Alpha Tristan

I absolutely adored this manga! You can clearly see Ageha's transformation throughout the story, and you'll likely find yourself growing fond of her. The romance was incredibly cute, and it was such a delightful read! It evoked a mix of emotions—tears, joy, and even some frustration with certain characters—but I'm confident you'll thoroughly enjoy it!  
The plot was solid, though it does get a bit 'messy' in parts. Still, overall, I thought it was great. The artwork was stunning, and the characters were so well-developed and engaging. I genuinely loved every moment of it.  
However, one major issue is that there is no official English translation available after chapter 21, making it quite challenging to continue reading!

Story  
The narrative centers around the theme of understanding both others' and one's own challenges, while also exploring personal growth to reach one's full potential. Despite this, many resolutions felt rather unsatisfactory. The author introduces significant issues and struggles but offers vague and simplistic solutions, which not only reflect the age of the series but also highlight its shallowness. Nevertheless, it does have a strong beginning and ending.  

Art  
The artwork suffers from repetitive facial expressions, not just for the twins but for most characters. This is particularly problematic since part of the story deals with insecurities about appearance, making this stylistic choice detrimental to the narrative. If the story didn't focus so heavily on how the characters looked, this wouldn't be as much of an issue.  

Characters  
I frequently found myself frustrated with certain characters, which isn't surprising given the author's tendency to make them act in unnecessarily dramatic or uncharacteristically mean ways. Surprisingly, I wasn't annoyed by the main heroine; in fact, I often thought her reactions were reasonable, yet she was labeled as strange or criticized for her actions. The male lead, however, often irritated me as he repeatedly made the same mistakes and failed to understand the female lead's concerns.  

Enjoyment  
I did enjoy the series, which is why I read it all the way through. Some issues were handled effectively, and there were moments when characters worked together, doing what others were too afraid to do. It was enjoyable to see them leverage each other's strengths. Additionally, I appreciated some of the recurring motifs in the manga, which added depth to the conclusion.  

Overall  
Read it if you enjoy drama and don't mind a somewhat lackluster romance. The main character stands out as particularly compelling to me, making her journey fun to follow, though the supporting characters tend to fall flat.

What a disaster, a downright sloppy mess with an awful plot and annoying characters. Papillon is a teen romance manga centered around competing twins, attempting to explore heavy topics like insecurity, childhood abandonment, post-partum depression, and traumatic loss.

Ageha, a quiet and shy country girl, feels overshadowed by her beautiful and popular city-girl twin sister, Hana. The early volumes focus on their rivalry over boys. Hana feels neglected if she doesn't receive the same affection as her sister. She reminded me of a toned-down version of Sae from Peach Girl, though Hana does have a backstory that explains her problematic behavior.

The storylines are shallow and lack meaningful development. All romantic interests feel forced and fleeting. The primary love interest, counselor Kyuu, raises serious concerns. At 24, he's presented as a suitable partner for Ageha, a high school freshman. With a nine-year age gap and a position of authority as the school counselor, this relationship is deeply troubling. Kyuu begins by giving her advice, calling her a chrysalis that will bloom into a butterfly. He claims he'll help her change, but this sends no positive message about self-love. While striving for improvement is understandable, it's not what's portrayed here.

They're a mismatched pair. Kyuu expects a mature woman who understands his busy schedule as a graduate student and worker. He gets tired and stressed easily, is flirtatious, and disregards her demands. This leaves Ageha feeling insecure, constantly jealous, and questioning herself—reactions many readers find frustrating but are typical for teenagers.

I also had serious issues with how counseling is depicted. Kyuu breaks every ethical code regarding counselor-patient relationships. It's stated that he uses love to boost students' confidence and encourage self-improvement, which was unsettling to read. His mentor even advises Ageha to simply choose not to be upset about betrayals and instead choose happiness, a mantra she repeats throughout the series.

The entire romance reeks of an older man grooming a teenage girl too young to comprehend adult relationships. This manga wasn't for me, and I was deeply disappointed with its direction. It starts decently but becomes toxic and ultimately boring. <p>

Absolutely amazing!  

