I love when manga takes a mature, responsible look at sex. I also seem to be enjoying this bag of trash, which doesn’t do anything like that at all. II love when manga takes a mature, responsible look at sex. I also seem to be enjoying this bag of trash, which doesn’t do anything like that at all. If you’ve missed having anything as dumb as Domestic Girlfriend in your life, here’s its spiritual successor.
There’s no other way to describe a story where Umimi masturbates by literally using Riku’s hand while she thinks he’s asleep, as if this wouldn’t wake him up, while he is nothing of the sort. At least there wasn’t a suppository around.
In fact, this volume goes five steps further by dragging in every trope it can think of all at once. After all that, Riku and Umimi end up fake dating, because I haven’t been cursed enough with that one. And at the end of the book, it’s revealed that Shizuku, despite being quite healthy in every possible respect, actually has Manga Sick Girl Syndrome and will die soon.
Well, that last one is pretty iffy because, given her nature, it’s entirely possible that Shizuku is lying to get Riku to be(n)d to her whims and help earn that explicit content warning.
What’s his name remains a non-entity, honestly this story is about the girls anyway, so it’s an utter mystery why they just don’t sort this out with actual dialogue and break-ups. Well, mystery in quotes - they don’t because it wouldn’t be as sordid that way.
This is the sort of story where anything that can go “wrong” for Riku will do so. From taking care of sick girls with more fancy bras than they know what to do with to giving CPR in pirate caves, this is just wild.
I’m genuinely baffled at how this won an award, except that it is absolutely gold tier at being utter nonsense. Stepfathers exist to be evil, Riku’s mom saves the day, everyone seems to live alone. It’s like every hamfisted story beat suddenly achieved critical mass in one book.
Even the art is all wonky at times. Riku is on the receiving end of a punch that looks like somebody doing yoga in the park, while Umimi appears to have a bionic finger ringing a doorbell later.
I don’t even know with this series. I mean, it’s pure drivel, but it entertains most of the time, even if parts of this volume are pretty slow. That’s the danger here; the writing is so subpar that when it’s not being glorious trash it doesn’t have much to offer.
Still, there’s always next volume…
2.5 stars - probably the weakest volume yet; minus that wild scene with Umimi and Riku (or at least his hand) there’s not much here to work with. ...more
This just keeps growing on me. It leans a little heavy on its title as metaphor by showing Chidori’s bleak prior year that became better when she starThis just keeps growing on me. It leans a little heavy on its title as metaphor by showing Chidori’s bleak prior year that became better when she started dating Nanoha. And bringing it up again at the end just as that past returns to haunt her.
Beyond that, however, it is a lot of fun. It’s still got some problems; that premise repeats so often it’s distracting, for example, and it isn’t presently interested in being anything but a ‘cute girl’ yuri title.
That’s okay if you like cute girl yuri titles though. And I do. I guess that having them already dating means we lean into the ‘keeping it secret’ side instead, but I like that Chidori addresses her misgivings about that at one point too.
It’s amusing more than funny, but it bops along at a solid enough level. There’s a ton of Chidori and Nanoha sending one another into fits of furious blushing that I liked. The double take over the marriage line was really well executed in particular.
We even get a yuri classic in the form of an aquarium date, quickly ruined by the appearance of Nanoha’s little sister who has better perception than the entire friend group of our duo (although I also won’t be shocked if they turn out to have known all along; subtle these two are not).
There are some nice touches like Chidori’s secret skills and that aforementioned flashback. Plus a sleepover that’s just a minefield of potential disaster, which leads into a very service-y omake that still had a great gag about the difference between Chidori and Nanoha.
It was enough. This is the sort of thing that grows on me given enough time and, while I suspect next volume may have a rockier time, this one gets a lot right and squeezes in both yuri content and wholesome female friendship.
3.5 stars - it’s not necessarily going to change your mind on the series, but I think it made my mind up about it and I’m looking forward to the next one....more
Hiroi is one of those characters who works for me in very small doses and I was very, very concerned about putting up with her drunken antics for a whHiroi is one of those characters who works for me in very small doses and I was very, very concerned about putting up with her drunken antics for a whole volume, let alone an entire side series.
Well, as usual, you can’t really read this if you don’t like the character and I do have a general issue with the way that Hiroi glorifies alcoholism (this is partly due to my day job, where I see a lot of destroyed livers, YMMV). But, it’s a story, so, you know, I let it slide a little. Fiction is fiction, but still.
What this does to distinguish itself from its parent manga is offer up actual regular-style manga with no 4-koma. Given how long it takes me to digest a volume of Bocchi this was a good pivot and it does make it feel different.
And, look, it works. It absolutely works. Ambling along like a far more inebriated Bugs Bunny, there’s no situation that Hiroi can’t get out of with some ingenuity or a carton of cheap hooch. Not necessarily in that order.
The chapter where she’s broke and hits the streets to scam both food AND drink is a particularly fun one, as she uses every scheme imaginable and all the talent at her disposal to come out ahead. For now.
I’ll single out a couple other good bits in here - Ohtsuki, the friendless tsundere prodigy of one of the other bands in the main series, Sideros, gets wind that Hiroi has a new prodigy she’s taking an interest in.
We see the flip side of the famous street concert from early in the main series, as Ohtsuki’s easily bruised and super jealous personality is slowly trampled on when she realizes just how much Bocchi has done with Hiroi compared to what little Ohtsuki has. It’s really amusing; Ohtsuki’s mental image of Bocchi has to be seen to be believed.
One of the weaker aspects of this, conversely, is how little extra effort it gives to fleshing out Hiroi’s put-upon bandmates. We have Shima, who basically tries to wrangle the tornado who is Hiroi, and Eliza, who’s the British/Japanese girl obsessed with anime.
