date with her! Like bruh, please stand up for what you believe in and don't let any selfish dumbass tell you how to live your goddamn life!!!!!!!!!

I seriously hated Yuzu and Kazuki like they constantly moan (one of them says this only to herself) that Daisuke should like them back instead of Hinako. Like wtf bich, this is so dang annoying having these types of dumb characters ruining the manga experience for me!!

Anyways apart from those complaints, it's a ok read if you need a good cry in your life because it does touch on very serious topics.

This was nice story with a very satisfying ending.

I've seen some complain that they wanted more than a kiss. But i feel that if the story did that it would take away more from the fact that one of them has so much baggage, It wouldn't really make sense either. I was sure that the ending would be a let down and i was pleasantly surprised that the story ended and i felt that it ended in a good spot.

The rest of t he story is good. It does have some issues such as.

. Some of the stuff that happened's seems kind of forced or too unlikely to be believable. Such as the stuff that happened's with one of the MC's sister seems way too forced i guess would be the word.

. There is times when you want the characters to say certain things and it fees obvious. But the story doesn't want to do that. Such as when the Male MC here's people talking about the other MC. You kind of want him to get defensive.

. The story also has a not needed character in the form of a bitch. She all through out is just kind of psycho and it isn't really needed. It doesn't do anything for the story.

Over all this was a very good story with some minor problems.

First things first: I read this whole manga in 1 day which could be reason enough for some, to read it too
Second: I never wrote a review before, but i just can't keep quiet about this

As for the ratings:
Story: 9
If I had to describe the story of Bitter Virgin in only one sentence, I'd just say "It's something else". If you're bored by the everyday shoujo manga, with they all-is-well school days atmosphere, then you're right here. I don't want to reveal too much, as you should read it yourself, but this is about a "dark" side of the not so everyday life, which i don't remember to be shown anywhere else (neither manga nor anime)

Art: 7

Not too bad, but nothing special either so a "good" should be ok for it

Character: 9

The tragic protagonist Hinako, together with the also tragic sister, which rises from the support to a main character (in my eyes) are the core of this drama and u can easily get lost in their despair and struggling. they both get support from Daisuke, who undergoes a change for the better with time passing by.

Spoiler, so be warned about the next lines
The only reason, why I don't give the full 10 points here, is cause of the typical, as I phrase for myself, bitching-around-attitude in the end (meaning the "Oh no, I better go away and leave for good, cause else I might hurt the one i love")
Spoiler end

Enjoyment: 10

Well...I read it in one day, so i don't have to say more about enjoyment

Overall: 9

If someone asked me for a manga he could read next, Bitter Virgin would definitely be a suggestion :D

I guess I can't find a flaw in this outstanding manga.

While the first few pages are not very attractive, the later part of chapter one gives me a reason to read until the end.

Story is dark, and how the story is delivered itself is not light at all. As far as I read, I only can breath before the later part of chapter one until the end. Even though it's dark, I appreciate how the mangaka could deliver the story without having me had to withdraw from keep reading (from overly dark and frustating).

Art and character likewise is very great. Aikawa as the main lead is very well-drawn for me. The other characters also nicely done too.

For enjoyment, as I wrote before I couldn't take a breath to keep me from reading. The story is delivered really fast and eventful. It's very enjoyable if you read this with concentration, not as a time-passing by.

So, overally I really impressed with this manga. Nice background story, story development and delivery, great art and characters are what keeps me reading.

This manga is about two topics mainly: pregnancy and loss associated with it, and rape.

In the behind-the-scenes bonus comics the author explains that she's gone through giving birth to a stillborn child and based that side of her work on her own experiences. It goes a long way towards explaining why those themes are explored very thoughtfully and completely. I have no complaints there. In fact it deserves some praise for being fairly unflinching with regards to the situations AND the emotions involved. I brought up the author's experience because it comes through. It's intimate, personal stuff.

The themes of rape... are not quite as well handled. It's not a total rock bottom all the time and will occasionally connect in the way it was intended to, but it slips into questionable territory enough that I felt like writing this as a bit of a warning to those who might need it. A lot of this manga feels like your typical shoujo romance drama, but the "hook" is that the loner girl the main character is in love with had been routinely raped by her stepfather throughout middle school and eventually impregnated. It's a dark way to look at the material, but it is what it is and some of the cliches used here become outrageously bleak in this context.

Specifically the obligatory rival girl, who in this context is required to reach such high levels of pure evil that it starts feeling like a pure trash soap opera. There's an EXTREME level of tonal whiplash whenever this character appears.

At one point the girl is put into a "Guy Saves Her From A Random Sexual Assault" scene. You know the type of scene I'm talking about. It shows up a lot, but in this case it's not only graphic in its depiction but it's especially dark given the character's history. This girl's been victimized over and over again since middle school, bu this sudden reoccurrence of sexual violence years later is recovered from almost immediately. The foremost thought on her mind is only how grateful she is to her guy friend for pummeling her attacker within an inch of his life. See what I mean by cliche shoujo with an unfortunate twist? Something like that should probably introduce some HEAVY pathos into the situation, maybe even to the extent of a complete emotional breakdown, but it's treated like a love flag of all things.

