Skip Beat! Is a manga that I did not expect much from. The summary given did not give a very interesting inlook on the story, but once I began reading it, I couldn't stop. I'm on my fourth, (yes, fourth,) run of re-reading it, and the humor of it still makes me literally laugh and giggle at nearly every page of the adorable, quirky, hilarious spaz that Kyoko, the main character, brings into the story, as well as all the other characters.
The characterization of every character in the story is amazing. Kyoko's character is so complex and yet relatable that she is quite unlike any character from an anime or manga that I've seen. She is so crazy, and wise and mature and naive all at the same time that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what she is, because she is in fact all of these things. Ren, the love interest, is at first cold and sarcastic towards her, which isn't rare at all to see in a manga. What's different with Ren is that he doesn't get caught up instantly in love with Kyoko, he battles with himself, and is his own character, rather than a generic sarcastic-bad-boy love interest.
The characters in Skip Beat! (and there's a plethora of them) are all so wonderfully made that they make the story interesting when the romance in the story develops slowly. Unlike most, Skip Beat!'s man protagonist is not ultimately focused on love. I fact, she refuses to allow herself to be in love until about 120+ chapters in. Instead she focuses on her revenge of her childhood friend, Sho, and creating her career as an actress to achieve her revenge. The manga is so long, that you become attached to every character and when the romance does start, you are completely and 100% intrigued and hooked.
The only bummer, is that the chapters are so slow to be released, that once you get to the newest release point, you have to wait agonizingly long to know what happens next. But it's worth it, and I HIGHLY suggest reading this manga!