The CEO's Contracted Husband is a Mafia

Absolutely loved it! Next please❣

I rarely give out tens, but this is probably a 9.5... or maybe I need to clean my eyes to ensure I'm rating correctly :) I'm not sure if this qualifies as a "masterpiece" according to the rating system, but I do consider it a masterful work; if I didn't already adore Morinaga Milk and want to track down everything she's ever written, I certainly do now.

I won't pretend it boasts earth-shattering originality, but the emotional moments are, for the most part, flawless. And I simply couldn't put it down—read the entire thing in one sitting. It's just stunning, and I cherished the opportunity to spend so much time with these characters and witness the story unfold over an extended period. I actually found all of them—every single one—quite believable, and the narrative alternates between being humorous, genuinely emotionally resonant, melodramatic, innocent yet mature, sweet, and beautiful. These characters are vividly defined and surprisingly well-developed, surpassing obvious clichés and demonstrating real growth throughout the series.

I'd like to offer something more insightful about the genre and this work's position within it, but it's 4 AM, and I've just finished it—which likely speaks volumes about this book more than any intellectual analysis I could attempt.

I believe it was beautiful from start to finish, and now I feel fantastic.

=====EDIT:=====
I've chosen to raise this rating. Entirely based on personal preference. I simply realized while going about my day that I was comparing whatever I was reading or watching to whether I'd rather be re-reading Girl Friends. And almost always, I'd rather be re-reading Girl Friends. If that isn't a 10, I don't know what is.

Girl Friends is a Shoujo, Yuri, Romance manga that delves into the evolving friendship between girls. Manga enthusiasts who are interested in or wish to explore Yuri manga will likely find satisfaction with this series.

Set within a conventional Japanese all-girls high school, the narrative centers around Mariko Kumakura, a shy and observant girl leading an unremarkable life until she meets Akko Oohashi, her bold and popular classmate. This encounter lays the groundwork for the story, focusing on Mariko's transformation as she experiences various enjoyable activities introduced by her new friend. The plot progresses steadily, with each chapter addressing specific themes that contribute to the overall narrative without unnecessary delays. Despite its 'slice of life' nature, Girl Friends offers some unexpected twists along the way.

As the title suggests, the characters revolve around a group of schoolgirls forming friendships. Male characters have minimal involvement; their appearances typically create excitement. The absence of male characters is not problematic due to the well-developed personalities of the female characters, making them engaging to read about. Naturally, much of the story concentrates on Mariko and Akko.

The artwork aligns with typical Shoujo manga styles, which is not inherently negative. While environmental details are sparse, character designs are intricate. Close-ups effectively highlight the girls' features, though distinguishing some characters can be challenging.

Overall, Girl Friends excels in portraying the challenges faced by an average girl navigating her feelings for another. Although repetitive discussions about mundane topics (boyfriends, social events, makeup, etc.) can become tiresome, the manga realistically depicts love and infatuation. It is unfortunate that after three years, the series concluded, as it could have transcended its current framework by exploring college life and addressing critical issues within such relationships. However, perhaps it was never destined to go further. <p>

If you are told that this is one of the better yuri mangas, then you'll likely set your expectations too high. For me, yuri is essentially a more challenging form of romance. The issue here is that this manga doesn't primarily focus on the romantic relationship; instead, it revolves around the daily lives of our couple. In essence, this is a Slice of Life manga about high school teenage girls striving to be cute in every aspect. If you enjoy discussions about cute makeup, shopping, dresses, hairstyles, faces, school events, and generally cute girls engaging in cute (commercialized) activities, then this is the manga for you. This is because the romance gets minimal development amidst the daily activities, which overshadow it. Near the end of each volume, you're reminded that this is supposed to be a romance between two individuals who aren't accustomed to it, yet are as close as they can be in terms of friendship. As the tags suggest, it's better to approach this manga as a Slice of Life with romantic elements rather than a Romance that takes its time.

The art is functional but often cluttered due to how frequently three or more characters appear in a scene. It's overly busy and filled with background conversations crammed into small panels, making it excessive and noisy without significantly contributing to presenting scenery, atmosphere, or setting aesthetics. The overall impression is that their lives are filled with noise, especially if you consider their frequent monologues about the state of their relationship, which would usually require effort to space out in such a manner. Nonetheless, it successfully portrays cute characters in a pleasant way while keeping things safe.

As a Slice of Life, there isn't much story to explore. Again, it's about four girls being materialistic in conventional ways, discussing makeup, clothes, boys, hooking up, and how cute others look, among other topics. The school setting at least provides non-club activities like festivals, field trips, and vacations, giving the setting variety and a sense of timeline.

