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佐倉は私を好きすぎる [Sakura wa Watashi wo Sukisugiru] #1
Sakura's Dedication, Vol. 1
Sawa just got out of a relationship with her cheating boyfriend, and is on the lookout for an honest guy. But when her classmate Sakura confesses, she rejects him, as he's not her type. But then he confesses again, and again, and again?! What's a girl to do in the face of such honest dedication?
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
March 5, 2023
(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for a review)
Well, I requested two mangas blindly at the same time and expected this to be better than the other one, but turned out wrong. Honestly, I do not know what this book is about, so I'm not sure if starting the manga with zero ideas of the plot is a wise decision.
This book begins its story very abruptly. It started with Sawa who was talking about her recent breakup with her jerk ex-boyfriend to a friend before Sakura overheard the conversation and immediately confessed his feelings. I believe the mangaka had a different idea for starting the book as it is, but I feel like it ruined the chemistry between the 'potential lovers' since it was rushed.
After reading the summary, I know a few people might perceive the manga as predatory romance, which can be a turn-off to some. While I wouldn't consider that as the case, I still find Sakura a bit weird and adamant as he was forcing his feelings towards Sawa. Instead of seeing this as a cute fluffy romance, I'm a bit disapproved of how Sakura was taking advantage of the situation when Sawa just had a breakup. And while also at that, I find romance to be insta-love. The moment I thought I could run from insta-love in the manga, I was wrong 💀
What I love about the manga though was how it captures the pith of young love where you are still shy around your new boyfriend, while trying to figure out what was the right thing. Sakura is so confident and devoted while Sawa is still so new to the experience. In some way, I admit that the moments between them were adorable. I also love the extra chapter on Sakura's perspective for the time Sawa wanted to be more expressive with him.
Be that as it may, I still didn't enjoy the book as much as I hope it would. The art style was up to my alley and the characters are not entirely unlikeable, but the plot and the pace just went to rack and ruin the enjoyment. Again, this wasn't something new to read and I don't think I'll find myself continuing the series.
Well, I requested two mangas blindly at the same time and expected this to be better than the other one, but turned out wrong. Honestly, I do not know what this book is about, so I'm not sure if starting the manga with zero ideas of the plot is a wise decision.
This book begins its story very abruptly. It started with Sawa who was talking about her recent breakup with her jerk ex-boyfriend to a friend before Sakura overheard the conversation and immediately confessed his feelings. I believe the mangaka had a different idea for starting the book as it is, but I feel like it ruined the chemistry between the 'potential lovers' since it was rushed.
After reading the summary, I know a few people might perceive the manga as predatory romance, which can be a turn-off to some. While I wouldn't consider that as the case, I still find Sakura a bit weird and adamant as he was forcing his feelings towards Sawa. Instead of seeing this as a cute fluffy romance, I'm a bit disapproved of how Sakura was taking advantage of the situation when Sawa just had a breakup. And while also at that, I find romance to be insta-love. The moment I thought I could run from insta-love in the manga, I was wrong 💀
What I love about the manga though was how it captures the pith of young love where you are still shy around your new boyfriend, while trying to figure out what was the right thing. Sakura is so confident and devoted while Sawa is still so new to the experience. In some way, I admit that the moments between them were adorable. I also love the extra chapter on Sakura's perspective for the time Sawa wanted to be more expressive with him.
Be that as it may, I still didn't enjoy the book as much as I hope it would. The art style was up to my alley and the characters are not entirely unlikeable, but the plot and the pace just went to rack and ruin the enjoyment. Again, this wasn't something new to read and I don't think I'll find myself continuing the series.
June 7, 2022
My gratitude to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this series in exchange for an honest review.
Shy and inexpressive Sawa Hanasaki recently broke up with his boyfriend because she got cheated on. Upon hearing the news, the dedicated and ever-motivated Yuma Sakura appeared in front of Sawa with the face of a winner, professing his honest feelings for her. Because of this direct confession that clearly messes with Sawa's nature, she straight-up rejected the guy. If it was anyone else, they had given up already, but blunt and determined Sakura is set up to win her heart. Will Sawa finally surrender to Sakura's dedication, and open up her heart to the abstract thing that we call love? The taste of unforgettable love, that is saccharine and syrupy on the first bite. Fuyu Yukimiya unfailingly gave life to the flavorful story of honest young love and affection in this new series.
Shy and inexpressive Sawa Hanasaki recently broke up with his boyfriend because she got cheated on. Upon hearing the news, the dedicated and ever-motivated Yuma Sakura appeared in front of Sawa with the face of a winner, professing his honest feelings for her. Because of this direct confession that clearly messes with Sawa's nature, she straight-up rejected the guy. If it was anyone else, they had given up already, but blunt and determined Sakura is set up to win her heart. Will Sawa finally surrender to Sakura's dedication, and open up her heart to the abstract thing that we call love? The taste of unforgettable love, that is saccharine and syrupy on the first bite. Fuyu Yukimiya unfailingly gave life to the flavorful story of honest young love and affection in this new series.
September 21, 2024
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*
The problem with this manga was that it relied entirely on its cuteness. There was no substance, no integrity. The characters had no personality outside of being cute or obsessive, to the point that the female protagonist flipped from not liking the male love interest to liking him within the space of three pages.
It was all so bland and repetitive. It was also insanely exaggerative with the protagonist acting like a touched-starved, hormonal lunatic who couldn’t even look at her so-called “boyfriend” without cringing with embarrassment. It was only mildly entertaining to read if you could find it within yourself to laugh at stupidity, otherwise it was really just boring.
The problem with this manga was that it relied entirely on its cuteness. There was no substance, no integrity. The characters had no personality outside of being cute or obsessive, to the point that the female protagonist flipped from not liking the male love interest to liking him within the space of three pages.
It was all so bland and repetitive. It was also insanely exaggerative with the protagonist acting like a touched-starved, hormonal lunatic who couldn’t even look at her so-called “boyfriend” without cringing with embarrassment. It was only mildly entertaining to read if you could find it within yourself to laugh at stupidity, otherwise it was really just boring.
March 23, 2022
Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for this lovely ARC!
This is the cutest thing I've read this year. This manga talks about a guy that's in love with a very shy girl that can't show her feelings. As someone who dates a nerd and has problems with PDA, I saw so much of me in the protagonist. Lovely shoujo, made my heart become soft.
