TLDR Despite its flaws thats pretty much expected from its harem category it is surely a timeless gem in the haremromance genre for its beautifully developed main characters thrust in a compelling take on a whimsical exciting kinda bold and overall sweet high school romance all the while in the scope of an unexpectedly overarching comingofage story. Still the long unpredictable dramatic journey that ultimately leads to that satisfying conclusion isnt for everyone but Id still say to give it a chance. P.S.: Never EVER watch the anime. Ichigo 100 starts off from Junpeis chance encounter with a girl wearing strawberry panties. This strong attraction of hisboth weird and may or may not be expected from a boy in adolescenceled him to confess to his popular classmate Nishino thinking she was that girl. However it turned out to be Aya the other girl he recently met and admired for her gift in writing leading to a seemingly artificial plot driven by Junpeis overthinking indecisiveness and wavering feelings for each girl. From that alone you find a weird premise thats not helped by its awkward start and its beginning of a series of frequent pandering to the male audience i.e. fanservice and outright ridiculousness. Even then besides the mostly captivating art these are outweighed by the development the main characters undergo. During their 3rd year of middle school they start off as vaguefrequently fumbling and lacking emotional depthin their relationships and generally immature. However they are able to grow past that to be more empathic levelheaded decisive and fulfilled throughout and beyond their 3 years of high school. This is made possible by the delicate effort put into individual characterization especially in relation with their formed friendships as well as their underlying pursuits for their dreams aspirations and passions. Junpei is like a lot of harem protagonists: simple dense though not as dense unpopular and stupid though with a dream of becoming a future film director. When the time counts he puts in effort and steels himself with bravery and perseverance for the people he cares about. More importantly though he is often found lost in thought about a certain girls feelings his actions or lack thereof and so on. But it is precisely in his simple mind that we are able to see Junpei at his utmost heartfelt honesty and sometime idiocy. We can see him deeply acknowledge and dwell upon his shortcomings seeking to find ways to make things right and not let things end the way they are. We can see him be selfless to a fault earnestly praying for someones happiness and ensuring hes there to support them. Heck its almost endearing to see his thoughts and actions be reflective of a hopeless romantic e.g. I still want to be with her but also of a guy whos willing to understand and be more considerate of others feelings as well as to become better than the idiot that he was yesterday even if sometimes a tad too late. Despite his harem MClike traits he shines with the genuineness of his words thoughts and actions as well as his eventual maturitya trait I feel is so deeply lacking in many other harem protagonists. Besides Junpei the mangaka also did a splendid job capturing why each girl is endearing and charming in their own way as their interactions with him spark unique interesting conversations and outcomes that make it seem like theyre all kind of a good fit for him. Either way the emotional connections they form and strengthen provide a heartwarming and sometimes outright captivating experience. More importantly of course is how the girls likewise go through a journey where they find and work resolutely towards a dream to call their own: one not hinged on or set back by a clutch on someone else but one truly independent of the whims and desires of others. In firm pursuit of that dream the characters had to change and change they did: apart and together. Above all else I will always love how much agency the characters seemed to have these people were more than just romantic interests waiting for the protagonist to love them. I cant say the same for the other supporting characters however. Some of them were essentially forgotten by the end of the story and I heavily dislike the late introduction of another romantic interest for Junpei who only actually served as Although Id like to say that the manga wouldve been better off with just a love triangle I find the other girls sans the one I mentioned above quite important to the development of Junpei and I think the interesting interactions they kicked off cannot be undermined. Still I stand firm that the manga wouldve benefited if it did away from the ecchi. Overall Ichigo 100 was an enjoyable ride as I saw the characters mature despite the bumps in the road. In spite of Junpeis idiocies his monologues dialogues and subsequent actions deeply flesh him out as more than just an indecisive perverted guy and Id go so far as to say he is one of the most fleshed out harem protagonists out there. While far from perfect I daresay Ichigo 100 is one of the best harem manga to ever exist. It continues to withstand the test of time with its classic but compelling immersive haremromance storyline spanning the momentous tumultuous periods of the characters lives tackling a whimsical exciting kinda bold and overall sweet high school romance thats only offset by the generally disliked drama read: misunderstandings that ensued throughout the story. Nevertheless once you finish the manga and look back on previous chapters of what theyve been through youll just know Junpei made the right choice of girl and that theyll work it out precisely because of their growth apart and together as well as their strong mutual love that stood against well everything. More importantly though the ending is incredibly deserved and emotionally powerful thanks to the wild journey that molded and led the charactersespecially Junpeito where we see them in the final chapter. The narrative Ichigo 100 told managed to come full circle providing a deeply satisfying story no other haremromance manga has ever done for me.