I am REALLY shocked by how much I enjoyed this volume, honestly!
Forgive me for thinking this, but when I first heard about it, I thought it might be a super dumb plot, which feels horrible to say! But I really wasn't expecting anything to make me fall head-over-heels for the story, as love triangles are not my thing, but two dear friends spoke highly of how fun a series it is!
When one of those friends gifted me this volume, I made sure to come in with an open mind, and I'm glad I did!
The biggest surprise for me is that while this is over-the-top and pretty extra at times, it wasn't super cringeworthy because ultimately, Usa had far more depth to her than I first expected! Yes, she's dramatic and can think pretty unrealistically sometimes, but the way she really was upset with herself for falling in love with two guys at the same time wasn't something I expected. I thought she WOULD be fine with it, but due to her upbringing, she genuinely was very upset with herself, and that is something I never imagined.
I found that despite how "extra" this first volume might be, there is a relatability to her that made me want to cheer for her because this doesn't seem to be a series where she is dragging two guys along purposely. She earnestly wants to do right by both of them and appreciated how she tried really hard to be fair to both, even if, at the same time, I definitely felt that everyone going back to normal was simply something that just can't happen.
She surprisingly ended up being a very fun heroine to follow with plenty of expressions that made me laugh out loud! (Many times she reminded me of Hatori from No Longer Heroine in that sense!) Plus, she's a really great friend and definitely felt my heart struck when she mentioned it was destiny to meet her two besties! <3
When it comes to the guys, I am definitely Team Mikkun! He stole my heart at the beginning because I LOVED seeing his real feelings come out! As one character has said, his self-control is off the charts because WOW! I admire how diligent he's been all this time in respecting Usa and keeping it friendly!
On the flip side, Kozuki is a very sweet guy! I was feeling my heart waver several times when reading because I think both guys are great and love the whole destiny thing! He's got a very cute charm to him that makes me want to cheer him on, too, which is probably the second biggest surprise when reading this!
How in the world am I cheering for two different guys?! LOL!
I never knew that was possible, but somehow this creator is making it happen! LOL!
I would recommend this if you enjoy engaging love triangles (where there is no "clear" end game from the start), like your heroines' "extra" similar to Hatori from No Longer Heroine, and want something to make you laugh out loud with romance sprinkled throughout!
Long ago, Konomi’s best friend, Kagetora, moved away. Even though they felt they were destined to be together, Konomi finally moves on. Just as her childhood friend, Tatsuomi, shows his interest, Kagetora arrives back on the scene and things get complicated.
Parts of this story are very, very funny. I am especially fond of Konomi’s incredibly loud friend, Rinko, who shouts a lot about the idiocy going on around her and the nonsense assumptions that Konomi makes. There are also a lot of assorted zingers snuck in here and there.
It’s too bad that this is also a love triangle in which I despise every single main character. Tatsuomi comes off the best, he’s a genuinely nice guy, up until the point where he literally nibbles on Konomi out of nowhere without consent (during a scene where he’s being excessively creepy throughout).
Everybody just acts so weird and makes everything so uncomfortable that it boggles the mind that anybody thought this was a good idea. Destined lovers meeting and acknowledging one another when they’re five years old is putting, like, six carts before the horse anyway.
Konomi constantly wails about how awful she’s being because she’s an evil two-timer for daring to like two boys at once since it relates to her parents being just the worst to one another. She needs a therapist, not these two bozos glomping her.
As for Kagetoro, he’s just awful. The story makes him out to be an airhead, but he’s written more like a manipulative jerk, pushing Konomi into holding hands or sleeping next to him in ways that are, again, creepy.
I was actually enjoying Tatsuomi and Konomi’s burgeoning relationship at the start (before nibblegate), but it heads into the septic once Kagetoro shows up and never really recovers. It’s bad enough that Kagetoro sucks, but he immediately precedes everybody else sucking more than they had previously.
Like most lousy stories, there is a better one buried beneath this one. There’s an easy solution to this where it doesn’t have everybody being so crap to one another and Konomi doesn’t label herself as something she’s actually not in a way the story thinks is funny, but actually isn’t.
It’s got actual solid art. It has funny moments that are, in fact, genuinely funny. But I wouldn’t say that saves it when the story proper is such a misery. This does have redeeming features, but nowhere near as many as it requires.
If you want your rom-com with lots of com, some of it of dubious quality, some very good, and obnoxious rom? Sure, it’s fine. It’s meant to be over-the-top, and it is, but you still have to make it readable and that’s where this falls down and doesn’t get back up.