The start is a bit strange, and honestly, I’m not a fan of the idea of a 24-year-old dating a high school student. However, their relationship never ventures into any "dark areas." If you’re put off by the beginning, give the story some time. The character development is exceptional, and the final chapters are nothing short of perfect. This isn’t one of those manga that begins strongly but ends poorly, leaving you wanting more. Instead, it leaves you feeling content, happy, and maybe even a little warm and fuzzy if you’re into that sort of thing. :)  

Definitely worth checking out!

First, I have to say that the synopsis provided for this manga is seriously lacking. It's essentially just a recap of the first chapter and doesn't even touch on the core plot.  

I've read up to chapter 37 so far, and I plan to keep going as new chapters are released. Once I finish, I'll update my review accordingly.  

The story revolves around Ageha and Hana, twin sisters who have just begun high school. Hana is the quintessential popular girl, always striving to outshine everyone else, particularly her sister. In contrast, Ageha does everything she can to stay under the radar. She feels overshadowed by her sister and wishes nothing more than to trade places with her. The twins form an intriguing paradox: they both desire what the other has while also yearning to forge their own identities. Without giving too much away, I'll stick to the basics... The narrative primarily focuses on Ageha's relationship and Hana's journey toward accepting her sister's happiness. Ageha's relationship is somewhat controversial. While I don't find it unrealistic or implausible, it does lean into taboo territory due to a significant age gap and the societal expectations tied to their roles. Despite this, I didn't dwell too much on the controversy because the characters complement each other so well that it becomes easier to accept.  

I absolutely adore the character development throughout the series. Ageha evolves from being shy, quiet, and unnoticed into someone strong, decisive, and beautiful. You'll find yourself both liking and disliking her at times, but you'll witness her growth and the strides she makes in shaping her personality. Hana's development stood out to me the most. For much of the story, you might dislike her; she can be a bit over-the-top in her competitiveness with Ageha. However, as time progresses, she learns that she doesn't need to constantly vie with her sister—they can both experience happiness independently. Kyuu's character also undergoes some meaningful arcs, dealing with unresolved grief and regret stemming from a past relationship. This is where I paused my reading, but I appreciated the direction the story was heading. Additionally, interactions with family and friends play a crucial role in influencing and molding the main characters.  

I highly recommend giving this manga a try—I found it incredibly engaging. Based solely on the synopsis, I would have skipped it entirely. I only added it to my list because the sisters reminded me of characters from another manga I enjoyed. I'm glad I decided to give it a chance.  

Story: 9 [great]  
Art: 8 [very good]  
Character: 9 [great]  
Enjoyment: 10 [great]  
Overall: 9 [great]

This review will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. ALSO, THE CHARACTER IS NOT A TOMBOY, SO IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, DON'T BOTHER READING THE MANGA FURTHER.

I started reading this manga due to the numerous positive reviews and recommendations on certain forums for shoujo manga involving a tomboy protagonist. As I continued reading, I sympathized with and related to the main character because of the unwarranted sister rivalry, which hooked me in. The story begins with the main character (Ageha) having a crush on her childhood friend Ryuusei and fantasizing about being in a relationship with him. However, due to her low self-esteem and lack of self-worth, she doesn't confess to him or make any move but simply stares from afar... until she meets a mysterious man at a festival who advises her to go after what she wants and convinces her to act (it was weird that she listened, but it was good advice).

Ryuusei, finding out that Ageha's grandmother is in the hospital, asks her to accompany him so he may visit Ageha's grandma. She puts in the effort to dress up and make herself decent and is surprisingly helped by her twin sister Hana. At this point, you do wonder why Hana is so eager to help but don't doubt her motives. Ryuusei and Ageha seem to have solid chemistry, and the story hints that perhaps Ageha's wish may come true after all, until Hana shows up dressed almost exactly as Ageha but looking prettier. She tags along to their little hangout and flirts with Ryuusei the entire time, even pretending to be someone she isn't to seem more agreeable. She then goes ahead and steals Ryuusei from Ageha, even though she knew of Ageha's feelings for Ryuusei, and starts dating him.

