When her dad gets a job overseas, Konatsu Amano has to leave the Tokyo life she’s always known and relocate to a small seaside town to stay with her aunt. The move also means starting a new school surrounded by complete strangers, and it’s a lot to handle for a girl who has trouble with change. But on her first day in her new town, Konatsu is instantly drawn to Koyuki, an older girl who is the sole member of the Aquarium Club. Konatsu’s introverted tendencies are hard for her to overcome, but maybe she’s found something worth coming out of her shell for?
Koyuki and Konatsu, each lonely in her own way, are the only two members of the Nanahama High School Aquarium Club. As they spend time together, they discover that they are increasingly drawn to each other. When they go to the town summer festival together, Konatsu is finally able to ask why Koyuki spoke to her that first day at the aquarium open house. But Koyuki doesn’t have an easy answer, and her stumbling reply makes the mood uncomfortable. Will this new awkwardness force a distance between them?
Uh Oh ... It seems like Amano is beginning to realize her feelings for Koyuki too. When the two go to the festival, Amano continues to wonder why Koyuki approached her the first day she visited the aquarium club. When she asks Koyuki, she doesn't know how to respond. she says it just happened. Amano feels disappointed, she acknowledges that she wanted Koyuki to think that it was special too. At least that left Koyuki wondering why her, really, approached Amano if this isn't a behavior to which she is adept. Several references to "dates" are made in the festival chapter. Where Koyuki is imagining that this looks like a date and where she puts herself in the same situation as her brother who says that a girl asked him if he liked her or something. Anyway ... Now, Amano and her cute expression when with Koyuki.
gonna abandon this series i think. pacing is weird, art is generic, romance (if it can be qualified as such tbh. it’s so slow burn that i’ll be surprised if the girls realize they have romantic feelings for each other at all) is meh and it’s that particular brand of ~innocent and sweet yuri that just doesn’t do it for me anymore! alas .
More of a 3.5 star rating; This volume was a bit more slow paced than the previous 2 volumes. It was interesting to see how the girls’ interacted with other students outside of club activities though. However, I do still find the art style a bit confusing in the sense that I mix up Koyuki and Hirose since they look so similar.
(the review's in English but I read it in German) Nooo, don’t question yourself and if you’re even friends! you don’t need to know stuff like favourite colour or food to be someone’s friend! Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
Honestly I’m kinda impressed by Konatsu Amano bc even when you’re kinda lonely/have few friends it can be hard to speak up when your new friends are talking badly about someone else you’re friends with (even without being lonely that can be hard). It’s not necessarily sth “big" but still, saying “I think you have a wrong image of this person" (even when that image isn’t really bad or anything) is pretty cool in my opinion.
This volume was a lot slower than the first two, but I feel like it was important for Konatsu to slow down and think about her feelings for Honami so far. She knows so little about her, but has already become such a large part of her life and cares so much for her. Konatsu is also making an effort to be more of her own person and to stop relying on Honami so much, which makes Honami initially feel unimportant. It's easy to allow a crush to overtake your life, but I think the girls are still able to pull back from their emotions and focus on other things that are important to them. The character development for both girls is slow paced but it's really worked so far. Both of them have avoidant personality types and seeing them slowly learn how to communicate with each other is very rewarding.
—Rating: 4.5 Stars: ★★★★ 1/2 A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow is a manga that can be best described as slowburn, aquarium sapphics!! As a new school year starts, they continue to figure out their feelings amid new school events.
There's a slow pace to this series that may not be for everyone, but I love it because there's lots of inner thoughts that Konatsu and Koyuki have in the moment that really build across the steady, personal moments of the story.
Leaving off from Vol. 2 when Konatsu asks why Koyuki spoke to her during her first visit to the school's aquarium, there's a feeling of sadness in seeing how they both deny their feelings in the beginning of this 3rd volume, but it left so much opportunity for the girls to reflect on how much they mean to one another, even when they aren't together. Their friendship and hinted at relationship is moving at a very gradual pace and the ending to this installment is just too heartwarming after 100+ pages of not seeing each other too much when they finally have time to talk! <3
I like how each of them got their own scenes with Kaede their other classmate, whose the bubbly, outgoing energy mixing among their quiet, introverted personalities.
Koyuki reflects on how they can keep up their friendship via text when Konatsu can't always be there in person and with aquarium club priorities to attend to, there's hope they'll have more time together. (Koyuki even starts dreaming about Konatsu!?)
While Konatsu is realizing she's starting to fit in at Nagahama high school, she doesn't feel as lonely lately, she's attending a school sports event and even plans to lead the club's cultural festival event. She's also learning how much she knows such a different, more personal side to Koyuki than her other classmates.
