Bitter Virgin

All of us got a secret that we dont want others to know because it might change everything in a glimpse.

But in this manga titled Bitter Virgin, everything went the exact opposite of what our main heroine named Hinako Aikawa expected. Suwa Daisuke, one of her classmates accidentally heard her secret while she was confessing on a church, he suddenly realized the reason why Aikawa is so scared of men, thus he became curious if she really tells the truth, he decided to follow her and confirmed the everything she said is true without a doubt. He became more interested in her despite of her secret. and realized that he was already in love with Aikawa. Every character got their own point of views and you can understand everyone right's and wrong's. The art was simply gorgeous, feelings were presented just the way I (maybe also you) want it to be. this Manga is surprisingly Mature and Real, i mean the story holds a grip to the reality, Life aint that sweet but still, We need to move on, overcome the past and chase for the future, Hinako Aikawa cant just simply forget her painful and traumatic past experiences, but because of Suwa Daisuke, she, step by step, slowly breaks free of her past and slowly embraced Daisuke's feelings for her. just as what Daisuke said "Feeling's are not affected by any of that! I know everything about you and I still love you". for me, virgin or not, despite of his/ her past. It doesn't matter, as long as you truly love and care for him/ her, step forward and embrace him/ her without any care in the world.

This manga worth my time, seriously.
:)

I read this on a whim, and man, do I ever regret doing so. Bitter Virgin is so poorly-written that it actually managed to offend me.

I found the premise intriguing: A girl, Hinako, works to move past horrific abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Unfortunately, Hinako isn't our protagonist. Instead, we get Daisuke, your average seinen guy. Appallingly, the story plays out in typical harem fashion. We're introduced to a couple of other potential love interests: a cute childhood friend and a haughty clingy-type. Both are completely smitten with Daisuke--one to the point that she will commit actual, not-played-for-laughs violence on rival Hinako.

This is very uncomfortable to watch, because Hinako isn't her own character. She doesn't have interests, hobbies, or personality quirks. She's defined by what happened to her, and later, by her relationship to Daisuke. Because her character is so underdeveloped, the scenes involving her trauma feel cheap and exploitative.

All this said, I feel the author genuinely set out to write something thought-provoking. I get the impression she was simply too unskilled to pull away from common tropes and stock characters.

I implore anyone reading this to educate themselves about violence against women.

It really deserves to have a perfect ten score. The title matches the story. This is the kind of story that the author immediately shares you the twist of the story, yet the author, also, puts you in the space of what will happen now into the boy (now that he learns the secret) and the girl of the story - which really makes you keep on reading the story.

I really like the story, it's mature, a slice of life and it's not your ordinary love story. I think if you are the mc guy in the story you would feel the same way, of how his character evolves from the beginning till end. You will like his character development. And, also, if you are the mc girl in the story, I think it is really the best for you/her to act that way. The story focuses more on how to build a trust, and how a person can trust again.

What I like about, aside from the story, is the transition of the art drawn by the mangaka. It's simple yet when the mangaka tries to emphasize a situation, the emotion of a character and especially when the situation is degrading - these really show in the drawings. It's a good job for the mangaka! I also like the way that there are so many thoughts of the guy mc written in the manga. In this way I learned to understand how he thinks. I really enjoyed the story. It's outstanding.

Although outstanding, I still have an issue with the story. After you read the story there are some things that have not been solved by the characters, I don't know if the mangaka intends to leave those unanswered questions in my brain left to be a mystery or she just wanted to end it like that. Still, it's really great!

Wow. This story was not what I expected when I read the synopsis but am I ever glad I did. If you're looking for something light hearted then this is definitely not it but the story is just simply amazing. It's dark and depressing but that just makes the rays of light that seep through even more spectacular. I'm not going to give anything away because it is better if you just read it since everyone should. This story applies to everyone, girls and guys a like. I hope most people can't relate to the main characters personally but the feelings this manga evokes can touch everyone's heart. The author delves right into some hard issues and that is what makes this story in the end, so much more truthful then anything else.

To be honest, I thought Bitter Virgin was a dumb title and I almost skipped it over until the dark nature of the synopsis snagged my attention. That's right, Bitter Virgin is not for the faint of heart. It talks abut things like teenage pregnancy and sexual child abuse. So if you're not into the heavy stuff, go watch pokemon or something.