I’ve rarely seen a manga so impressively poison the well after a decent opening. More tolerant people will probably enjoy this, which is why I won’t grade it lower, plus some solid comedy. But I will say this provoked one of the most visceral and unpleasant reactions I’ve had to any manga in ages.
2 stars - I’d almost read another volume of this just for Rinko and the little gag panels that I enjoyed, but the thought of another second with Konomi and the guys feels like the onset of a migraine, so I’ll probably pass.
quite boring tbh but the art is so pretty ughhhh i dont think ill be continuing though... so i looked up who she ended up with and it was the guy i liked better so im Satisfied.
This is the exact kind of silly sweetness I was in the mood for. I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but it doesn't bother me here. I have a favorite, but I'm open to changing that. The art is cute and all three characters are endearingly awkward in their own ways. I wish Konomi's indecision and guilt were treated with a little more sympathy, given the source is some genuinely fucked up parenting, but I'm hopeful that's something she'll be able to overcome by the end, even if this is a short series.
3.5 stars. The last part was for a story continuation where the story isn't published in English so it's like reading a bonus epilogue when you haven't read the story. Weird choice for the publisher to include it without the actual story or series. The main story is cute so far.
Sinceramente, o traço é bonitinho, a composição tem elementos fofinhos, porém a relação dos três não me cativou. Usa Konomi começa a história vendo seu amigo de infância e vizinho Tora-chan partir para a Inglaterra, sem previsão para voltar. Eles são apenas crianças, mas ele promete voltar, e ela, esperar. Eles seriam destinados um ao outro. Dez anos depois, com 15 anos agora, a garota insiste em morar no mesmo lugar que antes, depois que os pais se separaram após terem casos e irem viver suas vidas com outras pessoas. A promessa é o que mantém o bom humor de Usa e positividade. Afinal, ela tem seu amor predestinado. Ela está no primeiro ano do ensino médio e mora com a tia. Porém, quem cuida dela quando a tia não está é o seu vizinho Mikkun, um ano mais velho. Ele é o senpai fofo, responsável, que cozinha bem e é atencioso. (Por isso, acho que ele nunca teve chance, coitado). As amigas da escola perguntam se ela não tem vida amorosa, se eles não são namorados já que vão assumir juntos pra escola, mas ela nega, porque nunca o viu assim e nem acredita que ele poderia sentir algo por ela. O que as garotas acham um absurdo e desperdício de tempo, afinal, quem sabe. Porém, Usa está errada e, depois de Mikkun declarar se Tora vai voltar mesmo e se terá os mesmos sentimentos? Porém, Mikkun declarar seus sentimentos para Usa, eles saem em um encontro pra ver como as coisas poderiam ser de uma perspectiva diferente, uma romântica. As coisas estão bem, ela volta pra casa e... É aí que Tora-chan volta pro apartamento ao lado, depois de várias fofocas de que sua família teria vendido o local porque o rapaz já teria mulher e um filho. Tora esclarece que essa é a situação de seu pai e não a dele, e convida Usa pra fazer compras no dia seguinte. (O que acaba num mangá café) O sentimento dos dois parece não ter mudado, porém ela acredita que está enganando os dois rapazes e não quer magoá-los, como os pais fizeram ao se relacionar com outras pessoas enquanto casados (oi?). Imaginei que ele fosse demorar mais pra voltar e veríamos a relação dela com o senpai evoluir. No final, não sei se é realmente um triângulo amoroso. Até agora está morno. Nada chamou muito a atenção. Depois disso, com Tora-chan na mesma sala da escola as coisas ficam complicadas quando ela decide que não vai namorar nenhum dos dois (mas hein?). E começa a disputa entre o tigre e o dragão pelas coelhinha Usa Konomi. Pra se resolver, ela decide fazer mil favores pra cada um e se desculpar por pedir pra voltarem a ser amigos. Padrão da publicação americana, papel bom pra ler, porém não tão durável, capa e encadernação padrão.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Usa has been friends and neighbors with a couple of boys since she was small. One--we'll call him Tiger--implied the two were destined to be together as he left the country at age five. Usa's been holding a candle for him ever since. The other--we'll call him Dragon--has been living next door to her this whole time, and they've been hanging out as friends forever.