Ageha's friend, finding out about Ageha's crush on Ryuusei, betrays her and tells as many students as possible. They all laugh at her and mock her, and since they know that Ryuusei now dates her hotter sister Hana, they emphasize that she has no chance. Ryuusei does stand up for her but confesses that there is nothing he can do as he is now with Hana.

Ageha is devastated and tries to commit suicide, only to be stopped by the same mysterious man who encouraged her at the festival. Again, his advice was pretty damn good, and she takes it on board. She improves herself and stands up for herself amidst the mockery. After witnessing her bravery, she gains support and makes friends. These friends completely support her desire to be with Ryuusei and create situations where the two will have to interact. Eventually, she makes a move and asks Ryuusei to go with her to visit her grandmother in the hospital, and he agrees. On the appointed day, Ageha, with the help of her friends, gets her hair done and puts some makeup on and heads out to meet Ryuusei. However, she wasn't aware that Hana knew what was happening. Hana calls Ryuusei and forces him to come to her acting as if something bad had happened to her. Ryuusei runs to Hana's location only to find out that Hana is absolutely fine; all she wants is to hang out. He tries to explain that he made a promise to Ageha, but Hana acts all cute and insecure, making Ryuusei kiss her. Ageha witnesses this and runs away.

Ageha bumps into the mysterious man again, who is actually her school counselor. He tries to cheer her up and gets her talking about her family relationship, and you understand the depth of her despair and sadness. She always felt unwanted by her family and as if she was never good enough in comparison to her sister (so far so good). She hangs out with her sensei for most of the night and didn't realize that her parents would actually be worried about her. For some reason, the sensei attempts to take her into a karaoke/love hotel and is stopped by Ageha's mother. Ageha thought her mother didn't care at all and was just pretending, so she stupidly decides to run without looking into incoming traffic. Her mom saves her by jumping in front of her and taking the brunt of the impact. Ageha is now terrified that her mother will die and urged on by her teacher, she confesses all her pent-up anger and sadness to her unconscious mother in the hospital. Ageha's mother wasn't actually unconscious and heard everything, and the two work things out. Their relationship improves significantly, and she suddenly realizes she is no longer sad nor envious of the fact that her sister has stolen Ryuusei from her.

Her main focus becomes 'sensei,' who seems to have given her a new start at life. And pretty much, this is where the story goes a little downhill. In terms of character development, she sheds her previous look and becomes easier on the eye. She also spends time with her family and seems to have cheered up. However, here starts the petty jealousies regarding the school counselor Kyuu. He seems to be quite popular with the ladies and is himself quite flirty. Don't get me wrong, he is a very likeable and funny character, but he probably doesn't act decently enough to be a school counselor. The main character goes from suddenly understanding her need to grow and change herself to becoming childlike, a crybaby, and jealous.

She goes through a few experiences that you'd think would help her be more grounded and mature, but it's almost like these have the reverse effect. The way Kyuu behaves is misleading and would lead any young girls to think that he has feelings for her, and would encourage girls to nurture hope. At least, in this case, he reciprocated and accepted her. Hana is not happy to learn of Ageha's new love and tries to sabotage Ageha's new relationship with Kyuu by going on a date with Kyuu and acting like an absolute b****.

There were many signs that this was not Ageha, so I was a little annoyed at the fact that he could not even recognize this was not the girl he liked. He almost breaks up with Ageha until things finally come to light. But once their relationship starts, it's just filled with Ageha's constant insecurities, non-stop complaints, tears, jealousies, and did I mention tears? My god, all she does is cry all the time. Anyway, to this guy's credit, he is pretty freaking patient. You'd think though that after one incident, she'd learn something, but no, this goes on and on and on.

By the way, Ryuusei does disappear from the story after a while, and it suddenly becomes all about Kyuu. The story delves deeper into Kyuu's past and his past love. Did I mention this also annoys and scares Ageha as well? Man, this girl has no trust whatsoever. But, when she gets a part-time job and starts working with a former crush who had confessed to her and realizes that he wasn't joking at the time but was serious, she feels happy and has heart palpitations and even tells Kyuu about it without thinking that he may get hurt. Also, this very same guy happens to be her sister's ex. So Ageha, who is supposed to be developing and growing in character, is actually getting dumber and more annoying. I don't care if she is still in high school; if you want an older man, grow the f*** up!

