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たとえとどかぬ糸だとしても / If I Could Reach You #1
If I Could Reach You, Vol. 1
A TOO-LATE LOVE
High schooler Uta must navigate living in close quarters with Kaoru: her first crush, her childhood friend...and now, her sister-in-law. After spending a year under the same roof with her brother and Kaoru, Uta witnesses the cracks in their marriage beginning to show. And when Uta becomes Kaoru's sole comfort and ally in their home, she is torn between her duty and her feelings. She just can't get over her...not yet.
High schooler Uta must navigate living in close quarters with Kaoru: her first crush, her childhood friend...and now, her sister-in-law. After spending a year under the same roof with her brother and Kaoru, Uta witnesses the cracks in their marriage beginning to show. And when Uta becomes Kaoru's sole comfort and ally in their home, she is torn between her duty and her feelings. She just can't get over her...not yet.
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2017
37 people are currently reading
819 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
April 9, 2021
Have you ever read a book and knew automatically that it was going to end in heartbreak?? This is such an interesting book, but melancholy in a way that you know will destroy by the time that you finish.
If I could Reach was a random pick up for me at the bookstore. I didn't really know much about the book going into it except that it was a story based on unrequited love. This book is so much more. It focuses on Uta who lives with her brother and sister in law. It is slowly revealed that Uta has had a crush on her sister in law for a very long time and realized she could never reveal those feelings once Kaoru became engaged and married to her brother. While Uta attempts to live as normal as possible and get rid of her feelings, they come back even stronger when Kaoru begins to lean on Uta more and more as she begins to have small issues in her marriage. It's a depressing manga to be honest. I've been in Uta's position where I waited a little to late to profess my love for a long time friend. When I became ready they already moved on to someone else and I can tell you from first hand experience that these situations almost always end in heartbreak. While I'm excited to read the rest of the volumes, I'm hoping that Uta finds someone else along the way. What's even more sad about this book is that Uta and Kaoru have great chemistry and as a reader I definitely could see them being together, but not at the expense of Uta's brother. The art was absolutely beautiful. The story itself is almost simple in nature; however, I think that the artwork effectively evokes the intense emotions behind every single encounter between Uta and Kaoru. There is one specific scene that completely fooled me and it hurt my feelings!! HAHA. I definitely recommend checking this out and I'm looking forward to reading the next few volumes.
If I could Reach was a random pick up for me at the bookstore. I didn't really know much about the book going into it except that it was a story based on unrequited love. This book is so much more. It focuses on Uta who lives with her brother and sister in law. It is slowly revealed that Uta has had a crush on her sister in law for a very long time and realized she could never reveal those feelings once Kaoru became engaged and married to her brother. While Uta attempts to live as normal as possible and get rid of her feelings, they come back even stronger when Kaoru begins to lean on Uta more and more as she begins to have small issues in her marriage. It's a depressing manga to be honest. I've been in Uta's position where I waited a little to late to profess my love for a long time friend. When I became ready they already moved on to someone else and I can tell you from first hand experience that these situations almost always end in heartbreak. While I'm excited to read the rest of the volumes, I'm hoping that Uta finds someone else along the way. What's even more sad about this book is that Uta and Kaoru have great chemistry and as a reader I definitely could see them being together, but not at the expense of Uta's brother. The art was absolutely beautiful. The story itself is almost simple in nature; however, I think that the artwork effectively evokes the intense emotions behind every single encounter between Uta and Kaoru. There is one specific scene that completely fooled me and it hurt my feelings!! HAHA. I definitely recommend checking this out and I'm looking forward to reading the next few volumes.
January 25, 2020
I wanted to enjoy this, but it just left me flat. High school student Uta has known her brother's now-wife since she was a kid, but only realized on their wedding day that she (Uta) has a crush on her. Which is a problem, considering she now lives with the couple. Uta spends the rest of the book gloomily beating herself up over her impossible love and waffling over whether to confess it or not.
