Hello, Melancholic! Vol. 1

ハロー、メランコリック! [Hello, Melancholic!] #1

by Yayoi Ohsawa

A coming-of-age yuri manga series about playing music and falling in love with abandon!

Asano Minato is a tall but stooping first-year high school student. Though she’s an awesome trombone player, she does everything she can to fade into the background. Despite her best efforts, however, Minato catches the attention of her bubbly and charismatic upperclasswoman Hibiki, who wants Minato to join the band she’s forming at school and won’t take no for an answer! Will Minato be able to let go of the past and play in a band again? Can polar opposites harmonize through music? Slow jam your way into this dulcet yuri series!

Genres: Manga, Yuri, Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Queer, Graphic Novels

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2019

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the start of high school and Minato is already feeling excluded because of her height and social anxiety. She also plays trombone and that catches the eye of her senpai, Hibiki, who’s putting together a little group. For Minato, however, the very idea is the definition of a band substance. But Hibiki can be persistent and Minato, well, she’s maybe got her own reasons…

Okay, look, Minato is absolutely amazing. She is such a good, unique character - absolutely easy to root for, even as she’s the perfect encapsulation of teenage anxiety and feeling miserable in your own body. The way the art constantly shows her hunched over trying not to stand out is painfully realistic. Her depiction makes this volume.

I especially like how she doesn’t just meet new people and the wand gets waved and everything is perfect. Even beginning to get over the sort of trauma she’s been through takes time and it’s sadly believable to see her try and pull back as much as it’s equally nice to see her meet some maybe-friends who won’t judge her. While the moment where she accidentally gets triggered hurts, it was great seeing a manga tackling this sort of panic attack believably.

The little tiny changes in Minato, such as her talent for playing as part of an ensemble leading to being able to recognize Hibiki having a problem, are nicely realized and work quite well. Certainly moreso than when the book swings towards the actual yuri aspects - her grappling with what she and the story seems to think is lovesickness feels a lot more like a misunderstood rejection of Minato that leaves her feeling like a second-place trophy.

Hibiki is a lot less complicated, being a driven go-getter who sets her sights on Minato and won’t accept no for an answer. Depending on your tolerance for this sort of person I could easily see her being unlikable to some. It’s tough - when you have social anxiety, this type of person can be a nightmare so it is a little awkward to watch at times. I get the ‘opposites attract’ angle, but Minato deserves a little lighter touch than she gets.

Clearly Hibiki means well, but whether this sort of tough love for Minato’s anxiety is the best approach is a whole other thing. Having always had social anxiety, I can say from my own perspective that this is about as welcome as a bat to the face most times.

In general, really, there is something just off about Hibiki so far that I can’t quite put my finger on. I like the character, general annoyances aside, but her design or her attitude or some ephemeral thing is just rubbing me the wrong way a bit. It’s not necessarily something that’s easy to express, but the pairing doesn’t feel strong thus far.

As a consequence, the little bits of yuri that poke through here are fairly slight and, yes, we’re clearly at the start of a series so we can’t expect too much, but the chemistry feels strangely not-quite-right and said little bits that do happen don’t feel natural enough.

So we have the odd situation of a yuri story where the yuri isn’t terribly well done, but the rest of the story is rather good. I really like the band aspect and the other members are a nice addition to the cast - there are a ton of fun moments amidst all the anxiousness.

The late night band practice in particular is probably the best section because it feels like everything truly comes fully alive in that moment - the story is very big on music and, as Whisper Me A Love Song ably demonstrated, there are worse hooks to hang a yuri on.

4 stars - Minato as a study in dealing with anxiety is worth the price of admission all on her own - she’d be worth following in any book in any genre - but I do hope the actual romance finds a bit more of a footing next time.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A trombonist with social anxiety gets recruited by an outgoing drummer to join her high school band club. A nice set up for what seems like a slow-paced romance. Maybe a bit too slow . . .

