(CONTAINS SPOILERS OF CHAPTERS 1 ➜ 149, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)
_Hello, I'm Chr0ma ! This is my first ever review. I'm not very experienced in writing how I feel about something, it might sound unclear or too over the place, even repetitive since I struggle with my poor choice of words, but I'll try my best to make it as enjoyable as possible, thanks for your attention and enjoy your read._
To be fair, I usually don't care that much about what type of emotions a manga conveys through its art, unless it really stands out, KaoruHana is one of those unique pieces for me. The attention to details, facial expressions, and how understandable the emotions of the characters seem are absolutely refreshing and pleasant to look at ; between the angles, the feeling like all their muscles actually move, everything is reflected well enough to be immersive for the reader. What I adore the most is how their personalities still feel distinct and so their body language is also different. For example, to express all her emotions, Kaoruko Waguri will be most likely to move her entire body, she feels lively, she will give you a wide smile of innocence and joy, even when she feels sad or nervous you can clearly notice it and I love that ! As for characters like Saku or Subaru, their body language will shown to be more of a " closed/reserved " approach, as they're keeping their feelings to themselves or tone them down, at least until they get comfortable. It's a slow burn for everyone but it's worth it !
Such details make the manga really alive since you could literally remove the bubbles and still tell how they're doing at the exact moment. What's more is the way the author actually draws the characters in different outfits, and for the girls even different hairstyles that still fit their vibes ! Plus their hair feel like they got texture, from Shohei's messy spiky hair to Kaoruko's long wavy hair. It's very endearing and make the entire thing even more memorable and readable, any people who have already read mangas with very few details and barely any greyscale will get what I mean. I'm pretty confident you could tell just from shadows who is who, it's that good. I think it's easily recognizable and captivates my eyes more than a lot of mangas could do. I'm a sucker for its stunning artstyle !
Unlike its art, the plot is actually more simple but works well. The story takes place in two high schools : Chidori (the main male characters' school), and Kikyo (an all-girls academy where the female leads study), there is a mostly one-sided conflict where the girls aren't really allowed to interact in any way with Chidori students, because they're seen as bothersome for their focus on work. Chidori leans towards being a chill and open public school, while Kikyo, which is a prestigious private school, mostly belongs to girls in wealthy families, and tends to be more strict. With those details said, what would you expect ? Maybe something like the girls openly rejecting the boys the whole time, right ? Well.. yes and no, at least for our first appearing main duo starring Kaoruko Waguri, a hardworking girl who loves sweet pastries, and Rintaro Tsumugi who's a more mysterious guy who might seem scary but is actually very kind.
Our second duo is a bit more.. complicated at first, to say the least. We do feel a boy-girl duality between the two smart reserved Saku Natsusawa and Subaru Hoshina, but it doesn't really last long. Subaru has a very precise vision of Chidori students, so she is very distrustful and basically sees anyone from Chidori as a threat to any Kikyo student. Does that stop them from being friends ? Of course not ! Heyy there's 96% iyashikei in the tags did you expect it to go terribly wrong ? We'll HEAL and be fixed through the events. Anyway, those two had a form of " rivalty " for a short period of time which is a very different approach from the first duo, who kept talking to eachother despite descovering what school they were from.
As for the rest, each guys and each girls are here for their groups, nothing too big really, it's friends chilling together, and you can go through their emotionnal situations or struggles, as well as their experience finding a future vocation to move forward in life, and for some, it could be a scary topic. Each ones are different, their chemistries are also different, and the more you read, the less elements feel left behind ! The manga also likes reminding you how some stuff went, so very convenient if you're reading weekly or binging a bunch of chapters in very separated patches. Is it annoying ? I would say no. My memory can be awful and I appreciate the reminders, I'm a very fast reader yet have hard times remembering what I've just read, even if I read the same page 10 times, so thank you for that !