That being said, Eliza tries to pull off a beach trip and swimsuit episode, which makes sense given her taste in media. That’s clever. When the trip goes completely sideways and never delivers on any of this, minus a slam on the very magazine that carries it? That’s VERY clever.
So, yes, it won me over. It’s a balancing act with the whole booze thing. I mean, Hiroi is definitely portrayed as a loser with a problem, but she comes out of pretty much every scenario smelling like roses (at least to the reader). I’ve enjoyed Fujisawa from El Hazard and laughed at Barney on The Simpsons too, but I can see it being annoying.
If you already love this character, however, this is an absolute no-brainer. It is going to give you exactly what you were looking for and it delivers on precisely what it’s going for in terms of tone and story. That’s pretty commendable.
4 stars - Admittedly very good and extremely readable, with some fun in-jokes for the regulars and yet still being quite accessible for the person coming in cold too. Round up to a full five if you love Hiroi; there’s nothing here you won’t like....more
[Thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for an ARC of this manga in exchange for an unbiased review.]
This was one of those manga that I nearly skipped past [Thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for an ARC of this manga in exchange for an unbiased review.]
This was one of those manga that I nearly skipped past and at one point I just tossed my hands up, said ‘eh, why not?’ and, boy, I’m very glad that I did. It’s a ton of fun, all things considered.
Oh, it starts off pretty basic. Akabane is the strait-laced student council president and her childhood friend, Ibuki, is a delinquent. She’s hostile to his antics, yet receptive to his advances, if he made any, and I just described dozens of manga, many from decades earlier.
Yet this embraces the past while it does something with it. In another not so surprising move, Akabane is the secret daughter of a mob boss and assassins are constantly after her. Ibuki must protect her without her learning the truth of her lineage so she has the proverbial normal life.
And if it was just that, this would be an okay, if pedestrian, story with slightly exaggerated art that I don’t love, but gets the job done. Generic would about describe it. Except it really doesn’t.
If this sounds at all interesting, I wouldn’t read a lick of any other descriptions about this story. The reason this works in the end, even amidst a couple missteps, is because it escalates wonderfully.
Now, I have no expectations that this can possibly maintain the freight train of its narrative for much longer than it just did, but it’s a hell of an effective first volume that kept me engaged the whole way through.
Just as you get one reveal that seems like you’ll have another six volumes of material, there’s another reveal, then another. And it goes after them with wild abandon. I wouldn’t say my jaw dropped, exactly, but it did manage a pretty good descent. And did I cheer at parts of this manga? Yes, yes, I did.
Ibuki and Akabane are nothing new, but I like them. Ibuki has his moments when he’s an idiot, but can also be very clever when he needs to be. When he outfoxes a mob boss in the library it’s a good laugh and very clever (although I absolutely wish they’d kept it as gay as it seemed).
Akabane is quick to fume over Ibuki’s antics or if he somehow manages to miss her occasional advances, vintage Love Hina right there, and the two of them could stand a little more nuance, but they’re not totally cardboard.
This absolutely manages to overcome its sometimes slight characterization by going after its plotting full throttle. And, frankly, this is one time where I feel that actually pays off.
If you aren’t already interested in these stories at all, I don’t know that it’ll change your mind. My interest is admittedly very minimal, however, and I had a great time. So, it has merit.
4 stars - certainly not perfect, for all the reasons I listed, and maybe a couple more, but it’s a really good time that knows just how to keep upping itself to make it all work. Recommended for the target audience, for sure....more
Certainly not the delight that the first one was, but I’m still really fond of Momose and Ichikura as characters. Now that they’re dating they have toCertainly not the delight that the first one was, but I’m still really fond of Momose and Ichikura as characters. Now that they’re dating they have to figure out what that is and Momose has to keep seeing Ichikura as something other than a delinquent.
The problem with a lot of romance stories is that they only actually have one character, plus some doormat audience surrogate who has nothing going for them. Your mileage may vary, but I think that Momose fares better than most of her peers.
This feels like a relationship of equals; both of them have their weaknesses, yet they also bring something to the table in different ways. Ichikura tends to be the bolder of the two, but Momose’s no slouch.
There are some weird moments this time out that make it a little less of the slam dunk I had with the first volume. The gyaru character, who shows up out of nowhere to basically torment Momose and Ichikura is a prime example.
She literally vanishes as quickly as she came and, besides being shamelessly aggressive, her big character trait is the very vague clothing choices that make her a gyaru. She’s really half-assing it compared to some of her contemporaries, if we’re being honest.
When we get to the good stuff? It is good, is the thing. It’s not like we’ve never seen the zoo before, but these two have an obvious great time with one another. Plus, they waste no time trying to get cozy.
That’s before the other new character, another delinquent from Ichikura’s past, shows up. His angle, that he wants to be friends but doesn’t know how to show it, isn’t bad, even if that escalates to him kidnapping Momose.
It’s pretty sweet how hard Ichikura is trying to prove he’s changed, honestly, even if he can still be a bit rough. But he’s slowly sanding the edges off and coming through where it matters most. He loves Momose and it’s reflected in his actions rather than just empty words.
I know I was crazy nice to that first volume and I still think it was a stellar opening. This one is still pretty dang charming and I won’t begrudge it not having quite as much heft as its opening salvo.
3.5 stars - good shojo is good, but definitely not AS good and I have to be real about its quality when the novelty is wearing off. Still a very pleasant read, mind you....more
I’m not going to pretend that I won’t overuse the word magic in this review, so you may as well batten down the hatches while I get into the particulaI’m not going to pretend that I won’t overuse the word magic in this review, so you may as well batten down the hatches while I get into the particulars.
