Now That We Draw, Vol. 2

描くなるうえは [Kakunaru Ue wa] #2

by Kyū Takahata (Writer), Yuwji Kaba (Illustrator)

漫画家を目指す上原くんと同じクラスのギャル宮本さん。
身長差に、校内ヒエラルキー、何もかも正反対のふたりをつなげるのは漫画！
恋愛描写にリアリティを出すため疑似恋愛を始めてみたら…海集合で水着デッサン☆
初めてばかりの圧倒的現実体験！
画力向上、高まる感情！
湧き出し溢れる創作意欲！
初めて「恋」を知ったとき、苦戦していた上原くんのヒロインも動き出す――!?
描いてるからこそ通じ合い、互いに夢へと高め合う！
漫画家×青春ラブコメ、本領発揮の第２巻!!

Genres: Manga

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2023

Reviews

[Fan of fanservice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rom-com slice of life at its finest. With the theme of manga artists really makes everything shine. The art is impeccable and loads of detail and background stuff drawn (no space is unused). The character models are amazing and Yuwji Kaba’s sketchy but refined style gives all those exaggerated body proportions very satisfyingly sexy. Another thing is there is no nudity but tbh it doesn’t need it because how cute and sexy Niina can be as she also is a called a gyaru frequently; think of dress up darling style but more comedic. The tension of Yuuki liking Niina plays very well and Kyu Takahata really has a great story here and they tell it beautifully with great pacing.

Honestly can’t say enough praises (tbf I’d love some nudity but like I’ve said not entirely 100% needed per se but dayum she’d be hot naked I bet lol)

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 I’m enjoying this more than I should. It’s formulaic and predictable and it’s obvious male fantasy when your lead is a super attractive and busty “Gal” girl. But it’s cute and fun and the art is gorgeous.

In volume 2 Niina and Yuuki continue to work on their manga and play at romance. We get a little of their upbringing and backstory as well. Then the 2 both become assistants to professional mangaka and both of them are super attractive. Who knew that manga authors were so sexy.

Nina squatting in some platforms on the cover of volume 2.

Read 2/12/2025
Read fan translations.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

81%

A good improvement over the first volume! Some short backstory for each main character on why they both first started drawing, and each were both very emotionally touching. Loved the crow bowling comic, haha. Seeing Yuuki come to realise his feelings about Niina was also nice to see, and seeing them both work as assistants was pretty cool too.

I thought the drama towards the end of this volume was resolved a little too quickly, to be honest - I know drama in a rom-com series can be a difficult balancing act, and I’d much rather have a decently quick resolution like this instead of one that drags on - I just kinda wish that they both discussed the issue a little more. I suppose since the root cause of it is Yuuki’s feelings for Niina though, they kinda had to skip over it a little or their relationship would advance too quickly, maybe. Still, I didn’t think it was a bad resolution.

Obviously this volume still has a lot of ecchi moments (tbh even more so than the first volume, it’s crazy how they toe the line ngl) but I had a good time reading this. The interactions, growth, introduction of a couple interesting new characters, backstories, and a touch of drama all made this a better read than the first volume for me. Almost reminded me of Blue Period a little (and I love that manga, need to do a reread soon fr😤)

[Ray Rappisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niina is such an expressive character you can’t help but love her enthusiasm and drive. Yukki, on the other hand, reminds me of Ichikawa from Dangers in My Heart; a short introvert who beats himself down and if not for the bubbly girl he meets would probably be a nobody all his life. What sets this apart is the fantastic artwork with Niina’s clothing a huge plus for how many different outfits she has and panel layouts are exciting without being too much. I’m a sucker for tall girl/short guy stories and this is near the top.

[Adhara Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

im sus that they are going towards the love triangle... if that happens i'm out. Also Yuki starts to annoy me. i mean Im not a 15 old boy and never was so maybe boys can be like this but sometimes he treats Nina like walking "fap folder", or at least it looks this way. On the orher hand I like that Nina is not written into a dumb bimbo, but has more substance to herself.

[Kimi Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fan service aside this story is so cute and wholesome it kills me 😭

[Heber Guerra-Recinos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do love this series so much. It fills me with passion and makes me wanna draw again.