Don't get me wrong, there are many good aspects to Ageha, and as a female, I can understand her need to know that she will not be betrayed or abandoned, but her behavior would drive any man... in fact, anybody, to madness. However, Kyuu and her do go through quite a few experiences that would test many relationships, and in the end, they successfully work it out. Ageha's relationship with her vicious, vindictive, and poisonous twin does change, but it was something that occurred more out of nowhere rather than from being a gradual change of heart. It leads you to think that perhaps Hana was abducted by aliens, brainwashed, and then brought back.

So although there are many things about this manga that I didn't like, there were many enjoyable things and many lessons to be learned. So all in all, I rate this a 6/10.

"You are you, and I am I"  

I said I wouldn't give it a higher rating until after I finished it, and well, here we go...  
This manga will make you want to smile one second and throw it out the window the next—at least at the beginning. But that's the effect of the unstable emotions these characters evoke.  

The story revolves around two girls, sisters, twins: Ageha and Hana. Just like everything in the universe needs balance, we have sweet bookworm Ageha and mischievous (for lack of a better word) and popular Hana.  

From the very start, you'll find yourself picking sides and making choices—anyone would. Ageha is the typical manga girl who transforms from her geeky self into a beautiful butterfly (which makes her name fitting). Her sister, Hana, is used to being in the spotlight and resents her for stealing it. Not to mention, the intriguing and unpredictable past explains why Hana dislikes Ageha so much.  

The summary above is quite detailed, so I won't repeat it. Maybe just a shorter version:  
Ageha has been in love with Koike since childhood and finally gathers the courage to confess to him (it's never that simple). She's thrilled when things go her way, and when the date arrives, she couldn't be happier, even after her fashion-forward sister helps her pick out an outfit. However, on the day of the date, she realizes (all too late) that her sister was subtly sabotaging her plans and stealing Koike. Heartbroken and jaded, she seeks comfort in the school counselor, who she hasn't realized she's already met. Hayato is known as a flirt, but he treats Ageha differently. What begins as a counselor giving advice evolves into something more. But can Hayato and Ageha survive the schemes of someone named Hana?  

The art is undeniably pretty and beautiful. You can tell just by the cover how much attention Miwa pays to her illustrations. She rarely disappoints. You'll never confuse the twins, whether because of their distinct hairstyles or the evil glint in Hana's eyes—I swear that girl has one.  

Let me tell you now, even after learning about Hana, I still dislike her. She's evil, manipulative, and mean. But "evil" doesn't fully cover it. Out of all the characters, I think Hana embodies the most basic human emotions in the shortest time. I always admire characters like her because if you dislike or hate them, it means they were portrayed really well—or not good at all. Hana grew on me though. By the end, I sometimes liked her better than Ageha; I just didn't trust her, so our relationship wouldn't have worked out anyway :(.  

This manga was good. It gets more interesting as it progresses and becomes more complicated. I always find it amusing when stories could have ended much earlier, but the mangaka wants to give us more details, more space to grow fond of characters who might otherwise be hanging by a thread. Or, in some cases, just to tie everything up neatly and leave no loose ends.  

You have to give credit to Papillon:  
A manga that will make you question ever wanting to have—or be—a twin (at least for me).

I generally find student-teacher themed mangas to be overused and rather dull. However, the depth of the main characters' stories in this manga stood out impressively compared to many others I've read. These characters are flawed and carry emotional scars, which is quite rare, especially in shoujo manga.

The artwork is commendable when compared to some other mangas. While it doesn't offer anything groundbreaking, it remains smooth and unobtrusive. The only exception being the exceptionally attractive rival male characters, namely the Teacher and Mamura.

Even though I rooted for my OTP, I was aware that their relationship wouldn't come to fruition. Nonetheless, it was still delightful to cheer them on. I'll refrain from going into specifics to avoid potential spoilers.

In conclusion, this manga was enjoyable and offered a refreshing take within the student-teacher genre.  

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