as time goes on and i get older and older, i have more trouble relating to these types of stories. that might sound pretty stupid coming from someone who just entered their twenties last year, but it's the truth. the further i get from being a teenager, the more i think "should i even be reading this?" about teenage-led stories (even the ones i end up enjoying, to be honest).

akkan baby is a different story. as an (former) outcasted high school student and a blossoming adult "woman", i can understand where the characters come from on many occassions. all of the characters, though most times exaggerated to the extreme, are realistically involved in the main plot line. none of the adult characters ever make shigeru or yuki think that having a baby is going to be an easy feat, and i respect the author for writing ALL of them like that.

when you're writing a teenage pregnancy story where the two main characters are a couple of well-meaning, idiotic children, i think it's probably hard to find a good balance of realism and cartoonish-ness, but the author did a wonderful job of managing that! it was refreshing for a shoujo to be dramatic in, not a romantic quagmire but, a realistic way, y'know? i think it's the kind of story that young girls should read and that there should be more stories like it that show teen pregnancy as something that (although can be incredibly harmful) isn't something to be demonized for.

the main characters were so sweet <3 i honestly cried a few times for shigeru and all she had to go through during her pregnancy. i think yuki had an amazing development as a character... and the best part is that he didn't have to go through some big transformation or anything! i also loved the characters in the band AND even the principal lmao... there's just such a treasure trove of purity and sweetness in this manga, to be honest. i wasn't expecting to be so impressed but it really made me happy! i think it's well worth the read ^___^!