shoujo-dump · 1 year ago
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Manga recommendations for people who love Hikaeme ni Itte mo, Kore wa Ai manga, dedicated to @aengelren and all the other readers that enjoy the series ❤️
I have listed some categories below that are similar to the genres & subgenres of Hikaeme ni Itte mo, Kore wa Ai. Hopefully there might be some new series there that will be added to your reading list. Please note that not all series are obviously identical to Hikaeme, however I have used a ⭐ to indicate series that I think share most similarities with the series either in more than one genre or if the series have a similar atmosphere/general vibes to Hikaeme ni Itte mo, Kore wa Ai.
If you love the art style of Hikaeme, then I recommend checking out other series created by the same mangaka:
Hatsukoi ni Kiss (omnibus of 8 oneshots)
Kanjuku Summer End (oneshot)
Koi Wazurai no Ellie
Machiko wa Oborekake (oneshot)
Fast Romance:
Kare Kano (has anime adaptation!)
Koi no Mae ni, Amaku Hajimete. Hikaeme Elite-kun ga Watashi ni Dake Hatsujou shite imasu 🌶️
Museru Kurai no Ai wo Ageru ⭐
Ore Monogatari!! (has anime adaptation!)
Suki tte Ii na yo. (has anime, movie and live action adaptation!)
Delinquents:
Atashi no Banbi
Boku ni Hana no Melancholy
Five
I My Me Mine ⭐
Hajimete Koi o Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi (however doesn't seem to be an official nor fan English translation anywhere, the series has live action adaptation though!)
Hana yori Dango (has anime and several live action adaptations)
Hana Nochi Hare: Hanadan Next Season (has live action adaptation)
Haru no Ogawa wa Dokidoki Suru yo. (oneshot)
Iincho to Furyou-kun
Junai Tokkou Taichou!
Kimi ni Koishite Ii desu ka.
Kokuhaku Suru Aite o Machigaemashita
Megane, Tokidoki, Yankee-kun
Me no Tsukedokoro ga Deep Desho
Mikansei Demo Koi ga Ii
Mochizuki-san ka no Yankee ⭐
Raou-kun wa Watashi ni Kamau
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (has anime and live action adaptation!)
Webcomic: Kono Yankee wa Ubu Sugiru!
Love Interest Changes:
Futari de Koi wo suru Riyuu
Koukou Debut (has live action adaptation!)
Male Lead Falls in Love First:
Batsuichi ga Moteru nante Kiitemasen
Chorokute Kawaii Kimi ga Suki
Einheli no Hanayome 🌶️
Furare Girl 
Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai (anime adaptation is going to be released in 2024!)
Kanojo ga Kawaii Sugite Ubaenai
Kimi wa Kawaii Onnanoko
Mainichi Kiss shite ii desu ka?
Namaikizakari.
Sakura wa Watashi wo Sukisugiru ⭐
Slow Jet Coaster
Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoushi (has live action adaptation!)
Webtoon: A Good Day to Be a Dog (available on webtoons.com)
Webtoon: The Fantasie of a Stepmother
Webtoon: As You Wish, Prince
Webtoon: The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion (also has anime adaptation!)
Webtoon: Writer's Block of Romance 
Webtoon: Your Ultimate Love Rival
Straightforward Male Lead:
Hamuko to Gao-kun
Kuchibiru ni Kimi no Iro
Living no Matsunaga-san
Midori no Himitsu (oneshot)
Neko to Kiss
Takane no Ran-san
Unmei no Hito ni Deau Hanashi
Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki ⭐
Yubisaki to Renren (will have anime adaptation in 2024!)⭐
Opposites attract:
Beast Master 
Kimi ga Kirai na Koi no Hanashi 
Kimi ni Todoke (has anime, live action )⭐
Saruyama!
Webtoon: Midnight Poppy Land (read the official English translation on webtoons.com, it currently has over 100 chapters) ⭐
Kuudere Female Lead:
Akuma to Love Song
Webtoon: I Failed to Oust the Villain!
Webtoon: Villains Are Destined to Die
Warm Ambience:
Honnou Switch 🌶️⭐
Houkago, Koishita.
Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryo Joshi (has anime adaptation!)
Ojou-san to Yobanaide
Tonari no Stella ⭐
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cosmodotpng · 2 years ago
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i fell in love with this manga. the age difference is a little funky, but the interactions between characters are soo funny and good so i made an animation meme from it
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natsspammityspamspamham · 4 years ago
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I finished reading Takane no Hana nara Ochitekoi!!
I’m writing this in a very sleep-deprived and very stressed state. I’ve got finals, I’ve got exams, I’ve got course sign-up, but what am I doing? Finishing a 68-chapter series in two days! This manga is the definition of a slow burn rom-com. If you don’t like those, stay away. However, I enjoyed the ride; I really enjoyed the ride. And let me get this out of the way: THIS SERIES IS COMPLETED. And I found the ending satisfying enough... (and I have high-standards)
Summary: STORY: 8 CHARACTER: 9 ART: 8 ENJOYMENT: 10
*Because of the “after-series high”, numbers may be slightly inflated.
This series kind of reminds me of “Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun” because of its comedic timing and dense characters. While its cast isn’t as deep, if you love the Hori x Kashima dynamic, you’ll probably like this pair too! I think it’s because the gender roles are reversed/shared!
(There is technically a canon bisexual character in this series too who I found to be hilarious and easy to sympathize with.)
I would also like to recommend this to anyone who likes Horimiya! I enjoyed both, so I want to bring a series to bounce off of since Horimiya recently ended with only bonuses for the future.
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Story:
Takane no Hana nara Ochitekoi!!, or “Lofty Flower, Fall for Me!!”, is about your local handsome, smart, and untouchable prince named Kouta Shiraishi who ends up getting outdone and “out-princed” by the school’s beauty, Kaori Kurokawa. Due to Kurokawa’s “ikemen habits”, it’s Shiraishi’s job to help her overcome them... even if it means falling in love in the process.
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It sounds stupid. It is stupid. I love how stupid it is. When I read romance, sometimes, all I want is a himbo to fall in love with a female himbo. This is exactly what this is.
While the story feels repetitive (because it is), I can say that there is progression going on, so it’s not exactly Groundhog Day. Again, it just moves very slowly. Feelings do develop, but sometimes they stagnate. There are misunderstandings in this romance series (when is there not?)
I’m not sure how much more there is to say about this story because the core of it presents to be what it is.
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Characters:
Idiots. Idiots everywhere. We’ve got all kinds of idiots. We’ve got the himbo, the she-himbo, the s**t-disturber (who’s stupid on purpose), the rival idiot, and so much more. While there isn’t much character growth, there is more dynamic growth. None of these characters drastically change or go through life-altering events that make them completely different. They blend so well in chemistry.
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I don’t really want to go into detail about this either because they are so simple, and it’s easier to go and read the series, honestly.
I never hated a single character in this series. I got annoyed with them sometimes, but I couldn’t hate the entire character because they always gave me a stupid smile that left me wanting to read the next chapter.
Art
It’s adorable. For newcomers to manga, it might be difficult to decipher who’s talking sometimes, but I think it does its job for the most part. I don’t like Shiraishi’s colour scheme; in fact, I think colour scheme is consistently the weakest part, but manga is in black and white. It really doesn’t matter.
Since the story is repetitive, the art can look repetitive. A lot of the same faces are used along with a lot of the same screen tones and stuff. The punchlines are carried across effectively, and that’s all that matters in this rom-com.
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Overall
It’s enough for me to just say to go read this series. But this series would probably be second in terms of recommendations along with Horimiya (which is a very obvious pick for recommendations).
PROS: Funny, lovable characters, good ending, simplistic effective art, simple story, a dash of LGBTQ+ representation, and a very good enjoyable time.
CONS: A very slow burn, repetitive at times, does have misunderstandings in the story
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(I love this dynamic!)
“If I get more people into this series, there’s more of a chance for fan art, more content, and [...]” - me right now
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shinymixedbag · 5 years ago
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any shojo manga recs too please?
HELL YEAH!!! :D I read nothing but shoujo manga (occasionally, a few shounen/seinen manga) BEFORE I tumbled down the BL rabbit-hole.