Story: 10
Bitter Virgin is about surviving a dark portion of your childhood and trying to move on. It's about living on despite your past bleeding into your present, whether it's through your actions or mentality. Bitter Virgin shows that it's ok to talk about that part of your childhood that you want to forget. That it's ok to accept help and carry on.

Art: 6
Art's not that great. But if the story trumps the art then it doesn't matter to me. Art is just a medium to show the author's emotions or feelings. All that matters is the execution of the work and how well it gets through to the readers.

Character: 9
At first, Daisuke seemed like some punk kid but really he's compassionate, especially when he learns of Hinako's dark secret. I think it was a good decision to make Daisuke the main character since he resembles the readers as outside observers of Hinako's despair-filled past. Hinako herself shows that you really shouldn't judge a person by their appearance, especially when you don't know what they've gone through. Their relationship also shows the healing nature of understanding and kindness, something we all need more of in today's world.

Enjoyment: 8
I can't say I really "enjoyed" the manga in the conventional sense. I mean, it made me cry and filled me with a sense of peace and hopefulness at the end but I was never really happy reading it. Instead it made me feel a multitude of things.

Overall: 9
Bitter Virgin is about learning to love and trust another person again. This is shown through Daisuke and Hinako's relationship. Bitter Virgin also works as a catharsis for anyone who had a less than splendid childhood. I believe the author herself had gone through a miscarriage herself and was writing this story to cope.

Bitter Virgin also left a deep impression on me for what it's like for rape victims and opened up new perspectives on topics such as abortion and victim blaming, a reality they face everyday.

I believe that the author's deeper feelings has definitely gotten through to her readers. And that any work that has such a powerful message should deserve a 10. At least, that's my interpretation of Bitter Virgin.

I was browsing my manga app earlier tonight, and found a mini magazine that belonged to the manga site. I decided to check it out, and the manga that the mag recommended that month was "Bitter Virgin." Upon reading the synopsis, I mentally put an X through the name in my mind.

"This is not for me," I though. "Rape, childbirth, dark secrets? Sorry, not for this girl."

I went back to the manga list and was inexplicably pulled towards this manga. I opened the first chapter, thinking I'd read it, have a good laugh, and move on.

That didn't happen.

I stayed up for the next two hours, reading all 32 chapters of this short manga. I came close to tears a couple of times (only the most coldhearted won't cry) and did all I could to finish it. I didn't want to have to take a break to read it tomorrow.

I haven't read a lot of manga, and that that I have is mostly comedic and pure fantasy, but I believe that everyone should take at least a look at the first chapter. The art is beautiful, most of the characters actually have some kind of heart and grow throughout the story. If you pass this one up because of the content, I won't blame you; I almost did. But if you can handle it,what are you waiting for?

I normally open my reviews with a witty remark about whatever I just watched/read, but I feel that I would rather be tasteless this time, so straight to the review it is.

*RECOMMENDATION* It's best to go into this completely and utterly blind. Finish reading this review then just go straight into the manga, don't even read the synopsis.

The Short Version:
(+)The length is near perfect for the story.
(+)The characters, expect for one, react as people might.
(-)I didn't like the art (you might though)
(-)There is one character that I hated, that I REALLY hated.

The Story (8/10): This is a high school romance story. I don't think you can get much simpler than that, but the thing about this manga (I feel), is that it's a lot more focused then other manga of the same nature. Instead of going off on tangents and adding in the obligatory ecchi moments (i.e. the characters walk in on one another while their taking a bath or something), this manga has a complete lack of it. I'll say this now: You're probably not going to laugh at all while reading this manga. It's a very serious story that tackles some very serious subjects with its cast, but it's by far one of the most involving and frankly better high school romances I've ever read.

The Character (8/10): One of the reasons I said this manga was a lot more focused is because over the 32 chapters this manga has, it only has 6 characters, and each of them having some sort of impactful role in the entire overarching story. Now to the main characters.

Daisuke Suwa: The lad of the story and the one with a really tough position to get himself through.

Hinako Aikawa: The female heroine and goddamn I feel sorry for her.

With this being a romance manga, the characters need to be good and engaging. And to be honest, it's safe to say that all of the characters, even the ones that are introduced all the way near the end, are interesting in some way. I have a problem with only one of the characters though. I get that a someone is doing these things to try and get close to another character, but fuck me. There's a limit as to how much stupidity I can handle from a single character, and this character in particular blows over that limit and then some.

