This manga was exactly what I needed. I read it at the perfect time and I think it will leave a lasting impression on me. You Got Me Sempai will probably shape how I perceive romance and healthy relationships since it spends so much time focusing on communication and tactics the two employ to ensure that they are constantly communicating and not hurting the other. Its honestly the healthiest relationship Ive seen in a high school romance manga. Serina Koshino arrives at school one day to see that someone has written lovesong lyrics all over her desk. The vandal turns out to be Asuma Mizukawa a boy in the grade above her. She quickly becomes fascinated with him and she asks him out after knowing him for only a brief period of time. Mizukawa agrees to date Serina and they get to know each other during their relationship. This manga doesnt have much in the way of story. This is solely focused on the relationship between our two leads and how it develops. Its very much like a slice of life manga except focused on the romance between the main couple. This is the backbone of the manga and I love how natural and realistic the progression feels. In my experiences in high school most of the couples I saw get together werent super close or didnt really know each other before dating. It was after one of them confessed their feelings that theyd agree to go out and get to know each other better and see if their relationship lasted. At one school I went to relationships like these lasted longer than the ones where the two were already friendly. The way the two characters got together just felt super reflective of my reallife experiences. Their relationship is one of the healthiest Ive seen in manga. Theyre both very pragmatic careful and attentive people. They communicate beautifully and try to sort out miscommunication very quickly. Serina and Mizukawa may be high schoolers but they are more mature than many adults I know. One instance I liked was in the beginning of the manga where they were talking about jealousy. Instead of forbidding each other to talk to other members of the opposite gender and making friends with them Mizukawa says that there will be other girls in his life and some of them may have attributes that Serina lacks but he will only be looking at her romantically. She will always be more important in that regard even if he does have female friends and coworkers. I really appreciated that outlook on that aspect of the relationship since it was different from the usual Ill never talk to other girls which just seemed super extreme especially when people have solid platonic relationships with the opposite gender all the time. I think a major thing that impacts the story is just how they get together in the first chapter. They spend the entire series building trust with each other which is why they make such an effective couple. And its not like theyre perfect either. Their relationship is flawed and goes through the same things less healthy relationships go through. They drift apart at certain points doubt each others love and fight. Theres a whole arc where Mizukawa is preparing for college and drifts away from Serina for a bit. Its all very well executed. And speaking of well executed theres a love triangle throughout the series that is handled in such a normal and realistic way. This boy has feelings for Serina but hes aware she has a boyfriend and is respectful of that. He never pushes her boundaries even though he wants to have an opportunity for her to become his girlfriend. Despite that he never tries to steal her away from her boyfriend and is generally respectful of their relationship. His appearances are spread out to keep the drama light and his character is more about unrequited love for someone who cant love him back. I hope he finds happiness. The characters arent particularly strong. I think this story is more about the characters interactions than the characters themselves. Mizukawa has a cold exterior and isnt exactly super approachable. He is very tender with those he cares about despite having a brisk demeanor with those he isnt close to. Serina is a year younger and less mature. She can be selfish and childish but she always wants to return the kindness she is given. Shes very sweet and always willing to offer support to those who need it. Many of the other characters are more like background characters and I wish they had more going on like the ones in Koi no Hajimari which this kind of reminded me of. The art was very different. I was expecting the typical shoujo art which I do love like Io Sakisakas stuff for Ao Haru Ride. However the mangaka delivers a more sketchy and cartoony style. Its very stylized and just feels free. It kind of reminds me of the art in Koi no Hajimari actually. It looks like something someone would quickly draw in their sketchbook while consistently looking nice. My one gripe is that the guys looked super similar and I had a hard time telling Mizukawa and Higuchi apart when Mizukawa dyed his hair. Is this manga perfect? No. Is it groundbreaking in any way? No. But that didnt stop this manga from having an impact on me. I was super stressed and unhappy and I just needed something to cheer me up. Im glad I was reading this at the time since I feel like the way I perceive love romance and dating has changed. I kind of want a relationship now just because of this mangas influence which is something that no other piece of media has done before.