This is the cutest thing I've read this year. This manga talks about a guy that's in love with a very shy girl that can't show her feelings. As someone who dates a nerd and has problems with PDA, I saw so much of me in the protagonist. Lovely shoujo, made my heart become soft.
March 6, 2022
She's tsun. He's dere. Together they're adorable.
March 16, 2022
3.5 stars.
The beginning feels really forced and cliche but it gets really cute over time (despite nothing much happening so far). The main girl can be annoying at times with how repetitive she can be about getting embarrassed over how affectionate the main guy is but he's super adorable. Plus, the art style is crazy good too!
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.
The beginning feels really forced and cliche but it gets really cute over time (despite nothing much happening so far). The main girl can be annoying at times with how repetitive she can be about getting embarrassed over how affectionate the main guy is but he's super adorable. Plus, the art style is crazy good too!
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.
April 9, 2022
This manga turned out to be way more sweet than I was expecting and I absolutely loved it! Where can I find a guy like Sakura? He was sweet! This whole concept was a breath of fresh air and I really like the dedication that Sakura put in. It really made my heart flutter. I honestly can’t wait to read more!
March 6, 2022
Fuyu Yukimiya is new to me in the world of manga. However, I thought this read had a bit fluff but I was lukewarm with the read. I did like both characters in a role reversal ...popular girl and unpopular boy,
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 7, 2022
Hmm.... okay, this was a very weird one. I mean, story wise.
I did like the drawings: they are very classic and stylish.
But the story: I mean... what have I just read? it made absolutely.... well... very little sense. I can't say I enjoyed it, sorry.
There were some very cute moments though!
I did like the drawings: they are very classic and stylish.
But the story: I mean... what have I just read? it made absolutely.... well... very little sense. I can't say I enjoyed it, sorry.
There were some very cute moments though!
February 26, 2022
After a disastrous breakup, Sawa has no time for boyfriends. Her classmate Sakura overhears this and confesses, but she thinks they’re too different and turns him down. He’s not one to take no for an answer, however, and he decides to pester her relentlessly until she gives in…
…is what you’d most likely expect if you read the blurb for this book. There’s some kind of epidemic right now where the story inside is not even close to what’s on the tin and this is a particularly egregious example.
Sakura confesses, yes, and he does so a couple times, but he isn’t forceful about anything (one arm grab is clearly because Sawa is about to keel over) and while he’s happy to admit his feelings, he’s also not forcing the issue at all.
And that makes it even more surprising when the script here gets entirely flipped on its head and these two are in a relationship before the book’s even close to being done. It turns out that being both genuine and a decent human being can get you pretty far with a girl and Sakura’s reasons for liking her are pretty validating.
Sawa doesn’t seem to know why they’re dating, but it’s clear from her internal monologue that she actually really likes Sakura and she’s got form for dating losers (her ex shows up and he’s a real piece of… work…) that this is a welcome change from.
Of course, this book takes the welcome path of realizing that just because you’re dating the world isn’t sunshine and roses. Sakura’s still pretty naive and getting a lot of his ideas from books, which plays in the real world about as well you’d expect (his timing couldn’t be worse either).
Now, you’d think Sawa would be better at this too, but it turns out that she’s very, very bad at expressing herself and she goes to pieces when giving or getting affection. It’s caused past boyfriends to say she’s cold, but Sakura can see her trying and she’s also making more of an effort now that she’s with somebody decent.
Where’s all of that in the description of this book? Nowhere! This is much more interesting than anything described and I had zero expectations for this story and what we get is way better than that. Sawa gets some amazing expressions as she’s going through all this, so you really feel for her.
So you’ve got a well-drawn book with two leads that are trying to make it work, unusual enough, who like each other and don’t take forever to get together. It’s worth a read just because of how offbeat it is. And, yes, they’re two very different people and the book’s not above making the point that in love that doesn’t really matter anyway.
3.5 stars - I wasn’t going to round this up, but I do think it’s on the high side of the half point, plus it’s a lot better than you’d be lead to believe by reading that terrible description. A very interesting start and deserving of a look, just for something different.
…is what you’d most likely expect if you read the blurb for this book. There’s some kind of epidemic right now where the story inside is not even close to what’s on the tin and this is a particularly egregious example.
Sakura confesses, yes, and he does so a couple times, but he isn’t forceful about anything (one arm grab is clearly because Sawa is about to keel over) and while he’s happy to admit his feelings, he’s also not forcing the issue at all.
And that makes it even more surprising when the script here gets entirely flipped on its head and these two are in a relationship before the book’s even close to being done. It turns out that being both genuine and a decent human being can get you pretty far with a girl and Sakura’s reasons for liking her are pretty validating.
Sawa doesn’t seem to know why they’re dating, but it’s clear from her internal monologue that she actually really likes Sakura and she’s got form for dating losers (her ex shows up and he’s a real piece of… work…) that this is a welcome change from.
Of course, this book takes the welcome path of realizing that just because you’re dating the world isn’t sunshine and roses. Sakura’s still pretty naive and getting a lot of his ideas from books, which plays in the real world about as well you’d expect (his timing couldn’t be worse either).
Now, you’d think Sawa would be better at this too, but it turns out that she’s very, very bad at expressing herself and she goes to pieces when giving or getting affection. It’s caused past boyfriends to say she’s cold, but Sakura can see her trying and she’s also making more of an effort now that she’s with somebody decent.
Where’s all of that in the description of this book? Nowhere! This is much more interesting than anything described and I had zero expectations for this story and what we get is way better than that. Sawa gets some amazing expressions as she’s going through all this, so you really feel for her.
So you’ve got a well-drawn book with two leads that are trying to make it work, unusual enough, who like each other and don’t take forever to get together. It’s worth a read just because of how offbeat it is. And, yes, they’re two very different people and the book’s not above making the point that in love that doesn’t really matter anyway.
3.5 stars - I wasn’t going to round this up, but I do think it’s on the high side of the half point, plus it’s a lot better than you’d be lead to believe by reading that terrible description. A very interesting start and deserving of a look, just for something different.
March 18, 2022
So cute!!
April 5, 2022
Rating: 2.5🌟
Reading the synopsis, I was expecting a story where the guy, Sakura, confesses a lot to the girl, Sawa, and doing everything he can to get her attention. But these two literally starts dating in the first chapter, after Sakura tells her he likes her for like... 3 times? Talk about insta-love, which I'm really not fond of 😩
I think it would have been much nicer if Sawa accepts to be in a relationship with Sakura (after much more persuasions) and maybe telling him she wants to take it slow? But she tells him she likes him too IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AS WELL, which does not make sense at all? I need more confessions and persuasions!
