A Retrospect of 'Mars'

[@anacastrodavila2689]

I read Mars as a teenager and the scene of Kira imagining killing her offender resonated so much with me at the time, I cried and everything. I wasn't victim of SA, but I was bullied from a really young age so I understood that feeling in some way. No worries I am fine now XP

[@itsbasicboi]

Mars is easily one of the best shoujo manga I’ve ever read.

[@lor_de_sater4045]

Nana for me

[@pralinec9247]

​@@lor_de_sater4045 both for me. They're similar in a way, hitting brutally and fleshing out the characters and their reactions to events so, so well.

[@Yuzuu-ii]

FRRR

[@lfaq1059]

Something that really made me unconfortable was the way the ML exposed her for trauma to get the truth out of her, making her go through it in a traumatic way. He could've asked, or waited it out till she was ready to tell him.

[@D.A-Designs]

I remember reading the first three volumes of Mars when I was 13, since my local library had it, and I was NOT mature enough for the content, though now two decades later I think I'm ready to give it another try

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Yeah it was definitely more for people in the age range of 16 or 17+ lol Definitely give it a try now though if you feel you can handle the sensitive topics.

[@Jessica-nb1wf]

thats how I felt about Peach Girl. My library had like, the middle and end portions where the evil girl slept with her boyfriend and our main girl momo said she'd be a sex buddy. Really threw my 12 year old self for a loop of what those even were.

[@spacefacecadet]

Oh hey, i read it because it was at the library too. I think i _might've_ been older than 13, but not by much, and was definitely not supposed to be reading it 😂

[@queenofcats9240]

I read the first 5 volumes at 14 and I agree. I was not ready for it. I read it online though and the website I used gave my laptop viruses. It was to the point where I couldn’t use it anymore so I stopped reading it once my laptop shut down and I haven’t gone back. I’ve been looking for it again to reread as a 25 year old

[@lazerlightening]

Mars is a rare shojo manga that has transcended well from my teenhood to adulthood. There are plenty of mangas i have that i loved as a teen that are very teen geared storylines and characters that are hard to get through now. Mars has stood the test if time haha. And I just love how clean Fuyumi's line work is!!

[@QueenoftheHorizon]

Colleen recreating Rei's looks was literally so aesthetic and good oh my godddddd I am swooning. The dokidoki of my heart is legit.

[@adorabell4253]

When I read MARS I saw Masao as the shadow of Sei. Both of them reveled in driving Rei to violence and took emotional pleasure in it. Sei also liked causing others pain but was not strong enough to do it himself so used Rei as his hands, so to speak. Masao was the representation of Sei's ghost still haunting Rei. His "love" was an obsession, similar to Sei's and we finally see the severance of Rei from his abusive and controlling brother at the end. These two are juxtaposed to Kira who does not want Rei for her own pleasure but loves him as he is and who supports him in his personal growth, same as he supports her.

[@nushrathumaira2257]

Better late than never. Loved the addition of fashion photography . For me, I always associate cat street, mars and kare kano as they were my early introduction to psychological shoujo mangas, back in 2010 and I was blown away by this three.

[@simmimon]

I think its good to point out the homophobia and transphobia in older manga, Like you said it is from the 90's . Highlight what shouldn't be done so future manga doesn't have it. Its also okay to still like the manga as a whole.

[@realtalk13]

Mars is one of my favorite shoujo of all time. I really enjoy how Rei and Kira's relationship is portrayed. It's filled with drama and melodrama sure, but it still somehow manages to be realistic. Kira doesn't accept Rei's anger and violent tendencies; it legitimately scares her and she needs him to change to feel comfortable being with him. And Rei doesn't idealize or romanticize Kira's trauma, at one point even being so overwhelmed by it all and his inability to do anything about it, he temporarily breaks up with her. Mars manages to walk the fine line between being escapist melodrama and naturalist storytelling in a way few stories I've seen ever do and it does it well. It's not perfect at all; some of the depictions of mental health are played for drama and not very realistic, the queerphobia is beyond cringe, as well as the shallow depiction of a black character in Kenny, but it is a product of its time. Read it for the first time at back in 2007/2008 and it holds up pretty well to this day.