The home ec club keeps asking for Koyuki's help, leaving Konatsu to figure out the Amberjack show on her own but when they can finally meet up together...it's so sweet! Seeing Konatsu present the show at the beach for her (to help Koykui in order to not stress her out and offer her a break from her busy schedule) was incredibly heartwarming and endearing, I almost cried!
Hagino builds the quiet, slice of life atmosphere even more in this volume, slowing the story down which doesn't impact the overall flow of the plot. The author does this in such a brilliant way making you feel so connected to the daily school and club life, even feel a deep connection to this charming town.
The artwork is also very symbolic and perfectly captures the longing and more quiet, emotional moments between Konatsu and Koyuki. The 4.5 is for the way the progression of their relationship/friendship felt a bit halted in this volume, mainly for for the lack of communication. But for the deeper feeling of loneliness and slow build of their dynamic, it makes sense and I actually don't mind it in this series. I think its done incredibly well truly making you feel connected to the inner emotions of Konatsu & Koyuki, no matter the scene.
That last page truly warmed my heart and I can't wait to see where their relationship goes in future volumes. Konatsu and Koyuki have an unsaid depth to them that I can relate to, alongside their introverted personalities that connect with me across each installment!
A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow is a quiet, slowburn yuri series with wonderful protagonists and emotional storytelling that make the plot feel personal and heartfelt. An underrated manga that's perfect for readers who don't mind a very slow paced story with a lot of emotional symbolism and wholesome main characters who propel the charming story!
The series is still very cute and I like the protagonists. In this volume they are still at the festival in the beginning but soon the summer is over and the girls are back in school.
I especially liked in this volume when Konatsu told her classmate not to cling to stereotypes. And Konatsu and Koyuki had a sweet moment on the beach. The things the girls are worried and happy about aren't big melodramatic stuff but something we all might face at one time or another, so it can be pretty relatable (oh Koyuki, I know the difficulty of saying no too...).
The thing that I wish there was less of is misunderstanding. I know it's an easy way to create conflict and using it moderately is completely fine but it gets tiring if almost every problem stems from misunderstanding. Yeah, both Konatsu and Koyuki are hesitant to speak about their thoughts and feelings, so it *is* realistic they don't always immediately understand the reasons behind each other's words and actions but I hope they will make an effort to know each other better.
The little thoughts and personality the aquarium animals were given here and there were funny btw.
I enjoyed the parts of this where the characters were together, however brief it was. I felt like this story kind of stalled a little and felt stunted in some places.
Perhaps this is only my own bias talking, but I wonder if Konatsu actually has a crush on Koyuki at all, or if she’s simply become really attached thanks in part to her severe loneliness. She’s away from her father, living with her aunt in a small seaside town where she didn’t know anyone before a few months ago at most, and she’s made an instant connection with Koyuki. She quickly became friends with Hirose as well, but Hirose is surprisingly quite good at reading the room and delivering whatever mood is most fun for the people in it. Koyuki is more awkward than that, and the time her and Konatsu spend together is more intimate considering they’re typically only ever alone together, or at least lacking other peers if not alone. Koyuki’s feelings can probably be partially explained by her loneliness as well, but I do think she has a little crush on Konatsu. But Konatsu… I really don’t know. I don’t see her having a crush yet, but I think that’s ok. Romance would be too much so soon on top of everything else she’s going through— all these changes and trying to fit in. But on that note, she’s beginning to really carve her place in the school and I’m so happy for her that she’s making her own place to belong among others. She’s opening up to new people, trying to become closer to others, and creating and honing her own skill set in the things she wants to feel useful in. That’s also really encouraging to me— someone struggling in school right now, in more ways than one. Konatsu spent more than twice as much time and more than twice as much effort in honing her skill she wanted to learn and finally, she was able to present a nearly mastered version of it to Koyuki. I feel like if I can work as hard as Konatsu, I can master the skill I want to learn too. This manga managed to be really encouraging to me. Oh, but lastly, the chapter where Konatsu has no friends to call upon then realizes she doesn’t even really know anything about the friends she does have… hurt me. It really hurt. It cut me deep; it’s so hard to make friends. and so hard to keep them.
