"Komori-san in a small voice & Obayashi-kun in a loud voice" is one of those short romcom fluffs that many romcom fans will read a lot. I've been in this "Binge readable in less than an hour" phase for quite a bit and out of all those, this is one out of two that I found more memorable and enjoyable than others (the other one). And I'm just gonna share my thoughts about it.
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...can you hear me?
The story follows a quiet girl named 'Komori' and a loud boy named 'Oobayashi' who sit next to each other. Due to their difference in volumes, they usually end up in some troubles, that are actually more problematic to people around them than themselves.
This is actually a believable premise. There are a lot of stories out there that just make up some kind of plot convenient premise like "The MC has bad luck and always ends up in trouble" (Yes, I'm talking about that specific seasonal romcom) and similarly vague plot points that are just too vague & convenient to build a relationship. I'm not saying these are bad, but just not always good enough to pique my interest. But this sounds genuinely interesting to read and, it didn't really went as I expected. While I like this as a fluffy romance, it could've gone in bit of a serious tone and when you literally start with a line like "I hate my voice", it kinda bothers me that it didn't took a serious tone because it's not always I see "Voice" being a problem in Anime (I definitely have a similar problem as Komori & Daichi, personally). While this might've worked better as Anime, with voice acting and all, it still does a great job at portraying voice of these two characters.
But there's something different that I really liked and found more memorable than the main couple.
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Memorable Background Cast
I think there are a fair amount... (actually, scratch that); there are an insane amount of AniManga where they make you feel like a background character (I couldn't find my meme, so please spare me for that). Most of the times, these kind of characters offer nothing but a sarcastic laugh, with the same old boring "I'm jealous (or something similar)" lines who only exist to fill unnecessary place that kinda detaches you from what's happening and I got tired off them. Or sometimes, they get a full chapter or episode to give some depth but fails to leave an impression most of the times.
But one of the main strengths this manga has, is in it's background characters that actually acts like background characters. Most of the scenes takes place in a rather crowded/lively atmosphere which gives it a chance to fill with many people, that you won't even see in the next chapter. They only leave a single comment, a single facial expression, a simple gesture or just their simple bubble of thought, but these small things are what I really like about this Manga. They make you feel connected to the story and everything happening in it. Yes, they're forgettable, Heck! You won't even know their names but they'll leave a memorable impression that you can still think back after long reading and say, "Yep! That was funny".
And of course, the art style is cute. The colored panels it gives at the end of some chapters are stunning & wallpaper-worthy.
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Conclusion
While still being a regular romcom fluff, it offers a believable premise different from regular fluff romcoms and one of the few I genuinely enjoyed, and I can't believe I reread it twice.