[@Katt1721]

Mars is one of those nostalgic series I read SO long ago that while specific imagery or scenes are very ingrained in my brain, I've forgotten quite a bit of the story, character details, etc... So this retrospective definitely came at the right time, even if I just really need to revisit it at some point

[@hopeusthedopest]

Colleen slaying the pose recreations😤👏🏻!!!!! Also I will now be adding this manga to my list!

[@jamiea4791]

Your opening made me run goodreads to see the explosion of ratings and it makes me so happy to see. I was in high school in the early 2000s when the manga was being published in English. I had a group I hung out with and either me or a friend of mine would buy each new volume, and our entire friend group would take turns passing around the new volume, we were INVESTED. Most of the friend group weren't even very big into anime, but we were living for it. This was back during a time when watching anime and reading manga was still seen as really niche and it was significantly harder to get your hands on series in English.

[@shoujoscholar]

I am indeed one of those people who read mars as a teenager (i had to beg my mom to drive me to a specialty comic book store that sold manga to pick it up.) i re-read it for the first time a few years ago, post my like MA in media studies, and i also felt it held up. it is still one of my favorite shoujo manga. i think it's also the first time i saw sex depicted through the lens of being directed for and to a largely female audience. i remember the depiction of intimacy sticking with me. though i have to agree the homophobia and the transphobia are super uncomfortable. i always warn people about it when i recommend it. because it is not great.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I also thought the moments of intimacy were done so incredibly well!! Especially their first time. It really focused in on the emotional aspect through the art which just made it so much more beautiful. And yeah I was surprised but also not surprised by the not so great lgbtq+ depictions. I shouldn't expect it to be perfect when it comes to any 90s media but I always forget what it used to be like lol

[@noxturne16]

Mars is one of my all time favorite mangas, if not works of literature. It made me feel so many things and care about the characters so deeply, barely had an experience like it since! I remember crying when i finished reading it at 2 AM on a school night, it had that much of an impact on me

[@MargReadsManga]

I recently read it all on Kindle Unlimited!! It really held up. I really enjoyed it and was kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It’s definitely worth the hype surrounding it.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

We were in the same boat then lol! I also was like "Why didn't I read this sooner?!?!" 😭

[@MargReadsManga]

@@ColleensMangaRecs Yes! The summary didn’t pull me either but I had so many people telling me that I’d love it and they were so right. Maybe one of these days we can get reprints. I really want it in my collection.

[@maxaroni39]

I love the fashion recreations, they're so cool! And I feel you on wanting Rei's gender, he's a style icon. I started reading Mars years ago at my library, but I don't think they have it anymore, sadly. I know it's available digital, but I wish it would get picked up for physicals again. Maybe then I'd try and finally finish the series.

[@sentimentalcircuscurator]

I have read the whole series, and I love it. Started reading it in "Smile" magazine. And then collected the graphic novels.

[@MyselfandComics]

I’ve seen this a lot, but didn’t expect it to be so dark😅. That’s awesome. And the fact that you already have similar hairstyles and just needed the clothes to match was great👏👏👏

[@dianemiles2720]

I was a teen when I read this from 2002-2006 and it emotionally branded my brain forever. Rei is such a heartthrob bishonen andro-angel.

[@etheric_dissonance]

i found a box of free books on the stoop of some rowhouse in baltimore that contained every volume of MARS. it was quite the score.

[@QueenoftheHorizon]

Mars was such an incredible story. Still holds up so well to this day (not without its flaws, of course.) I saw the Taiwanese adaptation of it and was completely floored by it. I can't wait to hear all your thoughts about it :D

[@lrae9519]

You do such a fantastic job editing your videos, always an absolute joy

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Thank you so much! I am pretty new to video editing with only a bit of prior experience in classes so that means a lot!

[@lrae9519]

@@ColleensMangaRecs I honestly assumed you had experience with the quality you put out! As someone who also talks with their hands I'm always impressed with how you never come across as choppy when you have quick cuts and your charisma stays seamless. You clearly put so much work into every aspect and I know you'll always make me laugh

[@leoniepurple648]

OMG I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO ! When I saw your community post just know that I screamed!!