Sawa just went through a breakup, and she was not even on talking-terms with Sakura before that, so for her to suddenly confess that she likes him too does not make sense. There's no build-up, no reason apart from the random confessions from Sakura, to make it make sense that Sawa will reciprocate his feelings. It feels forced.
I do find Sakura to be amusing though, because he reads a lot of books about love and even psychology of love just to understand more about it, so he can be good to Sawa, and he also has no limits on showering compliments to Sawa. He even asks for consent before hugging Sawa! He's lovely, he's definitely a good boyfriend-material.
And some of his interactions with Sawa are cute, I admit. But I don't really like how "shy" Sawa is though. I feel like it didn't fit her character somehow. In her defence of course, this is only the first volume so I can't say much, but I have to say that I don't really like Sawa's characterisation.
I don't think I'll continue reading the next volume; I find things to get too cringey for my taste 🥲 Although I didn't quite enjoy this one, I do love the artwork! Both Sakura and Sawa are really beautifully drawn!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for the digital review copy ♡
Reading the synopsis, I was expecting a story where the guy, Sakura, confesses a lot to the girl, Sawa, and doing everything he can to get her attention. But these two literally starts dating in the first chapter, after Sakura tells her he likes her for like... 3 times? Talk about insta-love, which I'm really not fond of 😩
I think it would have been much nicer if Sawa accepts to be in a relationship with Sakura (after much more persuasions) and maybe telling him she wants to take it slow? But she tells him she likes him too IN THE FIRST CHAPTER AS WELL, which does not make sense at all? I need more confessions and persuasions!
Sawa just went through a breakup, and she was not even on talking-terms with Sakura before that, so for her to suddenly confess that she likes him too does not make sense. There's no build-up, no reason apart from the random confessions from Sakura, to make it make sense that Sawa will reciprocate his feelings. It feels forced.
I do find Sakura to be amusing though, because he reads a lot of books about love and even psychology of love just to understand more about it, so he can be good to Sawa, and he also has no limits on showering compliments to Sawa. He even asks for consent before hugging Sawa! He's lovely, he's definitely a good boyfriend-material.
And some of his interactions with Sawa are cute, I admit. But I don't really like how "shy" Sawa is though. I feel like it didn't fit her character somehow. In her defence of course, this is only the first volume so I can't say much, but I have to say that I don't really like Sawa's characterisation.
I don't think I'll continue reading the next volume; I find things to get too cringey for my taste 🥲 Although I didn't quite enjoy this one, I do love the artwork! Both Sakura and Sawa are really beautifully drawn!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for the digital review copy ♡
March 7, 2022
Thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy to read and give an honest review.
High school girl Hanasaki has dated a couple of guys, but hasn't been lucky in love. After her latest break-up, her classmate Sakura asks her to be his girlfriend. She's not so sure at first, but he's dedicated to showing her how much he likes her. I get nervous when a boy says he won't give up, but Sakura goes about it the right way. When Hanasaki realizes that she is attracted to Sakura, she begins to worry that he will get sick of waiting for her to get comfortable expressing her affection. But Sakura assures Hanasaki that she can go at her own pace. I enjoyed this sweet romance. These two are so good together and it's fun watching Hanasaki and Sakura's love grow.
High school girl Hanasaki has dated a couple of guys, but hasn't been lucky in love. After her latest break-up, her classmate Sakura asks her to be his girlfriend. She's not so sure at first, but he's dedicated to showing her how much he likes her. I get nervous when a boy says he won't give up, but Sakura goes about it the right way. When Hanasaki realizes that she is attracted to Sakura, she begins to worry that he will get sick of waiting for her to get comfortable expressing her affection. But Sakura assures Hanasaki that she can go at her own pace. I enjoyed this sweet romance. These two are so good together and it's fun watching Hanasaki and Sakura's love grow.
March 8, 2022
4.5 stars
I am a little confused by the MC's extreme shyness with the male lead, since she's apparently had boyfriends before. (They never held hands or said anything nice to her ever? What was even involved in their going out?)
But the male lead is just so genuine and likable and patient with her that I can't help but be charmed.
Recommended as a sweet romance.
I am a little confused by the MC's extreme shyness with the male lead, since she's apparently had boyfriends before. (They never held hands or said anything nice to her ever? What was even involved in their going out?)
But the male lead is just so genuine and likable and patient with her that I can't help but be charmed.
Recommended as a sweet romance.
March 26, 2022
This was so CUUUUUTEEEEE!!!! The characters were adorable, the artwork was pretty and I really enjoyed the sweetness of the storyline. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!
5, highly recommended if you like shojo, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
5, highly recommended if you like shojo, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2022
It's a cute story, the beginning is a bit awkward but then you move on with the two of them and see how cute Sakura cares for Sawa. Maybe i am a bit bias because some scenes reminded me how my boyfriend treats me and makes sure he loves me so yeah i am excited to see volume 2
April 6, 2022
Cute. This story follows Hanasaki who struggles with conveying intimacy and her outspoken boyfriend, Sakura, who as no issues saying exactly what’s on his heart.
July 19, 2022
Cute story!!
February 25, 2022
3.5 to 4 stars. Cute and sweet. Has potential to be super adorable
April 29, 2022
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I was definitely in the mood for a shoujo manga and this one sounded really fun! In the end, still quite fun, but not a favourite.
But given that the manga is called Sakura’s Dedication and the first chapter was all about him wooing her… I had expected more wooing. Maybe up to chapter 3? Don’t make it the whole volume as that may get old, but I think it would have been a better transition if it took just a bit longer. Especially given her feelings and how she was so strongly against it. It was just way too fast in my eyes. From NO to OK fine, let’s date.
I also just didn’t feel any chemistry between the two, that also didn’t help for me. Sakura is pretty robotic, at times we see a bit of emotion here and there, but for most he just seems to go through the motions of liking/loving someone and that just was a shame. I do hope that as the story goes on he warms up and becomes a bit more emotional. This is also why I loved loved the 4koma at the end because we could clearly see he was affected and see him all sparkly, which is a real change of some small smiles and stiffness. I think if we had seen those emotions in the manga… I would have liked him just a bit more.