I found I couldn't sympathize with Uta's situation. It didn't feel like love to me, it just felt like physical attraction (not the same thing). Especially when near the end it started skirting uncomfortably around the issue of consent (if your secret crush is asleep, should you take the opportunity to kiss them? NO. The answer is NO, regardless of gender or sexuality.) Uta needs to come to terms with her orientation and with the fact that, yeah, you're attracted to this person, but it's never going to happen so you'd better rein yourself in (seriously, even if you confess and discover she's secretly bi and into you too, it's kind of incest-y to hook up with your sibling's bf/gf/spouse/ex), but instead of thinking about the bigger picture of her orientation and what that means for her, she uses up all her headspace mooning over this one specific crush that even she KNOWS is a dead end. ("Oh but isn't it romantic to have a love you know is going nowhere?" Not always, no; a well-told forbidden love can be moving, but in this case I felt nothing but frustrated/annoyed and bogged down.) Uta's friend and confidante isn't much help, either, pretty much admitting that she just enjoys watching the train wreck of her struggle, and not giving Uta the proverbial smack upside the head that she needs. The thing I'm dreading is if the author takes this in the direction of "oh, Uta's not really lesbian, she just misses a nurturing mother-figure because of her parents' divorce" at which point I would scream into my facepalm. I might give vol. 2 a try to see if this moves out of the bog of neverending and entirely unnecessary adolescent gloom and into some character/relationship development, but I'll need a break first.
I found I couldn't sympathize with Uta's situation. It didn't feel like love to me, it just felt like physical attraction (not the same thing). Especially when near the end it started skirting uncomfortably around the issue of consent (if your secret crush is asleep, should you take the opportunity to kiss them? NO. The answer is NO, regardless of gender or sexuality.) Uta needs to come to terms with her orientation and with the fact that, yeah, you're attracted to this person, but it's never going to happen so you'd better rein yourself in (seriously, even if you confess and discover she's secretly bi and into you too, it's kind of incest-y to hook up with your sibling's bf/gf/spouse/ex), but instead of thinking about the bigger picture of her orientation and what that means for her, she uses up all her headspace mooning over this one specific crush that even she KNOWS is a dead end. ("Oh but isn't it romantic to have a love you know is going nowhere?" Not always, no; a well-told forbidden love can be moving, but in this case I felt nothing but frustrated/annoyed and bogged down.) Uta's friend and confidante isn't much help, either, pretty much admitting that she just enjoys watching the train wreck of her struggle, and not giving Uta the proverbial smack upside the head that she needs. The thing I'm dreading is if the author takes this in the direction of "oh, Uta's not really lesbian, she just misses a nurturing mother-figure because of her parents' divorce" at which point I would scream into my facepalm. I might give vol. 2 a try to see if this moves out of the bog of neverending and entirely unnecessary adolescent gloom and into some character/relationship development, but I'll need a break first.
May 18, 2020
This manga was so good! Uta is a high-schooler living with her brother and sister-in-law, Kaoru. However, things are somewhat complicated because Kaoru also happens to be Uta's first and current crush. What I loved about this manga is how connected I felt to Uta. I enjoyed reading as she navigated her feelings and unraveled what love means, through both an unrequited crush and as a member of her small family. I'm excited to continue this series and see how the relationship between Kaoru and Uta grows, and how Uta works through her romantic feelings.
September 18, 2019
This is very melancholic in some ways because you just know there is going to be heartbreak by the end.
May 4, 2022
Uta has a crush on her brother's wife, made all the more complicated because she has moved in with the newlyweds following her parents' messy divorce. Amusing, heartbreaking, and heartwarming in turns, the story actually seems complete by the end of this first volume, but the series goes on for another six books. It's a fairly strong ensemble of characters, so I can see wanting to continue with it. And I will, though my library only has one more, alas.
April 24, 2022
I tried liking this because of the friend who was Kuroe like out of everyone, she was the most likeable character that I wish could’ve been the main lead. However I just found the whole thing involving a student Narase liking Kaoru who is a married woman really depressing. I know that it sucks that your crush is married but I just found it personally forced that the two will eventually get together. Yeah I think the infidelity genre ain’t for me bro so I’m out…
June 2, 2021
~3.5~
The plot and everything is good but its a little weird because she's in love with her sister-in-law so idk what to think about that... but its a nice rom-com and at some points it can be cheesy though. Its a nice and sweet yuri (wlw) manga and I would probably recommend it to someone. Can't wait to read volume 2!