Honestly, my general feeling is that some of the magic went out of this volume because it didn’t do enough with Magic(tm). They play a bunch of it, but the bloom is off that rose a smidgen. I have been okay with our slow burning romance, but it contorts itself in some unpalatable ways this time too.
One thing I will credit is that it does manage to use the history of Magic to make for a few matches that are very comparable to any battling anime/manga on the market. When one unbeatable deck hits the tournament scene, it’s historically accurate and based on reality, which I appreciate.
Yakumo shows up and her rival status is confirmed and that, at least, is not a bad choice. She and Hajime are basically identical in terms of their personalities and they end up on a non-date that would make them a good couple except that isn’t where Hajime’s heart lies.
Amidst this, Emi is suddenly being pursued by Hajime’s friend, Kurushima, who decides to take on his best friend over a girl. Which is a heck of a swerve since we never really see them interact and there’s no hint that Emi and Kurushima have much chemistry to speak of. And here’s where things start to kind of hit the skids.
Kurushima is basically an ass and he ends up bringing the absolute worst in Hajime. The ending of this volume is meant to be a dramatic battle between two rivals, but it’s also an overt display of male chauvinism that reduces Emi to a prize for these guys to fight over without considering her.
Look, I want it to be set in 1998, not written like it’s 1998.
Emi is, I have come to realize, a Magic pixie dream girl, who is the beautiful and talented girl who loves a nerd hobby and becomes romantically interested in our male lead. While this annoys me a little, I do also think that Hajime and Emi ending up being pretty good together when he’s not being a chump.
I promise that this is not a knee-jerk reaction to the story largely glossing over the release of Mirage, which was the expansion that made up the bulk of my time with the series.
There are just issues here that make this feel a little less fun than it previously was. For something that was already a very acquired sort of taste to begin with, that does slim it to a more narrow focus.
When it does what it does well, it’s actually got some juice. Emi is obsessed with the end of the world and various prophecies thereof, which drives her in a ‘life’s too short’ sort of way. The scene with her and Hajime in the grass is top tier.
It was a real balancing act between the various facets of this story, I now realize, and they tumble out of whack this time around. I’m not especially hopeful about next time either, but I’ll come back because it’s still neat enough to see something I’m familiar with in a manga and the main pairing has legs when the cruft is wiped away.
3 stars - I mean, I still enjoy the late-90’s nostalgia, and there are some good moments amidst an unsurprising narrative too. But it loses the novelty of the game and leans into a rivalry that diminishes Emi, which turns out to be, unsurprisingly, not much of a replacement....more
Let’s just get the old age gap warning out of the way, as your magical cat girl is seventeen and Iori is nearly thirty. He knows this is pretty iffy aLet’s just get the old age gap warning out of the way, as your magical cat girl is seventeen and Iori is nearly thirty. He knows this is pretty iffy and is just as likely to ignore it (especially with the nonsense plot twist at the end of the volume that pushes things even further) given how the volume progresses.
Oh, but, dang it, I really enjoyed this. Sometimes I just want something light and goofy and this is goofy in just the right ways, using its silly cat-becomes-a-girl-during-the-day premise to be entirely too fun. It’s certainly not half as lascivious as the cover suggests; though it does have some near-nudity it is of a more playful sort.
You would not be wrong to raise your eyebrows in alarm when Mio decides that Iori is now her owner, but she is a cat after all and that means that she owns him, not the other way around. Anybody who has been around a cat for five seconds will recognize this as correct.
Taking your standard cute manga girl, and make no mistake that Mio’s design is genki as all get out, and having her lean hard into various cat behaviours is a recipe for a good time. Mio may not be all-cultural, but she’s a cat girl through and through.
She mostly ignores Iori, doesn’t help out, sleeps all day, eats his food, only engages when she feels like it, then slips out at night and returns by morning. No hairballs or knocking things off ledges yet, but it’s still the first volume and all.
Iori is there to be the harried male who is too passive at life and work and gets walked over by everybody. Including Mio, but she’s doing it because she likes him and does stick up for him. When she’s not being possessive.
The other big thing about Iori is that he loves cats, so he’s actually way more fond of Mio’s utterly adorable cat form more than her human side. This constant battle with his affection for cat-Mio versus trying to extricate his life from girl-Mio makes things a bit more interesting than it would be otherwise.
Mio’s high wattage (and generally useless) self is the real sell here, as usually happens. She’s an absolute ball of energy when she isn’t asleep on the couch. Iori is there to try not to stare too hard at her lovingly rendered form and to await the arrival of even more cats in the future.
It’s cute. Mio reminds me a lot of Kitagawa from My Dress-Up Darling if she gave up cosplay and just slept on Gojo’s pillow all day. I definitely don’t hate that it’s trying to be a little different with its approach and she carries a lot of it.
This is definitely a well-worn trope - here comes the wacky girl and her family and also she causes more trouble by trying to help and also also there are sparks quietly flying. This really did enough with it for my mind and I hope that final reveal doesn’t scuttle it next volume.
3.5 stars - fun enough and if you can get over that age gap and also like cats, it’s certainly likely to leave you feline good. I’ll see myself out....more
Any manga whose bread and butter is action tends to be at risk of ‘power creep’ where things continue to escalate as the need for ever increasing stakAny manga whose bread and butter is action tends to be at risk of ‘power creep’ where things continue to escalate as the need for ever increasing stakes raises abilities to greater and more ridiculous levels.
There is certainly a fair amount of that in this series, but it doesn’t bother me quite as much since Iruma is just so dang likeable. This is a common refrain from me, but just being nice helps this manga a lot.
That being said, this current arc isn’t quite engaging me all that much. It starts off strong; Iruma appears to waste an entire day doing nothing and he also gets Clara putting the moves on him in her own inimitable style.
