Telework Yotabanashi
Telework Yotabanashi standing at 20 chapters and overall, a single volume, will only last you for a singular session of warm coffee and reading. It’ll leave you fully satisfied, with its short glimpse into a budding adult relationship, just like how a cup of coffee does.
The story encapsulates the feeling of stumbling into a stranger, so alluring with their traits that you can’t stop musing over them. Someone that appears radiant in your eyes, someone quite different from you. The difference even highlighting certain insecurities within yourself, but the more you interact the more tender your heart turns and their radiance even more bewitching. All the while their visage turns from something glorified to human in your mind.
Yamada Kintetsu, the author, weaves moments of embarrassment, of unexpected compliments, of doubt, of peace and of bonding into a warm quilt of a manga. How does an overworked tech employee and a post grad in archaeology end up together? Through shared principles, a peek into each other’s hobbies and some cheeky flirtation. Nokoru & Natsu appear quite contrasting to each other at first, eyes with dark circles against light amber hues, reserved and calculating against upfront and proactive. Nokoru being a logic driven problem solver, digging deep into Natsu’s offhand compliments and trying his hardest to not cross over boundaries. Natsu’s characterization is much more subtle as we perceive her from Nokoru’s eyes. She goes from enigmatic beauty to someone who simply pursues her dreams to the fullest while herself struggling at times for meaning.
The manga smoothly transitions into their nascent relationship, the shift in boundaries, the ignition of intimacy. The initial dance on toes to keep the spark from fizzling, it doesn’t shy away from showcasing intimacy; it will make sure to raise your heartbeat and leave your cheeks flush. The author mentioned his intentions of making Natsu an entrancing and bewitching character, and he nails that feel to its utmost limits. Not only does she keep Nokoru on his toes, but she also keeps you, the reader, on your toes.
Telework Yotabanashi to me, is a love letter to simple romance manga and hallmark evidence for the author’s growth from his previous work. The intermixing of the two lead’s selves into each other is masterfully done over verbal exchanges, dinners and sharing hobbies. It welled up a tantalizing desire within myself followed by stirring introspection of my own relationships, and I believe more people might find something that resonates personally within, even if it's just the experience of getting to know someone new.