The plot and everything is good but its a little weird because she's in love with her sister-in-law so idk what to think about that... but its a nice rom-com and at some points it can be cheesy though. Its a nice and sweet yuri (wlw) manga and I would probably recommend it to someone. Can't wait to read volume 2!
December 31, 2022
This was simultaneously exactly what i expected and nothing like what i thought it would be....very bittersweet and emotional.
May 13, 2023
Not bad, but kind of a bummer.
June 16, 2020
This manga started off seeming like it was going to be good, but it got worse and worse as it went along.
In the beginning we meet a high school student who is in love with her sister-in-law. She lives with her brother and his wife, making for a very awkward living situation...or so you would think. The brother and his wife love it, but the high-schooler feels the pain of her crush too strongly to be able to think about anything else.
At first the two girls spend a lot of time together that feels intimate and romantic. The husband forgets their very first wedding anniversary and has to work, so the wife and little sister go on a date together instead. But after that, the manga becomes very dull.
The high school student spends a lot of time complaining to her best friend about her unrequited crush. The friend tries to goad her into confessing just so she can see the fireworks, and whether it sparks a new romance or completely destroys lives, she doesn't even seem to care; she just wants the girl to either shut up or do something about it.
A lot of moping about ensues. We see the high school girl act jumpy around her brother's wife, we see her whine to herself, we see her complain to another classmate. Meanwhile, the wife is being picked on by all her girlfriends, who think her husband is unattractive and dull. They say some really cruel things and it just left a sour taste in my mouth. She begins to dream of motherhood and seems happy with her husband and I found myself wanting their relationship to last, despite this supposedly being a yuri manga.
In the end, the high school student finds her sister-in-law asleep on the couch and decides to kiss her, thinking it will satisfy her crush and let her move on. Instead, when she leans in, she suddenly realizes she's not even crushing on her anymore. Then she cries for the loss of her first love.
I really don't know what the rest of this series could be about. I guess the student move on to some other love interest that has yet to be introduced? Or perhaps the sister-in-law will suddenly develop a crush on the girl and pursue her, instead?
Aside from the romance quickly going from hot to cold and the main character suddenly becoming whiny and dull, I also found the translation of this manga to be awkward. It just didn't flow very well. The art is mediocre at best. The characters' faces are unattractive, and there are almost zero backgrounds, just people floating around while talking. The panels really lacked detail and it made the artwork as bland as the story. Worst of all, I saw same-sex attraction referred to as "not normal" at LEAST three times. That's just offensive.
I expected this manga to be spicy, but it was sour. The plot, translation, turn of phrase, and artwork were all equally disappointing. I will not be buying any more of this series.
In the beginning we meet a high school student who is in love with her sister-in-law. She lives with her brother and his wife, making for a very awkward living situation...or so you would think. The brother and his wife love it, but the high-schooler feels the pain of her crush too strongly to be able to think about anything else.
At first the two girls spend a lot of time together that feels intimate and romantic. The husband forgets their very first wedding anniversary and has to work, so the wife and little sister go on a date together instead. But after that, the manga becomes very dull.
The high school student spends a lot of time complaining to her best friend about her unrequited crush. The friend tries to goad her into confessing just so she can see the fireworks, and whether it sparks a new romance or completely destroys lives, she doesn't even seem to care; she just wants the girl to either shut up or do something about it.
A lot of moping about ensues. We see the high school girl act jumpy around her brother's wife, we see her whine to herself, we see her complain to another classmate. Meanwhile, the wife is being picked on by all her girlfriends, who think her husband is unattractive and dull. They say some really cruel things and it just left a sour taste in my mouth. She begins to dream of motherhood and seems happy with her husband and I found myself wanting their relationship to last, despite this supposedly being a yuri manga.
In the end, the high school student finds her sister-in-law asleep on the couch and decides to kiss her, thinking it will satisfy her crush and let her move on. Instead, when she leans in, she suddenly realizes she's not even crushing on her anymore. Then she cries for the loss of her first love.
I really don't know what the rest of this series could be about. I guess the student move on to some other love interest that has yet to be introduced? Or perhaps the sister-in-law will suddenly develop a crush on the girl and pursue her, instead?