[Scout Steinmiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a musician, and someone who has social anxiety, this is perfect

[e (yougto)]

the blueprint *the* introvert x extrovert yuri for me 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[Curious Madra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much a cute GL story about two couples that all have opposite personalities ( tall socially anxious girl x fully confident girl , (cool got tempered bad girl x normal cute girl).

[Maliha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS ACTUALLY

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the whole series

Cute yuri romance. Not too heavy handed on the inner struggles of the main characters, thank God. Very nice art, good storytelling. I quite appreciated the musical background surrounding the characters.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's start a band!

This is a group of high school girls coming together to start a band. The main girl here is kind of anti-social, scared to join groups, and also probably falling for the main girl in the band. It's kind of a cute crush that I enjoy. The actual band members are all interesting though I feel I'll have to invest more time in them to really like them. I also think the art is solid but nothing out of the norm, except some designs.

But overall, solid start, cute, and I'll read another volume or two to see if I'll stick with it. A 3 out of 5.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high school GL.
A girl excelled in music in middle school and was bullied due to outshining her senpais and misses music but has turned inward and become shy from the experience. A friendly girl sees her with a trombone case and convinces her to try playing together and they bond over it.
It’s very sweet and earnest in a supportive way, not just blandly saccharine like some GL tend to be. I’m really enjoying it. And as is becoming more common in some GL, there’s no heteronormativity; no one reacts any differently to two girls dating or having crushes than they would if it was a girl and a guy. It’s really nice!

[futi · Rating 5 out of 5]

no se q hacer si llorar matarme sonreir ponerme feliz confundirme o que
de verdsd me gustó mucho y la forma en la que hablan del amor 😓😓

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.55!

i rlly like the art and charac designs!! i wonder how the relationship between the two will develop :3. as of now, it’s just a cute, light read ^^.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introverted trombonist reluctantly joins the school music club at the behest of an extroverted drummer, and along the way a romance begins to blossom. Or the seeds are sewn for one, at least.

Hello, Melancholic! joins Given and How Do We Relationship? as another gay music club romp, which is fine by me because I love this stuff. Gimme a buffet of it, I don't care!

It's not the most engaging thing in the world, but it's a nice book to relax with. The art doesn't boast a lot of personality, but it's technically proficient and gets the job done. I will say, I really like that the main girl plays a trombone. I feel like most music manga protags would play a guitar of some kind, but this is a fun visual flourish that also fits her tall, awkward appearance.

All that to say, I'm enjoying myself with this one. Excited to see where it goes from here. Also it's good filler while waiting for more volumes of HDWR?

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga is adorable! It's gay af, it deals with music nerds, and the protagonist is tall and has crippling anxiety; this ticks all of my personal boxes for relatable literature.

The way this is written is so realistic and comforting without trying really hard. It's easy to write high schoolers in a very stereotypical way, but all of the girls in this manga are three-dimensional and relatable. I also love the gyaru representation. It made me chuckle to see Minato's thoughts on that.

My only complaint about this manga is that, though Minato is relatably anxious and I'm happy about it as someone with crippling anxiety, she can be TOO anxious at times. I'm sure I was honestly exactly the same as her in high school, but it doesn't remove my frustration from seeing her be afraid of everything because of her mental illness. I'd prefer if there had been a little more growth and development of her comfort around the girls at a quicker pace.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute GL that’s all about a girl band getting together - Seven Seas is killing it with these series that they’re licensing!! This focuses on Minato, an anxiety-ridden first year, and her bubbly, outgoing senpai Hibiki. The severity of Minato’s anxiety was a bit much for me (same situation of her freaking out and running away every chapter), but she is already starting to show growth - I loved how she recognized Hibiki’s hand injury through the slight difference in her drumming! Overall though, my favorite character so far is Chika, the punk-rock bassist who’s got a cute thing going with flutist Sakiko.

Art style here is great, each character looks distinct, and I especially love Hibiki’s pointy canines for some reason. Very unique style! Definitely looking forward to more of this series.