Now, the romantic plotline receives the least attention. It includes typical avoidance, unrequited emotional responses, jealousy, mixed signals, and so forth. However, these themes are only truly explored at the end of a volume and then relegated to the background as a new volume begins. They are present and mentioned during all the fluff but mostly in monologues, kept just before the climactic kiss concluding each volume. When Akko and Mari (our main couple) genuinely try to commit to their relationship, it feels entirely different from what you've been reading up to that point. It's basic, cute, and works, but it's limited to a few pages, not an entire chapter. That is, unless you count them going shopping and eating as dramatic relationship development. I see it as SoL fluff; challenge and perseverance are what give strength to character and serve as testaments to dedication in a relationship. You either give up or surrender to your emotions. Such drama is also scarce, replaced by embarrassment half the time, which is understandable but feels like a cop-out, even worse, just a tease. A tease for the reader, not the characters. It wasn't until the next-to-last chapter that we were given a full-on sex scene, but even then, it felt out of place and too distinct from what I'd been reading up to that point. Still, I'll credit the last volume for providing the best feeling of how a lasting relationship with progress should feel, where our couple seems inseparable even through graduation, with the goal of staying together. That's what I've been hoping for throughout, but it's too little, too late for something basic to compensate for lost time.

The characters are very two-dimensional. Even our main couple doesn't seem to have developed much. This is partly due to the author switching perspectives without adjusting the writing style according to the supposed personalities of the characters. Mari-chan is the introverted bookworm uplifted and taken in by Akko-chan - the extremely friendly, cute girl who loves makeup and dressing up, maintaining a top-of-the-line materialistic image of herself, mostly. Sugi-san embodies that stereotype, having five boyfriends and managing them. Lastly, there's Tamami, who is essentially the cute otaku for making references.

For a supposed introvert, Mari easily became part of the group and changed her appearance without much thought or resistance. I wouldn't say that aligns with my experience, but let's assume Akko has some very convincing charming techniques... which she doesn't, from her perspective, as she appears just as introspective as Mari in her volumes. Thus, both ultimately feel homogenized as cute girls, with Mari being the quieter of the two in conversation, until we switch to Akko's viewpoint and encounter the same scenario...

The way Akko pulled Mari into her materialistic world and Mari quickly embracing it doesn't feel natural. Mostly because there's absolutely no counterbalance; it's a Slice of Life about materialistic girls, not about taking an introvert out of their shell. And Mari herself didn't offer anything unique about her own character or volition to Akko's life aside from her obsessive, sudden love for her. Sure, that's something, but I mean something from herself before she was part of the story, like literature. It can't be too hard to share a few metaphors, interesting outlooks on life, and the materialistic culture. It doesn't have to be commentary, but offering her own twists and character to a situation instead of merely being present and integrated without question.

If I hadn't been informed that this was a yuri manga, I wouldn't mind spending my time with it. But with the scarce drama, which amounts to a tease, the sidelined relationship for fluff, and just spinning its wheels for its own sake, I simply regret my time with this manga. It's trite, even boring at times, noisy in presentation at moments, and doesn't offer anything enriching for either the mind or soul in terms of experiencing romantic trials. It doesn't even teach proper makeup techniques or shopping tactics, just faffing about.

A heartwarming tear-jerker that leaves you with a smile.<br /><br />Everything about Girl Friends is absolutely perfect. To begin with, the story unfolds as smoothly as butter, making it an effortless read that can easily be completed in one sitting. The character development is superb, allowing readers to genuinely empathize with the characters, which is essential for the following reason.<br /><br />Although we can all foresee the direction of the story and anticipate the twists and turns (let's face it, it's clear even from glancing at the covers), the strong foundation laid by the narrative enables readers to emotionally invest in the characters and the storyline. This is precisely what makes the experience so enjoyable, despite the absence of unexpected surprises or plot twists.<br /><br />The art style complements the mood of the story perfectly, seamlessly blending with the narrative and characters to create a delightful and immersive paradise that spans a satisfying 35 chapters.<br /><br />If you haven't read this yet, I highly recommend it, and I hope you'll find it just as enjoyable.

If you've never read yuri, this is the perfect story to start with. At first, you might think it's going to be about a popular, precocious girl seducing a shy, innocent one... but it's not. In fact, we don't get any yuri until almost halfway through the story, and when it does happen, it feels so natural yet a bit sad and surprising.  

As expected from a Morinaga Milk Sensei story, the character development is exceptional, and the pacing is spot-on. There are some clichéd misunderstandings along the way, but they don't weigh the story down.  

If you're looking for a romance where you'll become deeply emotionally invested in the main characters, and you don't mind that both of them are girls, then I highly recommend *Girl Friends* to you.  
~WiruSempai

Favorite Main Character: Akiko Oohashi  
Favorite Minor Character: Satoko Sugiyama  

I recently purchased these books while exploring the manga section at Barnes & Noble. To be honest, my interest in the yuri genre lately is what drew me to pick them up. I found both volumes compiled into an omnibus, which allowed me to get the entire series in one go.  