The Art (6/10): This is just me, I know this is just me, but I didn't really enjoy the art at all. If you like the standard shoujo style of art, like Host Club or maybe Sukitte Ii na yo. But the art does it's job well enough. It's nothing horrible to look at, and the characters expressions match what the character is saying most of the time. Again I don't really like the art but that's just me; you may like it a fair bit more than I did.

What do you think of this manga?

I'm probably going to buy a physical copy if I can find one anywhere.

Would you recommend this manga?

Yes. Please go read it right now.

Goodbye my brethren, see you in the next one.

Bitter Virgin is a heavy dramatic and romantic manga wherein a boy fallen in love with a girl who was pregnant for two times due to abuse by her step-father. If you like heavy drama this is for you but if you like a satisfying ending this is not for you.

I like this manga, all the drama an romance but the ending very unsatisfying the mangaka should have ended it in a more happy ending so I just rated it 6 but still it is a good read manga. It would have been a masterpiece if they ended marrying each other and such because the drama is so heavy that you would expect and want a very happy ending for the two of them and actually the mangaka already ended the story where both of them ended up together.

WARNING SPOILER ALERT! In the ending they just kissed and say I love you to each other thinking that they will be together until when the time comes they will break-up. Well who will be satisfied with that wherein you to will be together until something happen then you to will break-up I mean when you love someone you are confident enough to say you will be together forever whatever dark past you have or how traumatized you are.

Bitter Virgin is a surprisingly mature, beautiful and dark story with a strange and misleading title. When I first saw the title of Bitter Virgin, I figured it was yet another mediocre Ecchi/Comedy that would feature some girl with overly sized breast to the point their unattractive embracing random men as their heads go into the breast. Classic joke isn't it? Of course thinking that, I decided to ignore the series, and wasn't even looking for a new series at the time, focusing on the things I was already reading. I heard it's name thrown around a couple of times afterwards, and finally looked at it. I was surprised to see that ecchi and comedy weren't even on the list, and instead it was a dramatic romance story. Though I couldn't help of thinking of NANA and how it portrayed the dramatic live of sluts (okay, okay, people who jumped from boyfriend to boyfriend and dreamed of having sex with various people) and got acclaimed (never liked sluts), I once again passed it. Today I decided to give it a chance, and it started off something like how I pictured it, the main character Suwa being a womanizer, attractive women chasing after him, and things similar, despite being done in a serious way. However things take a complete turn when Suwa is relaxing in a church that he spread rumors of being haunted, and hides when someone enters, thinking it may be one of the girls he just got away from. However he is surprised when it was the classmate, Hinako, that he tried to hit on only to have her run away. He pretends to be a priest, but ends up getting a confession, and a shocking one at that. Not just Suwa, I was pretty surprised at how serious the sudden plot twist was, and it didn't take long to realize how the story was going to be, a sad romance about overcoming the past, or something like that. Bitter Virgin is a misleading masterpiece, with a mostly dark but beautiful and hopeful story, with a great message.

Normally I would leave the secret as it is, a secret and let you hear it from the book and not me. However it seems other reviews have already told you, so I guess there's no point in not saying. Hinako got a stepfather, and her mother looked happier than ever, of course Hinako wanted her to be happy. However on the first night she was late for work, the stepfather grabbed and raped Hinako. Hinako burst into tears upon seeing her mother the next day, but the stepfather quickly showed up, and Hinako stayed silent, wanting her mom to be happy, and afraid of what would happen if she told. The stepfather continued doing it, and eventually impregnated her. Of course after suffering signs of it, she was taken to the doctor, and her mother found out she was pregnant. She got angry, and when Hinako said it was her stepfather, she didn't believe and made her get an abortion, and didn't tell their stepfather, not wanting him to think badly of her. It continued and she once again got pregnant, but this time was covered in bruises, and this time there was no escaping the truth of who did it. The mother made the stepfather leave, but Hinako was already sacred for life, and terrified of men. I'm sure you'll get what the rest of the story is about from that, and it is a beautiful and well developed story, as you watch Hinako and Suwa grow closer, as Hinako slowly accepts him more and more. Brilliant story, especially if you're looking for a more serious side of romance.

The art is pretty good and makes a mix of Seinen and Shojo drawing. I can remember moments with flowers blooming behind smiling or blushing characters, though the story is mature as hell, and at times it will reach a darker moments where the drawings move away from that style as well. Nothing particularly special, everything's drawn well, and doesn't really add to or distract from the series, and all the characters also look pretty good.

