~Shoujo~Let's take a peak at a mildly-known manga, which is still in production. Gakuen Alice is more shoujo (for girls), but not exactly. There's action and love; it has a whipping-pheromone teacher and an evil, dark guy that can curse people to death, so it's not for really young kids by any means. A brief summary, for those unfamiliar with the manga:
Mikan is an orphan that is raised by her "grandfather." Her bestfriend, Hotaru, is found out to be an Alice (a person with a supernatural ability), and enrolls in Alice Academy, the school that trains people with these special powers. Locked away from family and friends, in this school young children grow up to learn and develop their powers. Fearing for her friend's safety, Mikan runs away to follow her, but through a weird turn of events finds out she also has an Alice and gets taken by the school. While in this special school, she finds out that there is something more going on--a more sinister school then what is on the surface.
~Gakuen Alice Opening~
"Pika Pika no Taiyou" by Kane Ueda
"Pika Pika no Taiyou" by Kane Ueda
BAD
1. Child Characters--This manga would be a lot more engaging if the characters' ages were closer to the audience. Like, SPOILER ((when they eat Gulliver's Candy and grow up to become 15/16.)) Reading a story with child characters I find myself automatically pairing them together and it just seems wrong. I'm not a pedophile, but I like the story, so I wish that the mangaka had organized it so that it's a little more legal. There are older characters, btw. However, the main characters (the ones everyone is interested in) are around ten years old.
Of course, this could be a very big opportunity for those fan fiction authors out there, and I'm sure it already is. Man, fan-fiction could be its own enterprise if it started advertising and making money...
2. Round-About--The chapters sometimes go off on tangents and the characters have to do extra things to get to the main thing. Not really flashbacks, more like doing useless shit that they really don't have to do because they found out a warphole that can take them there. With a fantasy storyline with fictional super power abilities, it's easy to do fillers and introduce some random character to take Mikan on another adventure, and as fun as it is, it doesn't do anything to advance the plot.
Of course, this could be a very big opportunity for those fan fiction authors out there, and I'm sure it already is. Man, fan-fiction could be its own enterprise if it started advertising and making money...2. Round-About--The chapters sometimes go off on tangents and the characters have to do extra things to get to the main thing. Not really flashbacks, more like doing useless shit that they really don't have to do because they found out a warphole that can take them there. With a fantasy storyline with fictional super power abilities, it's easy to do fillers and introduce some random character to take Mikan on another adventure, and as fun as it is, it doesn't do anything to advance the plot.
GOOD
1. Personalities--Okay, not a lot of bad things, I know, it's because this manga is so good I stayed up until four in the morning reading it (two days ago). I love the characters and the 
awesome dynamic relationships going on. Hotaru is the bestfriend that isn't afraid of hard loving, and Natsume is the bad-ass guy who, even though he gets a crush, doesn't do all the lovey-dovey things that guys are supposed to do. Ruka (Luke) is cute, but hates being called girly (kind of like Yuki from Fruits Basket) and he is bestfriends with Natsume (wtf). There is a plethora of characters to choose from, and even the older teachers are interesting.
There are also serious characters, and as Gakuen Alice progresses into a darker anime, you are introduced to one fo the leading badasses, Persona. Though nothing is really explored yet, you have the mysterious principals of the school, and Natsume seems to be their pet cat. Like I said before, I don't like the child characters, but I do love the various personalities and struggles.
2. The World--I'm also a fan of Harry Potter, so I like any fantasy world that is played to the fullest. There is a cultural festival during which the different classes compete against each other. In short, an explosion of superpowers. The various kinds of Alices are pretty funny, especially in Mikan's "Special Ability" group. The school structure, with stars as reward, a no-star as punishment, and the whole fairytale theme is so cute. (If you don't like cute things, this isn't the manga for you)
3. Dynamic Plot--Okay, I didn't like the round-about way of getting somewhere, but the growing sense of darkness and urgency, of a hidden secret, is a classic way to lure in readers. In this supposedly great school, there is a dark secret, and the teachers know. Letters are monitored, children are kept from their families for long periods of time, and sometimes people go missing. Under all the fufu exterior, you can sense this complex dynamic. Because the series is not yet finished, I cannot give a complete analysis about it, but it's good enough to keep me up until four in the morning, so it's pretty good.
awesome dynamic relationships going on. Hotaru is the bestfriend that isn't afraid of hard loving, and Natsume is the bad-ass guy who, even though he gets a crush, doesn't do all the lovey-dovey things that guys are supposed to do. Ruka (Luke) is cute, but hates being called girly (kind of like Yuki from Fruits Basket) and he is bestfriends with Natsume (wtf). There is a plethora of characters to choose from, and even the older teachers are interesting.There are also serious characters, and as Gakuen Alice progresses into a darker anime, you are introduced to one fo the leading badasses, Persona. Though nothing is really explored yet, you have the mysterious principals of the school, and Natsume seems to be their pet cat. Like I said before, I don't like the child characters, but I do love the various personalities and struggles.
2. The World--I'm also a fan of Harry Potter, so I like any fantasy world that is played to the fullest. There is a cultural festival during which the different classes compete against each other. In short, an explosion of superpowers. The various kinds of Alices are pretty funny, especially in Mikan's "Special Ability" group. The school structure, with stars as reward, a no-star as punishment, and the whole fairytale theme is so cute. (If you don't like cute things, this isn't the manga for you)
3. Dynamic Plot--Okay, I didn't like the round-about way of getting somewhere, but the growing sense of darkness and urgency, of a hidden secret, is a classic way to lure in readers. In this supposedly great school, there is a dark secret, and the teachers know. Letters are monitored, children are kept from their families for long periods of time, and sometimes people go missing. Under all the fufu exterior, you can sense this complex dynamic. Because the series is not yet finished, I cannot give a complete analysis about it, but it's good enough to keep me up until four in the morning, so it's pretty good.
