Manga 11604 Diamond Life

*This is my first review, I'm sorry I had to put some spoilers. And I also apologize for the possible linguistic mistakes I may have written*


At first sight, this josei manga seems quite ordinary : a love story between a rich, handsome young employer and a poor female employee. But it quickly shows another aspect: finances and how to build wealth in Japan.

~SPOILER~
The other, rather dark, very interesting topic it deals with is HIV. I really love how the mangaka highlights the side effects of the antiviral drugs and the hardship one has to go through when infected by this virus.
Yet, there's one major negative ... point in the story : at some point, the female leader asks her HIV-infected boyfriend not to put the condom on because she wants to have his children. HUUUGE MISTAKE! There are safest ways (such as sperm washing) to have babies without putting yourself and your future offspring in danger! I would've given it a 9, or even a 10 if the mangaka didn't bring that dangerous idea.

This manga seems so unassuming with its rich boy/poor girl premise however, it turns out to be so much more than a cliché as the plot takes a turn into unexplored territory at the halfway mark. The story delves into something that's still taboo even in modern times. It's very refreshing especially for the genre. I think that's all I can say without spoiling anything. The romance between the two leads, Kanae and Haruki, is quite rushed. There's one particular gesture towards the end, that's supposed to come off as sweet but it really shouldn't...

The art is not very good as the manga is more ... plot driven. I disliked how Haruki was drawn with those weird beady eyes. There's a lot of overcrowded panels and lengthy dialogue on finance. Like Kanae, I didn't really care for it even though I should.

If you like a stories with a bit more depth to them try Diamond Life.
Do not judge this by it's title, this is not some cutesy romance about a girl falling for a rich guy like you would think from the title.
It's a story about overcoming the little impossible things in life, like poverty, debt, and sickness. You might even learn some sound business principles from it.

The heroine of this story Kanae is a very poor girl saddled with a father who wracks up debts, she had to quit school to ... work and since she did not have a diploma she is stuck as a cleaning lady.

But she is a very hard working heroine with a good work ethic and I think as you read it you will recognize real women, not the stupid ones often seen in mangas but the real ones who go to work every day in non glamorous jobs all over the world. She is not stupid she just has not had opportunities.

Enter young handsome company president known by his competitors as the god of death. She cannot stand him at first seeing him as a elitist and egoist.

But once she has to work for him, cleaning his company, she sees how many hours he works himself and they form an odd type of boss employee truce where he tells her better ways to handle her money and she works herself out of debt.

And first off, this is NOT one of those stories where he comes after her sexually harrassing her or anything like that either.

And it shows that money does not buy love.

This is more true to work and it tackels real issues some of which really surprised me - which is unusual if you read a lot and you know you are reading a good manga when things happen that you cannot predict.

You could read this as a josie primarily but I think it would be enjoyed by a seinen audience as well.

The art is well drawn but not awe striking, the story is quite well written, with a lot of reading, which I personally liked cause I like to read but it might bother those who prefer less text in their manga. The character development and portrayal is quite good. But it is mostly just centered on the two mcs with not much development of side characters.

It's enjoyable because you will feel you are reading something different from the typical stories presented.
It is both slice of life and romance.
Overall I would rate it a 9/10 mostly because it is nice to be surprised by the turn of events in a manga. I don't want to say too much about the plot to give things away. If you like stories with strong real heroines who also have heart and grit - give Diamond Life a try.
Now from the title I understand that the author was probably saying that diamonds require a lot of pressure to produce their brilliance and require cutting to make them shine as a metaphor to life.