The characters are all done well, and despite the dark story actually mix in some comedy with it as well. Suwa is careful about getting close to Hinako despite his feelings for her, and is always looking out to protect her from men, though also tries to help heal her from her fears, of course he doesn't tell her that he knows here secret. Hinako is actually fairly happy, especially around Suwa, for the most part. Of course mentions of babies or being around males will scare the hell out of her are make her sad, but that's only normal. These are the two main characters, and there are also other re-appearing characters of course. Like Suwa's mother who wants him to get a local underage teen pregnant, and start his life as the keeper of her shop. More get introduced as time goes on, and they are all done well, with both a little comedy and especially having great drama ties to the story as well.

Overall Bitter Virgin is an amazing read despite it's short length, it stays focused on the true story without any non related side stories, and greatly develops the characters in that short time, as we get to slowly see the Hinako overcome her past, with a lot of help of course. Overall don't even think about the title, Bitter Virgin is an amazing read for anyone who likes the dramatic and mature side of romance, and is highly recommended to anyone who likes either genre.

Bitter virgin is a complicated work to work on, and the development of the story showed me that the author does not have much idea of ​​what the marks left at FMC mean, in short I am explaining them little by little.

1 - History [7/10] - I can say that I didn't expect anything when I entered (I don't read synopses, due to the surprise factor). I feel that with the development of the story, the author did not articulate the development very well, I believe that the fact of having pressed a lot for 20 chapters, left the work a little strange in the end. Another big problem was the way in which he dealt with the protagonist's marks of the past, I felt uncomfortable and realized a little childishness. But, this 7 shows that in some points the author was above average.

2 - Art [6/10] - I didn't feel anything very impressive in art, I found it quite normal, the design of the characters doesn't have many details, or anything very extravagant in the scenarios. But, I don't have much to complain about the art, she got it only on average.

3 - Character [8/10] - The characters of this work were very well articulated, this is one of the few protagonists with I don't feel angry in some points, he knew how to be active in the entire work, he solved the problems in the best way. And of course the other characters around the story are very special too, I think they were very well worked out among other things.

4 - Enjoyment [8/10] - Despite the problems mentioned above, the work was fun to read, the ending may have been just normal in my opinion, but the development of the story is beautiful to see, the drama is very good structured making you cry at times.

Overall [8/10] - Yes, I am giving a very high note, even though it has a strange ending, this work warmed my heart several times, and I believe I will keep it kept in the corner of my heart, to always remember it.

Bitter Virgin is a really compelling Shoujo/Seinen, Slice of Life, Romance, Drama with a story that will blow you away. This manga deals with the terrible sorrows in life, so it’s definitely not for the fainthearted.

Daisuke Suwa is just your ordinary teenage boy who has been living a simple life but doesn’t enjoy it one bit. Then he soon becomes involved with his classmate Hinako Aikawa, after unintentionally learning about her deep dark secret. The story really gets serious, right from the start, which is pretty uncommon for your average romance. Though what intrigues me the most about the story is the bittersweet relationship that eventually developed between Daisuke and Hinako and how Daisuke was always troubled by what he knows about Hinako. Sure the fact that Daisuke, constantly worries about the issue with Hinako, does get wearisome after a while; the new situations that crop up become further compelling parts of the story (like the matter with Daisuke’s sister).

The characters of this manga generally cause a great deal of concern to those who read it. The story focuses on our two main characters; Daisuke a regular guy who ends up smitten over someone he would never consider and our heroine Hinako a girl who’s suffered a traumatic past. It’s really great how this manga gave an equal amount of focus on each of them, describing their thoughts and feelings when appropriate. Then there are other girls to consider (Kazuki & Yuzu), as they each make a huge impact on the overall romance, whilst another character makes an impact on the story.

Although when it comes to the artwork, it really doesn’t have much of an impact on this manga. Sure the characters look great and so does the backgrounds but there’s really nothing special about it, as you can easily find a bunch of shoujo manga that look just as great.

Overall Bitter Virgin is one of those tragic stories that will make you well-up with tears, but will still allow you to recover, with its endearing romance. Well there were a few annoying aspects about it, like the fairly unrealistic characters and how Daisuke kept on repeating the fact that she was ****ed and got ******nt. But apart from that, this was a good romance drama that can suck most people in. This mangaka managed to accomplish in 4 volumes what most manage to do in twice the amount and it had a decent ending to top it all off.

