Shortcake Cake, Vol. 1

ショートケーキケーキ [Short Cake Cake] #1

by Suu Morishita

Ten Serizawa has a two-hour commute through the mountains to high school every day, so she can’t spend much time hanging out with her friends in the afternoon. She decides to move into the local boardinghouse, where one of her friends and three other boys are living. Ten’s friends consider her to be as oblivious as a rock when it comes to noticing boys and falling in love, but will she be able to keep her calm and steady heart in her new living situation?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Shojo, Slice Of Life

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2016

About the author

MORISHITA Suu
Name (in native language): 森下ｓｕｕ

Blood type: A
Zodiac: Taurus

Mangaka duo: Story: Makiro (マキロ）, Illustration: Nachiyan (なちやん）

Favourite food: chicken nanban

Assistant: Aizawa Yuki-mei

Reviews

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Ten Serizawa has a two-hour commute through the mountains to high school every day, so she can’t spend much time hanging out with her friends in the afternoon. She decides to move into the local boardinghouse, where one of her friends and three other boys are living. Ten’s friends consider her to be as oblivious as a rock when it comes to noticing boys and falling in love, but will she be able to keep her calm and steady heart in her new living situation?

I really liked Ten! She is not an easily excitable girl like you normally see in manga and Asian dramas. She isn't clumsy or dim either... but she is clueless when it comes to boys! That makes sense as she has been quite sheltered in her mountain home. And best of all she's a BOOKWORM! She loves quotes and purple prose and the loveliness that is words! Because she is clueless she's also quite bold in how she deals with boys because that is just how she is with everyone girl or boy "friend" it doesn't matter!

This was quite the unusual shoujo manga though as we got the boy's POV as well as Ten's POV. Normally we see everything through the eyes of the girl as she falls in love and notices the boys. At this point Ten is just having contact with boys as her roommates and so there isn't much of the romance from her POV. I really liked this fact! It makes for a unique ride through what is romance trope story... Instead we get Riku going ballistic over his confusing feelings for Ten as well as intriguing bookworm Chiaki lurking around. And we aren't free of the girls either (which I like, YAY female friendship!)

The plot may read as on the downlow as right now the plot concentrated on moving her into the house and getting to know the residents. Doesn't sound very exciting...?! it really is quite a fascinating though for a shoujo manga and that totally captured me... Yes, I need to read more volumes, preferably volume 2 and 3 ASAP, to really understand where the story is going to be going, but I was intrigued. I WANT to read more... I got this Akira from Fruits Basket vibe from one of the later characters introduced and I REALLY want to know what is going on there...

The art is such that I really need to hit the store and see it in person. The digital version flattened all the screentones and I think that is what makes this manga's art so gorgeous... And its not being show in the best light here... But I did find the character designs STELLAR! Really for so many characters being introduced all at once I kept everyone separate and NEVER got confused as to who is who. I wish the backgrounds were a little more developed but the focus is on the characters and how can I fault that (as they are my main love anyway!)?

I have to admit I am leaning toward one particular boy at this point as I liked Ten and his natural connection... still I'm excited to read more about her awakening to boys and noticing them as more than friends. Shortcake Cake is like a delicious cake that is an unusual flavor... you know you LOVE cake and the new taste is whetting your appetite but will you enjoy it in the long run...? I'm raring to find out with the next couple of volumes!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Oh. My. Goodness. I ADORED this opening volume of Shortcake Cake and have a strong feeling this is going to become my new favourite manga. Whilst reading this, I couldn’t help but notice quite a few similarities with Dreamin’ Sun by Ichigo Takano (one of my fave mangas EVER!) which made me fall in love with it.

To summarise, the protagonist, Ten, moves into a boarding house with her schoolfriend, Ageha, after calling time on catching a bus which takes 2 hours to arrive at her school. Here, she meets an assortment of new faces including Ran, the house mom, Aoi (her hair is so cute!), Yuto (the nerdy-type boy), Riku (one of the hot guys who likes to flirt) and Chiaki (the other hot guy who likes to read) <3 I get very excited when I’m in the company of Riku and Chiaki :)

Already I can guess that there might be a love triangle going on - Riku likes Ten and I’m pretty sure Chiaki likes her too!! Lucky Ten! And the last pages end with Ten finding out that Riku likes her so I’m desperate to begin volume 2!

