As a zealous fan of some of Erica Sakurazawa's other works, like The Aromatic Bitters and Between the Sheets, I can't help but be disappointed by this one. It's got some of the same strengths as her other work, like her sketchy, somewhat minimalist lines and mature, believable characters--well, except for Taku, the love interest, who is the latter but not the former.

But unfortunately at just 150 pages The Rules of Love is far too short to develop the plot in a realistic, 3-dimensional way. There just isn't enough space for character development, which makes the emotions depicted between the characters feel sometimes like it comes ex nihilo. It has flashes of excellence but ultimately feels a bit flat and thin. I have no doubt that if it had been 250 pages then Ms. Sakurazawa could have used the same plot, the same characters, and the same beginning, middle, and end to much greater impact. ( )