Beware the Kamiki Brothers!, Vol. 1

神木兄弟おことわり [Kamiki Kyoudai Okotowari] #1

by Yuji Onda

High-school freshman Iroha’s life is about to change. Her mother just got remarried, and they’re both moving in with her new partner and his sons. The elder son is really hot, but he’s far from normal ... and together with his cute younger brother, she’s now stuck with them both morning, noon, and night! The mean elder brother and Iroha just can’t see eye to eye, and as the distance between all three of them decreases, cohabitation has never been so heart-poundingly exciting!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Young Adult, Shojo, Contemporary, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels

179 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2015

About the author

恩田ゆじ

Reviews

[Kadi P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m surprised to say I actually sort of liked this and what makes that surprising is that I expected to hate it because of the whole step-sibling romance trope. But this manga does a good job of acknowledging that trope and I appreciated that they didn’t shy away from it.

The protagonist started off as quite likeable and smart, but as the storyline progressed her character development deteriorated and she became irritatingly oblivious to obvious issues arising from living with teenage boys. Contrastingly, the older brother started out as rude and obnoxious and then switched to being quite thoughtful which was unexpected and thereby interesting.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was leery of this title at first, but having read it, I'm pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Mostly this is because Onda makes it clear that Souichiro isn't actually a total jerk - he's had bad experiences with girls hounding him before and he's honestly afraid that Iroha will become one of them now that they're living together. (He also hates the trope of step-siblings in love, which I appreciate.) For her part Iroha isn't willing to fall for his garbage or put up with his crappy treatment of her, so she's hardly a wilting heroine. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes, because it seems set to take some different directions in character development than we usually see with this particular plot.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 1 out of 5]

2020 Read #182

1.5 stars

I did not enjoy this introductory volume except for the scenes where the heroine interacted with the younger Kamiki brother. Elder-brother Kamiki is awful and sexist, and he is somehow more cringe-worthy than other problematic shojo manga love interests. Worse, I hated how the heroine was called stupid and dumb multiple times. The one redeeming part was the art. Even so, I do not recommend. And I do not think I’ll be reading on.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The number of times I have read/watched this trope is probably telling of some emotional issue I should definitely be paying attention to, but am choosing to ignore in favor of book therapy, but I adore it every single time, so I’m gonna keep at it. 🥰

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I would probably put this at 2.5 stars, but I can’t in good conscience round up to 3 when the lingering image of this book that has stuck with me is the elder Kamiki brother mashing Iroha’s test paper into her face, which is a line I think could have stayed uncrossed without taking away from anything.

Then the book leans into the step-sibling romance plot device, which I will soon begin referring to as ‘have your incest and eat it too’ so watch for that, that normally drives me bonkers. Here, however, it shockingly did not.

There are two reasons this book can get away with the step-sibling romance - one, they go ahead and hang a lantern on it, so at least they don’t try and hide what they’re up to. Second, these are two people who have never met. Almost every other time I’ve seen this put forward as a plot device, it’s the doting sibling who was raised together AS FAMILY with the object of their affections trying to get something started. This is the one time I’ve not been driven crazy by this trope.

Shame the rest of the book tries very hard to scuttle my good will. I think Iroha is actually really great - despite the bastardly antics of her new older brother, she takes no crap from him and pushes back against his nonsense. He, however, takes unlikeable to an art form and even as they smooth the edges towards the end (shockingly, could he be having some recognizance!?), it’s not like he’s easy to root for.

If you like this sort of bad-boy romance and a plucky heroine, this is probably a great book. The younger brother also adds to the positives by virtue of not being a douche. I don’t know - I don’t want to write it off, but I can’t see myself getting more volumes until there’s a sale. My curiosity IS piqued to see if this can balance itself a little better.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the falling in love with a step sibling trope! And of course, one is acting like a tsundere. Though this falls into some classic tropes, it's cute. The art style is lovely. I will be picking up more in the series.

