From buying a single volume because the cover stood out to having all the books invade the very crevices of my home, this series has drastically raised my expectations as far as romance manga is concerned and is now a definite favourite of mine.

Well, first I have to acknowledge the very obvious elephant in the room. The kind of age gap we all look down upon, FL is 27 and ML is 17... aka a CHILD... Now shoot me but as long as the older party isn't sick to the guts I don't see the issue with Hayame dating Issei who is going to turn 18 in the following year anyway... Still a problem, just not the BIGGEST problem. I know that this may be a huge red flag for some people when they first pick up or hear about Promise Cinderella... but I promise you guys you just need to touch a little grass and breathe in a little fresh air to realise that... that... I CAN’T DEFEND THIS ONE MAN.

As with all manga and anime I enjoy, if I had freshly graduated from this I would've said something along the lines of "Promise Cinderella is perfect, the story is so good, I love Promise Cinderella so much, Promise Cinderella is the goat" and the praises would be neverending. I've gone long past that newly birthed feeling and all I can say is that I would say the same thing over and over again (also because I need to justify my spending money on a physical book that I could've read online for free) (so there can't be any flaws).

Well... somewhat... the main protagonist becomes poor and gets picked up by some rich guy, but hey, cliché doesn't necessarily mean that the story is rubbish. Right?
Our 27-year-old protagonist, Hayame, gets cheated on by her husband, divorces him (somehow), leaves the house with a single bag, gets robbed, and ends up homeless. Then her 17-year-old prince charming who just so happens to have stacks of money offers her a place to stay, his home.

...I think I also need to get cheated on by my husband which will lead to divorce so I, too, can be picked up by some child with loads of money.

Ok but real talk, this is the only aspect of Promise Cinderella that I will never agree to wrap my head around.
I know this might sound funny to some people as it may seem like common sense. Actually no, I don't want to get blasted so I'll say… PERSONALLY, art is the most crucial part of manga. See? Sounds obvious right? Art is subjective and each to their own. However, if your manga doesn't have stellar art then whatever Shakespeare, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes plot you came up with gets thrashed with no hesitation. Art even works as a cover-up. Even if your story makes me want to gauge my eyes out, as long as I have something to look at, we're good. For some, that may be their experience with Promise Cinderella. A shoddy storyline hidden behind beautiful art.

The shoddy-ish, cliche-ish, and normal-ish story it may be, that feeling is easily set off by the stunning visuals and fun personalities displayed in this manga. It’s as dangerous as the K-dramas I unconsciously gravitate to every weekend as if it's programmed into my brain to consume the same copy and pasted rot. Poor woman and rich man? Gosh… wonder what happens next. WHAT? THEY GET TOGETHER?! THATS CRAZY!!! Handsome man picks me up even though I'm not beautiful? WHAT? NO WAY! THAT'S SO REALISTIC AND RELATABLE, BEING HOMELESS DOESN'T SOUND SO BAD AFTERALL!!! However, if we look past that fantasy scenario we'll see the real beauty of this manga.

One of Promise Cinderella's highlights has to be the way it showcases real character development. It's not as if they lose everything they were, it just makes them a better person. At first, Issei didn't seem likable or good enough for the role, but with time he slowly grew into the man he thought was deserving of the one he desired. You can see the difference in the way he approaches things as the end gets nearer, and their bond grows tighter. Yet he still behaves like the immature idiot he is. The same is true for Hayame. Me and the boys LOVE character development! You know what else me and the boys love though? Me and the boys LOVE people respecting their parents.

As much as I was pleased to see Issei grow up and mature, it cannot compare with the way in which his relationship with his mom healed. NOW THIS, ladies and gentlemen, IS ENOUGH TO MAKE A GROWN MAN CRY. After reading endless chapters of both of them being painted as villains, they finally get to reconcile, express their regrets, and come to understand one another. There is no greater joy than discovering your mother loves you and will always do so, especially for him. Give my guy Oreco Tachibana a raise for closing that one up, and not just tossing it to the side. They gave blud a happy ending as deserved.

I still haven't forgotten the day I finished this manga. I had no idea it was the last volume. All I knew was “Sweet! New volume!”
I was in school and the moment I reached the end I JUMPED from my chair and shouted the loudest WHAAAT????? I ever had. Don't get it twisted, it wasn't a 'what a poo ending!' WHAT. It was a WHAT taken from the very depths of hell to express my devastation. Thankfully, I can say that it was a sweet and satisfying ending. Oreco closed the relationships and gave us what we'd been waiting for.

My joy, my love, my one and only meaning for existing has been stripped from me

A solid timeless start for Oreco Tachibana. It still hurts to see that it hasn't received the recognition it deserves. This review is therefore written with the hope of introducing it to at least one more person who shares my positive impressions. You don't want to miss this one!