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おとなになっても [Otona ni Natte mo] #8
Even Though We're Adults Vol. 8
From the critically acclaimed creator of Wandering Son and Sweet Blue Flowers, a heart-tugging manga about two busy women who think they’ve figured out the whole adulting thing…until they fall in love with each other.
Is it worth making everyone else miserable just so we can be happy? Even as they wrestle with this question, Ayano and Akari decide to move in together. Their new life together sustains Ayano after salacious rumors chased her out of her last teaching job. Meanwhile, Wataru is left hurting in the wake of the divorce and Eri struggles with an adulterous love of her own.
Is it worth making everyone else miserable just so we can be happy? Even as they wrestle with this question, Ayano and Akari decide to move in together. Their new life together sustains Ayano after salacious rumors chased her out of her last teaching job. Meanwhile, Wataru is left hurting in the wake of the divorce and Eri struggles with an adulterous love of her own.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 13, 2023
68 people want to read
About the author
Takako Shimura
176 books211 followersTakako Shimura (native name: 志村貴子) is a manga artist primarily known for her manga works published in Japan which feature LGBT (especially about lesbian and transgender) topics. Originally from Kanagawa, she now resides in Tokyo.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 18, 2024
It’s the end of term for Ayano’s class and the end of her time at that school after the rumour mill ground her to dust. But her personal life is on the uptick, as Ayano and Akari decide to move in together. Provided they can find a place, of course.
The little drama that could, I would call this. It tackles big topics and rarely, rarely bares its fangs with the fullness it could. Instead the silence and the despair and the misery are often allowed to fester and stew and infect things.
Well, that sounds dour, but seeing Ayano and Akari getting domestic and couple-y is delightful. It has been such a long road for them and, if they haven’t quite gotten entirely to the finish line, they’re closer than ever. It’s a good reminder of how suited to one another they are.
And Ayano needs that, as the school situation is fraught, with the tales of her infidelity being on everybody’s lips, especially her students’, and her last few days being made especially torturous. It’s a lot of cringe that isn’t anybody’s business.
This drags the trio of girls back into things and part of me does feel that this storyline sort of irons itself out a little neatly to coincide with Ayano leaving, but the resolution is solid and, since they’re involved in those rumours by family ties, it shows that sometimes children are more mature than the adults around them.
Even though nothing super monumental happens, minus that cliffhanger on Eri’s storyline that’ll make for one hell of a conversation next volume, this is a series that knows how to make the most of its characters and its quiet moments.
It’s been so long getting our leads together that even these tiny moments are special. Watching them figure out their living arrangement is satisfying because we’ve spent the time getting to know them and even that time wasn’t just arbitrary obstacles or rivals or any of the usual crap. Quiet does not mean boring.
This is one of the best-written manga I have ever picked up and it constantly rewards the reader who likes something deep and nuanced. Even Ayano’s ex, Wataru, has his own new life beginning and, well, that’s just how it goes. Pain eventually fades and you move on.
The way they depict him is also really good. He’s still somewhat sympathetic to Ayano, but the other divorcee interested in him has no problem ripping into Ayano for her choices. And it’s not a matter of right or wrong, it’s more complicated than that and just perspectives. No matter who judges it, sometimes life is just life.
5 stars - this is the best yuri story I’ve read, not my favourite, mind, but it is absolutely the one that has had the best writing, gorgeous art, and taken a lot of time making us care and rewarding the audience that has chosen to do so.
The little drama that could, I would call this. It tackles big topics and rarely, rarely bares its fangs with the fullness it could. Instead the silence and the despair and the misery are often allowed to fester and stew and infect things.
Well, that sounds dour, but seeing Ayano and Akari getting domestic and couple-y is delightful. It has been such a long road for them and, if they haven’t quite gotten entirely to the finish line, they’re closer than ever. It’s a good reminder of how suited to one another they are.
And Ayano needs that, as the school situation is fraught, with the tales of her infidelity being on everybody’s lips, especially her students’, and her last few days being made especially torturous. It’s a lot of cringe that isn’t anybody’s business.
This drags the trio of girls back into things and part of me does feel that this storyline sort of irons itself out a little neatly to coincide with Ayano leaving, but the resolution is solid and, since they’re involved in those rumours by family ties, it shows that sometimes children are more mature than the adults around them.
Even though nothing super monumental happens, minus that cliffhanger on Eri’s storyline that’ll make for one hell of a conversation next volume, this is a series that knows how to make the most of its characters and its quiet moments.
It’s been so long getting our leads together that even these tiny moments are special. Watching them figure out their living arrangement is satisfying because we’ve spent the time getting to know them and even that time wasn’t just arbitrary obstacles or rivals or any of the usual crap. Quiet does not mean boring.
This is one of the best-written manga I have ever picked up and it constantly rewards the reader who likes something deep and nuanced. Even Ayano’s ex, Wataru, has his own new life beginning and, well, that’s just how it goes. Pain eventually fades and you move on.
The way they depict him is also really good. He’s still somewhat sympathetic to Ayano, but the other divorcee interested in him has no problem ripping into Ayano for her choices. And it’s not a matter of right or wrong, it’s more complicated than that and just perspectives. No matter who judges it, sometimes life is just life.
5 stars - this is the best yuri story I’ve read, not my favourite, mind, but it is absolutely the one that has had the best writing, gorgeous art, and taken a lot of time making us care and rewarding the audience that has chosen to do so.