The Clara thing is cute, although I have not spoiled myself on the series and am rooting for Ameri the whole way anyhow, but the day wasting angle doesn’t pay off, and won’t until next time, which makes it a bit of a letdown.
As the rest of the school is slowly whittled down, we get an extended digression where the sleepy guy’s powers are suddenly changed and we learn about his bond with another classmate. It’s fine, but a little long for what it is.
Same with Az and Sabnock’s big blowout that wraps the episode up. It ladles power upon power and just kind of goes. Sometimes I’m in the mood for this sort of thing, sometimes I’m not.
The whole premise for this arc isn’t terrible, but it definitely isn’t grabbing me as hard as the last big one. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it hasn’t landed with any amount of oomph yet. I’m not on pins and needles to see what happens next or anything.
I’d still put average Iruma above most manga, it’s certainly earned that much at least, but I’m also more prone to being harder on it for its faults at the same time. It can do this better and has done so.
3 stars - an average outing from a manga that tends to be above average or higher. Hopefully this will get a little more interesting as it goes along....more
They should have used the series’ old nomenclature and called it Kase-san & Not Reading the Room.
It’s time for our yearly check-in with the wonderfullThey should have used the series’ old nomenclature and called it Kase-san & Not Reading the Room.
It’s time for our yearly check-in with the wonderfully fluffy romance between Kase and Yamada, still going strong after all these volumes. This time, the plan for moving in together is in full swing.
Except Kase’s clearly-into-her roomie, Fukami, doesn’t want her crush to leave and her tsundere stylings push her to channel her feelings into challenging Kase to a race. With Kase staying put if she loses.
The manga knows this is ridiculous, but does it anyway. That’s just its style. It crams in these hopeless problems that remain not half as compelling as Kase and Yamada figuring out life together. I consider it a bit of a weak spot, but it all works somehow.
Seriously, the opening with Kase trying to find a birthday present is low stakes, but high energy, and a really interesting look at her own thoughts on Yamada. She has surprising insight there for somebody who never figures out her roomie is crushing on her and doesn’t recognize Yamada’s jealousy over that situation.
Kase gets herself into a lot of trouble this volume, is basically what I’m saying. Her density over the important stuff causes more trouble than anything else. Oh, it all works out, hate to spoil it, but it takes a bit and some tears as well.
In a way, it works out narratively because it leaves Yamada working hard trying to find them a place to stay. Possibly two or three times over. This also gives Mikawacchi a major role and she’s always a hoot when she shows up.
And, man, the art in this is amazing. I know Takashima is very slow at getting these out there, but when the quality is like this it’s hard to complain. It’s absolutely fantastic to look at and the expressions are spectacular.
It’s also genuinely funny. There are some brilliant gags in this one, including an obvious one about Yuru Camp that still made me laugh because it’s a great stab at the franchise.
What I love about this is how it has grown up with the characters in a way most manga don’t. The reward for all these volumes is not just the story and art, but how it has let the leads actually grow and figure out how their life will be as they become adults.
It casts back to the past when it needs to - there are loving reminders of previous rivals and all the many adventures - but it mainly focuses on the present and the future. Yes, I wish it didn’t use the laziest conceits ever to find some conflict, but the rest is gold. It at least features a coming out scene.
The narrative is indeed its biggest weakness - there’s nothing here that isn’t signposted so obviously that it should technically be called billboarded instead. If you see something likely to come back later on, it absolutely will. That it overcomes it is a testament to Takashima’s strengths with the little moments (although does anybody really eat cake naked?).
4.5 stars - in terms of fluff yuri this is the cream of the crop; I just like a little more than straight (ahem) fluff. Rounded down because of that, but if you need some yuri that’s sweet and adorable you can’t do much better....more
They should have used the series’ old nomenclature and called it Kase-san & Not Reading the Room.
It’s time for our yearly check-in with the wonderfullThey should have used the series’ old nomenclature and called it Kase-san & Not Reading the Room.
It’s time for our yearly check-in with the wonderfully fluffy romance between Kase and Yamada, still going strong after all these volumes. This time, the plan for moving in together is in full swing.
Except Kase’s clearly-into-her roomie, Fukami, doesn’t want her crush to leave and her tsundere stylings push her to channel her feelings into challenging Kase to a race. With Kase staying put if she loses.
The manga knows this is ridiculous, but does it anyway. That’s just its style. It crams in these hopeless problems that remain not half as compelling as Kase and Yamada figuring out life together. I consider it a bit of a weak spot, but it all works somehow.
Seriously, the opening with Kase trying to find a birthday present is low stakes, but high energy, and a really interesting look at her own thoughts on Yamada. She has surprising insight there for somebody who never figures out her roomie is crushing on her and doesn’t recognize Yamada’s jealousy over that situation.
Kase gets herself into a lot of trouble this volume, is basically what I’m saying. Her density over the important stuff causes more trouble than anything else. Oh, it all works out, hate to spoil it, but it takes a bit and some tears as well.
In a way, it works out narratively because it leaves Yamada working hard trying to find them a place to stay. Possibly two or three times over. This also gives Mikawacchi a major role and she’s always a hoot when she shows up.
And, man, the art in this is amazing. I know Takashima is very slow at getting these out there, but when the quality is like this it’s hard to complain. It’s absolutely fantastic to look at and the expressions are spectacular.
It’s also genuinely funny. There are some brilliant gags in this one, including an obvious one about Yuru Camp that still made me laugh because it’s a great stab at the franchise.
What I love about this is how it has grown up with the characters in a way most manga don’t. The reward for all these volumes is not just the story and art, but how it has let the leads actually grow and figure out how their life will be as they become adults.
It casts back to the past when it needs to - there are loving reminders of previous rivals and all the many adventures - but it mainly focuses on the present and the future. Yes, I wish it didn’t use the laziest conceits ever to find some conflict, but the rest is gold. It at least features a coming out scene.
The narrative is indeed its biggest weakness - there’s nothing here that isn’t signposted so obviously that it should technically be called billboarded instead. If you see something likely to come back later on, it absolutely will. That it overcomes it is a testament to Takashima’s strengths with the little moments (although does anybody really eat cake naked?).
4.5 stars - in terms of fluff yuri this is the cream of the crop; I just like a little more than straight (ahem) fluff. Rounded down because of that, but if you need some yuri that’s sweet and adorable you can’t do much better....more
Well, it’s been a hot minute since I got to use the phrase ‘have its cheesecake and eat it too’, but when a series that already loves drawing NobukuniWell, it’s been a hot minute since I got to use the phrase ‘have its cheesecake and eat it too’, but when a series that already loves drawing Nobukuni with serious attention to detail hits the beach, you know what’s ahead.
At least on the one hand. Yes, with her bestie out of the picture, Nobukuni is on her own with her female classmates and feeling very shy and awkward, as is her wont. Sasaki’s there too, of course, so she can be awkward and shy about multiple things.
What I did not expect was the addition of Odawara, who’s a bubbly and popular girl that seems to outshine Nobukuni. So, when the latter is struggling with her bathing suit choice, Odawara reads the room and comes to the rescue. It makes for something far better than the usual baseline for the manga.
Odawara’s backstory is surprisingly strong, as she managed to lose all her friends in junior high for the crime of being popular with boys. It’s a tale as old as time, but in the moment it is exactly what Nobukuni needs to hear.
It all comes around to Nobukuni being more normal than she thinks. And that lets her have some actual good memories from being at the beach. Odawara was a really solid addition and I would not mind if she became a regular as she has more to her than both the leads combined.
The rest of the beach trip is exactly what you think, although Sasaki gets brief glimmers of personality and exhibits an overall thirst towards Nobukuni. Their awkward, yet very direct (for a manga) flirtations are a nice change of pace.
I can do without the male gaze of the artwork, but that’s par for the course here, and I recognize that most readers are probably more interested in the fanservice than I am (also, I don’t think this art is especially great). Still, if you need more of the series’ ogling in your life (no judge, you do you) this absolutely fits the bill.
The new cast members are all fun enough, if paper thin, but it’s not hard to think that every one of the girls except Odawara have been brought along so they can be drawn changing. That is of its type, as they say. The side coupling that never happened was a cute addition though.
The back part of the volume involves a festival, which Nobukuni boldly makes a move with and gets denied handily. Except her goth friend Ema comes to the rescue, which seems like a win.
Naturally, Sasaki has friends visiting that he had plans with. For the festival. Oh, and is there a childhood friend? Minus the childhood friend flashback, which is a big yawn, we can immediately tell that Minato seems interested in Sasaki from first blush.
This is rival turf, but it’s actually a little more interesting than most of its stripe, which I absolutely appreciate as a consumer of romance stories. For one, Minato is already dating another one of the friends who came to visit Sasaki.
The guys have actual talk about feelings and issues, heck of a contrast to the beach section, and rather than just let things stay misunderstood, Sasaki takes it upon himself to act (promising a collision course next time).
It’s the usual trick, but tweaked enough to have a fresh look at a timeworn trope. Doubly so with Sasaki actually calling it out; he’s such a potato character that anything that gives him more of a personality is a nice surprise.
At a baseline, this is a fanservice book that does everything as you’d expect (although I’m shocked that nipple flash didn’t get an explicit content slapped on the cover). Sometimes it goes above and beyond, not as much as I’d like, but this is definitely one of those times.
3.5 stars - look, the mangaka is enjoying themselves here, no question, but it’s still very objectifying, even by the series’ standards. Then again, that moment with Odawara is so good that it makes this an easy pick for the best this series will probably ever get. I wish it balanced itself like this more often....more
I can see why this is an award-winning manga, yet I can also see parts of it that just drive me crazy. Sometimes it’s just two steps forward and one sI can see why this is an award-winning manga, yet I can also see parts of it that just drive me crazy. Sometimes it’s just two steps forward and one step back with this thing.
Sachi’s mom is such a sweetheart this volume and it’s so nice to see her supporting her daughter through all this. Between her mom and Takara, plus the begrudging tough love of her brother, Sachi seems set to deal with this whole pregnancy thing and she won’t even need a reality show to do it.
Which is, of course, not a situation that can last. The first parts of this volume are almost too good to be true - Sachi has a wonderful visit with Yazawa that shows what great friends they still are. She has a smooth clinic visit and Takara gets an apology and things look rosy.
Then Sachi’s dad shows up and, look, I get it. I do. He’s a traditional man with traditional repression who thinks he can maintain his traditional family. But he’s too much. It would be nice if we had more than one decent male character in the story (something the manga seems to pick up on at the end).
While the drama of this incredibly tense dinner and its fallout are done pretty well, it just flips things to over-the-top so fast. Dad should have taken the time to grow a moustache because he straight up needs to twirl it at various points here. Cultural differences and all that, but this doesn’t totally work for me.
I didn’t care for him when he was introduced, he’s even worse here. What he says when Sachi gets back from the hospital is so unconscionable that it essentially strikes him off the list for any sort of redemption in my eyes.
That said, it makes for compelling, yet infuriating, reading as Sachi and Takara try to make the best of a dire situation and are being threatened with every nasty thing that a man can envision to make himself feel better. This is very obviously all down to serving his own self-interest.
