Urami Koi is a series that can easily be dismissed based on its premise, but that disguises a compelling - if slow building - narrative that's about how traditions often detract from someone's own value in their own personal lives, and how exactly to find value not only within those roles but also in actively shedding them aside if need be. It uses the twelve zodiacs (which are prominent in eastern thought and especially specific religions) to represent the stability of these roles, with the characters having taken up roles they were already destined to do - only for these characters purposes to clash against one another as the plot kicks into gear with attempts to overthrow this order due to the villain(s) of the series associating the involved characters as being collectively responsible for what those they've replaced have done, rather than associating with them as individuals. Various themes are explored in Urami Koi from this perspective - the inevitability of conflict and how to resist it, fatalism, what love changes about someone (be it familial or romantic) and how exactly can change to this order be given if the roles granted are fixed. Urami Koi in its limited timespan manages to wrap up all of these themes, never suffering from mood whiplash or tonal inconsistency, and has a damn good plot that ends on a high note, never feeling too long or too short but exactly as long as it needed to be.

At the heart of Urami Koi are the three main leads that also form the main romantic triangle that the series follows; Kyouichi, Natsuho and Ayaka. Natsuho for all intents and purposes is the lead who ties most strongly to the central themes of the series; she has no real place to belong, having been living off her hatred her whole life aimed at Kyouichi's Nekuni family for having an old rivalry with her own, being bound by a curse that has followed her as long as she lives. Upon encountering Kyouichi, despite negative emotions she feels from said curse, she grows attached to him and the town around him, to say nothing of falling in love with him in spite of the curse. Much of her character arc revolves around moving beyond her supposed destiny of eternal conflict with the Nekuni family and slowly embracing her growing romantic feelings for Kyouichi, wherein she actively rebels against the curse and decides to be defined by who she is as a person instead of continuing to hate him for his lineage forever. Along the way, much of Natsuho's character progression revolves around opening up and befriending others, with Ayaka and Sana in particular being important catalysts to her positive change over the course of the narrative. Natsuho overall was an excellent and admittedly adorable character, whose characterization despite my initial doubts I found myself immersed in and enjoyed from start to finish, which thankfully is a good thing because much of the manga is focused on her.

Kyouichi is the main male lead of this manga, being a dry, apathetic yet kindhearted in spite of himself young man who is socially discriminated against due to his initial inability in using his inherited powers compared to the other members of his family, made more embarrassing by the fact that he was supposed to inherit the position as head of the entire clan. This makes him on one hand deep in resentment both at his role and how it has actively hurt his life - to say nothing of the expectations thrust upon him by others that he failed to live up to - yet also makes him insecure about his own role in his clan, leading to someone actively drowning in his own self-hatred. These are character flaws Kyouichi eventually overcomes over the course of the series, slowly becoming more optimistic and outgoing with various characters and more worthy of note are his romantic interactions with both Ayaka and Natsuho - the former being inwardly awkward yet outwardly expressive and the latter being outwardly awkward yet inwardly expressive. His dynamic with Natsuho is arguably the most important one in the entire story, acting as a foil to Gouichi's more utilitarian approach to resolving conflict - with Kyouichi being more willing to engage in dialogue and constantly emphasized as naive yet well-meaning, and while he does mature over the course of the story he never collapses completely to being cold or brutal, remaining heroic and even despite his initial lack of inherited abilities gaining a more active role in combat compared to his more passive role in earlier volumes.

Ayaka is the third central main character of this manga, being a more spunky somewhat tomboyish young woman who self-assigns herself as Kyouichi's guard, acting as the heart of the story due to her quick empathy for other characters' circumstances - which also acts as a vulnerability, contrasting with how she indirectly forces Kyouichi of his role as the old heir to his clan. Much of her early interactions in the manga involve the irony of self-assigning herself as Kyouichi's guard when his role in the clan is something he distances himself from, and often taking the initiative in pursuing her affections for him. This gradually changes over the course of the series, with Kyouichi slowly coming onto his own as a yokai without defining himself as a clan member, leading to her slowly shifting focus and instead taking an encouraging role of this change - which contrasts greatly with her excessive focus on both of their pasts as his childhood friend, yet realizing that the person that initiated much of his more pro-active change is Kyouichi. Much of the manga's second third focuses on Ayaka's character progression and feelings for Kyoichi, while also having arcs where she saves friends that she didn't pay much mind to from falling and becoming demons, and despite much of the focus being on her romance with Kyoichi, her general active role in the plot never generally fades away - with extensive dynamics that are well-developed with much of the cast. Ayaka was my favorite character in the series for this reason, and I was genuinely impressed by the maturity involving her romance subplot with Kyouichi and how it concluded.

Much of the side cast is similarly extremely well developed; Gouichi is a fantastic foil to Kyouichi that isn't immediately apparent on first sight, both Torako and Haruno's dynamics with Ayaka are insanely well-done, Sen and Sana have an extremely well-written bond - with both characters and their feelings for each other conflicting with their traditional roles as guardians of the family taking an extensive focus in the narrative. Character interactions feel natural and well-written, with comedy being well-executed and focused more on the facial expressions rather than on the dialogue and punchlines happening quickly, never dragging out for too long. A particular mention needs to go to Miyako, Kyouichi's sister, who I was skeptical about due to the absurdity of a literal child having a major role in the plot, and yet this is both justified narratively and also well-developed in and of itself, with her dynamic with Kyouichi in particular being exceptionally well-written.

The artwork is gorgeous, with well-spaced panels on most pages that make it easy to read, helping dialogue flow smoothly from panel to panel. Character designs are basic yet expressive, with solid care placed on minor details involving clothing, backgrounds and facial expressions - the last of which is especially relevant considering the character-driven nature of this manga. There's a heavy emphasis on subtle character movements, but there's also a lot of gorgeous action scenes that are beautifully drawn. While not up to par with his work with Episode 5 of Umineko's manga adaptation, this is nonetheless a fairly pleasant manga to look at from start to finish.

Urami Koi is a fantastic shonen action romance manga, and I recommend it strongly if that sounds like it'd be up your sleeve, as the series is well above average.

Thank you for reading.