Aside from the romance quickly going from hot to cold and the main character suddenly becoming whiny and dull, I also found the translation of this manga to be awkward. It just didn't flow very well. The art is mediocre at best. The characters' faces are unattractive, and there are almost zero backgrounds, just people floating around while talking. The panels really lacked detail and it made the artwork as bland as the story. Worst of all, I saw same-sex attraction referred to as "not normal" at LEAST three times. That's just offensive.
I expected this manga to be spicy, but it was sour. The plot, translation, turn of phrase, and artwork were all equally disappointing. I will not be buying any more of this series.
August 1, 2021
I think this will be an interesting series about first love and unrequited love, but I’m not quite sold on it yet. There’s just something about it that’s not quite there for me yet, but the way it ended really has me interested. I’ll definitely have to pick up the next volume.
Side note: I absolutely love Kuro. I hope she’s in this series a lot more. Her personality and character design are so great.
Side note: I absolutely love Kuro. I hope she’s in this series a lot more. Her personality and character design are so great.
February 24, 2020
Aufmachung
Der Zeichenstil ist einfach wundervoll. Die Personen sind detailliert und emotionsreich gezeichnet. zum Schreibstil kann ich wenig sagen, denn es gibt nicht so viel Text.
Protagonisten
Uta ist Oberschülerin und unglücklich(erweise) in ihre Schwägerin verliebt. Sie versucht sich an zahlreichen Ablenkungen, doch nichts will so recht gelingen.
Fazit
Wie oben bereits erwähnt, gibt es wenig Text und leider auch wenig Inhalt. Zudem ist die Protagonistin ein wenig nervig. Allerdings mag ich die Nebencharaktere dafür umso mehr.
Eine ausführliche Rezension fällt mir diesmal echt schwer, weil es einfach so wenig dazu zu sagen gibt. alles ist noch recht dünn. Da ich Band 2 allerdings zu Hause habe, bleib ich einfach mal gespannt.
Der Zeichenstil ist einfach wundervoll. Die Personen sind detailliert und emotionsreich gezeichnet. zum Schreibstil kann ich wenig sagen, denn es gibt nicht so viel Text.
Protagonisten
Uta ist Oberschülerin und unglücklich(erweise) in ihre Schwägerin verliebt. Sie versucht sich an zahlreichen Ablenkungen, doch nichts will so recht gelingen.
Fazit
Wie oben bereits erwähnt, gibt es wenig Text und leider auch wenig Inhalt. Zudem ist die Protagonistin ein wenig nervig. Allerdings mag ich die Nebencharaktere dafür umso mehr.
Eine ausführliche Rezension fällt mir diesmal echt schwer, weil es einfach so wenig dazu zu sagen gibt. alles ist noch recht dünn. Da ich Band 2 allerdings zu Hause habe, bleib ich einfach mal gespannt.
December 29, 2019
This is the most natural and realistic manga romance that I ever read. The characters thoughts and actions make sense. A lot of manga romance is too dramatic or unrealistic but I think this is one of the best examples I ever read of a great but more down to earth manga.
And I read hundreds if not thousands of manga. (I read so many in my youth that I don’t remember most of them to put on my good reads list.)
And I read hundreds if not thousands of manga. (I read so many in my youth that I don’t remember most of them to put on my good reads list.)
September 20, 2020
3/5 ⭐️
Hmmm
Hmmm
February 24, 2022
The art was gorgeous, i just don’t think that this story is for me. I might check out volume two just to be sure.
April 28, 2023
I wanted to like this but despite being drawn to the cute coverart and the yearning title I ended up disliking most everything about this first volume. The side characters felt a little more interesting to me than any of the main characters as time went on, and I grew irritated with Uta very quickly. I grew so irritated with the story that I started to skim read after the second chapter. While there are some cute moments between Uta and Kaoru, the sister-in-law Uta lives with and harbors feelings for, ultimately I didn't feel any natural chemistry between them, and any romance going forward felt to me that it would be completely forced. I knew I was truly uninterested in this story when I got to the scene where Uta nearly kisses a sleeping Kaoru, almost making that her own first kiss and the near first kiss between what will eventually be the couple of this series. That solidified the feeling of this reading like a forced relationship instead of a naturally progressing relationship.
September 10, 2021
This is a solid first installment to a story about unrequited love. The two main characters are pretty well fleshed out, the art is lovely and the writing style works. You can really feel Uta’s love for Kaoru and you feel for her having to be so close to someone she loves. Kaoru is focused on trying to show love and affection for Uta which just makes things harder for her.