March 4, 2025
*this review is for the series - not just vol 1.*
So a lot of people seemed to have some really negative things to say about the first volume... so let's address it.
Yes - There is cheating. It comes up a lot through out the entire series.
Yes - There is what could be considered biphobia.
There is also gossip, minor bullying, dysfunctional family dynamics and talks of abusive relationships ( nothing shown ).
There were also people complaining about the troupe of a woman who marries and then finds out later she is into women.
If the above listed things are hard 'no's for you then I recommend simply not picking this read up. But if those things are grey areas for you and you are open to experiencing a story that is culturally different and addresses many things from parental relationships and expectations, personal acceptance and ownership, a variant of agoraphobia and dips it's toes into a number of other things... then maybe give it a try.
That said - this was an interesting read. The way the initial cheating situation is handled is different than most stories I've come across. I'm not sure if it's due to culture differences and expectations or if everyone was just real chill cause there's only ever like... one big freak out in the series and it's not from one of the people you would expect it from. There are some very sweet moments sprinkled in and around this series.
I give it a 8/10 simply because there is a bit of lull in the story at times as the pace of it has been rather slow for me. But I think that overall this story achieves what it set out to do which is that life is messy and no one ever really knows what their future holds. So be true to you and make your choices to live a happy life even if it's not the easy path.
So a lot of people seemed to have some really negative things to say about the first volume... so let's address it.
Yes - There is cheating. It comes up a lot through out the entire series.
Yes - There is what could be considered biphobia.
There is also gossip, minor bullying, dysfunctional family dynamics and talks of abusive relationships ( nothing shown ).
There were also people complaining about the troupe of a woman who marries and then finds out later she is into women.
If the above listed things are hard 'no's for you then I recommend simply not picking this read up. But if those things are grey areas for you and you are open to experiencing a story that is culturally different and addresses many things from parental relationships and expectations, personal acceptance and ownership, a variant of agoraphobia and dips it's toes into a number of other things... then maybe give it a try.
That said - this was an interesting read. The way the initial cheating situation is handled is different than most stories I've come across. I'm not sure if it's due to culture differences and expectations or if everyone was just real chill cause there's only ever like... one big freak out in the series and it's not from one of the people you would expect it from. There are some very sweet moments sprinkled in and around this series.
I give it a 8/10 simply because there is a bit of lull in the story at times as the pace of it has been rather slow for me. But I think that overall this story achieves what it set out to do which is that life is messy and no one ever really knows what their future holds. So be true to you and make your choices to live a happy life even if it's not the easy path.
June 14, 2024
A more sedate volume of this adult romance; they're moving in together and wrapping up old parts of their lives - which as the school year wraps up, means she has to figure out what's going to be the last thing she tells her middle-school students when they ask what adultery is. Also, exes' figuring out how to talk about past failed relationships as they start new ones. This is such a good and thoughtful series, dealing with the adult concerns of relationships without escaping the domesticity of life as people try to live with and around each other. I highly recommend it!
March 25, 2025
4.5 stars. Eri’s chapter had me SHOOK! What a twist omg! This series does complicated relationships so well. Romantic relationships, parental and familial relationships, and friendships and it’s fascinating. The characters feel so human and flawed and they will piss you off but I love it.
Also, color me shocked that Ayano and Akari have moved in together and things are going well so far! Ayano is also switching schools and won’t be going by her ex husbands last name anymore. Hurray for new beginnings! Loving this series.
Also, color me shocked that Ayano and Akari have moved in together and things are going well so far! Ayano is also switching schools and won’t be going by her ex husbands last name anymore. Hurray for new beginnings! Loving this series.
May 29, 2024
j'aimerais bien que ça aille plus vite hahaha
July 2, 2024
( 4 stars )
LET'S GO LESBIANS LET'S GO!
LET'S GO LESBIANS LET'S GO!
July 29, 2024
This series is so important to me. I’ve been wanting to keep reading it all year. I’m so grateful my library buys these books. Thank you, libraries of the world!!!
September 22, 2024
drama and cute still
November 10, 2024
A graduation and a farewell...
May 11, 2025
How did I only now figure out the Shimura also wrote Sweet Blue Flowers? Anyone, I continue to enjoy the complicated relationships in this series.
October 12, 2024
feeling “meh” about this one so far. it is just sooo slow and the characters talk about their feelings a lot but never in the way i want them to. there are dozens and dozens of intimate conversations about the divorce which are essential but ayano and akari hardly talk about their relationship (which doesn’t really exist) nor do they delve at all into ayano’s sudden realization of her sexuality… or lack thereof. it seems like ayano doesn’t give a shit about her sexuality which is totally fine but it makes it even harder to understand why she would randomly cheat on her husband at 30 when they had no apparent problems in their relationship. she doesn’t seem sorry about much and acts as if she is just mildly inconveniencing everyone, rather than turning her life situation upside down and dragging a lot of her close friends and family along with her. i really do want a happy ending for these two women but it’s volume 8 and they juuust moved in together and they aren’t even officially dating so..?? i have low expectations. i wanted this manga to be more about ayano and akari forming a relationship and learning more about themselves, but instead what i got was 8 volumes of everyone ayano knows advising her to stay in her marriage after cheating. i do appreciate that this manga discusses the idea of figuring out your sexuality as an adult, but i’d appreciate it more if the author would have leaned into it more rather than make ayano seem so aloof about everything happening to her.
May 20, 2025
They're getting serious and I like how the side arcs keep going forward and everyone moves on
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews