While the manga is not all that original itself, many factors set it apart from your typical shoujo manga. First: This is a sequel to another manga which had less of a concise storyline but did help shape the characters to who they are and had set the mood for the sequel (which can be considered the "main/real" story). The author did a beautiful job connecting the two stories with the prequel being the "why" to the sequel. Second (also the character review): Being the sequel, the main characters are already well developed and here the characters just develop even more as they realize how, much they changedfrom the prequel and how much they were influenced by the others.
Tsubaki (main guy) is basically your generic Mr. Popular School Idol guy with the cold sadistic personality but is actually really warm and sweet. What is different however is that he accepts Naedoko (main girl) for who she is, which is why this manga is a favorite of mine. Naedoko does not change throughout the entire series. She is that loner plain glasses girl that nobody really knows. Unlike every other shoujo manga I've read (which is quite a lot) she pretty much remained like that. There is no miracle make-over that turned the ugly duckling to a beautiful swan that captures the heart of the prince, none of that over cliched archetype, no Naedoko remained a plain "megane-ko" and Tsubaki accepts that.
Another reason this manga is a favorite, and why Naedoko is a favorite original is that she is one of the very rare strong independent woman character. Yes, she relies a lot on Tsubaki for advice and a push, but she solves her problem on her own, does not take bs from anyone, is calculative and manipulative, and does not show submissiveness. If you believe in girl power, this is your girl.

The art is nice, kind of typical. Its drawn well but not anything new, although I did notice a few errors like a sudden seat change in a scene.

That basically concludes the review that is longer than it has to be. Obviously with the high rating, i enjoyed it. And yes i recommend it 10/10 (im really bad at conclusions so just let it slide at that)