^_^

Bitter Virgin is a short, four-volume manga about a girl with a secret and the boy who learns of it.

STORY - …Bitter Virgin isn’t actually about a bitter virgin. Quite the opposite, actually? To be honest, the shock value and tragedy of Aikawa’s secret faded relatively quickly for me (probably because of one too many episodes of Law and Order: SVU). The subject matter also reminded me a lot of those in Mondaiteiki Sakuhinshu (brought overseas as Confidential Confessions). Consequently, the story premise and flow felt rather typical and predictable in that romance drama sort of way. Nevertheless, Bitter Virgin is well told, and there are enough surprising little twists and interesting literary elements to keep a reader engaged and guessing. It has all of the things that keep the romance genre going strong, despite the shared basic plot. What I found most interesting though, was the fact that, as the series progresses, the themes explored gradually shift from one type of tragedy to another, and eventually, it connected the two as interesting foils. The further into it I got, the less typical things felt.

The emotional aspect of Bitter Virgin is very strong, particularly since Kei Kusunoki admits between chapters that she drew a lot of elements and inspiration from her own life and experiences. The story, while idealistic at times, still comes across as very heartfelt and sincere. Kusunoki also admits that her usual work is of the horror and comedic sort, and that this is her first romance, making it even more impressive.

CHARACTER - Like the story, both protagonists come off fairly typical at the beginning. Aikawa is a meek and quiet girl, and Suwa is a headstrong and impulsive boy. And yet, I warmed up to both of them very quickly. Both have an endearingly earnest quality to them that makes them likable, and no matter how many times these character archetypes are used, as long as they’re well-written and well-presented, they will work. Both characters also grow a great deal in the short four volumes, and they become truly multi-faceted. For example, Aikawa is noted to be terrified of men, but shows a lot of unexpected courage and resilience when faced with female tormentors. Her feelings for Suwa develop very gradually throughout the series, and Kusunoki is careful to make her thoughts and emotions at least somewhat believable. Similarly, Suwa’s initial interest in Aikawa is fraught with pity rather than any real kind of attraction; the progression is interesting to follow, and the lengths to which he feels he needs to go to remain appropriate to Aikawa are also rather admirable.

The supporting cast is also very strong, which I didn’t have expected at all. Suwa’s elder sister, in particular, in addition to being surprisingly headstrong and impulsive like her brother, becomes a startlingly significant role that contributes a great deal to the themes in the latter half of the story. Her presence contributes a unique perspective and forces those around her to consider many things in a difference light. Yuzu and Kazuki, Suwa’s classmates and respectively, his childhood friend and sudden girlfriend, are more predictable in their personalities, feelings, and eventual maturation, but both provide good support and drama and work well to round out the cast. Honestly, I didn’t find any of the characters particular irritating, which is a huge and thankful plus.

ART - Even though the marketed genre is seinen, the series’ art is pretty standard josei. It’s clean, elegant, and pleasing to the eye, but of a more mature aesthetic than typical shoujo — proportions are more realistic and there are less tonal flourishes like sparkles and bubbles, though they aren’t completely absent. I didn’t think much of it initially, but the style really grew on me as I progressed through the story. Kei Kusunoki is fantastic at depicting the emotions of her characters, which is unsurprising for the genre, but considering that she usually works in other genres, it might be a bit more notable. The art really helps heighten the sense of drama and suspense in many scenes, though the panel layouts are occasionally haphazard and confusing, especially when the gutter space is inconsistent or cramped. Because of the emphasis on emotions, there are a lot of close-ups and headshots, and backgrounds are lacking on many of the pages. Even the backgrounds that are present are contained within tiny panels, and yet, there is never any confusion as to where the characters are located, so I guess it works out well enough in the end.

OVERALL - Bitter Virgin is a good, quick read, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a serious and emotional story. The characters are sincere and their relationships are sweet, if a little idealized. The story’s themes become less shocking and more meaningful and powerful as the series progresses. That the author drew a lot of inspiration from her own life experiences also helps tremendously in relaying the strong emotions the characters experience, so the package is very much worth the time. Sadly, Bitter Virgin hasn’t been licensed for release in the US or elsewhere overseas, but honestly, I think it could do pretty well anywhere. It’s a pretty universal story.

