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Introduction

'Even If It Was Just Once, I Regret It' is a manga written and illustrated by Miyahara Miyako. It presents us with the story of Koduka Chiyo, an unemployed tenant unable to pay her rent. Her landlady comes in one day to collect her rent. However, knowing that Koduka cannot pay her rent at all, she instead says "Please have sex with me." Just what will unfold from a relationship that all started from a one-night stand...?

Plot

Already from the beginning, it has a very upfront start. The image above is taken from the start of the manga, presenting us with quite blunt dialogue. This could put some people off, and I could see why some would just think this is a manga all about sex and what not. Luckily (or not depending on your preferences), it is not, and what it really is about is the relationship that blossoms between the two. Could this have started in a better manner? Perhaps, maybe this was merely used as a hook or a plot device. I do not really know the answer to that one, you will have to find the answer yourself. That said, seeing the relationship start from something quite bizarre, and then evolving to what is seen in the very end, was quite satisfying to read. Moving on, like I stated earlier the plot mainly revolves around the relationship of Chiyo and her landlady, the events they go through together and the growth they obtain from it. The events that play out vary between each chapter, depicting various situations between the two main characters (and some other minor characters that appear occasionally). What took place was fairly simple and easy to follow, but that did not mean it was not engaging to read. The characters really made the chapters shine, but I will go into this in more detail in my character section of the review. I easily got hooked, I was immersed into reading the manga, wanting to know what would happen next. I was drawn in by relationship the plot chooses to focus on, which I should mention was done well. The relationship was presented well throughout the manga and was well paced. I never felt it was rushing itself, progressing the relationship by too many steps in order to reach the end. For 20 chapters, it held the story well and kept me in for the duration of the manga. It was simply enjoyable to read a cute and wholesome relationship that built up, all the way until its climax. A key topic many manga of this genre tackle is social acceptance of same sex relationships and initial denial. I will not go into too much detail for the sake of spoilers, but I will say whilst it does not appear that often in the manga, when it does it was implemented well in my opinion, adding onto the characters. Overall, the plot was engaging and fun to read. It had a strange start, but quickly made up for it over the course of the manga.

Characters

There are only a few characters in 'Even If It Was Just Once, I Regret It', which may be a result of the short chapter length. This is not really an issue, as it allows for the author of the manga to easily focus on the two stars of the manga, what really makes this manga shine. The first main character to talk about is Koduka Chiyo. Unemployed with a liking to alcohol, she gives off the vibe of being a bit air headed, but she is still very likeable. Her somewhat clumsy nature makes her even easier to love and to enjoy reading. This very nature can lighten up various situations and bring a smile to the reader. The other main character that stars in this manga is Chiyo's landlord. She is often referred to simply as 'landlady', with her name only been revealed later on in the manga. Her personality is distinctly different to Chiyo's, with her being more serious and collected. The pairing of a air headed and serious character is a common pairing in Yuri, so it could be saturated for someone who has read a lot of manga with this kind of pairing. But I seemingly never get bored of this kind of pairing, especially when it was executed well in this manga. The relationship between the two is the main showcase of the manga, and it was certainly entertaining to read. The development of both the main two's relationship and characters were wonderfully done. It was paced well and was well thought out. Other than the main two characters, there were two or so side characters that were featured in the manga. They have a small role in the story, only appearing in two or three chapters of the story. Compared to the main two characters, they felt very insignificant and were easily overshadowed by them. Their role in the story was mostly to assist the main characters with their relationship and add just a little more to the overall plot. Even with that in mind, they were not particularly bad additions to the story, it is more so that they could have been done better, been implemented into the story in a more meaningful manner. But to have them quite insignificant is also not particularly bad, as it allows the author and the reader to focus on the important aspect of the manga, the main two characters.

Art

The art style drawn by Miyahara Miyako was another part of the manga that drew me in. The cute art style complimented the nature of the story and characters, really uplifting the reading experience. The art effectively conveyed the emotions of the characters and made the whole manga even more immersive. The settings were also drawn nicely in my opinion.

Conclusion and TL;DR

This was an enjoyable short read. I was taken in by its story and characters and it was a fun reading experience. I would recommend this to fans of the Yuri genre, looking for something new and not too long to read. The start may be a little off putting but stick through it and just maybe you will enjoy it too. In summary:

• The plot mostly revolves around the two main characters and their relationship.
• The plot is simple yet engrossing and fun to read.
• The relationship and character development were well thought out and paced, becoming one of the strongest points of the manga.
• The side characters are quite minor in the overall plot, overshadowed by the main two. Still, they made their contributions to the story.
• The art complimented the story and characters, providing a cute art style for the reader.

Hopefully you were able to get something out of this review. If you did not like this review, then I apologise for wasting your time. I would like to thank Miyahara Miyako for creating an enjoyable manga to read. And of course, thank you for reading this review. Hopefully you can enjoy this manga too.