I’m curious about the next part.
I’m curious about the next part.
January 28, 2022
Oh no, my heart.
I loved this very much. The feeling contained here is something I could immediately relate to, and the chemistry just radiated out of the pages. It resonated with me hard, and I was pleasantly surprised with how endearing I found everyone. I hope it leans into Uta's friends more going forward. Tragedy is on the wall, but I hope the journey finds moments of levity and humor. I'll probably be keeping up with this.
I loved this very much. The feeling contained here is something I could immediately relate to, and the chemistry just radiated out of the pages. It resonated with me hard, and I was pleasantly surprised with how endearing I found everyone. I hope it leans into Uta's friends more going forward. Tragedy is on the wall, but I hope the journey finds moments of levity and humor. I'll probably be keeping up with this.
December 27, 2022
Why am I reading this? I don't like hetero stories, and it's especially tiring to read all about unrequited love. So why...?
Ah, yes, there's just something about melancholy I can't resist...
I really love that one character, who openly said their first time was with the same gender and they prefer having sex, over romance. I don't know, I just love carefree characters like that. Just like Rika from "how do we relationship" (Manga)! <3
Ah, yes, there's just something about melancholy I can't resist...
I really love that one character, who openly said their first time was with the same gender and they prefer having sex, over romance. I don't know, I just love carefree characters like that. Just like Rika from "how do we relationship" (Manga)! <3
July 23, 2021
Girlllll no wayyyyyy wtf is this husband de merde 😒😠 il a vraiment pas honte esti il est vraiment qu’une 💩😭 ma pauvre elle mérite vraiment mieux que ce chewing-gum écrasée 😒 bon par contre pour Uta c un peu complexe… 🥲😳 3.5⭐️
July 6, 2020
4 stars |
August 19, 2020
Extremely relevant to my interests. I like her mean, blunt friend. The characters are fun to read. The art was a little weird at times, especially when men were drawn.
October 30, 2022
Felt kind of icky about the age gap and that one sleeping scene. But thenone required love with all that pining was relatable
April 17, 2024
This was so pretty and so sad as well.
July 30, 2024
im intrigued
October 3, 2024
Ugh, I hate how much I loved this. This strip was a perfect portrait of teenage awkwardness and unrequited longing. Can't wait to read the next one.
January 6, 2025
I wanted to like this, especially since I have the whole series but after reading the first volume and it feeling just meh to me the whole time I'm not continuing with the other 6 volumes.
December 22, 2019
Uta-chan has the hots for her sister-in-law. It's her first crush, so it's not exactly a crush that will fade with ease. Plus, Uta has a considerable knack for avoiding confrontation. All of which points to this high school girl enduring uncomfortable situation after uncomfortable situation all for the sake of a puppy love she can't quite shake.
IF I COULD REACH YOU is a surprisingly comical observation of one girl's romantic travails. Because Uta's love is viewed at the outset as "beyond [her] reach" and "a one-sided, too-late love," the manga spends much of its time digging into the girl's emotional waffling and random attempts to reconcile her insecurity.
Kaoru, the object of Uta's affection, is a bit ditzy but she has a good soul. She's the type of person who is always smiling, always eager to help out, and always the first to show concern when something is behaving out of the ordinary. That she's married to Uta's older brother and currently serving as the girl's surrogate mother of sorts is no accident of character.
At first glance, it's clear this manga could have gone in two starkly opposite directions: either full-on serious, romantic pining (the union is unlikely, but let's understand more fully as to why), or squirrely slapstick (it'll never happen, but let's imagine anyway). The end result is 80:20; Uta's emotional tumult is plain for readers to see and borders on annoying and redundant; her consultation with friends at school about her romantic chaos provides a shallow but careful framing for this young lesbian going out on her own.
Separately, the manga's author, Tomonori, fills the pages with a pleasant mix of friendly character designs and physical comedy that keeps things light. Karou's expressions are cherubic, she talks too loud in public, and she tends to overreact when her family agrees to give her a hug in the morning before work or school. There's also Kuro-chan, Uta's classmate, a twin-tails yaeba girl with dead eyes and a penchant for telling it like it is.
IF I COULD REACH YOU is enjoyable when it shifts away from redundancy and more toward exposing readers to an unconventional young love. There isn't much clarity in terms of what Kaoru thinks of Uta, personally, meaning much of comic book feels tedious given its limited narrative scope. Hopefully, future volumes will iron out these wrinkles.
On the plus side, the manga's visual composition is exquisite. Tomonori knows how to carry movement between pages and shift emotions between panels. The most strident examples are when the author separates a medium-size panel with a thin gutter, breaking the visual narrative just enough to stutter the pacing and keep readers precisely where they need to be.
One panel (p. 27, vert, broken horiz) shows Kaoru speaking gently to Uta, the upper of the two panels shaded with a screentone to intimate an eventual brightening of the scene, of ideas, of confidence. Another panel (p. 57, horiz, broken vert) is more metaphorical, showing Uta, in her mind, reaching out for someone to relieve her fever/illness; the vertical gutter separate the image at the wrist bone, with another break concluding after the hand ends, sporting panel of all black, as if the girl is reaching toward nothingness, or the unknown, with increasing sluggishness.
IF I COULD REACH YOU is beautifully drawn and carries a couple of likeable characters. The story is shallow and doesn’t have much movement, but it's clear the author intends for this narrative to keep its interests close to the vest for the long haul. This isn't the right comic book for readers desiring an instantaneously scandalous read. But for readers interested in the tender misgivings of a girl struggling to parse her unrequited, forbidden love, then this may be just the right title to sink one's teeth into.
IF I COULD REACH YOU is a surprisingly comical observation of one girl's romantic travails. Because Uta's love is viewed at the outset as "beyond [her] reach" and "a one-sided, too-late love," the manga spends much of its time digging into the girl's emotional waffling and random attempts to reconcile her insecurity.
Kaoru, the object of Uta's affection, is a bit ditzy but she has a good soul. She's the type of person who is always smiling, always eager to help out, and always the first to show concern when something is behaving out of the ordinary. That she's married to Uta's older brother and currently serving as the girl's surrogate mother of sorts is no accident of character.
At first glance, it's clear this manga could have gone in two starkly opposite directions: either full-on serious, romantic pining (the union is unlikely, but let's understand more fully as to why), or squirrely slapstick (it'll never happen, but let's imagine anyway). The end result is 80:20; Uta's emotional tumult is plain for readers to see and borders on annoying and redundant; her consultation with friends at school about her romantic chaos provides a shallow but careful framing for this young lesbian going out on her own.
Separately, the manga's author, Tomonori, fills the pages with a pleasant mix of friendly character designs and physical comedy that keeps things light. Karou's expressions are cherubic, she talks too loud in public, and she tends to overreact when her family agrees to give her a hug in the morning before work or school. There's also Kuro-chan, Uta's classmate, a twin-tails yaeba girl with dead eyes and a penchant for telling it like it is.
IF I COULD REACH YOU is enjoyable when it shifts away from redundancy and more toward exposing readers to an unconventional young love. There isn't much clarity in terms of what Kaoru thinks of Uta, personally, meaning much of comic book feels tedious given its limited narrative scope. Hopefully, future volumes will iron out these wrinkles.
On the plus side, the manga's visual composition is exquisite. Tomonori knows how to carry movement between pages and shift emotions between panels. The most strident examples are when the author separates a medium-size panel with a thin gutter, breaking the visual narrative just enough to stutter the pacing and keep readers precisely where they need to be.
One panel (p. 27, vert, broken horiz) shows Kaoru speaking gently to Uta, the upper of the two panels shaded with a screentone to intimate an eventual brightening of the scene, of ideas, of confidence. Another panel (p. 57, horiz, broken vert) is more metaphorical, showing Uta, in her mind, reaching out for someone to relieve her fever/illness; the vertical gutter separate the image at the wrist bone, with another break concluding after the hand ends, sporting panel of all black, as if the girl is reaching toward nothingness, or the unknown, with increasing sluggishness.
IF I COULD REACH YOU is beautifully drawn and carries a couple of likeable characters. The story is shallow and doesn’t have much movement, but it's clear the author intends for this narrative to keep its interests close to the vest for the long haul. This isn't the right comic book for readers desiring an instantaneously scandalous read. But for readers interested in the tender misgivings of a girl struggling to parse her unrequited, forbidden love, then this may be just the right title to sink one's teeth into.