Here are my absolute favourites (in no particular order)->
- Akagami no shirayukihime by Sorata Akidzuki (It just keeps getting better and better!!) [ongoing]
- Akatsuki no yona by Mizuho Kusanagi (I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH! The anime is bloody brilliant ♥ ) [ongoing]
- Fruits basket by Natsuki Takaya (one of my all time favourites; the 2019 anime is excellent! excited for season 2! :D)
- Special A by Minami Maki
- Nastume yuujinchou by Yuki Morikawa (so so SO very special. I’d recommend this to anyone) [ongoing]
- Takane to hana by Yuki Shiwasu (I die laughing; Each chapter adds 5 years to my life) [ongoing]
- Kaichou wa maid sama by Hiro Fujiwara (Not a fan of how the last arc played out :/ but KwMS is special :) USUI TAKUMI will forever be my top fav Shoujo Hero)
- Hirunaka no ryuusei by Mika Yamamori (team Mamura ftw)
- The one by Lee nicky (and youth gone wild)
- Ouran highschool host club by Bisco Hatori (Hilarious!)
- Vampire knight by Matsuri hino (and Vampire knight memories[ongoing] My first anime, my first manga, I’d not really “recommend” it, but it’s special to me)
- Hibi chouchou by Suu Morishita (this one gave me diabetes, you’ll see why x.x)
- Nijiiro days by Mizuno Minami (fabulous art, good story!!!)
- Taiyou no ie by TAAMO (I love Daiki ;-;)
- Skip beat by Yoshiki Nakamura (Not sure why this is on my list of top favs.. probably because it’s made me laugh a lot :/ the pacing is SO SLOW, I think I’ll turn 40 before we see some progress)
- Shigatsu wa kimi no uso by Arakawa Naoshi (grab tissues or bed covers)
- Orange by Takano Ichigo (and yume miru taiyou)
- Bokura ga ita by Yuuki Obata
- Watashitachi no shiawase na jikan by Gong jiyoung (this one destroyed me. Grab a bucket, cz you’re gonna cry)
EDIT: Nana by Ai Yazawa (ohhhhhhhhhh how I cried) [ongoing; extended-hiatus, possibly dropped] 
A few manga I enjoy(ed) reading ->
- Alice academy (Gakuen Alice) by Tachibana higuchi- Lovely complex by Nakahara Aya- Dengeki daisy by Motomi Kyousuke (and beast master)- Strobe edge by Io Sakisaka (and Ao haru ride)- High school debut by Kazune Kawahara- Baby kokoro no mama ni by Puku Okuyama [ongoing]- Library wars by Hiro Arakawa [ongoing]- Wotaku ni koi wa muzukashi by Fujita [ongoing]
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recentanimenews · 5 years ago
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Bookshelf Briefs 8/21/19
Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 4 | By Reai and Suki Umemiya | Seven Seas – Aside from praising Iris’s innovations, this volume focuses more on the political end of things than the commerce end. Iris ends up attending the ball, and it goes better than she expected, mostly as the Queen Dowager is in her corner. In fact, honestly, things may go a little TOO well—the entire ball seems engineered to show off how the guy who dumped and exiled Iris is a hothead idiot, and Yuri seems to be doing an excellent job of manipulating the country into… running itself into the ground. But how invested should Iris be in all this, especially as she has to look out for her own nation, because there’s war on the horizon. Still an excellent political drama. – Sean Gaffney
Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 7 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – I enjoy Bisco Hatori’s humor, but her plotting is not a thing to behold. That said, as predicted, things resolved with the Ruka plotline, followed by a quick epilogue showing the film Goda made (honestly, the plot of the film sounds like a manga I’d love to see Hatori write), and then another epilogue several years later showing the two pairings (mostly) resolved and the two stars at ease with themselves and successful. There’s fun to be had here, but I can’t deny that I think this started a lot stronger than it ended, and I’m glad it did not end up as long as Ouran. I’d still recommend it to Hatori fans, though. Oh yes, and the amnesia arc proves to be as inconsequential as I suspected it would be. – Sean Gaffney
Cocoon Entwined, Vol. 1 | By Yuriko Hara | Yen Press – Hoshimiya Girls’ Academy has a unique tradition. The students have exceedingly long hair, and as the middle school third-year students are being measured for their high school uniforms, the high school third-years are finally having their hair cut, which will be used to make said uniforms. Cocoon Entwined so far is light on plot, heavy on atmosphere. We meet Yokozawa, a girl who seems to be able to sense breathing and/or heartbeats from the uniforms, and Saeki, the princely girl whom Yokozawa has feelings for. We don’t meet, except in flashback, the elusive Hoshimiya, granddaughter of the headmistress, who has locked herself in her room and for whom Saeki seemingly pines, much to Yokozawa’s dismay. I really liked this volume, even though there’s not a lot happening so far. I look forward to more, whenever it comes. – Michelle Smith
Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 6 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – Thankfully, and despite Kadode assuring her friends that something happened, it’s suggested nothing did, and the teacher is leaving the city due to the ongoing chaos. Honestly, the world may not have all that long to go—even if the aliens don’t bring things to an end, can Japan really hold off America and everyone else? This still has a bit of a post-apocalyptic feel to it. Still, Futaba does end up getting lucky, so to speak, though the implication is that her politics and his desire for a non-serious relationship will make that a very short relationship. The best part of the story was Oran’s surprise birthday party, which was sweet as pie. I hope there’s more sweet moments ahead. – Sean Gaffney
Emanon, Vol. 1: Memories of Emanon | By Shinji Kaijo and Kenji Tsuruta | Dark Horse – I initially picked up Emanon due to Tsuruta’s involvement since I’ve been enjoying Wandering Island; I only later realized that Kaijo is an award-winning author. The Emanon manga is an adaptation of a series of stories written by Kaijo (also illustrated by Tsuruta) featuring a young woman who calls herself Emanon. Kaijo’s somewhat melancholic but engaging narratives lend themselves well to Tsuruta’s atmospheric artwork. There’s very little action in the first volume of the manga. For the most part, Tsuruta is capturing a reminiscence of a conversation between two people, a young man who enjoys speculative fiction and Emanon. She intrigues him, not only because of the air of mystery surrounding her but because she tells him that she holds memories reaching back to the beginning of life on Earth. Memories of Emanon, adapting Kaijo’s original story, is self-contained, but I’m greatly looking forward to the continuation of the series. – Ash Brown
Idol Dreams, Vol. 6 | By Arina Tanemura | VIZ Media – It’s been almost two years since I read a volume of Idol Dreams. I’d stop short of saying it has gotten good in the intervening time—there’s a lot of melodrama here, from the death of Hibiki’s little sister and him carrying on despite his grief (leading to the spectacularly cheesy line, “Sayaka, can you hear Hibiki singing?”) to the plotline revolving around Hanami’s pregnancy and the fact that it isn’t Tokita’s—but it’s certainly somewhat better, and I think that’s because this volume puts much more emphasis on Deguchi as an adult interacting with adults rather than her masquerading as a teen interacting with teens. It was even a little gratifying to see this mousey character haul off and smack Hanami for leaving Tokita at the altar. Do I care enough to keep reading? Maybe, especially if the next volume is the final one. – Michelle Smith
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 37 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – And so, Magi comes to an end. There were some things I really liked about it, like how Ohtaka-sensei showed how Alibaba’s unfailing determination to fight the spell reminded various brainwashed people of other heroes they had known who had sacrificed everything for goals and countries that would no longer exist if everyone and everything returned to rukh. I liked how Kogyoku was desperately trying to get him to surrender to her before the arrival of the massive army in an attempt to save his life. The rest, though, is not completely clear. I get most of what Sinbad did, but I don’t really get how Aladdin emerged victorious. There was a big flash of light and then… happy epilogue? Which I guess is fine. The happy epilogue was what I really wanted, anyway. Overall, I enjoyed this series and its themes of self-determination. – Michelle Smith
My Hero Academia, Vol. 20 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – This is an excellent volume, but it’s definitely a “wrap up one plot and start another” sort of book. Midoriya stops the “villains” and we see the small series of tragedies behind their backstory. He makes it back for the festival—just—and it’s a blast, with Jiro at her best (the redrawn art helps) and Eri dazzled. Then we see the new hero rankings post-All Might, and Endeavor is finally top of the charts, but being #1 also means that people are after you as well, and there’s a pretty nasty fight towards the end. Will Endeavor win the day? And will Todoroki care? Great volume, but I think it’s all about Jiro and Eri’s big grins in the end. Those are wonderful smiles. – Sean Gaffney
Shortcake Cake, Vol. 5 | By suu Morishita | VIZ Media – Ten has realized she likes Riku after all and returns early after summer vacation because he’s alone in the boardinghouse. Meanwhile, Chiaki is getting bolder about expressing his feelings. The great part is that not only does he get this pertain to Ten—including a smooch at the end and a “What can I do so that you consider me?”—but to Riku, as well. Chiaki’s oddball personality is starting to come through, and the best chapter here is a cute interlude where he lies about the origins of a cup Riku broke so that they can go out shopping for a replacement together. It involves Riku winning an enormous bag of potato chips for Chiaki from a crane game. I’m not super invested in the romance angle of this story, but I do like the main trio of characters! – Michelle Smith