[Em reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute! I’ve never read a music related manga before, but this one was really easy to understand if you don’t play an instrument! (Like myself..)

It does kind of have the typical wlw manga vibe, at least that’s what I’ve found. But it still is unique and has such a nice feel to it. It’s comforting in a way, and I really relate to both of the main characters in separate ways!

If you’re a fan of wlw mangas, I would definitely check this one out!

[Nelva (nelvalostinpages)]

It's a great set up to what seems like a slow burn, and I really liked seeing Minato's growth! Super cute and I'm so interested in the relationship and side characters already.

[Manal (✿◡‿◡) منال · Rating 5 out of 5]

lesbians, social anxiety and music? yes.

***

This was extremely cute and smitten!! I read volume one in one go

[Kylie]

Pretty fun! I also just really love the designs

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the context of adolescent extracurriculars, unessential competition has a habit of leeching the fun out of an otherwise whimsical activity and further corrupting the intuition of those whose gifts may inevitably reach a much larger, brighter stage. No club, sport, or event is strong enough to withstand the energies of emergent ego and the subsequent spoilage of youth. But perhaps, if one knows what pitfalls to keep an eye out for, such dangers could be avoided for once.

HELLO, MELANCHOLIC v1 spotlights the lanky, scraggly, and soft-spoken Asano Minato. The tall, first-year student is quickly outflanked by the pace of high-school life, and so find herself munching on her lunch, on an out-of-the-way bench, every single day. She's also skilled trombonist with an exquisite ear for music, but alas, she would rather play for fun than for accolades. Such are the anxieties of the melancholic.

But then there's Sugawa Hibiki, an excitable, chatty drummer attempting to cobble together a concert-band-type club. The second-year student's so-called club may be tiny, but she's determined to recruit the ever-awkward Minato. Readers aren't quite privy, until the book's closing pages, as to what drives a girl like Hibiki to push so hard for such a far-flung goal (the club has only three members, herself included), but the snaggle-toothed girl's enthusiasm is essential to her love of music, to her tiny school club, and to her curious obsession with recruiting a certain, lanky trombonist.

And so, the clash of opposites made known, what else is there in this manga? The author's constant hunting and striving for ways to elicit a stress reaction out of Minato, who fears judgment and lacks social skills, makes room for Minato's growth but often at the character's own expense. Minato is a wonderfully detailed character. Readers of HELLO, MELANCHOLIC v1 will readily isolate her nervous ticks (e.g., tugging at her hair), her poor body posture (e.g., slouching, shuffling), and her typical bouts with teenage mania (e.g., excited over minor successes, while assuming failure or rejection is inevitable).

Minato is a great character. Too bad her romantic interest is an obnoxious and quixotic idealist. The manga's yuri-leaning theme aside, Hibiki would still make for an odd, almost dangerous teammate. Hibiki is aggressively Type-A; she makes decisions on others' behalf, she deliberately ignores other people's grievances, and she blends passion and obsession to such a serene degree that it's difficult to tell when she's being sincere and when she's being superfluous. It's the last of these vicissitudes, readers learn, that could prove most insidious for an emotionally frail counterpart (Minato) to manage upon first glance. Is Hibiki's energy and devotion to her almost-club a genuine act of inclusion (e.g., recruiting a talented but overlooked first-year)? Or, is Hibiki's dedication less a labor of love and more an affectation for the unrestrained (e.g., jazz music allows her to play whatever she wants)?

Narratively speaking, the manga is very fast-paced and suffers from wildly congested page compositions. The story's rushed nature means readers don't learn the names of the cast's secondary characters until halfway through the volume. And while the artist's vacillation between frantic/awkward-Minato and regular-Minato perfectly echo the girl's social anxiety and feelings of uncertainty, the precision of this visual effect can be lost amid scenes, for example, when four or five characters speak at the same time. In short, this manga gets very chaotic very quickly.