[@rosinanicolazzo]

welcome to the mars lovers colleen! i blew through the series super quickly back in january and it breezed into my favourites as fast as rei on a racetrack!! i’m glad to get to hear your thoughts on it

[@kyoneko87]

Mars is so nostalgic! It was such a good series! Although, there was problematic elements, but this series was so breathtaking and beautiful!

[@chloeendersby-dyck2241]

I BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE

[@whimsydearest]

Props for the Rei cosplay in your thumbnail. 🤌

[@megforpeace]

Thank you from bringing a spotlight to one of my favorite mangas! ❤❤❤

[@TJThomas116]

So hype for this video! Mars was one of the first mangas I ever bought way back in the day when I was first getting into manga. Wonderful memories of reading it.

[@LizzyxHg]

This was my first purchase at a comic book shop 20yrs ago. Still have all my volumes. ❤️ Loved this video. What a great trip down memory lane.

[@SarahRsache6644]

Stellar video as usual! Thanks for your effort and shining a light on this classic from my youth!

[@skathryn7380]

Mars was my first ever manga. Such great memories! Fantastic video once again!

[@Weeabruh]

Rei sounds like such a great character. Had been considering picking up the new Spanish special edition because of how much it is sought after with OOP English shoujo collectors. It’s good to finally hear a comprehensive break down of it in a video👍

[@manga_mia_]

It makes me so happy to know that so many people love this series and you do too now! I read this when I was in high school and I was deeply touched by the story, the characters, the artwork. It was so poetic and I was absolutely obsessed. I had no idea that it was such an important/acclaimed series but I knew it was special. I bought the entire manga series which I never do and I reread it every couple years. ❤

[@lucere3674]

I can't believe I ran into a Mars video! I thought this was a forgotten manga and am so happy to see that it's still relevant.

[@senpainoticedyou6182]

Loved how ya addressed the homophobia, and transphobia of the manga, instead of just swiping it under the rug.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Least I can do! Especially since I didn't know about it going in either.

[@minxxoxo]

Omggg I loved Mars! It really did something to me when I was in my early teens lol. Thank you for talking about it. It was SO beautiful, characters and all.

[@RatioBozo69]

this was so beautifully put. I recently got into shoujo and your channel has given me so many good recs!

[@TheMonkey0King]

Great review and analysis. I read this during my late teens. Gawd it was beautiful. Soryo also has a different series called ES. Same level of storytelling imo. In general, would love to see more of her work come to NA.

[@clashwithwords]

one of my absolute favorite series. though I agree with much of your criticisms, I think that can add to the realism too. we don’t love all aspects of people, and i’m sure much of the people we love will carry some aspects we disagree with and similar to the series itself, some of those things we aren’t fond of can get worked through too. def part of the human experience, and love as a whole. still so grateful for your channel colleen! 😭

[@rawdasalmataman7908]

Thank you for mentioning the pitfalls because they are making me consider whether to read mars or not and made me know what to expect.

[@katarinaclaes96]

Awesome video thanks so much for sharing I'll try to find this Manga and give it a read.😁

[@MJ-sj5dv]

Mars is iconic, I read that when I was like 13 and didn't understand the themes, then I came back to it when I was like 17 and I loved it even more

[@starrshort6403]

I love shojo manga and your videos! I particularly love host club and maid sama thanks for the video!!!!

[@takoholic]

I gotta say just thank you for giving me enough reason to check it out because I brush it off. Now I wanna read it lots! Also slaying those poses I see!

[@Maimelodie]

I have 2 favorite Manga ,so I was excited to watch your video about one of them. And then you mentioned the other one : please save my earth ❤ This made my day! 😂

[@victorvila1389]

Gosh, I found your channel a couple weeks ago and you have become one of my favorite people on the internet. Keep it up, your content makes the world of manganime brighter :)

[@spacefacecadet]

Your Rei poster art recreations. Are incredible.

[@WateryStar]

I just got the rest of my manga collection back from my parent's, including Mars. I only have two volumes of it though. I wasn't interested in reading it at first either but heard picked it up after hearing it's praises. Now I gotta finish reading it. Thanks for the video!