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 4 | By Tomo Hirokawa, based on the story by Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – There’s an attempt to ramp up the danger here, given that we’re dealing with the death of NPCs, who technically aren’t real people (though honestly, most of SAO has been built around proving that false lately) and the fact that this time you really can log out and go back to your life. But the threat of the game being hacked, as well as users using drugs to “enhance” their experience, means that this time the Japanese government may finally shut down all these VR games for good—something that Kirito and Asuna in particular are determined to stop. Can they help save Premiere from her fate? And what about Anti-Premiere? – Sean Gaffney
Takane & Hana, Vol. 10 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – As expected, Okamon is shot down (very nicely) by Hana. Of course, Takane misunderstands. Indeed, the entire volume is about misunderstandings and poor communication, which is always a good fallback in romantic comedies like this one. We also get the backstory on how Takane met Nicola, and how, like Hana, he was at first completely annoyed by him till he saw his hidden nice side. There are not quite as many amusing faces as previous volumes (though the omake helps make up a lot of the difference). But in return we do get a bit more on the romance front, as a drunken Takane (they had a birthday party for him) ends up kissing Hana… on the nose. That said, the effect is devastating. Fun times. – Sean Gaffney
Yuri Life | By Kurukuruhime | Yen Press – We’ve seen quite a few yuri anthologies about adults lately and this one is a 4-koma one-shot, with each chapter focusing on a different couple, until we come around to the first one at the end. There are couples I found interesting. (One involves the Grim Reaper waiting for a woman to die, falling in love with her, and then having her romance be what enables the woman to keep living… so they have to part.) I will say they are “mostly” adult romances… one is teacher-student, with the student being sixteen, and it didn’t work for me. Nor did the one about the “yandere.” Still, there were more hits than misses, and if you’re looking for cute, sweet yuri that won’t stick in the head, this is decent enough. – Sean Gaffney
By: Ash Brown
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arcadiashop · 5 years ago
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chamomilehoneytea · 7 years ago
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I recently read through Kimi Ni Todoke and I'm embarrassingly invested in Ayapin, and now I'm so impatient waiting for more! I was wondering since it seems like you have good taste and read a lot of stuff, is there anything you can recommend that might tide me over until more KNT comes out? Are there any manga you know of with pairings that are kinda similar? I'm seriously in love with their dynamic but I'm embarrassed to ask other friends, romantic stuff is kind of a guilty pleasure for me...
Hi @mobstersought! Thank you for your message, and welcome to the ayapin life! It’s a majestic existence, full of waiting, swooning, daydreaming about big hands and hoping! :)
But mostly waiting lol - I feel your pain!
While nothing I’ve read quite fills the huge ayapin shaped hole in my heart, there are a few series that help tide me over during the long waits. Ayane and Pin have a very special dynamic that I haven’t seen anywhere else, but I’ll try to recommend some series that are kind of similar. This is a pretty long answer, so let’s continue under the cut…
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1) Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii by Fujita
This is a great romantic comedy series about an otaku couple: a mid-20s gamer and a fujoshi artist who work at the same company. Their relationship is really fun and cute, but I think you might enjoy the “side” couple even more. Tarou Kabakura and Hanako Koyanagi are both in their late 20s and are also otaku, but they have a playful love / hate dynamic (see the hate side above). They give each other a hard time, but at the end of the day they’re really in love with each other. 
The series is a fairly realistic portrayal of otaku relationships (more or less haha), and there’s a great balance between the comedy and romance. It’s hilarious and really sweet!
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Bonus: there’s an anime adaptation coming out in Spring 2018, and Miyuki Sawashiro (who plays Ayane in the anime version of Kimi ni Todoke) is going to play Hanako Koyanagi! 
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2) Takane to Hana by Yuki Shiwasu
This series has an old-school shoujo set-up, plus a ton of amazing sass. The story begins with high schooler Hana Nonomura attending a marriage interview in her older sister’s stead. Her partner is the 26 year-old scion of a huge and successful company, Takane Saibara. Their personalities clash and the matchmaking meeting is a failure…until an “interested” Takane shows up at Hana’s school!
Takane to Hana is also a really funny series - Takane and Hana come from very different backgrounds and have very different ideas about the world, but they’re both incredibly proud and stubborn. Takane tries to provoke and impress Hana with absurdly lavish gifts, but she’s always ready to knock him down a peg.
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It also has plenty of heart-pounding moments! The teasing dynamic between the characters means there’s a lot of tension and they’re slow to recognize their feelings. 
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3) Shiota-sensei to Amai-chan by Kumiko Nakatoka
I recommend this manga about a student-teacher relationship because of the way it’s handled. The two main characters, Shiota-sensei and Yayoi Amai are already in a secret relationship before the start of the manga, so we don’t see a lot of drama and pining. The series is also pretty funny, and focuses on cute little episodes in their daily lives. Their dynamic isn’t like Ayane and Pin’s, but they do enjoy messing with each other. 
I will warn you though - the scanlation only covers 7 of the 27 chapters in the manga and it hasn’t been updated since 2016. I ordered and read the Japanese volumes to finish the available story (it’s still ongoing). The art is really retro and fun, and the story is also great, so I’d still recommend checking it out!
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4) Dengeki Daisy by Kyousuke Motomi
Dengeki Daisy is sort of a modern day Daddy Long Legs story. Teru Kurebayashi is a high school student who lost her beloved older brother a few years ago; before he died, he gave her a cell phone so that she could communicate with his good friend, “Daisy”. She doesn’t know Daisy’s identity, but she exchanges emails with them and receives moral support and encouragement from this mysterious surrogate brother. One day, after accidentally breaking a window at school, she’s suddenly forced to work under the school’s 24 year-old janitor, Tasuku Kurosaki…who may or may not be her precious “Daisy”…
Teru’s personality is a bit more like Chizu’s from Kimi ni Todoke, but again, she and Kurosaki have a great teasing relationship. They’re also similar to ayapin in the sense that Kurosaki watches over Teru and provides her with gentle words of encouragement through his role as “Daisy”. This dual relationship causes a lot of tension as he starts to fall in love with her, and it becomes increasingly difficult to hide his secret. 
It’s a pretty touching story that explores guilt and forgiveness, in addition to the romance. There are a ton of heart-pounding scenes, but there’s more to it than that, which is what I think makes it especially great. It’s also the only series I’ve recommended that’s complete, so you’ll be able to read it from beginning to end without having to wait (I think we’re already doing enough of that as ayapin fans, right?? Lol).
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I also wanted to recommend another series that I’m in love with, but that isn’t anything like Kimi ni Todoke. 
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Koi wa Ameagari no You ni by Jun Mayuzuki
This is right up there with Kimi ni Todoke in terms of favorites for me. I will warn you that the subject matter is pretty problematic - however, I enjoy the complexity of the story and I think it’s beautifully done. The story centers around Akira Tachibana, a 17 year-old girl who was the ace of her high school’s track and field club, until an injury to her Achilles tendon during a practice meet left her unable to run. One day, alone and depressed, she seeks shelter from the rain in a family restaurant - while waiting for the rain to stop, the 45 year-old manager brings her a free cup of coffee and cheers her up with a magic trick. Touched by his kindness, Akira gets a job at the family restaurant to be close to him…
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I can’t recommend this enough. The two main characters help and heal each other, and their relationship is really sweet, complicated, and well-done. Even when he knows how she feels, he tries very hard to discourage her and maintain boundaries, so it’s not a story about an older man taking advantage of a teenage girl. If you like unconventional friendships / romances, forbidden love, and difficult situations, this is definitely a must! The author has a very unique art style and approaches her story almost as a work of literature - it’s probably one of the best romance manga series I’ve read. Though it can be very serious, there are plenty of light comedic moments too, and all of the characters are really interesting - the series focuses on more than just the potential romance between the main characters. It’s also getting an anime adaptation in January, so that’s really exciting!