Shortcake Cake had me laughing out loud (just like Dreamin’ Sun), the characters’ expressions are very cute and I’m intrigued by Master Rei (a boy we are fleetingly introduced to who is somewhat...peculiar - he looks a little like Near from Death Note!)

If you want an adorable new shoujo manga to read full of silliness and cute guys, Shortcake Cake might just be the one for you.

[SwedishGeekGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute! I really like the main girl, she does and act exacly what she wants.
Shortcake cake volume 1 by Suu Morishita get a 9.4/10 stars.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOUTUBE VIDEO REVIEW: https://youtu.be/BVD99nvqgvs

Updated Review 5/8/25: I am so excited to be back with these characters! I adore this series and rereading this first volume made me feel all the feels again! Absolutely love seeing Ten's bluntness, Ageha's supportiveness, and Riku falling fast and hard for Ten but also deeply respectful of her boundaries.

EAGERLY looking forward to reading more as it was just as fantastic as I remember!

Original Review 6/15/22: This was so absolutely precious!

I came into this with no expectations, but I feel they were well surpassed if I unknowingly had any!

I've only read two other manga that took place at a boarding house and think one thing that really caught me by surprise is that all the boarding house members (minus one) are really young. It was refreshing and new to me! I feel most boarding houses have a variety of ages, but it was exciting to see how all of these people went to high school.

I LOVE Ten! She's a fun main character to follow and really appreciated how she is not boy obsessed (because that felt new to me in majority of the shojo manga I've read) and that she's not afraid to speak her mind. Plus seeing her "uncertainty" if she should move into the boarding house felt like a strong way to make her relatable.

I really love all her housemates, but oh my goodness, I am STUCK! I LOVE Riku and his character and 100% for that ship, but I also LOVE Chiaki and how he is a popular guy who just loves reading and books (and can quote book quotes)! Both of them are great, though this volume is already setting up some curiosity in the reader with Riku's backstory!

Definitely all here for this manga and can't wait to read more! I feel right now I'm #TeamRiku, but I have a strong feeling #TeamChiaki will be the ultimate winner by the end!

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do I keep finding awesome manga that’s still being published?! I just wanna binge a whole series! Anyway, this review will be for the whole series so please read at your own risk!!

Read 12 volumes

This is so cute!! I kinda like this complicated love.... shape. Not really a triangle, not really a square? Anyway, this follows Ten as she moves into a coed high school dorm with her childhood best friend. Two of the boys at the dorm are super hot and both end up falling for Ten; but she can’t decide who she likes.

I love that Ten is cool and collected. She’s smart, perceptive, and kind. She’s a great main character. I like Chiaki (he’s obsessed with reading so DUH I love him) and Riku (even tho he seems like the type to keep everything bottled up). The misunderstandings aren’t overly obnoxious or done poorly so it makes the plot more believable.

I really like this series so far! Super cute romance manga!!

Edit 4/15/21: THAT VOLUME 8 CLIFFHANGER THO!!!! And I'm glad a lot of the misunderstandings have been cleared up! I love this series!!

Volume 10 update: These cliffhangers are so bad... good? Good. I need to know more!!

Edit 6/29/21: I FINISHED. I cried. This is such a good high school drama/romance manga! Like one of the best. I loved all the characters and how it isn’t an insta-love situation and that they had real issues and problems and they were all so mature. It felt like a real story. I love that Chiaki found his love and that he and Riku end up the best of friends. So so good!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing really happened, but cute?

[Violet ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

They are so cute, with a twist of dorm and high school life! 😍



Imagine having handsome guys living near you. I enjoy the characters' interactions, especially on that trip. Crushes and friendships! 🥰

I am not sure if I am going to read the series, I accidentally expose myself to a major spoiler.

That ending! 🤭

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

tens tens tens across the board
awww it's sweet

[D.T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty run of the mill but I will read the next volume. In this series/boarding house, we have a typical playboy whose heart goes doki doki at the sight of the first girl who doesn't fawn over him, a smart guy, and a guy who really loves books. Perhaps, even over human companionship, aye? I thought the ending to this volume was funny, but I'm not sure where the plot is heading. I'm guessing this is a slice-of-life series.