Oddly enough, by the last half of the story the 'rape stuff' kind of slides into the background in favor of the pregnancy themes. It's perhaps a better move since that stuff is so much better considered, but it's weird to see the characters fretting over the fact that the main girl's secret is that "she used to be pregnant" while failing to recognize that she was made pregnant by her step-father and rapist. It's also unfortunate that a lot of the conclusions come down to the guy saying, "I'll protect you!" in that typical manga way that's just not good enough here.

This story honesty beautiful, the title is really misleading but everything else is amazing. I often think about this anime slot, and while reading it it made me cry a few time for it really hit close to home. The characters have such great story and development and I wish there was more chapters to read. This is a definitely a great read to experience and would reread over and over.
The artwork is absolutely lovely and does a very good job at illustrating the characters emotions and how there are expressing them as well. I also really enjoy the author notes in the volumes as well.

This extremely outstanding manga...at the top of my list of manga. A young teen with a tragic and never forgetful past; she becomes a person who is afraid of men, due to the sexual abuse of the step-father; has nightmares and flashbacks and battles depression. She gets pregnant by him..causeing her body to change her mother notices and ask who was the father; she tells her step-father is, emotionally. Her mother then verbally assaults her..other events takes place cause her to have a miscarriage. Later to face reality due to a second pregnancy and begs her daughter for forgiveness. ( Of course there are other emotional events that are deeply attached to each other)

**This is a mature love story about a boy unintentional finds out her secret and finds himself wanting to be there for her, protect her and later comforts his feelings that he loves her. Unable to get close to her cause of her fear of men but due to the fact that she overhears him saying he does not see her a a girl she allows herself to be befriended by him.

I cant but feel that this might be someones story..but it possibly cannot be easy to watch your body grow with a baby who carries the DNA of your rapist. I would imagine doing so must be extremely painful and emotional for the people who go through this_

Overrall-10

I really liked this manga,in fact i read it for 3 hours non-stop until i finished it.

the plot is very intense and with heavy themes.Its a story full of cliffhangers that got me hooked up from the very beginning.

I generally dont like that less kind of art but I think this one was OK

The character development was good but i think they should have provided some more background on daisuke and yuzu, especially on yuzu

I really enjoyed it but i think it was a lil too short. you see i finished it in a day

Story: The story was pretty intense. It touched on very mature subject matter. This manga is the first of its kind that I have encountered, so to me it was different and stood out a bit from the rest. I don't want to give too much away regarding the story, so I'll just leave it at that.

Art: Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the artwork... it did take some getting used it... but I was able to look past it since the story itself was so intriguing.

Characters: The character development was great. You see and feel the growth of each character and immediately come to understand and sympathize with them.

Overall... even though I didn't dig the art... obviously the characters and the story will win out. The manga was both heart breaking and heart warming at the same time... you truly feel the characters emotions... I actually teared up just a LITTLE bit. When the author can get the reader to actually feel the emotions of the characters, then I would say that the author has successfully conveyed their story properly and has completed a great piece of work.

Its such a touching manga its hurts your heart at spme points..
made me cry too.. but im a bit of a wimp anyways but.. i just loved it soo much
as soon as i started reading it i couldn't put it down..
but.. such strong and troubled relationships and it also makes you feel sorry for those who've been through this
10 for everything i didnt see any faults probly just because i really loved it

The story could've had few more chapters to make it more appealing. Everything was thrown in at once in the first chapter and all kinda scattered around the place. It takes you by surprise. Only afterwards did it start to develop. The theme/topic for a story was excellent, but it could've been developed much better. The main character overcame her fear of everything way too easily. And therefore left so many questions unanswered, that could've been done nicely in the later chapters or in the middle of everything.

I gave Bitter Virgin a score of 7/10. If you like mid 2000`s style of manga and a story that involves some topical problems and romance then i definitely recommend it.
I liked that the story/writer tackles some serious problems, that I think should be talked about, as they sadly occur more then they should in our world. Additionally, the character development was very good, If you have ever been in a serious relationship, then you are sure to identify with the story in some way.
Now to some of the bigger disadvantages of the story in my opinion: execution, pacing and realism. I think the execution of the story could have been better, at times some of the main twists or story points were made so "crazy" that the story became somewhat unrealistic, an example would be how religion was implemented. As for pacing, most of the story was fine however the end i felt was a bit rushed. It was as if all of the plot twists were thrown at the reader all at once.

Edit: I am keeping this review because it's my first one i ever wrote in 2011. If i was to read this manga again my opinion of it might have been changed or i wouldn't rate it this high anymore.