Sorry for the super long answer, but I hope these recommendations help tide you over as you wait for more ayapin!! :) 
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petrichorsalon · 7 years ago
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Underrated Shoujo Gems You Should Try.
I love shoujo manga whole lot but it does sort of suffer from same series syndrome. Just like a lot of other fandoms, certain series just pop up a TON. For Shounens it tends to be Naruto, Bleach, Once Piece, and My Hero Academia. In Shoujo the list is usually Kamisama Hajimemashita, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Fruits Basket, Ouran, Ao Haru Ride, Orange, Kimi ni Todoke, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime and so on... While these series aren’t bad and are quite good, I’m here to give you some wonderful series out side of the ultra popular range that deserve some love and attention.
Chikyuu no Owari wa Koi no Hajimari  (chapter 1 of 16 is translated)
Youve probably heard of Taamo’s more popular series Taiyou no Ie,  Chikyuu no Owari wa Koi no Hajimari follows twins as they learn about love.The protagonist Mahiru fancies herself to be unlucky at best which makes her a fun character to follow as she usually assumes the worst will happen but good things happen to her anyway. Its a fun series that encourages the reader to look on the bright side of life.
Colette wa Shinu Koto ni Shita (chapter 19 of 49 is translated)
Okay, I really don’t understand why this one hasn’t taken off, this is a 100% guilty pleasure read that is a retelling of Hades and Persephone (minus Persephone’s name and adding making her a human doctor). This series has the notable qualities of lacking a love triangle, lacking drama, and the side characters being fleshed out including servants, other gods, and other various memebers of the world. The author seems to just really enjoy her characters. (ALSO YOU SHOULD READ IT BECAUSE HADES IS HOT.)
Koiwazurai no Ellie   (chapter 1 of 19 is translated)
The story focuses on an anti-hero named Ellie. Ellie is crude and a bit of a perv that daydreams about the popular boy in class. The boys popular persona is quickly swept away to reveal hes a bit pessimistic. While Koiwazurai no Ellie bears a lot of resemblance to Black Prince and Wolf Girl, there is a far greater lack of petty drama and the characters are in balance unlike the perpetual power struggle in Black Prince and Wolf Girl. Ellies pervy side is relate-able and funny as the two get to know each other and he does nothing but fan the flames of her crude mental state.
Living no Matsunaga-san (chapter 4 of 6 is translated)
This up and coming series is sure to be the next popular shoujo with its gorgeous art and beautiful beshounens. It revolves around a girl who moves in to her uncles boarding house and quickly finds herself to be the only non-adult. She falls in love with the beautiful Matsunaga-san only after a couple choppy meetings. Her romance while focusing on Matsunaga-san also journeys through the other adults of the house as they all learn to work and live together.
Short Cake Cake (chapter 8 of 35 is translated)
Speaking of boarding houses Short Cake Cake is written by the author of Hibi Chouchou that revolues around Ten a country girl who makes 2, 2 hour commutes everyday to school. Her friends persuade her to take up living in a boarding house so she can be closer to the school. She quickly makes friends with the tenants and a new set of loves gets to blossom. This series has the reader asking “Who will she end up with?” No... seriously, I’m talking Hirunanka no Ryuusei levels of competition here (The author even references it a couple times.) So if you want a beautiful nail-biting romance that revolves  around two VERY ideal guys. This is your series.
Mairimashita, Senpai (Not translated has 10 chapters)
Do you think that modern Shoujos move too slow, are you longing for a fast paced series that gets right to the fluff (and semi-lemon stuff)? This series is about Serina who finds lyrics on her desk one day, after commenting on them she quickly meets the author and finds him to be... a jerk. This follows their growing relationship as they find strengths in each other giving two relatively shy people an opportunity so gain support and find themselves.
 Mizutama Honey Boy (Chapter 28 of 33 is translated)
Mizutama Honey Boy follows the espades of Fuji (a girly guy) and Sengoku (a manly girl) as they become friends, or well, friends that act like a dating couple but their still not official even though the feelings are mutual. This series is a fun romp in breaking the shoujo formula. Every character is delightfully opposite of what the shoujo formula says it should be ranging from common strip teases to gays to wrestling to 1970′s shoujo throwbacks this series has just about as much fun as Ouran in this convention breaking, pain causing, story avoiding series.
Niehime to Kemono no Ou (CHapter 18 of 30 is translated)
This series is another up and coming title that involes a human sacrafice that falls for the very person who by convention in supposed to kill / eat her. This is a series for the fans of Kamisama Hajimemashita. A love that is strengthened despite their different worlds. Join Saliphie as she fights literal monsters to be come a queen worthy of the king of beasts.
Queen's Quality /  QQ Sweeper (QQ Sweeper is fully translated, Volume 1 of Queens Quality will be out in September, no translations yet)
This series is one I’m honestly surprised nobody has caught onto. In a series that rivals shounen proportions Fumi is a girl who is living in the school as she has been kicked out of her last place of residence. She has long since lost her parents and is cursed to bring destruction to all who give her shelter. Kyuutaro is the school janitor (sort of) who finds her. Quickly she is rushed into the life of a sweeper, people who clean both the physical world and the spiritual world. (Also did I mention its the same author as Dengeki Daisy? Yeah this series gets pretty dark, a refreshing turn for a shoujo manga)
Sabaku no Harem (Chapter 21 of 22 is translated)
You hear about harem mangas all the time but what about a literal harem? Sabaku no Harem follows the tomboyish princess candidate Mishe who wins the heart of a prince as she literally walks past him. As the 30th concubine Mishe is set to face competition for a prince she really doesn’t care for and proceeds to sabatoge herself which natually makes the prince more curious. Sabaku no Harem is a series that is almost episodic in nature as the two gradually grow closer despite the many people who want to tear them apart.
Sensei Kunshu (Chapter 9 of 47 is translated)
This series stems from the author’s other, more popular work Heroine Shikkaku but one doesnt need to read her previous work to read this rioting series. The story follows Ayu who is constantly getting rejected by the person she confessed to. She quickly falls for her teacher as she has with others before but somehow the love becomes requited. Sensei Kunshu follows the insanity of Ayu and her teacher as they face the world together.
Suijin no Hanayome (Chapter 9 of 29 is translated)
The Bride of the Water God is a very popular Korean series but did you know there is a Japanese version? Suijin no Hanayome follows Asahi who is transported into an ancient realm (think Inuyasha in setting) where she is quite promptly given as a sacrifice to the water god of the area. The Water God being very bored and very done with humans keeps her a few days and then gives her back much to the horror of the towns people but not before he takes her voice. The story continues as Asahi changes from child into woman and the many trials of the new world she lives in.
Takane to Hana (Chapter 27 of 50 is translated)
A favorite of mine to talk about Takane to Hana opens with Hana who appears at a Mai (arranged marriage meeting) in place of her sister. She quickly refuses to deal with the arrogance of Takane the marriage partner and promptly leaves. This interests Takane and he pursues her. Hana has 0% time for his tom-foolery and sets out to make his life miserable which results in a comical battle of wits, pride, and abilities. This age gap manga takes the uneven maturity level of most age gaps and sets them on equal ground as they take turns sabotaging each other like 3 year olds. 
I hope you were able to find some titles I listed that look interesting or that you have never read before. While this is just the currently publishing list there are many more out there and I will post again soon! In the meantime, I hope this list gives some new reading material.