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm intrigued by this one. I liked Ten. She’s honest and has this cuteness to her. I love having so many different personalities in the boarding house. It’s too early to tell if we are going to have a love triangle or not. If so, I already know who I'm going to root for. This had an ending that has me excited to read volume 2.

[Laura (ローラ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with a big grin the entire time. It's an incredibly familiar plot, but features a self-confident and straight forward female lead. This is my favourite type of character. I hate when shoujo manga builds its plot on willful misunderstandings... I have very high hopes for this one!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could've been a five star volume for me if the main character wasn't so bland. What really made me enjoy the story was the male characters. They're all so mysterious. And Chiaki is kinda perfect.

[huna · Rating 4 out of 5]

OHMAIGAD THAT CLIFFHANGERR!!!!! I'm loving this! The art style is so cute and the characters are interesting too! I love Ten's hairstyle!!!! She looks so cute I want to hug her!

Just a short comment on this one uhuks because I'm here to protect my boy Chiaki😤 I need someone like him, a calm and quiet guy who loves reading aaaaaaa what a dreammmmm to the person who said he's boring JUST BECAUSE HE DOESN'T TALK MUCH, I'm staring at you.. real close👁👄👁 my boy did nothing wrong, why yall did him dirty huhuuuuuu he even quoted from books a lot of times, mann I'm so jealous with Ten-chan 😭

Anyway, Riku seems like he's hiding something... I guess it must be about his family, seeing as he still live in the dorm though his house is actually around the neighbourhood..

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has a lot of characters! It took me a minute to get everyone straight haha. Not too much happens in this one, but I still thought it was fun. Ten decides to go boarding school after having a night over and seeing how engaging the social life is. Before this, she commuted 2 hours each way on the bus. She meets plenty of friends and even has the beginning of a love triangle-ish feel. Not much happens relationship wise, but there's some fun tension building scenes and honestly I'm left not really know who I want to root for!

Steam: none

I plan on continuing with this one too if I can find more books in the series.

[Kristen Huneck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soo cute!

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I had a hard time with Shortcake Cake simply because I have rarely seen more wooden characters. Our protagonist is like a clueless mannequin walking among people but never really giving any semblance of being an actual living person. This reverse harem features several really bland and uninteresting boys who, of course, fall immediately for our brick of a main lead. I was beginning to wonder if there would be a hook that Ten, the girl, is actually a robot. But sadly that doesn't look to be the case.

Story: Ten had been taking a long train commute to go to school. But when she friends a schoolmate who lives in a boarding house, she decides that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to live closer after all. So just like that, she moves into the boarding house and interacts with the boys. One develops an immediate crush on her while the others look to be holding similar longings for our expressionless and unemotional paper weight. Most of the story in this volume is about the boys trying to figure out how much of a crush they have on Ten - in a rather insipid way.

Perhaps I missed something? Upon starting it twice, I really didn't see the attraction. Certainly, Ten is the antithesis of the genki and impulsive shoujo heroine archetype. But then again, so was Tsukushi of Boys Over Flowers. At least in Tsukushi's case, she was intelligent and logical and endearing in her exasperation with Doumyouji. Ten is just like a black hole - all characterization, nuance, and spirit is sucked into her and disappears. There is absolutely NO chemistry whatsoever with any of the male inhabitants of the boarding house. This makes the boys having a crush on her absolutely mind boggling.

The boys themselves don't fare much better. I had a hard time telling them apart since they pretty much just walk around and mumble "maybe I have a crush on her." I didn't find any of them interesting or 'swoon worthy' and certainly have to wonder what the appeal is with this title. The plot goes no where, the characters are cardboard, and the art is ok but nothing to write home about. Perhaps it picks up and gets better in later volumes? Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Elise Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve owned the first volume for quite some time now, but I’ve never really felt interested enough to read it. Apart of a challenge to read everything I own I decided it was worth a try to read what I have (6 volumes).
This first volume wasn’t bad by any sense of the word but it felt like there was so little going on? I do really like Chiaki though... despite his character basically boiling down to: “Oh, he reads.” As if that’s so revolutionary! I’ll finish what I own and hope that it at least gets a bit more interesting after the introductions. The characters seem to have “complex” backstories, etc. so I hope they redeem themselves.

[Jessica-Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga was a random grab while at the library because the cover art caught my eye. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this first volume. I think this series mught have some potential. The character design it good and although it relies on pretty much all the classic tropes, the writing doesn't feel dated.

[kay! ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

[ finished ] 🍓

the art style is so cute but i would not expect anything different from suu Morishita. this vol was sweet and entertaining but i think i need more time to warm up to the characters. good thing there are a lot more volumes to go through 🫡

[Snail · Rating 4 out of 5]

story is unremarkable but I love many aspects of the art and would read the series solely for it.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty generic love triangle is at the center of this romance manga that mostly doesn't seem to be trying very hard. Ten is an oblivious but frank girl who decides to live in a boarding house close to her high school rather than commute several hours each day. The other two points in the triangle are a flirt with an uncharacteristic sudden crush and a bookworm seemingly detached from emotion. The drawings of the two males would be indistinguishable to me if one didn't have dark hair and the other light. There are other guys floating around who will probably be exploited as love interests in the future also.

I'm just not seeing anything here I haven't seen before and done better. But I have the next two volumes on hand from the library, so onward!

[Alice4170 &#x1f319; · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐️

[Dani(elle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone in the book: *kiss kiss* fall in love!

Me & Chiaki: I just want to read books.

I have never related to a character so hard.

[aleo · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m kinda in a weird mood rn but i’m just disappointed bcuz i heard this was a cohab reverse harem and it is instead not like that

(im definitely thinking of something else)

[Kesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a lot going on but definitely intriguing enough to keep on reading.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Mary Emma Sivils · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun! I feel like I haven’t gotten more than a taste of the story yet, so I’m waiting to form a real opinion, but it seems like it could be good!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is cute, but not anything super special. Just another shojo romance (which I love), but it hasn't hit me with anything different yet.

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 3 out of 5]

10/08/2023
3 ⭐
Cute, but not a series I feel the need to continue with.

read for the graphicsathon 31 in 31 challenge!!

Letterboxd | Instagram | Bookstagram | Tumblr | Twitter | StoryGraph | Hoemance Book Club | Graphicsathon

[KristynRene SwissCheese JellyBean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 Stars

CUTEST CAST OF CHARACTERS

Goodness. I understand them all. I usually give up on seemingly-cliche characteristics and plot, but I love this infinitely more than Dreamin’ Sun. I think Shortcake Cake is an underrated gem.

Chiaki is me. I am Chiaki. Books >>>> Teenage Hormones. Plain and simple. Most people will read this story and think Chiaki is that silly tropey ignorant boy who chooses to ignore his girl fan club. I see him and understand him. He brings a book with him everywhere, he’s constantly in a different world, mentally, than everyone around him. He’s hard to reach because he’s mentally distant. These girls that love him don’t actually know him. I wouldn’t date them either if I were him. They don’t even read. :P

Anyway, had to get that love off my chest. I’m pretty trash for this book and others like it. Itr’s the same reason I love New Girl. So much romance on the horizon and comedic misunderstandings or embarrassing moments of bonding... I enjoy the hell out of it.

Ten is pretty oblivious to everything. Literally everything. Usually I’d see a problem with that, but for some reason Ten doesn’t bother me. She’s young and when I was in middle school I didn’t understand love nor did I get the whole “boys are cute” thing. With her little experience in that matter, I completely get her. I like her. She’s charming in her own way!!

Riku, my sweet dumb Riku. WAKE UP! You have a stalker, keep your mouth shut, bruh. You’re taking on unwanted attention. Take Chiaki’s lead and just be careful who you say things to and what you say. I still love you. You’re my second favorite.

This book...so underloved. I laughed and screamed the entire way through because it’s filled with moments that grow on you and characters that are so easy to love. If you take a moment to understand them, they’ll grow on you. Plus the art is pretty prime if you ask me. So, there it is. My love of this series blossomed on page 100. I need this entire series at this very moment so I can binge. Good thing I have Book 2 sitting next to me :D