Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems with the shojo formula.  In fact, I eat it up.  Girls meets boy, girl thinks she loves boy, girl actually loves boy who is right for her then add a twist.  In this case, the twist is that the boy Suzuna actually loves is also in love with the boy she thinks she loves.  Are you following me?  Suzuna is a freshman at Tokyo University and happy to be on her own.  Her cute but teasing neighbor Eichi is best friends with super hot Fukami.  Together the two battle for his attentions.  The artwork is pretty standard and Suzuna looks much younger than her 18 years though she’s cute enough.  Her signature ponytails are surely destined to come down when she becomes a little bit more mature.

By volume 2, it’s clear that Eichi and Suzuna have feelings for each other though they stubbornly refuse to see it.  The Japanese don’t seem to have as much of a problem with fluid sexuality as Americans do so Eichi’s jump from male to female is sort of skimmed over.   The story is funny.  Eichi and Suzuna’s interactions are amusing and it’s no stretch to believe the two would fall in love.  One of my biggest gripes about shojo manga is what I like to call “The Joey Potter variable” wherein every male character inexplicably falls for the heroine despite the fact that she has no sense of humor, intelligence or any other appealing qualities.  Venus in Love avoids this by making Suzuna a likable character.  She works hard but knows how to have fun.

At the end of volume 2, the story felt finished to me.  Everyone was happy, the end.  But it continues, introducing a ridiculous character to distract Eichi and drawing out the other relationships.  If you are looking for some fun, lighthearted romance try volumes 1-2 then leave this manga for deeper waters.