A beautiful mess of a manga that I cannot stop talking about. I went in with pretty minimal expectations, having only heard that it was a "dumpster fire" (from multiple people) and that the ending was a rather major letdown. I'm not here to litigate either of these points - there is certainly enough here that could lead you to believe it'll be a trashy drama, and unfortunately this manga unloads a lot of that on you up front in the first 50 chapters or so. However, once the setup for the core conceit is out of the way and other characters and stories are given room to blossom, this manga really begins to shine. It's got a strong cast of characters that will routinely surprise you with their depth, regardless of how prominent their role is in the story. As it goes on, it begins to tip its hand a bit by retreading the same kind of subplots, but it's still compelling drama and spending more time to learn about these characters and their goals is genuinely a treat. Even if you've already seen the anime, I recommend you read this manga to give the best parts of this story a chance to flourish.

I really can't stress enough that the subplots are the meat of the story here - Natsuo's journey to become a bona fide author is made much more compelling because it feels like the mangaka herself has real admiration for literature and those that create it. The way these one-off characters are treated in the story betrays a genuine interest in the world and those that inhabit it, which is why I feel like it's such an injustice when discussion about this IP begins to treat it like tabloid drama or some fetish manga.

I want to be clear, though, that there are obvious shortcomings. As mentioned before, the main plot is front and center for the first fifty chapters and it's a real slog while they set up the primary source of drama. This chunk just makes me want to take a shower, and it's not helped a lot by the fact that Hina's character just doesn't seem to have a lot going on. She has goals, of course, but every change she goes through feels played up, as if we're meant to feel like they're more impactful than they are. Later on, there are a couple characters who get their own subplots and are still interesting people, but it doesn't always feel like they get a chance to make the most of their time in the spotlight. There's also the ending, which torpedos itself so quickly and efficiently within a handful of chapters that I legitimately am only capable of being impressed.

Regardless of its flaws, I do think this is worth a read. Even if you come to dislike it, I think you'll come away with something interesting to say about it. If you're even remotely interested, I recommend reading it - I guarantee you'll get something out of it.