HELLO MELANCHOLIC v1 establishes a fast-changing dynamic that only hits its target because it tosses so many darts at the same time. The cast is effective, but most character personalities are either tuned way too high (e.g., Hibiki, gleeful but intolerable) or tuned a bit too low (e.g., Emma, sedate multi-instrumentalist and presumed popular girl). The concept of a high-school jazz band is fantastic; except, in a comic book, the premise leaves a bit too much to the imagination. The characters rarely describe the music they're actually making. As such, in lieu of the fevered combination of instruments on display (i.e., piano, drums, flute, sax, bass guitar, trombone), simply telling readers the characters "were pretty in sync" doesn't communicate anything substantive. HELLO MELANCHOLIC v1 is a strangely relatable escapade whose veracity and cleverness would benefit from a moment's hesitation.

[nelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been running away from school life mangas for quite a while, and earlier last month I tried giving Blooming Into You a chance but ended up quite disappointed by it and so I completely forgot about it. But these past days I've been reading a lot of the webtoons/mangas on the Lesbian Manhwa/Webtoon listopia and this was one of the few mangas in there so I checked the reviews and people were loving it so I decided to give it a go.
And thank spirits I did. I loved this! I really didn't feel it the way I do school life mangas, and I say that in a good way. School wasn't such a big deal, the music club was, and it was a great way to get them all together and unite them through a passion. I loved that. It kind of reminded me of After Hours. Each character has their own thing and so they're not just there for the sake of the story, but they are the story and you end up loving them all and just... I loved this! Also Chika bestest girl!!! I love her with all my heart. I mean I love them all so much but I have a really soft spot for her. I loved that we get so much of her and Sakiko as well! Minato and Hibiki are also so cute, puppy love.
Also loved to see the social anxiety representation with Minato.

[Rach' B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reseña:

Minato es una joven extraña que evita el tener que socializar con sus demás compañeras, pero en su intento de pasar por desapercibida es perseguida por una de sus sempais; quien se fijó en ella por llevar consigo un estuche instrumental.

La sempai Hibiki, es parte del club de música, únicamente que este no puede concretarse del todo debido al número de integrantes, en especial por su deseo de querer participar en un festival, es que trata de reclutar a Minato; sin embargo esta cuenta con un trauma al participar en público, debido a su anterior aparición en una orquesta.

Sin embargo, a pesar de su nerviosismo y pánico, es bastante buena al medir los tiempos y adaptar su melodía a los demás, pero especialmente, a Hibiki; su superior nota esto, es en donde decide impulsarla a superar este miedo, sin embargo, en este proceso Hibiki comienza a tener sentimientos por Minato.

Opinión personal:

Es una historia que mezcla la comedia, miedos, sobre todo el pánico escénico o el equivocarse ante los ojos de los demás, el romance es algo que puede verse desarrollar de a poco en poco, es una manera de encontrar tanto romance y comfort, tanto con uno mismo como con una relación, tanto romántico como en general.

[Moriah Venable · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried to read this earlier in the year but decided I was not in the mood to read it so I returned it. With the release of the second volume, I thought I would give it another try.

This did not start the way I thought it was going to. Starting her first year in high school, Minato feels excluded because of her height and social anxiety. She plays the trombone which catches the attention of an upper classmate, Hibiki, who wants her to join the band that she is trying to put together at school. Minato initially refuses, even going as far as to tell why she can't. But Hibiki is insisted.

The scene with them practicing just the two of them, was a really moving scene and I liked how Hibiki comforted Minato telling her what she was great at.

The friendship that Minato is building with the other bandmates is nice. I have a feeling there is more to Sekiko and Chika friendship than what we see. And I have a feeling that maybe Emma may like Hibiki, not sure if the other feels the same or not.