Also, while I could relate to several of Sawa’s things (I still remember how I was at the start of the relationship with my now-husband), at times it just got too much. Plus, given how robotic he seemed, she was all emotions, and it just felt like done on purpose/way too scripted. And that is a shame.
I still think that these two could find that spark! I mean I can see why they are attracted to each other and the dates were pretty cute, but I just hope that the two of them become more natural and Sakura a tad more feeling/having more emotions.
I so wanted to kick Sawa’s ex a few times, what a little dickweed that dude is. Bleh. Cannot imagine why she was with him.
The art however was just so pretty and I especially enjoyed Sawa’s expressions!
All in all, I am still interested in reading the rest of the series. Again, I want to see them to get closer and see that spark appear!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was definitely in the mood for a shoujo manga and this one sounded really fun! In the end, still quite fun, but not a favourite.
But given that the manga is called Sakura’s Dedication and the first chapter was all about him wooing her… I had expected more wooing. Maybe up to chapter 3? Don’t make it the whole volume as that may get old, but I think it would have been a better transition if it took just a bit longer. Especially given her feelings and how she was so strongly against it. It was just way too fast in my eyes. From NO to OK fine, let’s date.
I also just didn’t feel any chemistry between the two, that also didn’t help for me. Sakura is pretty robotic, at times we see a bit of emotion here and there, but for most he just seems to go through the motions of liking/loving someone and that just was a shame. I do hope that as the story goes on he warms up and becomes a bit more emotional. This is also why I loved loved the 4koma at the end because we could clearly see he was affected and see him all sparkly, which is a real change of some small smiles and stiffness. I think if we had seen those emotions in the manga… I would have liked him just a bit more.
Also, while I could relate to several of Sawa’s things (I still remember how I was at the start of the relationship with my now-husband), at times it just got too much. Plus, given how robotic he seemed, she was all emotions, and it just felt like done on purpose/way too scripted. And that is a shame.
I still think that these two could find that spark! I mean I can see why they are attracted to each other and the dates were pretty cute, but I just hope that the two of them become more natural and Sakura a tad more feeling/having more emotions.
I so wanted to kick Sawa’s ex a few times, what a little dickweed that dude is. Bleh. Cannot imagine why she was with him.
The art however was just so pretty and I especially enjoyed Sawa’s expressions!
All in all, I am still interested in reading the rest of the series. Again, I want to see them to get closer and see that spark appear!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
March 22, 2022
3.5
*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Synopsis: Sawa just got out of a relationship with her cheating boyfriend and is on the lookout for an honest guy. But when her classmate confesses , she rejects him, and he’s not her type. But then he confesses again, and again, and again?! What’s a girl to do in the face of such honest dedication?
I was scrolling through NetGalley and this cover caught my eye; it’s gorgeous, so I requested it. The artwork did not disappoint! In my opinion the artwork is one of the best parts of this manga. It’s detailed and realistic plus I just adore the style. Definitely one of my favorite parts.
The next thing that caught my attention is that it was classified as a romance. While it is cute and has that adorable cute high school romance vibe, the romance didn’t feel genuine to me. It felt very rushed because one moment Sawa is claiming that he’s not her type and the next it turns out she does like him. It just happened a little too quick for my liking, but I could see others enjoying that especially if you are a fan of the insta-love trope; although I use that term lightly.
While I did enjoy the story and would still recommend it, I also found it a bit repetitive and was tired of how constantly Sawa was embarrassed by being shown affection, compliments, and love. The ‘shy girl’ aspect of her personality felt like it was overdone.
Would I still pick up the second volume? Yes, I’m interested enough to see where the story goes. I just hope her extreme shyness to every little thing doesn’t go on for multiple volumes.
*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Synopsis: Sawa just got out of a relationship with her cheating boyfriend and is on the lookout for an honest guy. But when her classmate confesses , she rejects him, and he’s not her type. But then he confesses again, and again, and again?! What’s a girl to do in the face of such honest dedication?
I was scrolling through NetGalley and this cover caught my eye; it’s gorgeous, so I requested it. The artwork did not disappoint! In my opinion the artwork is one of the best parts of this manga. It’s detailed and realistic plus I just adore the style. Definitely one of my favorite parts.
The next thing that caught my attention is that it was classified as a romance. While it is cute and has that adorable cute high school romance vibe, the romance didn’t feel genuine to me. It felt very rushed because one moment Sawa is claiming that he’s not her type and the next it turns out she does like him. It just happened a little too quick for my liking, but I could see others enjoying that especially if you are a fan of the insta-love trope; although I use that term lightly.
While I did enjoy the story and would still recommend it, I also found it a bit repetitive and was tired of how constantly Sawa was embarrassed by being shown affection, compliments, and love. The ‘shy girl’ aspect of her personality felt like it was overdone.
Would I still pick up the second volume? Yes, I’m interested enough to see where the story goes. I just hope her extreme shyness to every little thing doesn’t go on for multiple volumes.
November 21, 2022
(First of all, thank you so much NetGalley, publisher, and author, for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review)
Synopsis: Sawa just got out of a relationship with her cheating boyfriend and is on the lookout for an honest guy. But then, her classmate Sakura confesses. She rejects him because he's not her type. But then he confesses again, and again, and again?! What's a girl to do in the face of such honest dedication?
As always, this book caught my eye first of all because of the cover. It has beautiful drawings, and it's easy to read. I love Sakura being a nerd and getting through Sawa's heart. Also, it has some funny scenes I enjoyed so much. However, I can't give it 4 or 5 stars because, in my opinion, everything happened too fast. But I still recommend it, and I will try the next one.
*WARNING: SPOILER BELOW*
I meant that the relationship happened too fast. At first, Sawa was not interested, but she told him she liked him too in the blink of an eye. I would enjoy it much if it was a slow-burn romance and after that, they became boyfriend and girlfriend.
Synopsis: Sawa just got out of a relationship with her cheating boyfriend and is on the lookout for an honest guy. But then, her classmate Sakura confesses. She rejects him because he's not her type. But then he confesses again, and again, and again?! What's a girl to do in the face of such honest dedication?
As always, this book caught my eye first of all because of the cover. It has beautiful drawings, and it's easy to read. I love Sakura being a nerd and getting through Sawa's heart. Also, it has some funny scenes I enjoyed so much. However, I can't give it 4 or 5 stars because, in my opinion, everything happened too fast. But I still recommend it, and I will try the next one.
