Minimum

Starting with Itou, it was a roller coaster. I definitely did not like him to begin with. Nevertheless, after seeing his dedication towards Haru, I started expecting great things from him. Itou sacrificed his passion for photography in order to help a stranger he only just met. His affection towards her, at first was not completely sexual. I'm quite proud that he is noble. He has formed a genuine attachment to Haru; his desire to help her and see her smile once more is admirable. However, as the manga progresses, my impression of him changes for the worse as he starts to think with his dick.  As far as it concerns me, Itou does not deserve Haru because he becomes obnoxious after receiving his first kiss from her; he is easy and cheap. He becomes totally obsessed with physical contact and constantly mentions it. He ignores Saitou in replacement of further "skinship" with Haru. As a brother, Itou does not show concern for Jun at all when she needs him the most. Jun loves him very much and supports him as a sister would and should. She does so by suggesting that he openly talk about his problems, but he chooses otherwise. Itou also kept Haru a secret showing distrust to his own family. If it weren't for Jun sneaking about, she would not have found about the secret and Haru would still be eating in Itou's room inside a cage. All Itou does is take and give nothing back; after kissing Haru, he abandons her and tries to have sex with an idol instead. Although, I completely understand the reason for his sudden lust towards women in general. He suffered tremendously from his crush calling him disgusting. As a result, "acceptance" is the thing that he embraces when presented with, but his actions are not excused. Furthermore, Itou's appearance is misleading. He may look smart but is ignorant and is stupid. Sadly, he has become "disgusting" having led by selfish desires, and in turn, resulted in the ignorance of Haru's distress and Saitou's warnings. In fact, if he was any denser he would sink to the bottom of the ocean. He is a scumbag.

The next one is Saitou. At first, I found him to be hilariously annoying. He was not all that impressive in my eyes. He always talks about vulgar and obscene topics. Although, quite the opposite to the protagonist, my bad impression of him turned into great approval. Overtime, I learned to respect him as a character. He is the complete opposite of Itou in more ways than one. Saitou surprises me regarding his priorities. His focus towards the issue at hand deserves recognition. His focus does not falter, especially after Catherine had intercourse with him, in spite of being a virgin himself; he does not make a big deal out of it. On the surface, he is extremely perverse when compared to Itou's timid exterior. However, it is extraordinarily ironic that Saitou, the person suggesting to "put a Q-tip inside a small female human's vagina", would have better control over his sexual tendencies than Itou, whom should lead a better example. Even having a bodacious sister does not bother him and only sees her out of respect. In short, in contrast with Itou, he thinks with his head. His delinquent-like look should be ignored as he is capable, caring and smart. In comparison to Itou and Jun's siblinghood, Saitou and Shizuka's relationship is better. Saitou completely puts his trust in his elder sister by informing her about the investigation of the game. He looks to her for advice, despite Shizuka being under the influence of alcohol at the time. Shizuka being a drunkard and having intercourse while on the phone does not affect Saitou's impression on his sister and still views her in high regard as a lecturer and as a sibling. In return, Shizuka tries to acquire additional information from her friends and associates to help her brother. They have a give-and-take relationship. Saitou also brings Catherine to Shizuka's attention knowing that she might not approve of the situation. Yet, she believes in Saitou and helps tend Catherine's wounds. Their relationship both shows reliance and trust towards each other. She may not seem reliable but he still trusts her with his secrets. Shizuka is a kind, loving and gentle elder sister; they are relatively more of a family than Itou and Jun are. I also found Saitou's attachment to Itou astonishing; quite literally, he is a good friend, which a treatment Itou does not deserve. He brings food to Itou without being asked. Even when turned away by his friend, Saitou still shows his concern for Itou's safety by warning him about the game, any lurking dangers and specifically, Haru. There is one similarity that Saitou and Itou have: that is helping those in need. He concerns himself with Catherine whom he has met on the streets, in a garbage dump, while he is on alert for suspecting Minimum players. Saitou has more protagonist traits than Itou.

Moving on to the main heroine, Haru. After having the worst impression on the protagoinst, I had to invest on Haru, as it is the wisest step to make, in order to continuously enjoy the manga. Investing and attachment is easy when it comes to Haru. She is defenseless, cute and a tsundere. Also, she is the centerpiece of the mystery Saitou is trying to solve, so she is already interesting to start with. I'm really fond of her. She is a strong character, despite being portrayed as a dependent character. If Itou did not pick her up, she could have figured things out on her own, no matter the difficulty. She is not weak-willed, unlike the protagonist. I want to see her become independent; to be her own person. She is not a doll that needs to be nurtured and taken care of by people around her. It is evident from the symbolism that she wears clothes made for dolls and be compared to one. However, Haru is different from any ordinary doll; she is human. She can feel, love and think like everyone else. Also, Haru cares for people dear to her, and leaves them for her better judgement. She would rather be alone and lost rather than to see her loved ones suffer; Haru is selfless. (Even though, that said "loved one" does not deserve Haru's love)

Lastly, Catherine. She's paired with Saitou, and hey... she's like a robot (Besides, she looks like Boa Hancock). I love her already.