Every time I pick up another romcom, I find myself wondering; what is the purpose of these cute little books? Is it blatant escapism, hopeless romanticism, or even just waifu bait? Any seasoned rom-com reader, as I would consider myself, would realize these are just flagrant accusations cast by those who don't understand the genre, there is far more to a good rom-com than just these elements. But, in recent memory, most romcoms have fallen into the same, sullen tropes. It's not like this is anything new, tropes have been a standard in the rom-com genre for decades, and when handled correctly can lead to a perfect blend of comedic timing and romance (An example being Jin Kobayashi's "School Rumble.")
But, a severe lack in nuance in concepts has caused a bit of a rough patch in manga within recent memory, at least for largely published manga. That's why when I saw another long titled cutesy tsundere manga, I was initially disinterested. However, noticing the artist of Onani Master Kurosawa was fronting the project, I gained a bit more interest and decided that, due to its relatively short length (Like her skirt... haha...) I would give it a read. Honestly, it was quite a neat little manga. To be clear, this manga is not a gamechanger, and it's not a revolutionary piece of literature to be talked about for ages, rather its a culmination of what I love about romcoms as a whole, and how well even a simple one like this can work when these elements are linked together.
Now, when covering a rom-com there is a core element to every story to make it work; the characters. The essence of the "rom" elements are the characters, along with the essence of the "com". Fundamentally, a rom-com cannot feasibly work unless the characters are entertaining or interesting enough to maintain reader interest. The manga most certainly does not fail here. Criticisms first, it is extremely tropey. Aside from Sakuradaimon, every character mainly falls into a pre-established little role. Yuu is the ragged Yankee, Poemu is the Tsundere, Nadeshiko is the wacky school pres, etc. However, as stated before, if these characters work well in their dynamic, there is no issue. And for the most part, they fit perfectly! There's an engaging dynamic of stupidity between the stuck-up vice president Kaoru and Nadeshiko, and their antics are a fun little side plot. Other characters, however, are a little obnoxious in their trope-riddled development, though not to an extent that I'd say they are a detriment. Overall, the cast outside of our main two is solid and don't hurt or distract from the main dynamic whatsoever.
(Just look at how adorable they are!)
The plot is simple, and really works to support the most enjoyable part of the manga, that being Sakuradaimon and Poemu's dynamics. Basically, Poemu wears short skirts as the rambunctious tsun that she is, and the straight-laced Sakuradaimon doesn't like it and tries to get her to stop. Their exchanges aren't necessarily negative, and they tend to understand where each other comes from mutually. It's this wholesome little charade that carries along with the plot at your typical romcom pace for the first 20 or so chapters. The plot does surprise here though, as, forbidden by romcom law, the two actually... get together??? Initially, I was a bit skeptical at how fast the story was moving, though maybe that was in part due to whiplash thanks to many other romcoms I've read in which it takes upwards of 300 chapters to get anywhere (Looking at you Komi-san), but the change didn't hinder the story at all, rather bringing it to a higher level than before. Some minor drama ensues, including the ever loveably dense Sakuradaimon figuring out the nuances of relationships, all the while Poemu bashfully makes gradual steps towards taking their relationship further. It's not only a lovely setup but also feels unique, as few romcoms explore this sort of dynamic whilst the two are actually in a relationship. It also helped that, while he is extremely dense, Sakuradaimon isn't doing that just to prolong the plot, but rather because after having withstood proper moral boundaries for so long, he has to learn how to open up. While not groundbreaking writing, it's this small amount of development and progression that allows the reader to stay interested in both his character and the typical rom-com shenanigans. It works, and as such so does the plot.
(Their dynamic is definitely the highlight of the manga)
The artwork is, to put it bluntly, outstanding. Anything Yokota draws I will read, as this style is just so appealing! Every character feels so vibrant and expressive, the paneling is gorgeous, the sleek lines add emphasis, and almost a Sunrise style aesthetic that I absolutely adore. It's definitely personal preference in this department, but I feel like the manga would not be nearly as good as it is without Yokota's outstanding artwork. It really is impressive to see the progression he has made from the subpar and often confusing paneling and artwork in Kurosawa/Chikan Otoko to this manga and the Magic The Gathering one he's currently working on. Not much else to say, if you're going to read this manga read it for the art if anything!
In conclusion, is this manga a groundbreaking piece of literature? No. Because that's not what it needs to be. It is an entertaining, wholesome rom-com with some simple development, believable character progression, and vibrant, fun character designs/interactions. If you ever feel like "Hey, I just wanna read a simple short rom-com!" I would highly recommend this title. Thank you for reading!
(Absolute Chad Sakuradaimon)EDIT: The manga is now a 6 out of 10, recent chapters have been absolutely trash and ruined a lot of what made the manga work. So sad.