-- Story --  
The overall story was solid, but it occasionally got overshadowed by the everyday school-life antics.  
The romance portrayed feels raw and new for both characters, who are grappling with their identities, making it relatable even if you haven't personally been in a same-sex relationship or experienced those feelings. It was intriguing to witness how their relationship evolved—from friends to lovers.  

-- Art --  
I absolutely adore this anime art style!  
I genuinely believe the artwork inside surpasses the colored covers, which isn't necessarily a downside since the interior is what you engage with more. I would have rated it higher if there were more scenes demanding intricate details or showcasing complex backgrounds... However, such elements weren't really necessary here.  

-- Characters --  
The main characters and their interactions were somewhat predictable, though this shouldn't detract from their profound internal struggle to understand each other. I particularly enjoyed the moments when the perspective shifted to Akiko. It's captivating to delve into the thoughts of a girl who effortlessly makes friends yet chooses a quiet girl as her best friend and eventual lover.  
To be candid, most minor characters weren't very memorable, except for Satoko Sugiyama. It's entertaining to encounter a character like her—a "girl player."  

-- Enjoyment --  
I had a delightful time following the characters' journey and eagerly flipping pages to discover what would happen next. While I did look forward to the intense moments, I also appreciated the comic relief that balanced things out. The major intimate scene near the end was tastefully done without being excessive.  

-- Overall --  
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and don't regret purchasing it.  
There weren't any groundbreaking plot twists or mind-blowing revelations, but it's a heartwarming tale perfect for anyone interested in romance manga. It serves as a great, light read.

This was the first manga I've ever read, and thus this is my first time reviewing a manga. With nothing else to compare it to (apart from anime), I can say that this manga was incredible. Anyone with the maturity to engage with a yuri love story seriously should really consider reading this, regardless of gender or sexuality. As someone who only has experience with anime, I can tell you that this manga surpassed anything I've watched. The story felt so genuine, the characters were fantastic, and the ending was satisfying. Now, let's break this manga down to analyze its components.

Story: When I first started reading, it was due to a compelling review that convinced me to give it a try. Going into the first chapter, I didn't anticipate the story becoming as serious as it did. I expected a standard love story, but what I encountered was an epic tale. It begins with Mari, a quiet girl who spends all her time alone, suddenly being drawn into a social life by Akko, a popular and straightforward girl who is curious about Mari and wants to be friends with her. Over time, they become best friends until Mari starts developing special feelings for Akko. I won't spoil the rest of the story for you, but I will say that the reader experiences agony alongside the characters as they discover their feelings for each other, struggle to express them, and face challenges in having a normal relationship. Don't assume this is a depressing story, though; there's plenty of humor and happy moments. From a guy's perspective, it was fascinating to see the inner workings of the girls' minds throughout the narrative, revealing that everyone has more depth than appearances suggest. The only downside to the story was that reaching the conclusion sometimes felt dragged out by other characters and miscommunication, making it seem somewhat unrealistic.

Art: The art here was superb. I loved the character designs for both Akko and Mari. The artwork flowed beautifully throughout the chapters, effectively conveying the characters' emotions, such as using tears at the right moments and different types of blushing to depict embarrassment or love. Within seconds of starting to read, the scenes come alive in your mind as you move from picture to picture. The art also illustrates changes in the characters' appearances over time, like Mari growing her hair back out at the end. This was the only aspect I didn't rate a perfect 10 (I gave it a 9) because when they depicted Akko on the colored covers and scenes, her hair color seemed to switch between blonde-ish and light brown, which caused confusion in how I pictured her and nagged at me throughout.

Characters: The characters in this story work exceptionally well together. While reading, they seemed so real that the only thing preventing them from stepping out of the story was the thin page. Their emotions throughout the narrative felt incredibly authentic—the pain, joy, and love were easily relatable for the reader, provided you allow yourself to feel them. The supporting characters were also well-developed, each distinct from one another. However, when discussing Mari and Akko, they truly transcend typical character archetypes, as they feel like people who could exist in real life.

Enjoyment: By now, I don't need to emphasize how much I enjoyed reading this, but I'll say it was so captivating that I came straight home and read it until I had to sleep. I finished it in three days. During class, I usually maintain focus, but I couldn't stop wondering what would happen next all day and eagerly awaited rushing home to continue reading.

Overall: This manga is more than the sum of its parts; it combines all elements in a way that works seamlessly. The challenges of their unconventional relationship and their concerns are real issues people face, although things are improving based on what I've observed in my generation. In conclusion, if you consider yourself mature enough to handle realistic emotions involving two girls attracted to each other, I strongly urge you to check this out because you won't regret it (be aware it does get a little "mature" towards the end... you've been warned).

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