September 18, 2019
Ah, so, let me get the bad stuff out of the way. I didn’t like the plotting in this one. It often just felt like a series of conversations, which is fine, but it didn’t have a strong through line, coming off more like vignettes than a cohesive whole. Too much thrown out all at once - I rarely ask for a manga to slow down, but this one could stand to let some stuff simmer before moving on to its next point.
Everything else was pretty darn good. The premise, Uta is in love with her sister-in-law, who she happens to live with, is so manga it hurts, but it’s handled well.
For all my complaints about plotting, the characters in this one are very well written. Uta’s clearly dealing with a lot and she perfectly embodies the unrequited crush that a lot of teenagers have on somebody they’ll never be with.
Uta also has really good chemistry with Kaoru, the sister in law, which is key to this sort of story. Everything else aside, they make a fun pair and it’s a credit to the author that they sell this as believable and arguably better than the marriage.
There’s a lot of show, not tell, to all this, which makes things so much better than info dump after info dump. Kaoru’s marriage is shown as loving, but you can definitely see the potential for it to break down in the future. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out Koro-chan, Uta’s put upon friend who is absolutely incredible - she should have her own series.
Phew, yeah, lots to take in for a 160 page volume, but it’s dripping with potential. I’m very much hoping it doesn’t go flying off the rails (and there are a couple problematic points here, no mistake), but a strong start for a new yuri series.
Everything else was pretty darn good. The premise, Uta is in love with her sister-in-law, who she happens to live with, is so manga it hurts, but it’s handled well.
For all my complaints about plotting, the characters in this one are very well written. Uta’s clearly dealing with a lot and she perfectly embodies the unrequited crush that a lot of teenagers have on somebody they’ll never be with.
Uta also has really good chemistry with Kaoru, the sister in law, which is key to this sort of story. Everything else aside, they make a fun pair and it’s a credit to the author that they sell this as believable and arguably better than the marriage.
There’s a lot of show, not tell, to all this, which makes things so much better than info dump after info dump. Kaoru’s marriage is shown as loving, but you can definitely see the potential for it to break down in the future. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out Koro-chan, Uta’s put upon friend who is absolutely incredible - she should have her own series.
Phew, yeah, lots to take in for a 160 page volume, but it’s dripping with potential. I’m very much hoping it doesn’t go flying off the rails (and there are a couple problematic points here, no mistake), but a strong start for a new yuri series.
February 1, 2021
Second time writing this because this app doesn’t save drafts.
Anyway, I did not know a lot going into this. I was hoping for a cute romance, but instead I got weird. The main protagonist is in love with her sister-in-law. The theme of an unrequited love is there but it also feels like a “forbidden love” in that she is married and the main protagonist is in highschool - not an adult.
Furthermore, there was a school mate of the main protagonist that mentions that she was involved with a teacher and says “society has its norms, so it can be pretty harsh towards people who don’t fit those molds” about the situation (90). While I agree with the comment, I don’t agree with the context the comment is referring to. Students being involved with teachers is wrong due to pedophilia. A teacher getting involved with a student is an exploration of the power dynamic between youge and older person and student and teacher.
The protagonist then fallows up with her own thoughts on what she learned with “I became to understand what’s normal might not apply to me” (96).
It made me uncomfy, I almost DNFed, but I pushed on for some reason.
Anyway, I did not know a lot going into this. I was hoping for a cute romance, but instead I got weird. The main protagonist is in love with her sister-in-law. The theme of an unrequited love is there but it also feels like a “forbidden love” in that she is married and the main protagonist is in highschool - not an adult.
Furthermore, there was a school mate of the main protagonist that mentions that she was involved with a teacher and says “society has its norms, so it can be pretty harsh towards people who don’t fit those molds” about the situation (90). While I agree with the comment, I don’t agree with the context the comment is referring to. Students being involved with teachers is wrong due to pedophilia. A teacher getting involved with a student is an exploration of the power dynamic between youge and older person and student and teacher.
The protagonist then fallows up with her own thoughts on what she learned with “I became to understand what’s normal might not apply to me” (96).
It made me uncomfy, I almost DNFed, but I pushed on for some reason.
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