[@TAHOEkaleidonaut]

Most fall hard for this series. And it will demand your wallet for completion. Including the additional “Horse With No Name.” Mars is in my top 10 manga series of all time, & the only series I’ve a complete set of. So far… Side note: Been an Otaku since 1999, & asides Adulting, all these recessions are getting in the way of my collections.🤣

[@christina_accidental_reseller]

Omg the closing line, nice touch! Hahaha I just finished the series in 3 days. What a drama rollercoaster Thanks for the reco

[@seeminglyseph]

I read MARS like… two decades ago in my own very troubled teen years, and when I read Masao I had the impression of him being the kind of character who resented the healing of others, who felt that other people who he viewed as being as rotten as him were justification for his not becoming better. And considering how rampantly homophobic the times were, him being ambiguous about his sexuality and attraction to both Rei and Kira was actually kind of humanizing. He was a fucked up teenager that was infatuated with a man and a woman and wasn’t emotionally equipped to manage it. Rei using the “f-slur” was. Painfully period appropriate. I won’t say “not homophobic” but I will say “probably more dated than malicious”

[@tatyanaviznyak687]

I'll come back to this video after I get to read the manga. It's being published in Spain right now and I'm suffering because the edition is gorgeous I can't buy it yet.

[@nso9193]

We need a photo series of Colleen’s pose recreations and we need it now ✊✊

[@CristinaFaee]

This manga was simply one of the greatest Shoujo series I’ve ever read!! It is soooo good!! I’m 32 and read it when I was 15/16 years old and literally was hooked! It made me question so many things about life and myself. I would recommend for everyone to read it! Truly a MASTERPIECE!! 🖤💕

[@imMaggy2]

I read all of the series after seeing your post about this video and I gotta say, ty so much for this video cause I absolutely loved it

[@sunny.7.]

Your outfit recreations and poses were impeccable 👏 I never finished reading Mars when I was young, but the art style has always stuck with me~ I think I’ve hesitated picking it up again because of the heavy subject matter and melodrama, but you’ve made it tempting to give it another go ha.

[@Janet9148]

OMG I THOUGHT NOBODY READ THIS UNTIL NOW THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@spacefacecadet]

"brother jumps off roof in front of him" is an oddly specific plot point for it to also be in interview with the vampire (2022) 🤔

[@gwtw99]

I'm so happy you're doing a video on Mars! it's one of my fav shoujo ever! I really need a new physical release 😔😔

[@vyckygy6626]

"No - ask society". I laughed. And then I cried.

[@layla-8369]

Love your outfits and pics for this one!!! You look so cool ☺ Your video makes me want to read it even more (had to skip some bits of your vid to avoid too many spoilers). Fun fact: I found out about Fuyumi Soryo's work through a documentary/interview presented by Naoki Urasawa. There she said that she ended up moving onto seinen because she felt she couldn't explore the darker topics she wanted to write as she wanted to write them within shojo. So what you say about the FL not having much to do in some parts of the story might have to do with that ''watering down'' the mangaka had to go through due to publication constrictions --put whatever tragedy under the guise of a teen love story for marketability's sake or to make it more palatable (although Mars is a romance to begin with, of course)

[@Maimelodie]

I love this manga❤. It will always stay dear to heart. And of course I fell in love with Rei wile reading it. This series felt special and more mature than everything else on the market back then and the artwork...omg . It's clean and beautiful but also the pacing was just on point. It felt like watching a movie going from one panel to the next. Thank you for this video

[@anavictoriana_]

I just recently read it for the first time as well and completely loved it. I agree with your comments on Masao, I also think there was something missing with his character in order to make it have a real impact. However just like you a 9/10 series for me and after finishing it I went straight to order the first two in one volumes that are currently being published in Spain cause the art its something I just need in my collection

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Masao's sections of the manga were just not hitting for me like they could have, unfortunately. Wish I spoke Spanish better because maybe I would order them too since those old Tokyopop editions go for an arm and a leg lol

[@s.c.1135]

Omg is it still being sold? If so what’s the website (ㆁωㆁ )

[@sannakarppinen4163]

I love this manga Mars. it is because i can relate to Kira very well.. she was raped by her stepfather and i was raped by my brothers godfather when i was 10 and he had molested me ever since iwas an infant. and i found this manga when i was going through my therapy and i had very difficult time and to read Kiras healing prosess i was able to get strength to go on and never give up and you are going to be OK.