Dragon confesses to Usa, and wouldn't you know it, Tiger comes back to Japan very shortly thereafter, having arranged to live in his old condo under his uncle's curatorship (said condo being on the other side of Usa's). He hopes to lay claim to her affections, as well. Usa "bravely" decides that she'll keep things friendly, though she's developing crushes on both of them. Her parents were both cheating scoundrels and broke up their family, leaving her as an adoptive child to her aunt. This familial background has, understandably, made her shy away from the idea of two-timing the two boys.
Setting aside how the setup broke my suspension of disbelief (you've got to start things off somewhere!), my partner and I both thought Usa was lacking as a FL, each for our own reasons. He felt she acted too young for her age, and her character design reflected that immaturity, making the boys' passes at her uncomfortable to read. I thought she was too passive and vacillating. Despite having this terrible family background, she never acted like she felt strongly enough about keeping things just friendly. She never spoke up for herself and dissuaded the boys from acting romantically toward her, even after the fact.
Surely Tiger and Dragon both know why she was living with her aunt, and wouldn't just start coming on to her, both being aware that the other was doing it? It's all presented rather cutely, but when I sat down to think about it before writing this review, it didn't come together very well. Although my partner bought this first volume, I suspect this will be a library read from here on.
Another day, another love triangle. I am in bliss.
Art - Love it! Though I kinda hate how the FMC looks like she's in elementary school.
Characters: Konomi - 15 years old, child of absent parents who cheated on each other. Grew up with two neighbor boys. Kagetora - moved away when she was 5 and comes back 10 years later. He believes and pushes that they're destine to be together. Tatsuomi - 1 year older than Konomi and has a crush on her and tries his luck. At first like a caretaker, quickly becomes more possessive of her.
I think Konomi's abhorrence to cheating is valid, though her incessant claims of her cheating is laughable. The two guys are fine so far, a touch possessive for their age. Overall, I'm entertained.
RECAP: goodbye scene, 10 years later, Konomi hears that Tora married and has a kid and then decides to give up on her pining. She tells Mikkun that she wants to date, he suggests she go out with him. They go to an aquarium and she tells him to let her ponder a bit. When she goes home, she runs into no other than Tora. They go to buy things but he has her nap on his arm. The two guys basically get into a pissing contest and Konomi says she wants to just be friends with them both. Her aunt says Mikkun has great self control, just for him to be very close to her next time she comes over, and at the end when Konomi suggests Tora and she go in on a gift for Mikkun together, Mikkun grabs her and holds her.
TTP JD TROPE PALING AKU HINDARI ALIAS TRIANGLE LOVE i hate it cause i always end up falling for the sml T___T men, the fact that the first to have that promise and fell for her is tora, but she slowly fall for mikkun and yet he keep that special place for her for 10 years 😞☝🏻 alasan yang bikin aku gak suka mikkun juga cause he's too protective kek kek BBBBRAHJJJJHHDHD mau dibikin karakternya lucu suka nge-blush blabla TETEP AJA ELAH AHHHHH TRS DIA NGOMONGIN TORA BUAT JGN SENTUH KONOMI WITHOUT HER CONSENT TP DIA NGELAKUIN ITU KEK ANJING LU i know she's endgame with him but i still cant accept it 😠😠
I had so much fun reading this volume. I liked it so much that I immediately went out and bought the rest of the series since it's a short one. The art is so cute and so is the story. I would recommend reading this if you are looking for something light and fun. It's doesn't get very deep but it makes for an interesting ride. I personally really like love triangles so I really enjoyed this one. There is one boy who is more serious and possessive while the other is more playful. It's full of cute moments between the main girl and each of the boys and of course a lot of jealousy as well. They are both childhood friends of hers and the dynamics are really enjoyable to watch.
The love triangle is too strong in this story for me personally. I really like both male leads which is rare for me and makes it all the harder for me to really know which one to support. All in all, I just don't want any of them to get their hearts broken so I really don't know how I feel about this manga and whether I will be continuing or not. The art is really cute though and I do like the female lead.
Pretty cute and fluffy until there is some touching, a nip, and kiss on the cheek that is not asked if it is okay to do.
I like the art and honestly the above didn't bother me in anyway I just don't like how on the fence our FL is about romance with either of them. But her friends are great in this volume and I am okay with either the male characters winning at this point.
ahh.. at first i was underestimate this manga, but when it goes to chapter 2, they are really cute🥺 im not a fan with triangle love or anything but this one is really good
While I understand that the humor is meant to balance out the heroine's very real traumas, it just didn't work for me. The book just ended up feeling a bit mean.