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reinzsinjoy · 8 years ago
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In Mob Puz’ new event, as same as the traditional occasion that is currently happening in Japan, we are joining their girl’s celebration that is Doll event or also known as Hina Matsuri. I already shared a post about it just a few days ago about how the dolls are placed in a step altar. Now, considering we have 5 new limited characters from Mob Psycho 100 as dolls as shown already, I figured out where to place them based from the blog sources I found. I also included the others that aren’t mentioned based from my creative imagination of my mind. I’m also looking forward for a step altar fanart that is arranged traditionally according to Japanese culture and customs by looking at the following information below. Let’s say this is a challenge for all artists out there 
Now, going down to the Hina-Ningyo placements using the Mob Psycho 100 characters. In Japan,  You can’t just arrange the dolls how you’d like, and wouldn’t you believe it’s actually quite complex. Some additional information that was already been shared/posted but it’s still quite important because of this gorgeous occasion (for girls):
The dolls themselves are usually acquired by the family after the first girl is born; either by inheriting them, as a gift from the grandparents, or by simply purchasing themselves. This custom of putting dolls on display is said to have begun during the Heian period (794-1185), and as such the dolls are all modeled after the hierarchy of the imperial court during that time.
Some Hina-Ningyo displays are very extravagant and elaborate.
Traditionally they are arranged and displayed on a five or seven-tiered stand covered with a red carpet.  Sets can range from a few hundred-thousand yen to up in the millions! Although, due to the cost and limited space, it is now common to see smaller versions on display in homes. In fact, today it is most common to only display the very top-tier.
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First platform:
The top-tier holds the two most important dolls. These dolls represent the Emperor, called Odari-sama (御内裏様) who is holding a ritual baton, and the Empress, called Ohime-sama (御雛様) who holds a fan. Using MP100 characters, as already showed in the game, the top tier includes Emperor Mob and  Empress Teru. 
Between them you’ll see an arrangement of two vases of peach blossoms called a sanbo kazari (三方飾) i or in other term known as Momo no hana, and to the outside of the platform there are bonbori (雪洞), paper lanterns decorated with plum blossoms or cherry blossoms which represent the spring season.  In traditional arrangements the female is seated at the right side of the male doll, because historically the Empress was always seated to the right side of the Emperor. However, in the 20th century the Empress began to sit on the Emperor’s left side. You’ll find this change has since been incorporated in the modern Hina-Ningyo placements– except in Kyoto where they still place them in the original, traditional position.
Second platform:
In the second tier are the three court ladies, sannin kanjo (三人官女), and each one is holding some form of sake equipment.
From left to right:
Kuwae no choushi (加えの銚子): backup sake-bearer (standing)
Sanpou (三方): sake bearer (seated)
Nagae no choushi (長柄の銚子): long-handled sake-bearer (standing)
Since we don’t have court ladies presented in Mob Puz game, I will be using 3 ladies that are commonly showed in Mob Psycho 100, the left will be Emi, the middle will be Takane Tsubomi and the right will be Mezato Ichi
The accessories placed in between the ladies are called takatsuki (��坏), which are round-topped tables used for serving seasonal sweets. A dinner tray on above image is an image for it.
Third platform
This tier features five male musicians, gonin bayashi (五人囃子). Each one holds a musical instrument besides the singer, who holds a fan.
From left to the right:
Taiko (太鼓) drummer (seated)
Otsuzumi (大鼓) drummer (standing)
Kotsuzumi  (小鼓) drummer (standing)
Fue (笛) or Yokobue (横笛) flautist (seated)
Utaikata (謡い方), the singer (seated)
I will be using the 4/5 members of the Telepathy club as a dolls for this platform:
From left to right:
Drummer (seated) - Inugawa
Drummer (standing) - Kijibayashi
Drummer (standing) - Saruta
Flautist (seated) - Takenaka
Singer (seated) - Kurata Tome
Fourth Platform:
The fourth tier displays two ministers (大臣, daijin), who are usually equipped with bow and arrows.
Udaijin (右大臣): The Minister of the Right, who is on the left side.  
Sadaijin (左大臣): The Minister of the Left, who is portrayed as much older with a long white beard.  
The Minister of the Right is depicted as a young person, while the Minister of the Left is much older.. Also, because the dolls are placed in positions relative to each other, the Minister of the Right will be on the viewer's left and the Minister of the Left will be on the viewer's right. Both are sometimes equipped with bows and arrows. Between the two figures are covered bowl tables kakebanzen (掛盤膳?), also referred to as o-zen (お膳?), as well as diamond-shaped stands hishidai (菱台?) bearing diamond-shaped ricecakes hishimochi (菱餅?). Hishidai with feline-shaped legs are known as nekoashigata hishidai (猫足形菱台?). 
I will be using 3 characters that are already shown in the Mob Puz game, the MInister on the Right is Udaijin Ritsu, the Minister on the left is Sadaijin Reigen and Diamond shaped rice cakes whom is Hishimochi Dimple
Fifth Platform:
The fifth tier holds the three samurai protectors of the Emperor and Empress.From left to right:
Nakijogo (泣き上戸): the maudlin drinker
Okorijogo (怒り上戸): the cantankerous drinker
Waraijogo (笑い上戸): the merry drinker
On the leftmost side there is a mandarin orange tree (ukon no tachibana 右近の橘), and one the rightmost is a cherry blossom tree (sakon no sakura 左近の桜).
I will be using 3 guys from Body Improvement Club as the protectors of the Emperor and  Empress.You are free to choose whoever from the 5 will be the 3 protectors on this platform since in the manga and anime, it’s also their duty and responsibility to look after their member whom is considered as one of their family like Mob. Goda Musashi must be included as one of the 3 here since like guys from BIC, he’s a really reliable president and of course a friend too.
Sixth Platform:
There are actually no dolls on the sixth tier, and instead used to display a variety of miniature items that can be found within the imperial palace. Common items include:
Nagamochi (長持): a long chest used for kimono storage
Kyodai (鏡台): a chest of drawers with a small mirror on top
Tansu (箪笥): a chest of usually five drawers
Hasamibako (挟箱): a small box used for storing clothes, it’s placed on top of the nagamochi
Daisu (台子): utensils for a tea ceremony
Haribako (針箱): a sewing kit box
Hibachi (火鉢): two braziers
Seventh Platform:
Like the sixth platform, this level also contains no dolls. These items however are all things that can be found outside the imperial palace. Some common items are:
Jubako (重箱): a set of lacquered food boxes tied together by a cord with a handle
Goshoguruma (御所車): a carriage pulled by an ox
Gokago (御駕籠): a palanquin
So there, I hope to see this in one of your fanart soon. Take it as a request from me but I’m not rushing anything so you are free to use your time whenever you want. Just in case you’ve finished it, please feel free to share your arts in fanart category of our discord server. Please be followed of the pinned rules over there
Web/Blog sources: Japan Travel in Translation, Japanese dolls tumblr blog and Wikipedia
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cosmodotpng · 2 years ago
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here's some stills from my takane and hana animation meme that i did a little while ago ^-^
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recentanimenews · 3 years ago
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Bookshelf Briefs 7/22/21
A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 12 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamaji | Seven Seas – I was surprised that this is the final volume. It wraps things up pretty well, tying things off as well as tying into the eighth Index novel, showing us Accelerator’s side of his walking up to Awaki and punching her suitcase full of badness into tiny bits. It works well as a capper for the whole series, which is filled with what Accelerator does best: saving the day while thinking to himself Touma could have done it better. We also get to see Yomikawa once again show she is the only sensible goddamn person in the entire City, and also the only one trying to help the kids grow up to not be monsters. Good luck with that; Railgun shows it’s not going well. – Sean Gaffney
Fist of the North Star, Vol. 1 | By Buronson and Tetsuo Hara | Viz Media – It’s hard to get a good read on this series, because it’s become so influential and referenced that you feel like you’ve already read it before you have. The author’s name could also be “Bronson,” as in Charles, and that tells you about the sort of story we get here. Kenshiro walks across an apocalyptic waste, finds injustice being done and innocents being killed, and starts exploding folks and saying things like “You Are Already Dead.” The humor is almost zero, it’s tremendously violent, and yet it’s also really compelling and readable. You can see why it became an ’80s classic. Don’t read this unless you know what you’re getting, but if you do, it’s essential. – Sean Gaffney
Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 1 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – The series had moved from Shueisha’s Jump Kai to Hakusensha’s Melody with this volume, so, despite the renumbering, I was expecting a bit of a reintroduction to everyone. Nope. You’d better have read the omnibus or you’ll be wondering what the heck happened. This seems to be several months after the omnibus, and shows that Ai in particular has mellowed out a lot. Fans of the anime running this summer will note that several scenes from this volume were folded in with the adaptation of the omnibus, but they work well here too. Especially the cliffhanger ending, where Sarasa does an absolutely brilliant acting job in class… and the teacher explains if she continues to do it that way, she’ll never be a star. Fantastic. – Sean Gaffney
Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 13 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – Last time we were introduced to a young girl who’s staying with Komi’s family who has communication issues herself, though not the same as Komi’s. The majority of this book is her fighting with and bonding with Komi, who not only proves to be a sweetie pie but can also rally the entire town, Hinamizawa-style, when there’s a crisis. Meanwhile, she’s been improving so much lately that she hasn’t been needing Tadano… which upsets both of them. Then we get some of the class teaming up for a night out… which includes a test of courage, where Tadano is paired with first Komi and then Manbagi. Who is trying hard to push Tadano away, and it’s just not working. We’re headed for a crisis soon. – Sean Gaffney
New Game!, Vol. 11 | By Shotaro Tokuno | Seven Seas – After a fanservice-laden start that reminds you that, while the series may not have any men in it, the reader is definitely meant to be a man, we’re back to business as usual in New Game!. Hotarui returns to France, finding that it’s the best place for her art to grow. We see how difficult it can be to communicate the issue when something is just slightly off in the game designs and you’re not sure why. The big development, though, is that the team decides to make every NPC more playable than usual, meaning they all need unique designs and attention. The designs end up looking very much like our New Game! cast… with the exception of Rin, who wants to avoid her yuri crush becoming canon elsewhere. Cute as always. – Sean Gaffney
Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops, Vol. 7 | By Neko Nekobyou and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press I’m not entirely certain how horrified the reader is supposed to be here, but certainly “the souls of those who died in Sword Art Online are being used to inhabit NPCs in the new game” is creepy as hell to me. And to Luz, who of course has someone dear to her that has now shown up again. There’s also a lot of clever fights here, and we get to see Luz use her Kirito-copy mod in order to fight as well. I also laughed at Argo trying her best to help everyone out… but nothing worked, so she ran off. And of course this whole arc ties in to one of Kawahara’s biggest themes, “what defines an NPC.” This ends with the next volume, and I hope the girls all get something cool to do. Even Leafa, the Zoidberg of SAO. – Sean Gaffney
Takane & Hana, Vol. 17 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – OK, that turned out to be far less dramatic than I expected, and indeed less dramatic than Hana and her family expected as well. Turns out everything is fine… well, at least once Takane actually confronts his grandfather and admits what’s been obvious all along. There’s even time for a ski trip with a dramatic death-defying cliffhanger… well, it would be death defying if it were not the world’s tiniest cliff. Takane & Hana, despite the occasional dramatic turn, knows what its readers are here for, and that’s laughs and sentimentality. We get plenty of both here, and we even end with a wedding… well, with a marriage license, I assume the wedding will come in volume eighteen, which is the final one. Recommended for fans of snarky girls mocking jerky guys. – Sean Gaffney
Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 9 | By Maybe | Yen Press – Thankfully, after a break of over a year, this volume of the series has precisely zero “are they going to bone?” scenes in it, mostly as the hero and heroine are separated for most of the book. Satou is still trying to gain a few advantages in fighting, and seeing that legendary swords are not all they’re cracked up to be, while Hime struggles in trying to learn magic that seems to come easily to everyone else. Luckily, she’s helped out by what, to her, seems like a kindly woman who is very similar to her late mother. Unfortunately, to everyone else, it appears she’s talking to a black cloud of pure evil, and it’s no great surprise that everyone else is correct here. This was a stronger volume than previous ones, mostly due to the lack of “will they get it on?” to the plot. – Sean Gaffney
Those Not-So-Sweet Boys, Vol. 3 | By Yoko Nogiri | Kodansha Comics – Although Midori Nanami originally only became involved with a trio of truant boys to preserve her own scholarship, they’ve genuinely become friends. The more Midori has gotten to know Rei Ichijo, the thoughtful and lonely son of a rich, negligent father, the more she has fallen for him. By the end of this volume, it would appear her feelings are reciprocated. On paper, this series looks like pretty formulaic shoujo romance, but Yoko Nogiri has a way of imbuing her stories with realism and intriguing complications. Here, the main obstacle is Rei’s friend Yuki, who objects to Midori and Rei getting closer, but encourages his other bestie, Chihiro, to go after her. Does Yuki have feelings for Rei, or is he just deeply dependent on him? I’m really enjoying this series so far and am especially looking forward to further exploration of Yuki’s motivations. – Michelle Smith
We’re New at This, Vol. 7 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Having achieved stability in their relationship, our favorite cute and sexy couple decide to get a bigger place. There’s some nice discussion about finances and give-and-take, and I like that it shows that constant communication is what makes this couple work so well, and when they don’t communicate well things tend to go badly. This ends up leading to the next major problem, which is that Ikuma’s client he was working for goes under, meaning money he had assumed was coming in is now most definitely NOT coming in. He manages to find a quick solution, but doesn’t talk to Sumika about it first, which does not go over well. Can the marriage survive salaryman Ikuma over contracter Ikuma? Dunno, but I bet it’ll be cute and sweet. – Sean Gaffney
By: Sean Gaffney
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recentanimenews · 5 years ago
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Bookshelf Briefs 3/7/20
Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 9 | By Io Sakisaka | VIZ Media – Ao Haru Ride is probably the most straight-up dramatic shoujo that I am reading at the moment, and though it relies largely on story beats that would usually annoy me—like misunderstandings and poor communication—I still really enjoy it. Kou and Futaba have feelings for each other, but Kou’s misguided decision to reject Futaba in favor of hanging out with a sad former classmate kept them apart. Now, Futaba believes Kou and said classmate are a couple, so she’s trying to move on with Kikuchi, a very nice boy whom she’s trying her best to fall for. I love that Kou’s actions have consequences and also that we see their friends discussing the situation and deciding that they can’t fix things for him; this time he has to be the one to act. I also note that Kikuchi is especially likable for a romantic rival, which is kind of rare. Recommened! – Michelle Smith
Given, Vol. 1 | By Natsuki Kizu | SuBLime – Ritsuka Uenohara got so good at playing the guitar that he started to find it boring. That changes when he meets a mysterious classmate named Mafuyu Sato, who is carrying around a very nice guitar yet has no idea how to play it. Mafuyu sings for Uenohara the melody that keeps running through his head, which proves to be the spark that gets Uenohara excited about music again. Mafuyu joins Uenohara’s band as their new singer—the other members are two college guys who seem poised to have a love story of their own—and they’re quickly gearing up for their first live show. Meanwhile, Uenohara’s confused about just how he feels about Mafuyu. Given already has a lot to love: the band dynamics, the relationship between the two leads, the mystery of Mafuyu’s past… I’m eager for more! – Michelle Smith
Komi Can’t Commmunicate, Vol. 5 | By Tomohito Oda | VIZ Media – Komi Can’t Communicate is a very charming series with likable characters. (The exception, of course, is Yamai, who continues to be thoroughly gross.) In this volume, the gang patronizes a run-down restaurant whose proprietors think Komi is a famous reviewer, meets a couple of new characters (Komi is up to 13 friends now!), and plans/executes a maid café for the cultural festival. What I really like is that though there are many comedic moments, Komi continues to make genuine progress in overcoming her communication difficulties. Her mom is shocked and happy to see her talking on the phone, she’s able to say something when out shopping with the two new characters, and she even manages a brief solo dance with Tadano before Najimi turns it into a group thing. This series is sixteen volumes and counting so far and I am definitely here for the long haul. – Michelle Smith