Hello, this is my first review, it's quite short but spoiler free. I'm writing this because I want others to read this manga, whether you are guy or a girl. I think it really teaches you to value life better, that when you are given something, you should be happy, because you are lucky to have it in your life. :)

I'm glad that when i started to read it, i had only read half of the summary, because i didn't know what kind of ''secret'' the main girl has.
I thought it was another common love manga, so i just clicked the first pages through and until I see what her ''secret'' was, and then decide whether i should drop it or continue reading it.. but dang i was wrong to think it would be bad.. so wrong.. because this manga imo turned out so great! GREAT.. oh yeah, 10 stands for OUTSTANDING :D!



What i really loved was that how the main guy started to care about the girl when he found out about her secret, the fact that he didn't even understand at first that he was in love with her. It was just so cute seeing him blush like that whenever he saw her.
And the main girl was so weak and so strong at the same time. It's hard to explain without spoiling anything, so you should just read it yourself.
And the story with the main guy's sister touched me deeply, that was really something.


Anyways, if you want something short, but decent and something that teaches you to value something better then go ahead and read it now. :)
Or read it until you get to know the secret and then decide. If you can, don't read the summary at all, and let the manga itself surprise you.

Story:10
This story conveys a lot of tragedy but in the end it is a bittersweet story. Kudos to author for telling us this story, I suspect that author had some kind experience with all of that or at the very least had some investigation made before writing this it feels real not your usual bull crappy romcom or even romance seinen. It shows social stigma, fears and ordinary people who like to brag since heck most of the people are bragging garbage spewers. I should say that it is hard to describe this manga with words since it shows the ugly side of human nature whilst doesn't forget to show that humans can also show their bright side at the unexpected moments.
By the way ending is open ended - Hence USE your imagination of how things will be in the future a poetic end i should say and RIGHT HERE IT IS JUSTIFIED, some moronic authors use open ended endings in stupid situations (since manga was so far from realty and they simply put some salt to sweet manga in order to seem more mature as an author) this manga deserves this ending and I'm not disappointed

Art:9
Not my cup of tea but like previously stated it is mix of josei and seinen, most likely due to josei being for women and shoujo or josei drawings creep me out (too girly for me i guess). But here it is actually good but again it is a mix and not quite what i like. Characters are drawn good and made to be likeable besides MC male friend (he is creepy looking one) as for other they look good. Background animation also is made quite good. As for text bubbles they are readable but sometimes annoying placement of panels is a little bit irritating but seen worse :)

Character:10
I saw growth starting from chapter one, with every passing chapter we reveal something new about characters life, their character and their change. The most despicable character grows and becomes likeable (Rare thing) some you start to hate (not hate but more like their image being smeared). And most of all characters are not shallow they have life inside of them. All in all thank you author for the character development, you truly put your time on creating this (if not reproducing it from IRL).

Enjoyment:10
Enjoyed from chapter 1 till chapter 32. This story was too fast for me (I WANTED MOAR!), sometimes you see crap having over 73 chapters(reference from my last review) and sometimes you see a masterpiece with no more than 10 chapters. But a wise thing it is to stop at the right moment when it is needed, to make a masterpiece. Not too much and not too little a balance I call it .

Overall:9
I subjectively would have given rated it 10 but to be more objective reviewer i can't place it more than 9. It was cool and all but looking at it coldly it had one distinct drawback....MC heroine had too many accidents
*Spoiler Alert*
Falling, attempted rape, exposure (of her secrets by accidents), classmate harassment and it made me think that author pushed too much misfortune on one character in order to make this story darker and more appealing to empathetic people.

I enjoyed the story of this manga, dark as it was, especially the relationships with the support characters. I felt it was a bit drawn out and repetitive in some of the interactions between the two main characters. The exchanges did not seem to add much of anything, other than really drilling the main plot point into the readers mind. Other than that, it was worth reading. While the story did not hit home to me personally, the side characters still pulled at my heart and made the entire story tragic for everyone involved.

when I started to read this manga, I thought it would be just another high school love story... but I was actually amazed after going trought a few more chapters..the story is absolutely polemic and I believe the author just hit the right spot with this plot. And what made me more pleased about this, is the fact that the story itself is quiet common in my country, but people don't give much attention to it, as they should.. and this manga tells quit detailed the whole process of being pragnant on a teen age..I also like how one of the characters dares God, which in my opinion can be quiet shocking for some people...but I liked it because is something that is also real, I mean, there are many people who doubts God's existence..Anyway, this manga is about a real life experience! It is not fantasy and not boring at all!

This is the best manga I've read so far..
It's IMPOSSIBLE to find these characters in reality, specially Suwa Daisuke. The guy's fit for a god, the story starts like a typical shoujo manga, but becomes extremely mature further on.
Plus it's kind of a depressing sometimes, coz every time there's some kind of a tragedy in every corner. However it's a must-read for every manga fan..