[@ana9130]

Thank you so much for this video!!! Mars is my favorite manga and watching this analysis was so so interesting.

[@apriljohnson9593]

Great retrospective of MARS --one of my first manga and a favorite. Been a while since I've read it so it looks like time for reread. :)

[@Vividaze]

Those transitions are excellent 👌

[@shinrasboy]

Mars is, by far, my favorite shojo manga ever. It was the first manga I ever bought with my own money back in 2006 at a convention. I managed to track down the other volumes from the library. Years later in my 20s, I got the itch to read it again, and to even own it. I looked on eBay, but to my shock and horror I realized that the manga had been out of print and has skyrocketed in price. However! Lucky me! I found an auction that nobody else had bid on. I paid a total of $65 including shipping for every single volume of Mars in mint condition. Not just that, but they were first editions with the old TokyoPop logo. I later found the bonus volume for a dollar at a thrift store. I will forever treasure this series, and, while there might be a bias in there somewhere, I will always chasing down the high I felt off of this amazing series.

[@makingwaffles]

I adore MARS so much, read it when I was 13. Connected with Kira's character and struggles...

[@lunaperez5036]

SO GOOD! I love it. I remember binge reading it in two days and had to take breaks. I live in Mexico and they haven't got the license yet, but I'm waiting on getting the Spanish edition (Spain).

[@Xaforn]

One of the first manga I ever picked up and absolutely fell in love with it. Never did I expect to find such a deep story in a comic! 💜💜💜💜

[@julesdrey7415]

I feel like I missed out on a lot of classic manga series from the 90s since I didn't start reading until the early 2000s and my local library didn't have them. At least I got to read Boys Over Flowers. My library had the series and I took out all the books to read over a couple of days.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Same here! My library mostly just had the Shojo Beat titles from their Shojo Beat magazine that Viz was promoting at the time but not much other shoujo series other than that. I'm kinda backtracking and reading stuff from the 90s now since I missed so much.

[@PinkySoda]

binged the entire series because my hs had the manga (whitch is super strange cause it isn't exactly pg but okay-) honestly it gave me that shoujo feeling i was missing TT

[@KatiCleo]

Easily one of my favorite manga of all time. Fuyumi Soryo is such a good storyteller. I also liked her other series, which is a dabble into philosophical sci-fi (thriller?) dramas, Eternal Sabbath. But yeah Mars was.. such a big part of my opening up to loving shoujo manga (edit: as a young teen in the early 2010s when liking anime and manga in my country was really not cool lol). Probably along with Akuma de Sourou. Also for its time it ducks so many gross problematic tropes the likes Boys Over Flowers was full of, and it just explores so many interesting ideas about the human psyche and the despair the powerlessness of being not yet an adult, yet no longer a child gives you in your worst times. Just truly, truly amazing.

[@user-bl1sh9ww9d]

"I can fix him" 😭😭😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 NO CUZ SAME 🤣🤣🤣😭😭

[@hound8801]

just finished mars so i could watch this video

[@saintnicole3209]

this is my favorite shoujo, and i also highly recommend the taiwanese drama adaptation! you can find it online with subtitles in very bad quality but it's worth it. it's from 2004 so it's a bit dated, but they add a lot of stuff that really makes it work. it's set in college, so the storylines make a lot more sense, and there are a lot more scenes between some of the characters that make certain story beats flow better, such as kira's friendships with people outside of rei.

[@chao7177]

oh i love u for this video!!!! mars is just my fav ♥ and i got the quote u referenced in the end heh

[@mangasaltaria]

Damn Colleen! I had no intention of reading or collecting this series but you make it so difficult 🤣 I’m definitely gonna read it on kindle unlimited at the very least. I’ve missed out 😅

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

It's funny how unassuming this series seems until you start reading it! I hope you enjoy it too 🙌🙌

[@LilyGraceySa]

A lot of people gathered to talk about MARS! Yay!!😭

[@KanemiX3]

Hi colleen this is slightly off topic but I really hope you do a review of Immortal Rain shoujo and From Far away someday because they have always been one of my favorite adventure scifi/fantasy shoujo that capture and combine the element of romance and journey together I have ever read. I really love Kaori Ozaki sensei work, she poured a lot of personal research and effort into her manga (even making multiple free extra story for them) and I wish someone could give her a spotlight for at least once.

