This manga is not for everyone. But for the people that it is for, it's pretty much everything you could want from a manga.
My advice for the people considering whether to read this manga: read the first 7 or 8 pages of Chapter 36 before you start at the beginning. Don't go further than the page where the bucket is thrown (a "story arc", if you could call it that, begins there), but do note the line on that page which reads, "This is all the more a gag manga". If you don't like this kind of manga, do yourself a favor and stay away. If, like me, you do like this kind of thing, start reading now - you will not regret it!
I've seen a few comments saying that this manga is not your typical shoujo manga. This is true...but only partially. It subverts, averts or otherwise plays with a lot of shoujo manga tropes, but certainly it's not the first manga that does that. What makes it stand out, in my opinion, is the fact that it doesn't completely parody shoujo manga - and so it pokes fun not only at the original genre but at the parodies as well. For example, often you'll find female leads who are terrible at cooking. So naturally a manga that plays with tropes would be expected to make the female lead a great cook, right? It follows that we'd expect Hinata to be either a great cook or a terrible one. As it turns out, her cooking is so completely normal that even her boyfriend comments on how mysteriously normal it is!
There is indeed a lot of fluffiness and romance and lovey-doveyness in this manga, but for the most part - and I think some people don't realize this - the romance is secondary to the comedy. Usotsuki Lily is a gag manga first and a romance manga second. This is important, so let me repeat that.
USOTSUKI LILY IS A GAG MANGA FIRST AND A ROMANCE MANGA SECOND.
Comedy is, of course, very subjective. Not everyone is going to enjoy Komura-sensei's brand of humor. The excerpt I refer to above is the kind of thing you're g up for when you read this manga. The fourth wall starts crumbling in the first few chapters and is pretty much destroyed about ten to twenty chapters later. In the latest chapters Komura-sensei has been pulverizing the remains with a gusto that could only be matched by a crowd of East Germans armed with jackhammers. Indeed, she has become a sort of minor character in her own right. Now, when you break the fourth wall or insert yourself into your own work you have to be careful, or you'll come across as annoying (or worse). Komura-sensei manages this very well, with hilarious results. I no longer make the mistake of eating while reading this manga lest my laughter kill me.
Of course, a manga that lies entirely on fourth-wall-breaking for comedy is hardly worth reading. But that's not all this manga's got! The cast of characters is large and likable. It is true that they could be fleshed out a little bit more (especially Rui and Niko), but in a gag manga I don't think every single character needs to be developed in full detail. This is not high literature, after all - and each character does have some personality. Of the twenty-odd recurring characters, I find I dislike none of them! This is very unusual for me - countless manga have left bad tastes in my mouth because I take issue with one character or another (coughSpecial Acough). Hinata and En don't grate like so many romantic leads. They're referred to (endearingly, it must be itted) as an "idiot couple" a few times in the manga, but there's plenty of couples who deserve that epithet thousands of times more than these two do. The side characters really add color to the story: you've got Kojirou who always acts like a samurai, Naota who's a bit of a sadist, Hinata's little brother Taiyou who's as close to the straight man of the manga as anyone's going to be, and more and more! Special mention should be made of the Shinohara family, whose are refreshingly honest with themselves and with the world. Pretty much the first thing En's little brother Ten says is, "I like boys". The oldest brother An goes further: he proudly declares that he'll go for both guys and girls as long as they're cute!
But that's not to say the romance isn't there. It is, and it's really beautiful. En and Hinata really, really love each other - and they are secure in that love. Once in a while Hinata may come across as somewhat insecure, but deep down she knows that En loves her and won't waver. One thing should be mentioned, though. Pretty much all the romantic development occurs in the first two chapters. After that, while some events of a romantic nature occur, there's nothing significant. I don't think that's a bad thing, though. Why does there need to be more development? They are deeply devoted to each other, and there's absolutely no reason not to assume that they won't marry, procreate and die of old age in each other's arms. Hinata turned down En's latest love rival in one page. At this point I don't think it's possible or necessary for them to deepen their love. From the romance point of view, this manga should really be seen as the "happily ever after" part of the story. Honestly, I think that's a good thing. All that drama and heartbreak and insecurity that you see in some other manga can really get on my nerves, and it's pleasant and refreshing to read about a couple who simply loves each other.
Hinata herself is the kind of character that I wish would occur more often. She is definitely not the typical whiny, insecure, weak, shy and unstable shoujo manga heroine, yet she is also not the kind of character who's strong and self-reliant to a fault, typical of mangaka who want to get away from weak heroines. She is definitely not frail - she can hold En in her arms even though he's bigger than her - but sometimes she does need En to come in and save the day. (Thankfully, this is very rare.) She may worry when she gains weight, but she doesn't wallow in insecurity when another girl tries to steal En from her. She takes action, and boy did she leave my jaw hanging! In the end, though she may be boyish sometimes (she comments on how she loses to En in "girl power"), she is still a girl. Indeed, if you strip off the zany, comedic parts of her she comes across as more realistic than many manga characters I've seen.
En's case is similar. He's not the perfect, strong, cool, untouchable type, nor is he a weak pushover. He's not particularly popular among the girls (but he is popular among the guys, to his utter disgust), nor is he one of those rough delinquents who are tamed by their girlfriends. He's neither a prince nor a nerd. ittedly, he is more in touch with his female side than some males (and not just because he crossdresses), but he's still a guy. He s Hinata when she needs it, and gets from her when he needs it. He pays for their dates and everything, but he's not rich and he doesn't do it ostentatiously. He very rarely swoops in to save the day, and when he does he ends up looking more like a pervert than a hero. What he does have in common with the typical shoujo manga male lead, though, is his insane hotness. He's really won the lottery as far as looks go - he's hot as a guy and as a girl. But I think that En, too, when you strip off those traits which are meant to be silly, is at least somewhat realistic. Certainly he's more realistic than those rich, handsome heirs to companies who are always perfect gentlemen and who have irers lining up out the door!
Plot-wise, there's very little that I haven't already said. The manga is mostly gags, with a good amount of fluff and lovey-doveyness but no real development. Each chapter is mostly self-contained, with a smattering of two-chapter arcs. One weakness of this manga - and the reason why I didn't rate it a full 10 - is that it does have a few serious moments. They are jarring given the general extremely light (indeed, irreverent) tone of the manga, and they aren't done particularly well. (I make exception for the one occasion where a certain chapter ends darkly, but the dark ending is shown in the next chapter to be a gag.) Apart from them, whatever plot there is serves as a vehicle for the comedy, and does the job irably. In all, I would say: don't read this manga for the plot. It is a gag manga.
I have little to say about the artwork. Tastes differ, and it's easy to click through a few pages to see if you like it. My own opinion is that all the characters look tasty enough to eat. The guys especially are hot enough to make anyone drool (except Ten, who's really cute but not hot). And Hinata-kun in Chapter 37... Dressed up like that, there's no reason why the girls wouldn't squeal!
I've said a good deal here, and I think I'd better wrap things up.
The verdict: Awesome manga.
Recommend? No to anyone looking for drama and deep plots; a huge, resounding YES to anyone who enjoys comedy, especially of the fourth-wall-breaking variety.