From what I've told you a part of the narrative doesn't seem that happy but I'm not done ! Here's where the diabete comes from : the group's friendship and heartwarming moments ! Because yes, they all become friends, sounding corny huh ? But it's not just that. It almost feels like you are their friends too, the ensemble cast getting their moments at some point along with the adorable affectionate dialogues happening, this is perfect whenever you feel down and need something to cheer up. Are you feeling alone ? Read KaoruHana so you'll feel accompanied thanks to any character you relate to. Are your friends fake ? Read KaoruHana to gain faith in humanity. Do you need to witness respect, open sincere talks or visibly friendly and fun dynamics ? What did I tell you, READ KAORUHANA !
KaoruHana's cast is believable and perfect for its demographic ; you get to know everyone much enough to understand how they function or how they live, not to mention you could be one of them even if you're not their age ! It explores various points of view regarding everything, including their vision in relationships, school, or themselves. At some point you meet their families as well as some old acquaintances in the case of a few. It's very precise and really got me hard to the point I have the entire group in my favorites, and absolutely love other characters I've seen ! Yes, even family members !
Kaoruko Waguri : An absolute bright sunshine character. Or is she all the time ? A very intriguing and lovely character I initially found really cute, seeing her smile specifically could give me so much joy, the fact she could barely afford Kikyo while it was her goal, and it shows how much her family cares for her, the fact she was the student with the best grade at the entrance exam surely is impressive, showing how hardworking and dedicated she is to succeed ! It surely is a stressful matter if she wants to pursue a career in a strict school, but her perseverance is really nice to see. Her relationship with everyone is sweet, especially with Rintaro, which gave me so much diabete in 100+ chapters that I thought I would need CPR several times to catch up. I won't deny anyone could love Kaoruko, she shows a lot of concern for her friends, is caring, doesn't hold back from being affectionate with who she cherishes the most and doesn't care about appearance and rumors that's for sure. Overall one of my favorite female leads because she makes my happiness meter explode just by existing.
Rintaro Tsumugi : He got one of the best families I know in fiction. His supportive mother who's an absolute sweetie, his father who's strict yet passionate with his work but still dearly love his son trying to motivate and support him, or his big brother who were here for him and give him company when he was little. Everyone played an important role in different parts of Rintaro's life, and it's amazing how good his development went, he grew a lot since the beginning and I got to be really proud of him for all his efforts and changes regarding his own self esteem. He's the overthinker type, lowkey looks scary for others, but that's just physically because he's attentive and super receptive. He can tell how someone feels in a glance, and reads pretty well through others' words or body expression. A charitable guy who deserves all the love in the world honestly. You go my guy, pursue your dream !
Saku Natsusawa : Remember when I said one could be you ? This is the me. Saku is the type of introvert character who seems to " have the easy life " you know, after all he has good grades without efforts, while lots of people struggle even if they study a lot, he's gifted, right ? Well, maybe on paper, but imagine : what if you get everything you want by doing nearly nothing, would you feel proud of yourself for any accomplishment ? Do you think you have any merit if others worked harder than you ? There we go. Especially for helping others or his future career, he struggles to explain anything when it just clicks for him, and he struggles to express himself at times. His development for me were the most meaningful because he reminds me of my parkour, where you feel undeserving, you aren't capable of articulating yourself and struggle to word your own feelings, you could even be afraid to express them if you think it can ruin the other's life or yourself. He kept distancing from others and had repressed anger because the teachers would idolize him for being hardworking while it wasn't true, and for this reason he was ignored by most people, unable to empathize with anyone afterwards. And when he actually had a friend, he ended up being even lonelier than he formerly was. He seems like a angry person who could just be cold, but I see someone whose only reaction could be anger because he was mad at himself and the world, because that's all he could feel the most, explaining why even when he's embarrassed he's also aggressive, a tsundere. What, you don't believe me ? Ooooh, that's because you rarely see a well written tsundere, I see. Truly it makes his character interesting without sounding forced. His character made me cry plenty of times because of how close from home it felt, you can tell he's my favorite character and I absolutely adore him so much. I hope the best will happen to him in the later chapters, hopefully he'll find love and more happiness.
