Introduction:
Mayonaka Heart Tune, also known as Tune In to the Midnight Heart, is a romance series by Masakuni Igarashi that started in 2023.
The story follows our main character, Yamabuki Arisu, as he looks for the one girl he heard many years ago in a radio show featured by her, going by the name 'Apollo'. One day she suddenly stopped her broadcasts without any explanation, by knowing some data about her, like the school she was planning to attend in high school, Yamabuki made up his mind and decided to attend that same high school; the issue is that apart from knowing how her voice sounds and one of her potential careers she once suggested she might like to do for a living he doesn't have any other leads.
Coincidentally, on the same day that the semester started he listened the voice of the girl he longed the most to hear one more time, he heard her through the speakers in his classroom, he immediately dashed out to go to the broadcast club and got inside to see his beloved Apollo once again only to be absolutely baffled: It wasn't just one girl, but four of them.
Now is when the power of harem romcoms makes its appearance on stage: All of them have voices strangely similar and their tones when expressing different emotions are way too similar to Apollo's, and not only that, when Yamabuki asked them what they wanted to be in the future each of them said precisely one of the potential jobs Apollo mentioned many years before:
What are the odds, right?
Well, it seems Yamabuki has encountered a big trouble in his way, but he didn't falter, he decided to take the challenge of finding Apollo among one of these girls, and the easiest way to do so is by joining that same club, observe closely all of them while he helps them improve in their efforts to reach their dreams.
Interval:
That would be more or less the introduction to this series, not too different from the synopsis actually, at first I was reluctant because I'm not a guy who usually is into harems (huh, that's weird, in 'Favorite Characters' you have lots of heroines from harem ser- SILENCE, please dear reader do not pay heed to those words). Anyway, before I realized I was already hooked and looking forward to seeing who this 'Apollo' might be, in many senses it's quite similar to the plot of Go-toubun no Hanayome by Haruba Negi, another reason why I found it so alluring.
The characters:
The series has a really well-balanced set of heroines, all of them quirky in their own way of course:
Uzuki Shinobu, striving for the announcer job, is a hard-working girl that helps a lot to people in need, it's that kind of character that has trouble saying 'No' when she is actually busy with important stuff of her own, you can say she is too kind, from the batch she would be the less archetypical, I think.
Kirino Iko, striving for the Vtuber job, is what we would call the “oddball” of the group (in the good sense), she's “shy” and quite lazy at times, still she is really passionate about wanting to be better in her performance as a Vtuber, she is the geek character, if you want to categorize her.
Himekawa Nene, striving for the voice actress job, is a a straightforward girl that at times could be considered too blunt and is a little bit too hostile towards the main character, she hates him but at the same time she (eventually) likes him… Yup, your assumption is accurate, a tsundere through and through.
Inohana Rikka, striving for the singer job, is a heroine with somewhat of a laid-back and nonchalant personality that likes to tease every once in a while the main character, she really wants to succeed as a musician, she would be that character with a cool aura (take as example Akane from Megami no Café Terrace, smooth by a quarter her usual coolness and you have a Rikka).
Not only them but the main character is also quite… unique in his own way, he is extremely arrogant and eccentric, or at least that's his facade, he's actually a pretty good guy once the circumstances demand of him to act serious with the heroines; unlike many other MC's from harem series he is quite likeable, I feel like there's an actual personality that you can get attached to and not just…plain emptiness.
The plot itself:
The plot is gripping, as it shifts between heroines (like any harem series does) we get to know more of the characters and see how the girls interact as really close friends, how the invasion of Yamabuki disrupted their little world, for better or worse depending the one who views it. Seeing Yamabuki trying earnestly to help them with what they're struggling is both endearing and entertaining; endearing due to the fact that they started changing their initial view of him as an intruder to seeing him more like a person who really wants to support their dreams, and entertaining because of the comedy along the chapters, the usual stuff: Overreactions to some actions and dialogues, and funny doodles or ways to represent characters and their moods as the chapters develop.
The story isn't at all difficult to follow as it has a good rhythm between each heroine, due to this constant shifting it's not redundant, these girls have some serious issues they need help with, trust me (yeah, sure, why wouldn't I trust in a complete stranger?), so it isn't too likely you'll get bored. The author has by all accounts crafted a good dynamic to develop the story, and the mystery factor is a plus that prompts the reader to look for any clues of who might be Apollo, about the art there's not too much to point out except that it's gorgeous (as the volume covers clearly demonstrate). Oh, a side note, lots of readers, myself included, love the little detail that the chapter's title is masterfully placed right at the end, so it holds a bigger impact on the reader; most of the titles are part of some dialogues, so it's weirdly satisfying reading what some character was about to say using the title. A neat detail.
Conclusion:
On the whole I would recommend it, mostly for those who enjoy reading series that have a harem BUT do not conclude with a harem ending (at least that's what is implied from the get go); I'll be honest: It's a pretty well thought and carried out story that doesn't lose momentum for most of the manga. And, yes, those of us who enjoy the little “couple moments even though they're not dating yet” between the main character and each heroine will gladly enjoy the romantic scenes, they're truly sweet, I can guarantee that at the very least. Usually there should be at least one negative aspect ro remark in a review, so I'm gonna add one by quoting a friend of mine: “From among the four of them Nene is the only one that isn't to my liking, having to be stuck reading a current arc with Nene pisses me off and just makes me want to leave the manga a few weeks, do a quick reading of what happened in her arc and move on” (I'm cutting the dialogue here cuz, well, he started swearing, so that's it).
Basically what was annoying him was the fact that Nene is a tsundere, in my opinion there's nothing wrong with her (tsunderes are just misunderstood, the issue is that when they get violent most of us can't sympathize with them anymore) but to my dislike I've come to accept more and more readers are getting fed up with this archetype as it has been worn out so much, so I'm giving this series a 95 out of 100 to please the masses.
Having said all this I apologize for the long text and I hope you liked this review, see ya next time!
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