I wish half the series I’m reading were as thoughtful as this one is. From its very gentle look at friendship and utter lack of prejudice to those who are different to its quietly understated romance and wonderful lore this is a winner.
This is still a very typical story that becomes a very special story in its small details. The little things like how does somebody with super-acute hearing handle fireworks or how do you watch a movie if you can see in the dark make this come alive.
There’s a level of charm smeared all over this. Tsumiki’s odd interpretation of math problems is genuinely funny. There’s one guy who comes to realize that he is not the main character, yet wants to date Tsumiki, who keeps getting sadder that really gave me a good laugh too.
It tackles some things of actual substance as well, like somebody realizing their definition of love isn’t like others’ and dealing with that. There actually is a little lesson about prejudice, featuring Senga the vampire, who is becoming a fantastic side character. Social anxiety and introversion get their due too.
Amidst all this, Yutaka and Tsumiki get a little closer, although not before a little rough patch where Yutaka thinks he can’t say hi if he doesn’t have a reason. He comes out of his shell quite nicely this volume.
It’s all very innocent stuff - there’s absolutely nothing here that should worry anybody. The closest it ever gets to thirsty is the whole brushing thing, but having seen my cat get brushed I completely buy it.
If I was going to ding this it would be that it is completely colouring within the lines in terms of its plots. All the summer hits are here, from festivals to the beach. Still, I appreciated that they went with the secondary beach plot where somebody’s relative runs a restaurant though (and whoever thought to name an obnoxious streamer Snider Prick deserves like two raises).
But the point here is: do the basics well and you’re fine and this is fine and a half. It makes something pedestrian into a really special experience that is never less than enjoyable. Such a great time.
4.5 stars - slight nudge down for being a little obvious, but I love these characters so dang much that I feel the five-star is only a matter of time.
I think I liked this volume less than the previous two. It's cute, but I wasn't a fan of Chapter 18 (Tsumiki and the Hairbrush), mostly because it feels pretty suggestive (not anything awful, but for a series this mild it feels out of place, but that could be my touch aversion talking) and I think there are sweeter, fluffier moments in the other chapters that work a bit better. I think the multi-chapter arcs are usually the strongest — I thought the Summer Festival chapters were charming, if a little trite — but again, I think I just crave character depth and interpersonal moments. I thought Umami's dilemma was interesting (if not fully resolved), Itsuki's little chapter was cute, and I'm continuing to enjoy the exploration of Senga as a character. Again, it's not a bad series, and I'm sure part of it is just fundamentally not appealing to me, but I'm still hoping the author fleshes out these characters a bit more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Yutaka and Tsumiki make it through exams and end-of-school cleaning, enjoy a summer festival, and spend time together on break.
This book is packed with cute little throw aways on the difference between Mythfolk and humans: Yutaka has to recaliberate what 'quiet' means for the library when his friend can hear far better than he can and working at a beachfront restaurant includes dumping buckets of water over your fish friend when they get overheated. I particularly liked Tsumiki showing Yutaka what a good friend he is by letting him brush her tail rather than just her ears (shedding season is hard on werewolves!)
I'm so behind on this series... but when I pick it up again, I think "Why am I not keeping up with the latest volume, it's so good!" Such a sweet look at friendship and acceptance.
What I loved this time around: the unicorn girl whose charm sends mixed messages to all her admirers; the cozy sea creature café where the kids clink their cokes after a hard but rewarding day; and introvert Yutaka helping Tsumiki's even more introverted sister on her watermelon errand. And of course Tsumiki herself - she's the best. Summer is in full swing!
Tsumiki isn’t slowing down in the cute factor! The art is top tier, and the stories feel alive. You will feel cozy while reading this volume as it’s summer based and the characters will have you locked in with their antics. Also best panel in this one show our protagonist flying through the air with a very cute awooooo
I didn’t really care for the vampire guy focused chapter, and I still think the MC is a little too wimpy tbh. Just say Tsumiki looks good bro😭
Besides my couple gripes though, this series is still really fun so far. And really wholesome haha. Can’t wait to read volume four when it arrives lol.