*WARNING: SPOILER BELOW*
I meant that the relationship happened too fast. At first, Sawa was not interested, but she told him she liked him too in the blink of an eye. I would enjoy it much if it was a slow-burn romance and after that, they became boyfriend and girlfriend.
April 18, 2022
She can't show her affection or express her feelings and he is completely infatuated with her and has no problem telling her just how much he likes her even if it is super cheesy. I feel like maybe this series will get better as more volumes are released but based off this one, not much happens.
The art is very cute I really enjoy their style. It is perfect for a high school romance. And for me it was the only thing that kept my attention while reading.
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC
The art is very cute I really enjoy their style. It is perfect for a high school romance. And for me it was the only thing that kept my attention while reading.
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC
July 12, 2023
Edit: idk what I was thinking, just reread this and I really liked it def bumping up the rating
Big thanks to Kodansha Comics for the e-ARC of this title via NetGalley. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a cute start to a series but I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This came off as a little boring to me and I could not really connect to the story at all. Definitely think this could be up someone else’s alley but not mine.
Big thanks to Kodansha Comics for the e-ARC of this title via NetGalley. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a cute start to a series but I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This came off as a little boring to me and I could not really connect to the story at all. Definitely think this could be up someone else’s alley but not mine.
March 16, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for letting me review this book.
.
Another cute and heartwarming romance manga that I genuinely did enjoy from the start until the end.
Among along the things that I did enjoy, my favorite part is that the mangaka really did blend and showcase the development of the characters as well what the relationship really is.
I can not wait to read more of this series.
.
Another cute and heartwarming romance manga that I genuinely did enjoy from the start until the end.
Among along the things that I did enjoy, my favorite part is that the mangaka really did blend and showcase the development of the characters as well what the relationship really is.
I can not wait to read more of this series.
January 22, 2024
**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**
Sakura's Dedication 1 by Fuyu Yukimiya was a sweet, fast-paced shoujo manga about a high school girl who has bad luck in romance and her persistent classmate determined to win her love.
This was a cute, quick read of a romance manga. I wish it had taken a little bit more time developing the heroine's feelings, but was still a solid read.
Sakura's Dedication 1 by Fuyu Yukimiya was a sweet, fast-paced shoujo manga about a high school girl who has bad luck in romance and her persistent classmate determined to win her love.
This was a cute, quick read of a romance manga. I wish it had taken a little bit more time developing the heroine's feelings, but was still a solid read.
May 16, 2022
Many thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is a cutesy shojo romance. Its cute but the instant love trope felt a bit too fast for my liking and i wished more development happened before the falling in love cuz man, not digging the romance much. The artstyle is what i expected and i like it.
This is a cutesy shojo romance. Its cute but the instant love trope felt a bit too fast for my liking and i wished more development happened before the falling in love cuz man, not digging the romance much. The artstyle is what i expected and i like it.
March 28, 2022
ARC was given by NetGalley and Kodansha in exchange for an honest review.
This review is being published after the release date (February 22nd, 2022)
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of cheating, scenes of brief verbal abuse
Calling all lovers of the manga Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and just any slice of life manga! Put this manga series on your radar because this was really cute and I couldn’t help thinking about some of my favorite manga that’s more slice of life. Yet, this manga also gave me very brief vibes of Ouran High School Host Club. Look, if you know, you know. I really enjoyed my time reading this and it was a nice pick me up when I needed something light yet sweet, borderline wholesome.
We follow Sawa Hanasaki, a high school girl, who recently broke up with her boyfriend after finding out he was cheating on her. While she’s still trying to work out her feelings, Sakura Yuma has decided to confront Sawa to ask her to be his girlfriend. Despite rejecting him, Sakura is even more determined he can be the boyfriend that she needs.
I feel like my opinion is going to be on the minority side of things, but I actually enjoyed Sawa and Sakura together. In the aspect of them acting like high schoolers, still navigating feelings, and even learning what it means to find true, genuine people who care about you is hard. I think the mangaka did a fantastic job of translating all of this into the manga itself. I think readers, like myself, who’ve been out of school for a while sometimes forget how much a whirlwind high school really was and some of the things that we endured during that time. And I truly believe with my whole chest that the mangaka really brought that to life in this book. Even more so when it comes to navigating the waters of love.
There’s also this whole minor theme of appreciating the little things. You all know, I love a good sprinkling of appreciating the little things in anything I read. And oh, it was delivered so beautifully for us in this manga. Not to the point that it’d be really obvious or overwhelming, but just the right amount that when you do notice, it’s such a burst of warmth. I think we need more literature that has this theme casually sprinkled throughout it.
The main theme, though, is what really caught my attention. As I mentioned earlier, there’s a whole theme of discovering what it truly means to be loved, to be valued as you are, and what that can look like when you finally find those genuine caring people. I think Sawa and her relationship with Sakura is such a good example of what it means to truly navigate leaving behind someone who was clearly very toxic, potentially abusive, or even an absolute jerk of a person and find people who value you as you are. It’s not an easy thing to do. I think this manga was a great example of showing a very realistic relationship of love and self value, but the relationship shows us a bit of Sakura and how new it is for him to be with a person he cares so much for. I really loved this theme a lot and this is the main reason why I can’t wait for the next volume.
I will say, I did have one issue with this manga and to be fair, it’s still the first volume. There could still be more on the horizon that we as the readers are unaware of. I really wanted to see more of the scenes with the ex-boyfriend. The few scenes we get of him show that he’s a bit of a verbal abuser, but I also feel there’s a whole lot more to things with him. Even more so with the very first scene we have with him and Sawa. I’m not going to lie, I was on the edge of my seat, but I wanted more. I really wanted to see how those scenes would play out just to get a better feel for his character as a whole. I’m really hoping in future volumes we’ll see little more details.
Overall, I had a really fun time reading this manga. I feel like I say this a lot, but I’m not the biggest slice of life manga reader, but when I do pick them up, I typically enjoy them. Again, I’m really excited for the next volumes and really eager to see what the mangaka has for us. So far, I haven’t seen any announcements on the next book or anything, but you bet I’m keeping my eyes peeled for any bread crumb of news!
The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi
This review is being published after the release date (February 22nd, 2022)
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of cheating, scenes of brief verbal abuse
Calling all lovers of the manga Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and just any slice of life manga! Put this manga series on your radar because this was really cute and I couldn’t help thinking about some of my favorite manga that’s more slice of life. Yet, this manga also gave me very brief vibes of Ouran High School Host Club. Look, if you know, you know. I really enjoyed my time reading this and it was a nice pick me up when I needed something light yet sweet, borderline wholesome.
We follow Sawa Hanasaki, a high school girl, who recently broke up with her boyfriend after finding out he was cheating on her. While she’s still trying to work out her feelings, Sakura Yuma has decided to confront Sawa to ask her to be his girlfriend. Despite rejecting him, Sakura is even more determined he can be the boyfriend that she needs.
“I feel like you’ll get lost and I don’t want to let go of you.”
I feel like my opinion is going to be on the minority side of things, but I actually enjoyed Sawa and Sakura together. In the aspect of them acting like high schoolers, still navigating feelings, and even learning what it means to find true, genuine people who care about you is hard. I think the mangaka did a fantastic job of translating all of this into the manga itself. I think readers, like myself, who’ve been out of school for a while sometimes forget how much a whirlwind high school really was and some of the things that we endured during that time. And I truly believe with my whole chest that the mangaka really brought that to life in this book. Even more so when it comes to navigating the waters of love.
There’s also this whole minor theme of appreciating the little things. You all know, I love a good sprinkling of appreciating the little things in anything I read. And oh, it was delivered so beautifully for us in this manga. Not to the point that it’d be really obvious or overwhelming, but just the right amount that when you do notice, it’s such a burst of warmth. I think we need more literature that has this theme casually sprinkled throughout it.
“But I find myself wanting to touch him like this longer.”
The main theme, though, is what really caught my attention. As I mentioned earlier, there’s a whole theme of discovering what it truly means to be loved, to be valued as you are, and what that can look like when you finally find those genuine caring people. I think Sawa and her relationship with Sakura is such a good example of what it means to truly navigate leaving behind someone who was clearly very toxic, potentially abusive, or even an absolute jerk of a person and find people who value you as you are. It’s not an easy thing to do. I think this manga was a great example of showing a very realistic relationship of love and self value, but the relationship shows us a bit of Sakura and how new it is for him to be with a person he cares so much for. I really loved this theme a lot and this is the main reason why I can’t wait for the next volume.
I will say, I did have one issue with this manga and to be fair, it’s still the first volume. There could still be more on the horizon that we as the readers are unaware of. I really wanted to see more of the scenes with the ex-boyfriend. The few scenes we get of him show that he’s a bit of a verbal abuser, but I also feel there’s a whole lot more to things with him. Even more so with the very first scene we have with him and Sawa. I’m not going to lie, I was on the edge of my seat, but I wanted more. I really wanted to see how those scenes would play out just to get a better feel for his character as a whole. I’m really hoping in future volumes we’ll see little more details.
Overall, I had a really fun time reading this manga. I feel like I say this a lot, but I’m not the biggest slice of life manga reader, but when I do pick them up, I typically enjoy them. Again, I’m really excited for the next volumes and really eager to see what the mangaka has for us. So far, I haven’t seen any announcements on the next book or anything, but you bet I’m keeping my eyes peeled for any bread crumb of news!
The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
Blog|Instagram|YouTube|Ko-fi
March 7, 2022
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
This book was just the cute, innocent romance I needed this week!
Sawa’s suffering a humiliating break up after finding out her boyfriend has bee seeing other girls behind her back. Planning to take a break, she’s caught off guard when Sakura, overhearing the conversation, comes up and confesses he likes her. She rejects him, but Sakura is determined. He repeatedly asks her out…for maybe 3 days to a week before Sawa caves. And by caves I mean, confesses that she actually likes him back and is willing to date him to see how it goes (dating the class nerd is hard apparently)
Sawa quickly realizes that Sakura is a sincere and courteous boyfriend and starts falling for him. The only problem is the sincere things that come out of his mouth ( ex: “you’re so cute.”) make her blush. Sawa isn’t used to dating someone who’s actually a decent human being. Compliments are foreign to her, along with most forms of physical contact such as holding hands, hugging, etc. So Sakura makes her heart race with his honest compliments and gentle touches.
This is the book people should be advertising to teenagers. It’s quite apt. Sawa is awkward, overreacts, and worries that maybe Sakura will get tired of her being caught off guard and reacting poorly to his affections. Sakura is a smart young man who seems to understand what is going on with Sawa, to a degree, and is willing to wait for her to get more comfortable with him. He blunders is a few places after taking advice from a magazine, but in general is a good boyfriend. He often asks permission to do things such as hugging or holding out his hand for Sawa to decide to take or not. It’s sweet. Almost unbearably so.
We get to meet Sawa’s ex, who is a bit of a piece of work. This helps to add some more understanding to why Sawa is the way she is. Even as an older lady no longer in high school, I can relate to Sawa dating a cute, considerate man and struggling to shift her mind set after repeatedly being treated poorly by past boyfriends. Why is he so kind and honest? Why does he have no shame in showing affection in public? What is this completely different species of man from what I’m used to dating???
And the girl is awkward.
As a result of this we really see Sawa struggle to make herself more open with her affection to Sakura, who eventually sees what she is up to and comes back with reassurance and kindness that he won’t be leaving her anytime soon because of her awkwardness.
Conclusion?
It is unbearably cute and I am here for it. I cannot wait to read the next one!
This book was just the cute, innocent romance I needed this week!
Sawa’s suffering a humiliating break up after finding out her boyfriend has bee seeing other girls behind her back. Planning to take a break, she’s caught off guard when Sakura, overhearing the conversation, comes up and confesses he likes her. She rejects him, but Sakura is determined. He repeatedly asks her out…for maybe 3 days to a week before Sawa caves. And by caves I mean, confesses that she actually likes him back and is willing to date him to see how it goes (dating the class nerd is hard apparently)
Sawa quickly realizes that Sakura is a sincere and courteous boyfriend and starts falling for him. The only problem is the sincere things that come out of his mouth ( ex: “you’re so cute.”) make her blush. Sawa isn’t used to dating someone who’s actually a decent human being. Compliments are foreign to her, along with most forms of physical contact such as holding hands, hugging, etc. So Sakura makes her heart race with his honest compliments and gentle touches.
This is the book people should be advertising to teenagers. It’s quite apt. Sawa is awkward, overreacts, and worries that maybe Sakura will get tired of her being caught off guard and reacting poorly to his affections. Sakura is a smart young man who seems to understand what is going on with Sawa, to a degree, and is willing to wait for her to get more comfortable with him. He blunders is a few places after taking advice from a magazine, but in general is a good boyfriend. He often asks permission to do things such as hugging or holding out his hand for Sawa to decide to take or not. It’s sweet. Almost unbearably so.
We get to meet Sawa’s ex, who is a bit of a piece of work. This helps to add some more understanding to why Sawa is the way she is. Even as an older lady no longer in high school, I can relate to Sawa dating a cute, considerate man and struggling to shift her mind set after repeatedly being treated poorly by past boyfriends. Why is he so kind and honest? Why does he have no shame in showing affection in public? What is this completely different species of man from what I’m used to dating???
And the girl is awkward.
As a result of this we really see Sawa struggle to make herself more open with her affection to Sakura, who eventually sees what she is up to and comes back with reassurance and kindness that he won’t be leaving her anytime soon because of her awkwardness.
Conclusion?
It is unbearably cute and I am here for it. I cannot wait to read the next one!
April 3, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Spoilers for the manga's story, please read with caution!!
Before I go in on the story, I am going to speak about the art style of this manga. The art style is lovely, and its aesthetics hits all the points of a good shojo romance manga. Fluffy hair, sparkling eyes, nice fashion. Though on the fashion aspect, if they're both in high school, why do they dress like college students? The male lead looks like he walked out of a Kdrama set in college (Think Yoo Jung from Cheese in the Trap type of outfits) whenever they go on a date. It looks great fashion-wise, but jarring to see on high school students. Otherwise, the art style is what you would expect for the genre it is in. Now for the story. The description for this manga, while technically correct, feels inaccurate. I was under the impression, that this "dedicated" classmate, Sakura, would try to woo Sawa, and while she rejects him at first, would slowly come to fall in love with him as they get to know each other. Instead, Sakura asks to be Sawa's girlfriend on the literal third page of the manga, and when told "No, you're not my type" by Sawa, he responds with "Then I will try to make you like me, and I won't give up!". I know that persistence in "love" is supposed to be romantic and all, but when even the female main character is annoyed by this, I feel like the annoyance I felt during that interaction has been vindicated. Sawa even mentions in a conversation with her friend, that with how things had happened with her ex, she is NOT looking for a boyfriend right now. Yet, it only takes Sakura confessing TWO TIMES for Sawa to say "I like you too, let's date!" HELLO? Where's the build-up? Where's the romance?! I did see little hints of her liking him, like noting his smile or thinking that he's hard-working and smart. But not so much that the fact they start dating after only the second time he says "I like you" would make any sense. She does ask why he likes her in the first place, before telling him she likes him as well. His response to that question? At the beginning of the school year, she helped him pick up some papers off the floor after he gets bumped into and says something nice to him. Apparently, since that interaction, his eyes have "always followed her", and he thought he was attracted to her during that interaction. Uh. That's not a great basis for liking someone. "Oh, she was nice to me once" sounds like the beginning of a scary story, not a shojo romance. Yikes. With how quickly they jump into dating, this romance isn't merely a fast burn, it's instant incineration, and not in a great way. Also, I felt like the pacing of many of the romantic scenes was incredibly repetitive. They're studying, he makes a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. They meet at the lockers, he says a compliment (which is romantic and truthful), she gets embarrassed. They're waiting for the train together, he says a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. This formula repeats. I'm unsure if it was meant to feel repetitive or it was supposed to show how "straightforward" and "honest" he is, but it feels a little hollow either way. All the non-romantic scenes feel like mere setups for the next scene, which is always a romantic one. I know nothing else about these characters except that they're dating, she got cheated on once and he's a nerd. It feels disconnected from the reader. The relationship in this story felt like it moved WAY too fast, and it was off-putting, sadly. Maybe in a future volume, it will smooth out, since a lot of manga have a rocky start with their first volume. But this honestly almost bored me, so I doubt I'll be looking for that second volume.
Merged review:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Spoilers for the manga's story, please read with caution!!
Before I go in on the story, I am going to speak about the art style of this manga. The art style is lovely, and its aesthetics hits all the points of a good shojo romance manga. Fluffy hair, sparkling eyes, nice fashion. Though on the fashion aspect, if they're both in high school, why do they dress like college students? The male lead looks like he walked out of a Kdrama set in college (Think Yoo Jung from Cheese in the Trap type of outfits) whenever they go on a date. It looks great fashion-wise, but jarring to see on high school students. Otherwise, the art style is what you would expect for the genre it is in. Now for the story. The description for this manga, while technically correct, feels inaccurate. I was under the impression, that this "dedicated" classmate, Sakura, would try to woo Sawa, and while she rejects him at first, would slowly come to fall in love with him as they get to know each other. Instead, Sakura asks to be Sawa's girlfriend on the literal third page of the manga, and when told "No, you're not my type" by Sawa, he responds with "Then I will try to make you like me, and I won't give up!". I know that persistence in "love" is supposed to be romantic and all, but when even the female main character is annoyed by this, I feel like the annoyance I felt during that interaction has been vindicated. Sawa even mentions in a conversation with her friend, that with how things had happened with her ex, she is NOT looking for a boyfriend right now. Yet, it only takes Sakura confessing TWO TIMES for Sawa to say "I like you too, let's date!" HELLO? Where's the build-up? Where's the romance?! I did see little hints of her liking him, like noting his smile or thinking that he's hard-working and smart. But not so much that the fact they start dating after only the second time he says "I like you" would make any sense. She does ask why he likes her in the first place, before telling him she likes him as well. His response to that question? At the beginning of the school year, she helped him pick up some papers off the floor after he gets bumped into and says something nice to him. Apparently, since that interaction, his eyes have "always followed her", and he thought he was attracted to her during that interaction. Uh. That's not a great basis for liking someone. "Oh, she was nice to me once" sounds like the beginning of a scary story, not a shojo romance. Yikes. With how quickly they jump into dating, this romance isn't merely a fast burn, it's instant incineration, and not in a great way. Also, I felt like the pacing of many of the romantic scenes was incredibly repetitive. They're studying, he makes a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. They meet at the lockers, he says a compliment (which is romantic and truthful), she gets embarrassed. They're waiting for the train together, he says a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. This formula repeats. I'm unsure if it was meant to feel repetitive or it was supposed to show how "straightforward" and "honest" he is, but it feels a little hollow either way. All the non-romantic scenes feel like mere setups for the next scene, which is always a romantic one. I know nothing else about these characters except that they're dating, she got cheated on once and he's a nerd. It feels disconnected from the reader. The relationship in this story felt like it moved WAY too fast, and it was off-putting, sadly. Maybe in a future volume, it will smooth out, since a lot of manga have a rocky start with their first volume. But this honestly almost bored me, so I doubt I'll be looking for that second volume.