Sachi’s mother, as noted, saves this section by showing up hard for her daughter and respecting her wishes. She’s not letting anybody tell Sachi what to do and that absolutely includes putting the biggest threat she can right on the table.
So, I would say the volume is strong, but in a way that is also too strong and aggravates me with how mean it goes. It’s a little cartoonish for a series that does its best work when it hews towards realism. And those more grounded parts are absolutely fantastic; they make this better than its drama, which goes hard on the Afterschool Special this volume (again).
4 stars - if you like a detestable character or don’t mind the drama bomb, I would say this is an easy round up for you. I recognize its good qualities but sometimes it’s way more than it needs to be....more
This volume literally had one job that it needed to do - make me want to continue on with this for another volume. And, somewhat to my surprise, it woThis volume literally had one job that it needed to do - make me want to continue on with this for another volume. And, somewhat to my surprise, it worked. Thus reminding me. why some series deserve a second volume.
Oh, it doesn’t start off super great. First we have to endure Tabata and Uguisudani’s shopping trip as the latter tries to dazzle Tabata into giving up on Ueno. I do find the notion that Uguisudani is so bad at being bad that she keeps giving good advice amusing, but it’s all in service to Tabata dumping on herself anyway.
Tabata’s self-defeating, self-deprecating, self-flagellating attitude is not terribly funny, not the way the story seems to think, so watching her put herself down socially while body-shaming herself is a lot. I know that insecurity is part of the teenage experience, but it makes for a rough time when it’s your lead and that’s 90% of her dialogue.
Similarly, the next chapter about her anxieties, again, is more of the same, until the ending, when Ueno delivers some words of encouragement that start to turn this whole volume around.
I mean, it’s been kind of obvious, but really zeroing in on the fact that Ueno clearly likes Tabata a whole heck of a lot makes this a lot more tolerable. Instead of just being miserable, Tabata is missing the signs that a high school romance is on the horizon.
Of course, Ueno is just as useless with his misinterpretations and lack of experience, but he keeps trying. Until he thinks he’s done something horribly wrong, whereupon the miscommunications begin.
Having Ueno trying to get closer to Tabata and having Tabata show that she is more than her neuroses is a good way to move things. I was especially pleased with Tabata’s performance at the sports festival, which uses her anxiety to amusing effect.
This is never going to be a favourite of mine, I think it has a fundamental flaw with how it treats its lead, but it is growing enough in my estimation that I’ll see where it goes. There’s more potential here once it moves towards the latter part of the volume.
3 stars - some of this is worth an extra half-star, but not quite enough to make me feel it needs a better rating. Still, hopefully it keeps finding more ways to make Tabata easier to root for, she deserves it....more
There is a colossal flaw with this series, which is that it is really ‘of a premise’ rather than ‘about a premise’. Which is my fancy way of saying thThere is a colossal flaw with this series, which is that it is really ‘of a premise’ rather than ‘about a premise’. Which is my fancy way of saying that it isn’t doing half as much with its core conceit this volume versus last time.
The big personality shifts are mostly down to Ninomae curling his lip every now and again. Otogi is basically limited to her internal monologue; there’s nothing like what we saw before and it turns this incredibly generic.
Not bad generic, but generic all the same. One thing that saves it is the artwork, which remains staggeringly beautiful. I imagine Coco Uzuki has some stunning images still up her sleeve and I fully intend to be around to see them. The art props up the weak story.
I mean, the no-hope rival turns out to be a guy who just… lives like he wants rather than our buttoned-down leads. This essentially forms the entire dramatics for this volume, minus its romance.
But I don’t mind the romance, it’s just far more cliche than you’d expect given the unique premise. It’s hitting standard tropes rather than doing anything new with them. Otogi is a great viewpoint character, but she’s really no different from any other lead this volume.
It’s a bit of a shaggy dog, but one that has its tongue lolling and endeavours to be a good boy. Otogi’s friends are a fun bunch, the one who has a crush on the dullest guy ever is a hoot, but they have barely enough page time to make an impression in terms of personality.
You could do a lot worse, but I’m struggling to see how a story about two people like this translates into something so mundane. I mean, stay for the art, but don’t expect anything great in the writing department.
3.5 stars - that extra half is entirely, 100%, completely for the artwork, which I utterly love. It’s got such a style to it that is almost completely not mirrored by the words coming out of the cast’s mouths....more
Now that she’s quit her job as Tamon’s housekeeper, Utage is wallowing in despair and packs up her merch. This somehow turns into hiking with what’s hNow that she’s quit her job as Tamon’s housekeeper, Utage is wallowing in despair and packs up her merch. This somehow turns into hiking with what’s his name who also likes her.
It’s hard not to feel bad for Utage, who realizes that without Tamon worship she has pretty much nothing going for her. She eventually realizes that she loves housekeeping, but I’m not sure if I’d call that much more of a win.
This series is an excellent premise with really inconsistent execution. The idea that all these idols have very bizarre personalities on their down time is actually very funny. But it’s usually never as funny as it sounds here.
Probably the best moment is when the four members of F/Ace we’ve met and learned about are tailing the fifth in a rental car with Utage in tow. It’s like the weirdest reboot of Scooby-Doo you’ve ever seen (plus there’s no mystery).
Mind you, the reveal of the deal with our fifth member is so utterly obvious that it falls a little flat, no matter how extremely broad the story tries to play it. The usual issue I have with Yuki Shiwasu’s style, basically.
There are some reasonably solid gags sprinkled throughout and some welcome emotional touches. Utage learning that it’s okay to want something for yourself moves her that much closer to romance, though she backs away from anything too against her principles as an idol stan.
We also meet her brother and sister, who explain just why she’s so good at what she does in terms of cleaning. The real capper to this entire bit was when Utage’s sister suddenly shifts to being an idol fan herself after Tamon does his thing during a home visit.