A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 | By Umi Sakurai | Square Enix – A flat-faced exotic shorthair keeps getting passed over at the pet store until a kind older gentleman arrives to take him home. Through a series of short chapters, they get to know each other. The human (Kanda) names the kitty Fukumaru, and it soon becomes apparent that he has lost his beloved wife, who had spoken of the possibility of getting a cat when their children were grown. This is an extremely sweet series about two beings who need each other, with dashes of humor provided by typical cat behaviors. I laughed out loud at a particularly evocative panel depicting what happens when Kanda removes an offending cover from Fukumaru’s litter box. I also appreciated seeing the pair through the eyes of Kanda’s long-time friend, who hasn’t seen him smile this much in ages. I’m looking forward to volume two! – Michelle Smith
My Androgynous Boyfriend, Vol. 1 | By Tamekou | Seven Seas – There’s a certain type of advertising line that goes “come for the _________, stay for the _________,” and I definitely feel that this works with My Androgynous Boyfriend. The androgyny is definitely a strong part of the title, such as needing to hide Meguru’s relationship with Wako to avoid fan rage, and pairing him up with another pretty boy model, Kira (which goes south fast when both disagree with the idea). But mostly I loved the simple loving relationship between Wako and Meguru, which is strong, sexy, and not something I was expecting in this sort of series. Wako also gets a lot to do, as well as some of the best lines. It’s a series where I come away going “is the next volume out already?” – Sean Gaffney
My Hero Academia: Smash!!, Vol. 3 | By Hirofumi Neda and Kohei Horikoshi | VIZ Media – Smash!! continues to be pretty fun, though there seemed to be an inordinate amount of Mineta in this particular volume. True, much of that consists of the girls orchestrating his punishment for being such a total creep, which I guess is better than it could’ve been. Story-wise, volume three takes readers through the League of Villains’ attack on the training camp, but there are many diversions prior to that, including summer vacation hijinks, rescue drills, Halloween, etc. What I like best are things I’d never had reason to think of before, like Tokoyami’s inability to perform CPR, or just completely absurd visuals like Todoroki being depicted in a poodle costume or Aizawa playing the victim in a rescue scenario. I don’t know how much reread potential this series has, but… well, “pretty fun” about sums it up. – Michelle Smith
Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, Vol. 6 | By Natsuya Semikawa and Virginia Nitouhei | Udon Entertainment – This is still, for the most part, a lighthearted series about people enjoying delicious pub food, but there is an ominous undercurrent to the whole thing that implies that the conservative forces are starting to rally against the izakaya as being a den of witches and that things may not be bright and sunny for long. Till then, there’s omelettes, and Hamburg Steak, and any number of tasty food that the customers, even if they may be reluctant at first, come to love. The question is whether that love of food can enter the hearts of the Church, which is very much in a “everything progressive and non-traditional must go into the fire” frame of mind. – Sean Gaffney
Scarlet, Vol. 1 | By Chiri Yuino | Seven Seas – This proved to be a lot darker and less fanservice-filled than I expected given the cover… and yes, I know the cover shows a vampire and her (rather happy) victim. But the vampire’s not all that happy, and in the end this is a book about the horrors of drug addiction, albeit one coached in the language of fairy tales and legends. Fine is a tragic vampire who wants to be human again, and Iris Redblood gets to be Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf at the same time. Together, they do indeed fight crime, but they don’t always win the day—sometimes the cute little girl ends up dying. And yes, there’s more than a tinge of yuri to this, which is why I suspect folks here will pick it up. It’s pretty good, but not sure if I need more of it. – Sean Gaffney
Takane & Hana, Vol. 13 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – Another unbalanced volume, this is definitely front-loaded, with the first half having some of the best material in the entire series, as Takane and Hana open up to each other in a private moment (that turns out to be a little less than private) and admit their feelings. The second half shows them trying to negotiate this thing they now have, going on a date (well, more of an endurance hike), and a trip to Okinawa, where they run into another annoying little problem—they still have to hide things, so she’s the “kid sister,” which irritates Takane no end. And, well, there’s also the problem if Hana lacking a certain sense of shame—fortunately Takane has it for her. The first half, though? Magnificent. – Sean Gaffney
Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 8 | By Maybe | Yen Press – I enjoy the art and characters, but the series does love its one plot, which is “make it look like sex will be happening any day now but never actually have it occur.” Yes, they figure out a way to get out of the “bone or die” space without actually boning, and are able to move on with the fantasy part of the plot. Which actually involves the somewhat unwieldy party splitting up, so the next book should at least try to move away from will-they-or-won’t-they? a bit. In the meantime, this is another one where there’s no real conflict between the girls (as opposed to the previous generation of ring bearers). Even Saphir, seemingly the one who cares the least, is more a jerk with a heart of gold. Getting sort of trying. – Sean Gaffney
Umma’s Table | By Yeon-sik Hong | Drawn and Quarterly – Having greatly appreciated Uncomfortably Happily, I was excited that Drawn and Quarterly would be releasing another of Hong’s manhwa in translation, Umma’s Table. The narrative follows a cartoonist named Madang and his struggle to balance (and to some extent keep separate) his life as a new parent and his life as a caregiver for his ailing mother and father. Although shadowed by his father’s alcoholism and the lasting impact it has on multiple generations, some of Madang’s happiest and most nostalgic memories are those of family meals and his mother’s food. Overall, Umma’s Table is a bittersweet, wrenching work, but it’s not without moments of hope as Madang reflects on the complexities and parallels of his experiences both as a father and as a son. While not as explicitly autobiographical as Uncomfortably Happily, elements from Hong’s life are present in Umma’s Table as well, providing a sense of visceral honesty. – Ash Brown
By: Ash Brown
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recentanimenews · 5 years ago
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Manga the Week of 2/5/20
SEAN: It’s February! The worst month! And it’s a day longer this year! Why not read some really good manga, then?
ASH: Sounds like a good plan.
ANNA: Indeed.
MELINDA: I’m in.
SEAN: We’ll start with J-Novel Club, who have a plethora of releases, both print and digital. Full Metal Panic! gets a print omnibus of its first three volumes in a fancy hardcover edition that looks cool. Fans won’t want to miss it.
Isekai Rebuilding Project (Isekai Saiken Keikaku) is another one from Kodansha’s Legend Novels, and is about what happens after the hero arrives from another world, bringing with him smartphones, modern economics, and weaponry… and then leaves them to their own devices. Yes, it’s an isekai cleanup squad for when things don’t go according to keikaku. The cover art looks fantastic.
ASH: That really is a great cover.
SEAN: Outer Ragna (Game Jikkyou ni yoru Kouryaku to Gyakushuu no Outer Ragna) is also from Legend Novels, and doesn’t quite have an isekai, but the gamer now finds he can ‘possess’ the heroine to help save the world.
They’ve also got the 2nd Faraway Paladin manga, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 8 in print, If It’s For My Daughter I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord 7 in print, In Another World with My Smartphone 8 in print, the 3rd Infinite Dendrogram manga, and The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind! 7 in print.
Kodansha, in print, has Boarding school Juliet 10 and Granblue Fantasy 3.
The digital debut is Let’s Kiss in Secret Tomorrow (Ashita, Naisho no Kiss Shiyou), a Dessert manga with an unusual premise: the couple start the manga together, as childhood friends turned lovers. But they’re in high school, and now have to hide their relationship. And the guy is suddenly really hot! Can they stay together?
MICHELLE: I will at least give it a try, since I generally like things from Dessert.
MELINDA: It had me at “childhood friends turned lovers.”
SEAN: Also digitally: Drifting Dragons 6, Our Precious Conversations 6, Smile Down the Runway 6, The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn 10, To Be Next to You 2, and To Write Your Words 3.
MICHELLE: To Be Next to You was pretty interesting, too, in that the heroine seems like the outsider (and out of her depth) in the love story the object of her affections is experiencing with another girl.
SEAN: Seven Seas has but one title: a digital release of Classroom of the Elite light novel 4.5 (yes, it’s one of those .5 novels).
TOKYOPOP has RePlay, a done in one BL manga from Comic Magazine LYNX. It’s about BL and baseball. (Insert Michelle comment here.)
MICHELLE: Crud. I may have to patronize TOKYOPOP.
ASH: I try to avoid TOKYOPOP, too, but some of the licenses are very tempting.
ANNA: I’m going to be strong and just read BL from SuBLime. You can’t trick me TOKYOPOP!
MELINDA: I’ll wait for Michelle to read it first.
SEAN: It’s the first week of the month, and you know what that means. No debuts for Viz this month, though!
Shonen: Blue Exorcist 23, Food Wars! 34, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 4-4, Jujutsu Kaisen 2, My Hero Academia 23, My Hero Academia SMASH! 3, Seraph of the End 18, Twin Star Exorcists 17, and We Never Learn 8.