[Barbara Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!

by Barbara Kelley

What an adorable manga! Iroha's mother marries a nice man with 2 sons. Iroha is happy because the man is nice and loves her mother. Her mom tells Iroha that he has two sons, ages 4 and 6, but she lied; the sons are ages 14 and 16, and the 16 year old is Kamiki-kun, the school hottie that all the little girls are crazy about, except for Iroha who thinks he's a major "ass". He thinks she's an idiot because she got a super low grade on a test. Even her best friend says she's " as dumb as a bag of rocks". Little brother likes Iroha a lot. By the end of the first volume, older brother is feeling the same way about her. I gave this volume 5 stars because it was funny and adorable, and I plan on reading Volume 2 next.

[cc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would describe this as "a less interesting remake of the Mischievous Kiss storyline".

A silly, sweet girl finds herself moving into the same home as her school's resident mean-boy hotshot after he publicly humiliates her. A subsequent slowburn, verbally abusive relationship ensues.

It's been done before, many times and better. And, considering Mischievous Kiss has an Asian drama remake for pretty much every Asian country -- examples include Japan's Mischievous Kiss, Taiwan's Miss In Kiss, South Korea's Playful Kiss, etc -- there are far more enjoyable renditions of this story to enjoy. Most of them on Netflix.

[Rereader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was okay. It honestly doesn’t do anything different and the main characters, as of now, are pretty generic and bland. Characters get into predictable situations with predictable outcomes. The art style is gorgeous and I love the expressions the characters make. There were admittedly a couple of funny parts, but honestly I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with this series. There’s just nothing special about, but it does its job well, so take that as you like.

[Forthright . · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iroha's mother remarries, and the time has come to move in together. Turns out, Mom has been fudging details about her new husband's sons. Iroha thinks they'll be 4 and 6 years old, but ... nope. They're 14 and 16. ::facepalm::

Tensions abound. Bickering and blushing. Grumping and moments of gentlemanly concern. One of those forbidden love for step-sibling things, but with a double-brother twist.

[Bee (BacchusVines) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm surprised how fast this manga is moving with its romance between the step-siblings.

I am...not a huge fan of this trope, because it feels very weird to me. However, since they're teens that didn't grow up with one another...

The artwork is pretty fun, too. I love the expressions and the romantic scenes are so sparkly.

[Marlana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga is a solid three for me.

I felt the characters could've been developed more and I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of the art style.

It was decent enough for me to want to continue reading, but I'm not sure it's one I would recommend.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Haaaaaaaaaaate the douchbag male lead. The female lead being a dummy who isn't good at anything is a trope that needs to die. The sweet cinnamon roll of a younger brother is the only reason this gets two stars instead of one.

[Rubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never like when a guy acts like a jerk for no reason. The older Kamiki brother is so rude and mean. The little brother was nicer and sweet haha
But I hope the older one matures in the next volumes. I can tell he's already falling for his "stupid" step sister lol

[Rebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this a lot more than I expected to.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the art, and the MC and the other two main characters. Pretty entertaining, funny, cute story so far. 3.5 stars.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cliche, but I knew what I was getting myself into.

[scarlettraces · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical demonstration that even the oldest tropes can be entertaining when the execution is good.

[Jazmin Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Estuvo nice

[Dani(elle) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's your basic tsundere romance but with a step siblings twist.

[Picabook82 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

Cute 🥰 fluffy and well drawn. Heroine is supposedly not smart but I think she probably is more than she seems.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

[amara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. art stylenya cakep banget!!!

[Ylva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much "you need to be careful living around boys and not tempt them".

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fine. I know this is supposed to be taboo but they are the same age and he is the hottest guy at her school before the parents intro them. The younger brother is a cutie pie.

[Oline Oline Oline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like the trope but it's pretty funny and entertaining, and extra 1 star for the beautiful and cute artstyle!

[Natalia HW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cute, some annoying parts, nothing too original but fun enough. I don’t think I need more than 5 volumes though

[Beth Rethmeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Idiot

This was a really cute read. Idk how much I like a step brother trope but it’s a classic for forbidden love.

[Esopion · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an extremely bad and cliché start to a shoujo manga series. The male lead has no redeeming qualities and the heroine is just straight-up falling for him.

[Patricia allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meeting your step siblings the day you move in can not be fun or easy. Mom definitely should have prepared better. Poor girl was thrown to the wolves and no one knew it. I am so excited to read the rest of the story and hopeful watch is growth.