Introduction
This manga is romance, drama and seinen (with a bit of comedy) genre. This is my first review here, so yoroshiku kudasai^^

Story - 8
The story is about the main character guy (Suwa Daisuke) who doesn't see the main character girl (Aikawa Hinako) as his type of girl for being extremely shy and reserved. But then, Daisuke finds out a dark, sad and repulsive secret about Hinako which caused her big fear of men and this information leads to him pitying her and thinking differently about her. He totally understands why she acted the way she acted all this time, and so, decides to protect her, while falling in love for her more and more.
The plot isn't too original and a little simple, but tha manga is short anyway, and the creator did great in performing it. Daisuke is extremely cautious of not scaring the girl away, like I said, and after a while, Hinako starts falling in in for Daisuke too, but Daisuke doesn't dare to get close to the girl, knowing she has a fear of men and he's a guy too. This goes on for a while, until things start unraveling between the characters, secrets become discovered, and things have to resolve.

Art - 6
The art of this manga kind of reminds me of a mixture of shounen and shoujo. I thought it was OK. The main character girl didn't seem too pretty in the beginning, but she seemed cuter after a while to me, so I think the artist did a good job there. A con could be that it seems as if the artist reuses drawings a lot, and especially the main character girl I see in the same poses a lot.
NOTE: I'm not objective when it comes to art. Manga with extreme shoujo art such as NANA would receive a terrible rating from me at art, even if many people think it's beautiful. So you don't have to care about what I write here :P

Characters - 8
Being a short four-volume manga, there weren't too many characters, so I'll write a bit about the more important ones
There were two characters I think are really worth mentioning, because I think they have good personalities, and that's Daisuke and his sister, Suwa Izumi. I'll talk a litle about them first, and after that, the other characters:
The awesome thing about Daisuke was that when he says to himself that he loves the girl, he really means it. He is also always afraid of scaring away the girl, which is cute. Although he doesn't seem to have the balls to dump his "girlfriend" (which is bad), he's a very good guy.
Then there's his sister, Izumi, who seemed to have a tough, but loving personality, with a weird way of thinking, but still she was cool and it was a good idea to have her in the manga. She has her own subplot in the manga about being pregnant, but I won't spoil anything.
Now the other characters:
Hinako was kind of monotone and calculable, but was a good role for the plot.
The antagonist-sort of character, Ibuse Kazuki, is terrible and ridiculously evil and messes things up, but thank God the creator didn't take it too far. You'll see.
There was Daisuke's childhood friend girl too, Yamamoto Yuzu, who is cool until the middle, but does something really stupid near the end.

Enjoyment - 10
Reading this manga was rare enjoyment to me.
+ The romance was very sweet, and they showed the characters thoughts a lot
+ The drama was really good
+ Daisuke, of who's point we see the story most of, was a very good and correct guy
+ There were good twists in the plot
+ The story didn't take any obstacle too far
+ It was very exciting
+ The comedy elements didn't ruin the story

Ending - 9
Since you cannot put spoiler tags in reviews anymore, all I can say is I was really satisfied with the ending. It also contains some mature thinking.

Overall - 10 For me, Overall = [Enjoyment+Ending]/2 rounded up. The rest are just motivations to continue to read something :P
I haven't found an anime or manga that got a 10 for me in a long time. I think it was a great romance drama, where the creator didn't mess things up during the manga or the ending. It was a very big hit for me, a romance fan. I say this anime should be a must-read to romance drama fans, but for people who aren't a big fan of romance dramas, I don't recommend it, and it is also possible that someone might not enjoy this manga for thinking the girl's dark secret is repulsive themselves.

The manga starts out like one of the typical school life manga involving a guy. The big tough playboy like guy who seems to want every girl. Then when one girl says a secret to him on accident, the storyline changes so fast its like getting smacked in the face by a freakin boxer.

To me, i found this manga to be one roller coaster of horror despite that not being one of its genres. The drama of this thing is so amazing, when i first found out what this story was going to be about, all i could say was... "Holy...sh-" with my blood pumping faster than it did when i watched Higurashi no naku Koro ni for the first time, and believe me, that anime was scary!!

Anyway, although this isn't my first shojou manga, this certainly gives me a more positive view on it...although it sure drops my faith in humanity's future...i can't believe some mem...they sure don't make the rest of us look any better...I hope and root for this manga to have a happy ending and i pray to Haruhi that the Tragedy genre will not come into this manga!!

Good Luck!!

tl;dr: A josei like manga about traumatic events and how they impact relationships that has an interesting and emotional story but flat characters.

This manga is technically seinen but feels more like a shoujo/josei manga with a male protagonist in terms of how the various characters behave, how things are framed, how drama is conveyed, etc. That's certainly not a bad thing, but it's something I'm not really much of a fan of, so take that bias as you will. When it comes to the story, it was tremendously character driven, and hence of course heavily reliant on the strength of its characters. It should be noted though, that rather than the main couple driving the plot, they don't really have much character development at all, and it's more about how their relationship changes in response to other characters interacting with them and what they spontaneously decide to do as a result. There's a sort of love quadrangle, but it never really works as the other two points on it other than the main couple are greatly out of focus and furthermore feel really inconsistent. What does seem to work much better is the main couple's involvement in Daisuki's sister's arc, because while ultimately, they're nothing but observers to it, her story is incredibly emotionally painful and it's easy to see how they too were affected by it and how it changes things going forward. Still, all of this concludes in a spectacularly underwhelming fashion, in that it ends on what would seem to be a pretty generic but solid enough ending that's pretty much exactly what one would expect. But while this is occurring, the focus seems to be on the various other characters discussing how it probably isn't going to last, which is a really strange way to end a manga, in that it doesn't even really make it bittersweet or anything like that since it's not like it's actually happening, but rather just seems to sort of weaken the impact. The art was standard shoujo/josei style which I'm not much of a fan of unless it's CLAMP. 

I imagine this will give me more 'Not Helpful' ratings, but such is the business of reviews.

My last thought? Why did they have to write it this way?

Warning that some minor spoilers may follow.

Story - 9:
I haven't read a manga with this subject matter before. Other reviews say that this manga was dark. It wasn't as dark as they described it to be. Maybe I didn't feel it like they did. Bitter Virgin is a manga about a girl named Aikawa Hinako who was repeatedly abused by her stepfather. This abuse resulted in an abortion, then a child. On the first birthday of her son, Aikawa confesses her 'sins' in a church in the town she's transferred into. ...Except the priest on the other side is actually Daisuke Suwa, a local high school student working with his mother in their store.

Indeed, this manga was sad, but I felt that they wrote more horrible things to happen to Aikawa just to enforce the idea that she was tortured and scarred. They didn't even need to write them in order to tell a good story. These moments were so cliche, they were painful to read. In fact, they were only used in order for the main character to come sweeping in and cast him as Aikawa's hero.

Art - 7:
I don't have anything bad to say about it. The art makes everyone look different and unique, but I didn't have any reactions like, "Wow, this art is amazing," or, "This art is really awful."

Character - 8:
The characters in this manga are really well developed. Really. Well. Developed.

Aikawa, a girl who's transferred from her hometown to start anew. She wants desperately for nobody to know of her past, and hopes this happens in the new town (name of it?), but this isn't so as described above. Aikawa, having been through so much, is very flighty and timid towards men. Throughout the course of the manga, we see her evolve and learn to accept friendship from the opposite sex. She sympathises with everyone's struggles and is overall a very strong character.

Suwa accommodates for everyone's needs. His sister, Aikawa--even Kazuki, the overbearing girl with a crush on him. He's barely ever angry, and we only see a suppressed anger when he is pushed to the edge by one of the female characters. He's brave and strong, and seems to be a shining example of romantic interests in High School manga.

Kazuki serves as the desperate (almost psychotic) alternative love interest in the manga. She has loved Suwa for God-knows-how-long, and changes her appearance to attract him. Why she never attracted anyone else is beyond me. As the manga progresses, she becomes more desperate and unruly. We are shown a snippet of her past, adding to her erratic behaviour. In the end...stuff happens and she eventually accepts her fate.

Enjoyment - 8:
Pretty high score for enjoyment. I didn't cry, but I read the manga pretty quickly. If I hadn't spent the entire night playing games, I would've finished this in a few hours. :)

Overall - 7:
Seven because of the non-emotion-evoking art style, and because of the cliche scenes written into the manga. They just didn't need to be there, and the mangaka/writer cheapened the impact of the manga by including them.

a manga that tackles a sensitive subject. it's quite rare for me to be attached so much to this kind of manga.

i believe that bitter virgin's story gives color to the lives of those women that had their rights violated, to women that continue to fight, and to women that would always repent for the sins they made on their past.

this also explains to the reader how such cases are viewed by other people.

hinako who had undergone hell through her step dad and by aborting her child twice suffers the pain and anguish of her past. the pain and anguish that continues to torment her present, challenging her daily whenever she sees children or men. her fear and regret that was subdued by daisuke that showed her kindness. the kindness of a man that she forcibly removed from her emotions due to the pain she experienced.

as the story progressed along, hinako's emotions slowly develop, relieving her of her fears and slowly beginning to make her face her regrets with a firm resolve and all this is because of daisuke's kindness. on the other hand, the story also shows how daisuke is careful with hinako's matter. how he is doing his best to not make her experience the bad things she had in the past all the while, experiencing her opening up to him slowly, able to face the world again with renewed strength.

the manga portrays how women are strong and fragile at the same time. how they face the world in the view of regret and fear and how good men play a role to their lives, acting as pillar of support if the need arise.

Well, to be honest, at first I thought I would like more of Bitter Virgin. This manga has a great premise that revolves around the serious issue of child rape. Despite its potential, the manga is superficial and needs lots of improvements.

The pacing is too fast. Characters have such dramatic and sudden changes in their views that this feels like a summary of a story instead of an actual story.

The story also glosses over the serious issues. Instead of focusing on all the possible fear, confusion, pity, and social expectations, the manga chooses to cop out and present Daisuke's inherent and unconditional acceptance of Hinako's past. Even the other characters that find out about Hinako's past don't make a big deal of it and all of the social stigma is just swept under the rug.

Overall, the manga could be better. It's too bad, because the premise allows for a much more exciting and dynamic story than the one that the manga tells.

This is a very popular manga. I would like to bring some contrast with my review.

Story - I wouldn't rate "Bitter Virgin" that high. It deals with a very serious matter, which is interesting, but there are some things that may be objected. The manga goes about a girl that was abused by her stepfather. As a result, she is scared of men, until she meets Daisuke.

That alone is a very heavy burden to deal with, both for her and for Daisuke. But still, as if it were not enough, things keep happening to her. I think it was a little too much, and a little cliched at times. "Abuse" is a very difficult topic to write about, there is a high risk of resorting to clichés. It is also very easy to strike the readers sensibility with such a topic. Who wouldn't be moved by the pain and experiences of an abused child? That's why I generally don't like stories -be it manga, short stories or novels- about such topics, unless they are very well written or they approach the matter in an original way.

There is something about the end that I didn't quite like. I cannot give details because spoilers are not allowed but it has to do with the characters reasoning and how they see their relationship. The characters reactions throughout the story are very credible, except for their final thoughts. They are not consistent with their way of dealing with things up till then, especially in Daisuke's case. It's such a small detail, and it could have been solved with just a small change in the phrasing, making them doubt or wonder about the future instead of being so sure about how things will turn out to be.

In any case, regardless of these little objections, I think the manga was good. The art was ok (not breathtaking but ok), the story ran smoothly and the characters were well developed, not only the two main characters, but all of them (save that inconsistency I see at the end of the story). Guess I can give Bitter Virgin a 6.

Bitter Virgin is a brilliantly crafted masterpiece. It delicately portrays the turmoils of a broken girl with a truly realistic and gripping plot.
This story is a definite 10. I truly enjoyed the intricacy of the relationships in this manga. I think it breached and explored an often taboo subject with grace and proper reverence. Rape and teenage pregnancy is often overlooked in many books, yet this manga dealt not only with this issue, but with the aftermath at well. Though the manga is only 4 books, the story took an appropriate time to develop and the character relations progressed smoothly.
Art- 7 The art was decent, but nothing magnificent. It was able to get the point across, but it lacked detail in the movements. I also noticed that the characters seemed to stay in the same positions a lot. While the art wasn't great, it doesn't detract from the story.
Character-8 The main characters were excellent and 3 dimensional. Aikawa was a very fragile, scarred, and broken girl. It was wonderful to see her personality develop over the course of the story. Suwa's personality develop was not as drastic, but he was opened to the harsh reality of life and learned to be more compassionate. I gave the characters an 8 because some of the supporting characters are a little fake. Like his sister is a little too cheerful and nonchalant about the condition she is in.
Enjoyment 10 This was absolutely touching, in that it made me feel true empathy for the characters in this manga. It was an emotional roller coaster and I loved every second of it.
Overall-9 This was a beautiful and touching piece of work that haunts me with its intricate yet simple story. It draws you in and really makes you think about the tough real life decisions these characters have had to make. Overall it was a fantastic and truly touching read.