Shoujo: Ao Haru Ride 9, Shortcake Cake 7, Takane & Hana 13, and Yona of the Dawn 22. Getting all of these.
MICHELLE: Yep, every single one of the shoujo, and several of the shounen, as well.
ASH: JoJo and Yona are where my priorities are but, yeah, there’s a lot of good stuff in those lists.
ANNA: My favorite week for shoujo releases.
MELINDA: I’ve fallen behind on most of this, but I will catch up!
SEAN: Lastly, some Yen Press stragglers, including a couple of debuts. The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious has its manga debut, and should be highly amusing.
IM: Great Priest Imhotep is getting its print debut. It runs in Shonen Gangan and is to Magi what Black Clover is to Fairy Tail.
ASH: I’ll admit I’m curious.
MELINDA: Well, huh.
SEAN: And there is also Hinowa Ga CRUSH! 3 and Though You May Burn to Ash 6, which has a surprising number of volumes given that you’ve already burned to ash.
ASH: I do a double-take every time I see this series mentioned. XD
SEAN: What manga is spicing up your February doldrums?
By: Sean Gaffney
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recentanimenews · 6 years ago
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Bookshelf Briefs 2/12/19
Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 3 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – There we go, that horrible realization that you’re in a love triangle. Futaba’s not sure if she loves Kou, though she’s definitely leaning that way, but when she finds that Yuri also loves Kou—and says so—she’s determined to bury her feelings for the sake of her friendship. Given this is a shoujo manga, you can imagine how well that goes, and thankfully by the end of the book all has been confessed—and Futaba is at least telling herself she loves Kou. I am less thrilled with the plotline involving Shoko, which is, groan, a teacher-student romance, and one where the student is coming on really strongly. We’ve seen this in many shoujo manga before, and sometimes it’s handled well (Kimi ni Todoke), so we shall see. – Sean Gaffney
Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 3 | By Io Sakisaka | VIZ Media – For the sake of her friend, Yuki, Futaba tries not to like Kou, but it’s no use. I really liked that it was important to her to be honest with Yuki, especially since readers are spared a plot that hinges on misunderstandings and secrets. Oh, there’s still a bit of jealousy, but both girls are trying to play fair and maintain their friendship. Meanwhile, Kou’s still got a lot of angst and is doing his best not to care about anything, but Kominato can’t stand that members of the honors class snub Kou for his abysmal midterm scores, so organizes a study group on his behalf. More than being invested in Kou and Futaba’s relationship, I hope he gets over whatever it is in time to go rescue the cute stray cat he’s been petting. – Michelle Smith
Arakawa Under the Bridge, Vol. 5 | By Hikaru Nakamura | Vertical Comics – It’s not just Rec—anyone who ends up under the bridge seems to lose it a little bit, including his assistant Shimazaki, who has gone full-on cultist by the time we get halfway through this omnibus. But more importantly, is the series ending soon? Things are getting far more serious and we’re getting closer and closer to Nino leaving for Venus. Of course, this is literally lampshaded in a fourth-wall break by the characters, who say whenever a gag series turns serious, the end is near. I’m not entirely convinced they’re correct, but enjoy the drama while you can. And also a rare moment of Maria actually being on the losing end for once (but nice white-line-hopping nonetheless). – Sean Gaffney
Dangan Ronpa 2, Vol. 2 | By Kyousuke Suga | Dark Horse Comics – This is definitely turning into one of those titles that’s only truly enjoyable if you’ve played the game it’s based on—which I haven’t. As such, I feel it’s really, really rushing the pacing, a problem I didn’t have as much with the adaptation of the first game. It also has to be said—Komaeda is really, really annoying, and while I know that’s his schtick, it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. In the meantime, we have more murders, more discussion of said murders, and our first “ironic” execution. I think Dangan Ronpa fans will get a kick out of this, and enjoy seeing their favorites animated. But I can’t possibly recommend it to newbies of the franchise—which I could with the prior series. – Sean Gaffney
Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 4 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – Since, after the events of the last volume, we are short a main cast member, we get introduced to two new characters here, both arriving from the countryside to the big city. Interestingly, Makoto is transgender (though they’re not really sure if that’s the right label), choosing to go to Tokyo in an effort to be more accepted for dressing up and looking cute. It’s quite well handled, and I look forward to seeing how both they and Futaba move forward. As for my favorite character, Oran, we get an odd flashback that I’m not sure I completely believe showing a very different side to both her and her brother. And then there’s that cliffhanger. This is still riveting. – Sean Gaffney
The Delinquent Housewife!, Vol. 3 | By Nemu Yoko | Vertical Comics – The volume starts with Dai’s classmate and friend Yoshino kissing him, and it only ramps up from there. Yoshino knows that Dai has a crush on Komugi, and she hates it—sadly, her answer to this is to blame Komugi and try to destroy the relationship she has with Dai’s family, which makes me want her to fail where I would otherwise be rooting for her, because I’m sorry, Dai and Komugi’s ongoing tension still makes me uncomfortable. Especially as Komugi really is doing better—she’s gotten much better at the normal housewife stuff, as we see in a montage. I want her to be part of the family—but not with Dai. Next volume is the last, so we’ll see how this plays out. – Sean Gaffney
Die Wergelder, Vol. 2 | By Hiroaki Samura | Kodansha Comics – Because the English-language edition of Die Wergelder is being released as two-volume omnibuses, it’s been a long while since the last one was published. I’d forgotten some of the finer details of the manga’s plot, but that didn’t pose too much of a problem as it mostly serves as a vehicle for stunningly drawn action, astonishing depravity, and unapologetic violence and brutality. Die Wergelder is deliberately disturbing, its roots firmly established in the tradition of 1970s Pinky Violence films. (This is not a series to be lightly recommended.) One of the focal points of Die Wergelder, and one of the areas in which the series excels, is what Samura terms as “Flashy And Pretentious Martial Arts.” Among others, kung fu, capoeira, and kalaripayattu are all featured in this particular omnibus. The manga’s fight sequences are glorious. Die Wergelder is still not for the faint of stomach or heart, though. – Ash Brown
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 28 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – I’m starting to get pretty weary of Food Wars!. Maybe it’s just this Central Arc, but this whole volume—in which Yukihira, Takumi, and Tadokoro go up against three members of the Council of Ten—has this formula: 1) Central member presents their dish, wish they are convinced is the winning one. 1a) Judges’ clothes blow off. 2) Resistance member presents their dish and it’s more awesome than anyone expected. 2a) Judges’ clothes blow off. Repeat three times. There are some slight variations, like Takumi predicting exactly how Eizan would scheme to interfere with his dish, or Tadokoro not actually succeeding in her matchup, but it’s getting to the point that when I see a judge tasting something in the bottom panel of the left-side page I just sigh because I know exactly what’s coming next. Can’t we go to an internship or something different soon, please? – Michelle Smith
Shortcake Cake, Vol. 3 | By suu Morishita | VIZ Media – The pace of Shortcake Cake is hard to describe. It’s at once leisurely and swift. The former is exemplified by some nice scenes we get in this volume of all the students at Hoshino Boardinghouse studying together for their midterm exams. The latter comes into play with Ten’s relationship with Riku. Because she didn’t know him well, she initially rejected his feelings. He’s been conscientious about not making things awkward for her and this, plus just spending more time with him, is making her reconsider. I really like the emphasis on friendships in this series and I really do like Riku very much, but I’m not sure I buy into the romance progressing this swiftly. It makes me think it’ll end quickly and Ten will end up with Chiaki instead. This series is ten volumes and counting, after all! – Michelle Smith
Takane & Hana, Vol. 7 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – Having shifted the power balance back towards Hana the last time, we’re headed back in the other direction now. Not that Takane is back in the money or anything, but he’s adjusting thanks to Hana essentially being his live-in chef for a while. What’s more, Hana has finally realized her own feelings, and sort of hates them. Which makes sense—Takane is a lot, and loving him can be a giant pain in the ass. There’s also an obligatory Valentine’s chapter, which mostly revolves around Nicola’s smooth playboy persona and how much this can be a giant pain in the ass for Mizuki, whose family we see are essentially a bunch of trolls. Takane & Hana isn’t as constantly funny as the early volumes, but it’s still really good. – Sean Gaffney
By: Ash Brown
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