Subaru Hoshina : When the beautiful white haired girl gets bullied for it.. are they BLIND ?? Her hair is so unique and beautiful (at least to be born with) to be insulted, I think it's understandable that she kept actively rejecting boys between what her school says + her experience with any men who could be mean to her. After all she still tries to step forward, but since it's unusual and Kaoruko were her only close friend at the time, she feels like she doesn't belong there even if she wants to get along. She was also worried for her friend for talking with a boy, but her growth is interesting and another relatable one for a lot of teenagers ; she feels like she doesn't fit because she didn't have good memories from the past, but then she moves forward and starts getting more comfortable and happier with others. It's so heartwarming to see what she has become that even if I felt suspicious at the start of the manga, I can't stop liking her more and more. My girl deserves success and joy, ohh it feels so good to be included. Live, laugh, love Subaru Hoshina !
Ayato Yorita : I were neutral about his character for a long time, not because I didn't like him, but I felt like he were hiding a lot and I barely knew anything from him, turns out I was right ? Otherwise he's a very friendly person who doesn't really like conflicts, but if it's necessary he'll always be there to defend his friends, he's a wonderful person to have around and a great " group mom " trope from my perspective. When his focus arc arrived, I were invested and touched by his motives of what he wants to be for the future. A member of your family inspiring you is really cute, especially when you keep this dedication for such a long time. It's normal that Ayato still felt unsure or didn't want to tell his friends since it feels a bit silly but it's not something to be ashamed of. Anyone have valid motives even if it's from a long time ago ! Great character, I hope we will see more of him personally in the future.
Shohei Usami : Shohei is an interesting one. Very outgoing, talkative and energic, he seems to be laidback and stuck in the time of high school. He didn't really want to think of the future because what he loved the most was already right there and could keep going forever, but sadly, they don't last forever and you have to advance in life which sounds scary. Does that mean he stayed in his position ? Of course not ! In more recent chapters, he even decided for something he wanted to do, and it's really good to see that even if he didn't get much focus until a long time, he still could find something and be satisfied with it. His relationship with his family is also really cute, and I'm proud of him to finally discover something he could vibe with. I enjoy his presence as a literal golden retriever, it's pleasant to see.
Madoka Yuzuhara : She's a really fun one. I never expected her to actually be part of the group, but I'm not disappointed. Madoka is the opposite of judgemental and has zero animosity ; she's neutral about nearly everything and enjoys hearing about what makes her friends happy, especially love stories where she's even more passionate than the person living it, a great addition overall, I'm waiting for more content with her, eventually some focus to understand her situation better ? We barely know anything for now but her friendly and supportive personality is amazing. I didn't think she would be the complete opposite of the " standards " from her school tho, and somehow it works well enough ? Alright then, I wonder what content she's reserving for us later on.
Are you into iyashikeis ? If not, do you still want to give a shot to heartwarming content ? Do you seek for cheerful fuzzy moments, adorable dynamics and supportive friends all the way ? Then what are you waiting for, READ KAORU HANA ! I would like to thank all of my mutuals who made me discover this manga while I was not at my best. Even if like most pieces it got its sad moments, you still get to feel all comfy and happy just by the group of friends existing, growing, supporting eachother and have such a good rewarding evolution. It impacted me more than it should have, and now KaoruHana is the best therapy I've ever had while reading something, both with its romance and friendship.
As someone who has trouble when it comes to actually be affected by mangas, this one was a great surprise I could gladly recommend anyone to read. It's pure, it's endearing, it's joyful, an explosion of fluff and everyone is treated respectfully. A bonus point for my case is that characters look their age and it doesn't contain any fanservice, unless you consider feeling warm from seeing all this wholesomeness as fanservice, then this contains infinite fanservice. If you haven't read this yet, go get a warm hug, take a sit and experience this wonder with us.
Judging by where this is going, I would say the ensemble cast might create other couples at some point, and maybe build them a bit who knows ? I have my ideas, but if not, I'm also fine with whatever, as long as the development of the characters keeps up and remains making me feel things. I wouldn't be against more characters' birthdays being celebrated too, those are precious events ! I'm hoping for a long ongoing series.
