Faster Than A Kiss Review

 I have been making some notes while reading the manga Faster Than A Kiss. I think the mangaka really had to strive to make a serial because the earlier volumes felt like they were one-shots, instead of a series. It was only later on did the plot really pick up.

Fumino Kaji is a sixteen-year old student who has gotten used to transferring from one house to another ever since her parents died. She and her brother, Teppei, has just left the house they were in and and now in a quandary where to go next. As they sat on a bench thinking of what to do next, her teacher Kazuma Ojiro appears and tells them to live with him in the meantime. Fumino snaps and without thinking, shouts that if he feels sympathetic with them, he should just marry her. She did not expect Kazuma to shout yes to her.

Kazuma brings her and Teppei to his house and makes her sign a marriage contract. He never touches her though and the reason for this is much deeper than previously thought.

Fumino and Kazuma eventually falls for each other despite the fact that Fumino has two student suitors, one of them Kazuma's brother!

Here are my scribbles:

• No fluidity from one manga panel to the other. It tends to jump.
• Too many things going on. The artist has gotten used to one-shots and was trying very hard to adapt to serials.
• Author is an expert on creating "tensions" but when he does tension after tension after tension in succession, it loses its effect But the tensions are good.
• Too straightforward.
• The little Teppei's startling confession: "I'm going to be a bad boy when I become big, so that's why I'm being good now!"
• Wait... plot seems to be improving. It stopped jumping at Volume 4.
• No lasting conflict.
• Scattered!
• It's titled Faster Than A Kiss but the mangaka will torture you for many volumes before you actually see them kiss. The whole series is about making you wait for their kiss. Honestly!
• Best plot starts at Chapter 35, when a love triangle involving two brothers is born. Now, it gets interesting!
• There's a bomb on Chapter 52! OMG!
•  The series ends on Chapter 57 and it doesn't let you see certain parts... (grin) I wish there were more panels... haha

Rating: 3/5

This is what started it all.

The teacher's neighbour.

He never kisses her on the lips. But the neck seems to be fair play.

The arms seem to be okay too.

Her classmate is smitten.

All an accident.

The teacher's brother walks in.

Did the teacher's brother really kiss her?

WOAH!!!

The KISS happens on the very last chapter.

This is the last panel. I wanted more panels... haha