Story: 8/10

Despite what Gintama may have you believe, To-Love Ru Darkness is without a doubt a legitimately interesting manga and its story keeps you invested, with good writing to keep you invested. Although this is a stuffed one that can't move forward, with several plotlines going on at the same time and individual chapters dealing only with one (it could probably use a decent trimming of at least some of them), what keeps me reading beyond the T&A is the emotional weight of the story. Unlike a lot of other harem and ecchi series, you are kept invested in what the characters are saying because it has a lot of stuff behind it. You also need it to gain context in the ecchi scenes, because they are usually very connected. The major overall themes are that one can change, no matter who they were in the past and that love, family, and friendship are catalysts for this change. However, when the emotional and thematic weight is lost, I lose my investment. The climax of the first arc is extremely boring and uninteresting because of a lack of this investment. But when it has this emotional weight to the story, it is a highly interesting manga to read. Despite all this, it is still pretty stupid.

Art: 7/10

This is one of the gutsiest fanservice manga you will ever read, barely short of actual sex and uses a lot of hentai elements. It's incredibly fun to see what Kentaro Yabuki and Hasemi Saki can get past the censors. Sometimes it does push the limit of taste, and one moment is so bad that it immediately lost three points. However, it works with the story because it's not contrived or forced. It never leaves you questioning the in-story logic or point of it. The fanservice is extremely sexy, so it works in that department. Yabuki's art has evolved a lot over the years, and in here it's at it best.

Character: 8/10

The characterization here is strong. Rito Yuuki is really one of the best harem protagonists ever in my opinion because of his legitimate nice guy status. He's thoughtful, dependable, kind, caring, and charismatic. Sometimes these are the tools of his most badass moments, because he gets heart-throb sexy when he's caring-angry. All the other characters are people you care about and well thought-out. They aren't extremely complex characters, but they do have emotions that a reader will care about. Some are more interesting in others. I should also note that save for Ren and Matome, a lot of male background characters are piggish, perverted scumbags. Especially the principal, who you wonder why even still has his job.

Enjoyment: 10/10

This is one of the most fun manga you will ever read. At least I get a kick out of it. It's a great mix of funny, erotic, stupid, and emotional. I cringe, I cry, I laugh, and I get hard. It's just a lot of fun to read.

Overall: 9/10

While it has some small flaws, it's one of the best harem anime out there.