I mean, it’s trying. The story is trying its hardest to be as entertaining as possible. I just don’t think it works especially well; we know that fans are sometimes crazy already, but exaggerating them kind of makes them more annoying than funny.
Even the things with F/Ace should be funnier than they are. I appreciate the effort going into this, but I wish the output was on par with the energy going into it all.
3 stars - it’s okay. I like it enough to keep reading, but I think the ideas promise a lot and the manga only occasionally manages to deliver on it....more
Well, extremely teenager declarations of the eternal nature of relationships aside, this is cute. Very, very cute. Everything is so stupidly adorable Well, extremely teenager declarations of the eternal nature of relationships aside, this is cute. Very, very cute. Everything is so stupidly adorable from confession to embarrassment afterwards to enjoying that new dating smell.
The revealed backstory of just how little Rintaro actually had to worry about his declaration is very sweet and gave a lot of depth to Kaoruko’s own feelings towards him, which turned out to be even stronger than first glance.
Sometimes a story needs just that little extra push to be even better than it already was and all this with Kaoruko is the perfect example. It really developed her character a lot and showed just how equal their feelings were; I thought it was a very delightful addition.
(Although when she says ‘I love you, Rintaro’ it’s hard not to imagine that she’s just earned her place with 20 other girlfriends.)
Everything else just pays off in small, but satisfying, ways. The first date is incredibly charming and the low-level flirting and playing around is very believable. They’re so nervously into one another that it’s hard not to enjoy it.
That makes up the bulk of the volume, plus the usual supportive friends and plans for even more dating going forward. It’s just a real pay-off volume for anybody who was waiting for them to get together and it rewards that reader extensively.
4.5 stars - let’s just give it the full 5 stars because I’m a big old softie who likes stories about two wacky kids in love. Sometimes that’s all it takes....more
And the series ends. With some pretty emotion-adjacent chapters that emphasize friendship and staying together and have as much proper romance as a coAnd the series ends. With some pretty emotion-adjacent chapters that emphasize friendship and staying together and have as much proper romance as a couple of frozen fish sticks.
This has something like three chapters of content and then some tankobon and commentary on the first ten volumes. The commentary reveals something that explains a lot to me, honestly.
Specifically, the tenth volume was originally a possible end point for the series and then it just kept going for twice that. This was, I feel, a mistake. There were decent volumes, but the first few were a stupendous run that, had it run its course on schedule, would be an easy recommend.
Instead, like many a series before it, it overstayed the hell out of its welcome. What was unique and interesting became rote and mundane. It suddenly reverted to the very underwhelming Shikimori of the first volume.
The copy for this one promises our leads taking the big step to adulthood and you are not, by any stripe, going to get it and do not be fooled. There are some moments scattered throughout, but the mangaka admits to having so little affinity for nudity that they struggled with Shikimori’s bathing suit way back when. So, no climactic ending, no matter what it says.
And that’s okay, minus the fact that it is misleading to say that something sexual might happen. The commentary makes it seem like, despite featuring a central romance, the mangaka coded 90% of the cast as aromantic. It’s an interesting choice, to say the least.
Anyway, some of the cast get a little bit of a send-off. Poor Saruogi might as well have been erased off the page for all he gets to do, mind. I think Hachimitsu gets the nicest moment of reflection and everybody else is just palling around same as always.
The tankobon bonus chapters mostly reiterate old character traits and beats that have been done to death over this long a run, but now they’re in college! At least the Shikimori and Izumi moment is satisfying - Shikimori being a flirty perv is so funny that I wish they’d used it more during the run.
Even Izumi’s big chapter with his parents is a nice send-off, but what it’s doing there while everybody else is relegated is a bit odd. This feels like a story that not only should have ended earlier but doesn’t know what to do with itself now that it is ending.
Having Izumi get a lot more confident in himself and being more positive is great - that’s called character growth, obviously. However, rather than raising him up to Shikimori’s level, it raised him and diminished her to meet in a very unsatisfactory middle instead.
The parallels between this series and Horimiya are striking. They both had a dynamite run of amazing volumes and then sputtered out as they just. Kept. Going. They also did pretty wrong by the female lead too, although Shikimori doesn’t get nearly the character assassination that Hori did.
And, like that other series, I will try and remember the good times with this one. They were plentiful; there were some great moments and strong character arcs, plus a decent central romance. Then it wasn’t very strong at any of those things.
3 stars - I don’t regret reading it, so much of this was shockingly good at times, but I do have some regrets reading it as long as I did. Still, it ends satisfyingly enough that it’s not a waste of time, but it isn’t the send-off its earlier tankobon deserved....more
Soshi’s finally triumphed over his brother, for roughly five seconds, until Kei finally reveals her true colours. You know, the ones that have been hiSoshi’s finally triumphed over his brother, for roughly five seconds, until Kei finally reveals her true colours. You know, the ones that have been hidden (in plain sight to the reader, admittedly) this entire time.
I’m surprised at how much I love this series and I’m also pleasantly surprised at how it handled all this drama. Kei is too good of a character to just be written off, plus we saw through her actions that she was incredibly fond of Mamori and was shipping the latter with Soshi.
We learn the (understandable) reasons for her betrayal, but no betrayal can stand up to the disarmingly wonderful Mamori, who remains one of the best heroines in shojo. She absolutely has weaknesses, but she never lets them stop her.
So, needless to say, Mamori has no intention of letting Kei just up and stop being friends with her. This plays out in glorious fashion, so much so that I’m annoyed that this series will likely never get an anime because it kills it here.