This volume has Konatsu and Koyuki figuring out, by themselves, their relationship with each other, and there's a lot of things being left unsaid. Like, when Konatsu asks Koyuki why the latter had approached her the first time they had met, Koyuki gives her a generic answer, or when they have to work on the club's event for the school festival, Konatsu takes it upon herself to do everything possible. There's not a lot going on as per plot, to be honest, but we do see subtle exploration of how they interact with each other. Koyuki's hesitation over helping her classmates for her class' evnets because she wants to spend more time with Konatsu, but not being able to say so out aloud. Konatsu's conversation with her brother that hints at how she feels for Koyuki. All this added to the uncertainty and awkwardness the two of them would experience around each other, not being able to say that they want to spend more time each other but also really wanting to.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Viz Media LLC, via Edelweiss.
the best scene of this volume was when konatsu called someone out for stereotyping koyuki and refusing to acknowledge that she is a complex, interesting human being with thoughts and desires that do not fit her stereotype. other than that, i'm disappointed because there was little to no emotional development of konatsu and koyuki's relationship and at this point it feels like this series is queer baiting. they don't seem to have romantic chemistry and they keep suffering from miscommunications and dishonesty. as for the art, it is still difficult to differentiate the characters because the shading/coloration of their hair changes from panel to panel and their face and body shapes are all the same.
This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I feel like I need to preface this review by saying that George is the goodest of sharks, and this volume is perfect because of it. However, there's so much more that's amazing here. This has quickly become one of my favourite series, not just one of the cutest but one of the most relatable. The character designs and art fit the setting really well, because of this arc, it made me actually read the first two, and I'm so, so glad it did because it's the most adorable love story I've seen in a while. It's just fluffy and you can tell how much Koyuki and Konatsu care about one another, especially when the volume focuses on Konatsu trying to do her best to try and help Koyuki have less work to do.
Un tercer tomo que pausa el ritmo, pero aprovecha para hacer brillar a los personajes.
En este volumen vemos como las protagonistas, Koyuki y Konatsu, trabajan en sus inseguridades. Podemos ver el principio de una evolución personal en las dos chicas que se debe, en parte, gracias a la relación que comparten. Sobre todo, creo que se nota más en Konatsu que ha sido capaz de acercarse a otras personas y defender a su amiga cuando ha sido necesario. Seguramente se notará más en Koyuki en el futuro tomo. Personalmente, me encanta la relación de las dos chicas, pues la encuentro muy cándida y relajada.
En definitiva, he disfrutado mucho esta entrega. ¡5 estrellas y seguimos leyendo!
This is so cute and I love whenever a volume comes out.
When Konatsu asks Koyuki why she spoke to her that day at the aquarium, her answers leaves Konastu a little disappointed. Feeling she isnt a special to her, its leaves things a little awkward between them and when Konatsu tries to do something on her won, Koyuki feels like she is not needed.
This was cute and I look foward to the next volume.
Romance manga sometimes can sort of stop at a certain point in the romance progression. Usually it’s to prolong the series, explore other parts of the story, or because the writer is good at writing that stuff and the fans eat it up. I think the lack of romance progression here is just due to the writer being good at writing this portion of a romance. But the part of the romance they are at is so close to the beginning I’m begging for them to move a bit more. They’re still stuck at the pining and not knowing they’re even in love. And the mangaka just LOVES to give them so many opportunities to progress and move forward that every time they don’t it feels like a genuine writing issue or them being allergic to moving the romance forward. If you want to keep writing in this phase of their romance it's ok but having so many opportunities for it to advance only for them to back out makes it feel unenjoyable at times. I mean, the last volume ends with the possibility of one realizing or telling the other one they're Infatuated or at least interested in the other. Only for this volume But the scenes are genuinely fluffy and so wholesome. I am looking forward to the festival as the moments leading up to was cute and served as a way to show Konatsu has fit in much more and feels more comfortable and confident.
This is still the slowest of slow burns as our two leads figure out their feelings and continue their awkward dancing around one another and it’s just as good as the previous volumes and easily the breeziest feel-good thing I’m reading right now.
I’ve shelved this as f/f because this series is GL (I think? Now I’m second guessing myself) but as of this volume, Konatsu and Koyuki are not a couple and have not acknowledged any kind of romantic feelings for each other, even to themselves.
A cute third volume. I like how the characters are developing through this series. The plot is moving along nicely and at a good place. I really like the characters and it is a sweet series. This was another good volume in the series and I look forward to continuing.
3.5 Continues to be cute, they're both squirrely and the past two volumes have miscommunication, BUT it makes sense. They barely know each other, so once they do I hope they'll find each other better.
This series makes my heart so happy💕 These girls are so sweet and I love just learning about them and their lives..the tropical animals just adds icing to this sweet story. I will be continuing when I find volume 4😊
Pretty much the same as last volume, these two need to find a way to better match their energy and just talk about what they're feeling. Although I do get that it's hard.
Either way, they are getting closer and it's still very cute. Reading this is pretty fun, but also relaxing.
I stopped reading this series around book 3 or 4 because I read a spoiler that the narrative kind of bitches out on the romance angle, which is lame. I think this is one of those sapphic tales that's just wistful without fully committing to being gay and that bores me.