Spoilers for the manga's story, please read with caution!!
Before I go in on the story, I am going to speak about the art style of this manga. The art style is lovely, and its aesthetics hits all the points of a good shojo romance manga. Fluffy hair, sparkling eyes, nice fashion. Though on the fashion aspect, if they're both in high school, why do they dress like college students? The male lead looks like he walked out of a Kdrama set in college (Think Yoo Jung from Cheese in the Trap type of outfits) whenever they go on a date. It looks great fashion-wise, but jarring to see on high school students. Otherwise, the art style is what you would expect for the genre it is in. Now for the story. The description for this manga, while technically correct, feels inaccurate. I was under the impression, that this "dedicated" classmate, Sakura, would try to woo Sawa, and while she rejects him at first, would slowly come to fall in love with him as they get to know each other. Instead, Sakura asks to be Sawa's girlfriend on the literal third page of the manga, and when told "No, you're not my type" by Sawa, he responds with "Then I will try to make you like me, and I won't give up!". I know that persistence in "love" is supposed to be romantic and all, but when even the female main character is annoyed by this, I feel like the annoyance I felt during that interaction has been vindicated. Sawa even mentions in a conversation with her friend, that with how things had happened with her ex, she is NOT looking for a boyfriend right now. Yet, it only takes Sakura confessing TWO TIMES for Sawa to say "I like you too, let's date!" HELLO? Where's the build-up? Where's the romance?! I did see little hints of her liking him, like noting his smile or thinking that he's hard-working and smart. But not so much that the fact they start dating after only the second time he says "I like you" would make any sense. She does ask why he likes her in the first place, before telling him she likes him as well. His response to that question? At the beginning of the school year, she helped him pick up some papers off the floor after he gets bumped into and says something nice to him. Apparently, since that interaction, his eyes have "always followed her", and he thought he was attracted to her during that interaction. Uh. That's not a great basis for liking someone. "Oh, she was nice to me once" sounds like the beginning of a scary story, not a shojo romance. Yikes. With how quickly they jump into dating, this romance isn't merely a fast burn, it's instant incineration, and not in a great way. Also, I felt like the pacing of many of the romantic scenes was incredibly repetitive. They're studying, he makes a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. They meet at the lockers, he says a compliment (which is romantic and truthful), she gets embarrassed. They're waiting for the train together, he says a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. This formula repeats. I'm unsure if it was meant to feel repetitive or it was supposed to show how "straightforward" and "honest" he is, but it feels a little hollow either way. All the non-romantic scenes feel like mere setups for the next scene, which is always a romantic one. I know nothing else about these characters except that they're dating, she got cheated on once and he's a nerd. It feels disconnected from the reader. The relationship in this story felt like it moved WAY too fast, and it was off-putting, sadly. Maybe in a future volume, it will smooth out, since a lot of manga have a rocky start with their first volume. But this honestly almost bored me, so I doubt I'll be looking for that second volume.
Merged review:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Spoilers for the manga's story, please read with caution!!
Before I go in on the story, I am going to speak about the art style of this manga. The art style is lovely, and its aesthetics hits all the points of a good shojo romance manga. Fluffy hair, sparkling eyes, nice fashion. Though on the fashion aspect, if they're both in high school, why do they dress like college students? The male lead looks like he walked out of a Kdrama set in college (Think Yoo Jung from Cheese in the Trap type of outfits) whenever they go on a date. It looks great fashion-wise, but jarring to see on high school students. Otherwise, the art style is what you would expect for the genre it is in. Now for the story. The description for this manga, while technically correct, feels inaccurate. I was under the impression, that this "dedicated" classmate, Sakura, would try to woo Sawa, and while she rejects him at first, would slowly come to fall in love with him as they get to know each other. Instead, Sakura asks to be Sawa's girlfriend on the literal third page of the manga, and when told "No, you're not my type" by Sawa, he responds with "Then I will try to make you like me, and I won't give up!". I know that persistence in "love" is supposed to be romantic and all, but when even the female main character is annoyed by this, I feel like the annoyance I felt during that interaction has been vindicated. Sawa even mentions in a conversation with her friend, that with how things had happened with her ex, she is NOT looking for a boyfriend right now. Yet, it only takes Sakura confessing TWO TIMES for Sawa to say "I like you too, let's date!" HELLO? Where's the build-up? Where's the romance?! I did see little hints of her liking him, like noting his smile or thinking that he's hard-working and smart. But not so much that the fact they start dating after only the second time he says "I like you" would make any sense. She does ask why he likes her in the first place, before telling him she likes him as well. His response to that question? At the beginning of the school year, she helped him pick up some papers off the floor after he gets bumped into and says something nice to him. Apparently, since that interaction, his eyes have "always followed her", and he thought he was attracted to her during that interaction. Uh. That's not a great basis for liking someone. "Oh, she was nice to me once" sounds like the beginning of a scary story, not a shojo romance. Yikes. With how quickly they jump into dating, this romance isn't merely a fast burn, it's instant incineration, and not in a great way. Also, I felt like the pacing of many of the romantic scenes was incredibly repetitive. They're studying, he makes a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. They meet at the lockers, he says a compliment (which is romantic and truthful), she gets embarrassed. They're waiting for the train together, he says a romantic and truthful statement, she gets embarrassed. This formula repeats. I'm unsure if it was meant to feel repetitive or it was supposed to show how "straightforward" and "honest" he is, but it feels a little hollow either way. All the non-romantic scenes feel like mere setups for the next scene, which is always a romantic one. I know nothing else about these characters except that they're dating, she got cheated on once and he's a nerd. It feels disconnected from the reader. The relationship in this story felt like it moved WAY too fast, and it was off-putting, sadly. Maybe in a future volume, it will smooth out, since a lot of manga have a rocky start with their first volume. But this honestly almost bored me, so I doubt I'll be looking for that second volume.
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