Mamori knows that that whatever Kei did, there’s no chance she would do it without reason. And, if there are reasons, then she wasn’t betraying her and Soshi. It all comes down to a chase scene and a heartfelt hug that were pure friendship candy.
Then there’s the actual core relationship between Soshi and Mamori, which is still fantastically written. There’s nothing new here, technically, but the whole thing has been such a great ride. They are hiding their feelings, but only just.
I was going to ding Soshi for not deleting the pics he takes at the festival like he said he would, but then it’s revealed that Mamori had been sneaking her own pics. The two of them are peas in a pod and I love how they show their affection for one another.
From the small details like Soshi taking a photo of Mamori’s test placement, to the big moments, such as him finally telling her she’s beautiful, they’re so easy to root for. Soshi keeps lifting her, she keeps lifting him in a more physical sense, and she keeps him out of the worst trouble.
It all works. There’s a thought and care to this that functions on all the levels it needs to. Kei remains somewhat of a fan service vehicle, but that’s also just her style, and she has so much more than just that going for her.
Soshi’s brother is still nebulously either very evil or very secretly helping out his brother, but it’s not annoying enough that I let it get to me. It’s a true privilege to be able to read something this romantic and wholesome.
Look, I read half this book at 4am this morning when I woke up and realized it was available to download. I don’t do that for just any series. It’s my current go-to, just like all the other volumes. It has heart and a bit of an edge, enough that I don’t mind the ‘sick student’ trope in the least.
5 stars - objectively, 4. Subjectively, easy 5. It is a total delight from start to finish and I love how things played out here....more
This series is aggressively silly and, at times, silly aggressive. Mostly it’s an excuse to draw hot people for a hundred and twenty pages and outfit This series is aggressively silly and, at times, silly aggressive. Mostly it’s an excuse to draw hot people for a hundred and twenty pages and outfit it with a barest semblance of a plot.
I appreciate that Nagi’s plan to trick Aran on behalf of Bazan crumbles pretty much immediately in the face of Nagi not having, nor ever having, any chill whatsoever, even when she’s disguised.
Aran makes most of her choices, including making her into a model and buying them an apartment. It’s a very specific sort of ‘kept woman’ fantasy where the androgynous model whisks you off to your shared paradise and then you dress one another and he brings you into the business.
And, hey, whatever floats your boat. I think the art is pretty spectacular and I love the designs for Aran and Nagi and the fashion they stick one another in. Nagi seems too self-conscious for modelling, but what do I know?
I mean, it has some mildly spicy moods to it, fanservice from all sides is in force and the story has no qualms about letting Aran tease Nagi right to the brink. He certainly has her wound up. Presumably around his little figure.
More of the same. It’s fun, but it has about as much depth as the paper it’s printed on. Allegedly some sort of plotting is afoot, but I’m basically expecting it to turn into an excuse to be flashy.
3 stars - I mean, it’s fine being what it is and that’s good enough. Brief, sexy manga that has the glamour and glitter, fashion and fame, but it’s no gem (cough)....more
Adult yuri manga? Interest piqued! Doubly so when it comes with a recommendation I trust attached to it. And this is a good start, very good at times,Adult yuri manga? Interest piqued! Doubly so when it comes with a recommendation I trust attached to it. And this is a good start, very good at times, to a new series.
Takara is dumped by her boyfriend when she thinks he’s on the cusp of proposing to him, but she’s not especially fussed by it. When Ema, her friend from middle school, re-enters the picture, old feelings are stirred up.
Oh, and Ema’s married. Shades of Even Though We’re Adults…, except that story focused on the aftermath of the cheating and what happened, whereas this one has yet to commit to the incoming dalliance. That one was a little bit better, but this is no slouch.
Poor Takara has never felt possessive of another person she’s dated, but she’s getting a crash course with Ema, who she can’t seem to stop wanting to be close to. For her part, Ema is very up close and personal with Takara and the way she flirts with her old friend threatens to set off the fire alarms. Chemistry is not an issue here.
The reconnection clearly means everything to Ema, but Takara’s the one grappling with her feelings. I love, love, love that they addressed that bisexuality is a thing that exists here too.
Poor Takara made her move back in the day, likely drunk on the same heady feelings that are swirling around her now. Critically, we only have her interpretation of Ema’s reaction to judge, which definitely feels like we’ll hear her side at some point.
But that assumed reaction has Takara trying to maintain a respectful distance, which contrasts well with Ema’s approach. Ema is hands-on, ear whispering, and dead set on involving Takara in her life in some capacity. Intentional or not, she is wrecking Takara here.
Like I said, fantastic chemistry between these two. The way the two of them quickly fall into the same routines of their friendship and swap inside jokes and old stories is completely believable. There just so happens to be a bit more underneath.
Ema having two sides to her personality also helps distinguish her and shows that she’s dutifully struggling under her marriage for whatever reason. There are also mother issues involved as well. The fact that Takara knew Ema’s true self is undoubtedly a factor in all this and her moves feel believable given her situation.
I have two primary quibbles with how this story goes. One, Ema’s husband having somebody who’s obviously into him, jury’s still out on whether it’s an affair in progress, seems a little too convenient as a means to enable Ema and Takara to get together without guilt.
Ema’s already viciously unhappy with things, you can see it written all over with how her body language and demeanour shift around Takara versus her husband, so I don’t know that he needs to be up to something as well.
Secondly, the art oscillates between really good and just okay, the latter of which is generous of me because the chibis in this manga are, to me, some of the most hideous I’ve come across in a while.
Still, lots of promise here. The way it explores sexuality and a past that was left behind coming back suddenly are well done and watching these two discover friendship and something more promises to be interesting.
4.5 stars - let’s wait and see for the rounding up, this had a few missteps, but I think the core of it is already really good just as it is. Nicely executed first volume. ....more
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