[@peterstrianus1790]

I read it back in the day and I was blown out by the amount of psychology put into this manga, I mean I was reading DBZ at the time, not exactly a psychological rollercoaster. I need to go back on Mars definitely.

[@nocturne3008]

I found Mars in my teens through the 2004 Taiwanese drama and love to see this series getting some love.

[@bunnyvm5909]

I read this manga in High School because they had it in the library. I finished it online during classes. It was one of my safe places when life got hard for me in those years.

[@shineefeels]

Knowing that you were reading Mars, one of my favorite mangas, I decided to look at Fuyumi Soryo’s other works and I hadn’t realized someone fan-translated Boyfriend in recent years. So I read that last weekend. And in the same way you felt Mars was authentic to the 90’s, I felt the same way about Boyfriend being authentic to the 80’s. It really felt like I was in a time capsule. Boyfriend is similar to Mars in character personality types but it doesn’t explore dark themes. And your complaint of the FL being passive / not having much screentime in Mars is more pronounced in Boyfriend. It was still an interesting read! But I would recommend Mars way more of the two for its pacing and engaging story. I’m glad you enjoyed Mars! It’s fun seeing people enjoy older classics. 🥰

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I also saw someone had been translating Boyfriend!! Was planning on checking it out eventually after Mars. Knowing that about the FMC though I wonder if Soryo just feels more comfortable writing men?? It'd be interesting to look into once I read more of her works like Eternal Sabbath or Cesare.

[@shineefeels]

@@ColleensMangaRecs I have written down on MyAnimeList that I read Eternal Sabbath a long time ago (probably 10+ years) but I can’t remember much about it. But Cesare!! I read what had been translated of that a few years ago - it’s always been slow to pick up translations because it’s a historical and doesn’t get a lot of engagement from English speaking fans. But that one is very good - also male centered. So perhaps you’re right. Maybe Soryo enjoys writing her male characters the most?

[@G7D7M77]

Adding it to the reading list Thank you 🤘

[@shelbymckinney8888]

Great review! Keep up the good work👍

[@shirousagi8618]

I bought volume 1 of this yesterday and can't wait to get into the series

[@user-dl7ls3qu3m]

MARS IS MY FAVOURITE MANGA OF ALL TIME!! next to Ao Haru Ride😭 it deserves an anime

[@Animelon]

heyy:) I've been loving your videos. Found you from your where did all the shoujo anime go video. Just curious if you have been reading any Korean manhwas or webtoons because that's what I've been really into lately.

[@PaneraBrad]

New Colleen video let’s goooo

[@kaeleii]

This manga is definitely one of my favorites. Everything about it. I almost didnt read it due to the MAL review

[@Gw3ndolynB]

Ugh read this when I was in middle school, the art is amazing and the story

[@vcrtape8601]

I'm a bit late but do you think it's similar with cheese in the trap? I mean quality-wise in writing and character. Been reading cheese in the trap and trying to find manga in the same level of writing with it (and have quite a hard time lol)

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Cheese in the Trap has a better main female lead and I find that series to be more interesting overall however you'd probably still enjoy Mars like I did!

[@vcrtape8601]

@@ColleensMangaRecs Definitely putting this on my rec list!

[@rawdasalmataman7908]

Is cheese in the trap that good?

[@evil_Rosalba]

I’ve never heard of it. But I went and binged it and it was amazing

[@FotakaTefa]

hahah, I used to have that Mars statue kissing panel cut out and glued to my school journal, great times

[@mangakat]

I definitely need to read Mars now.

[@Latalie]

You look so badass in those different outfits from the manga

[@hanblue1225]

To me it was peak K-drama from 2010s kinda melodrama that has shit ton of bomb OSTs. Fuck. Mars is just so damn good like that. I want a kdrama version live action of Mars. Plz lord hear me out😭😭😭

[@saintnicole3209]

there's a taiwanese drama adaptation! you can find it online

[@hanblue1225]

@@saintnicole3209 i have seen it. It so good but a kdrama 2022 version would just be so amazing. Yk how kdramas are so good at making romance