While this not go the way I thought it would, I am excited for the next two volumes.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now THIS is what I want from gl. I’ve been blessed at last 🙏🏼

I’ve really struggled to find my footing with gl manga because too many of them I just don’t get invested in the dynamic between the characters. This one immediately swept me up tho 🤩

I love that we have loner Minato who loves music but has had negative experiences with other girls, so she now avoids social situations. I love that Hibiki is the total opposite. I wouldn’t necessarily call her a social butterfly, but she has her group of close friends. She’s confident enough to go after what she wants. She’s not worried about pushing Minato out of her comfort zone. It’s great!!!

I also just feel like the mangaka draws so clearly the interest both Minato and Hibiki have in each other. You can see especially in Minato’s longing glances, and blushing, and nervous fidgeting. I’m OBSESSED.

In general, I have also proven I can enjoy manga about bands (*cough* I’m looking at you Given), so this was right up my alley in terms of the premise. Super excited to continue the series!

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty wholesome first volume. Our MC, Minato, who loves music and practices playing the trombone relegates herself to blending in with everyone else due to past trauma. However her life takes an unexpected turn when another girl finds out about her secret passion and encourages Minato to start a band with her.

I really like how Oshawa handles Minato as a character. Her thoughts and reactions are pretty spot on in regards to the shyness and self doubt that self isolation can foster, and they felt authentic rather than blown out of proportion. There were quite a few points where I was reminded of my own teenage struggles and it felt really cathartic to see them portrayed here. It’ll be interesting to see how her life begins to blossom in future volumes.

Dialogue was pretty good too and the art is consistently charming I feel, there wasn’t really a slow moment for me here it all flowed at an even pace.

[пташатко · Rating 4 out of 5]

this manga really caught me off guard! i honestly didn’t expect to love it as much as i did. everything about it was so genuine and endearing — from the mc’s anxiety and personal struggles (portrayed with such a perfect balance of realism and humor) to the wonderful cast of characters (i adored every single girl). even the plot kept me hooked!

normally, i wouldn’t go for stories about bands and playing music, as they don't bold much appeal to me, but the characters’ passion for what they do truly won me over here. plus, their band setup was really intriguing — drums, trombone, bass, flute? i wish i could hear them play live, lol.

most of all, though, i loved the way the relationships between the characters were depicted. it was so, so sweet and heartfelt. ugh, i really wish i’d had a story like this when i was younger!

[Eyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute!! I really love band clubs because I was in a couple in high school and they're just so much fun and really have a vibe you know? I really like the characters, especially their designs! Minato is adorable and I love how much she towers over the other girls haha. Hibiki is adorable too but I'm not really feeling their chemistry yet. It might just be because they read quite young idk, I reckon that'll build more in the next volume for sure.
Also have to mention I love the side characters, they haven't done too much yet but their chemistry and personalities are just one of my favourite tropes and I'm always happy to see it haha.
Definitely recommend for yuri fans and people who enjoy band clubs!

[Joe Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is interesting. And it seems we are getting a 2-for-1!

In terms of Yuri relationships, I mean it's obvious Hibiki REALLY likes Minato, and we see Minato trying to come to terms with her budding feelings for Hibiki. At the same time, 2 other band mates, Sekiko and Chika, well, it's pretty obvious they are a couple. It just hasn't come up yet. Also, the elusive 5th member, Emma, well, her style of dress, hairstyle, and demeanor imply that she, too, likes other girls. So maybe we will get a three-for-one? However, I suspect there's unfinished business between Hibiki and Emma. So, I eagerly look forward to the next volume!

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I really liked this! Minato has terrible social anxiety and she’s super relatable and likable. Also, she’s a trombone player and that was my instrument when I was in band so that made me like her even more. Hibiki is scouting people at the school to do music and sees that Minato carries a trombone with her and convinces her to join her group. It’s very very, very cute. The other girls in the band are awesome as well. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Sydnee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you like jazz?

I randomly picked up this manga after a small reading drought, and I thought it was cute. It’s a great read and pretty fast paced for a first volume. The parts with the music sequences were cool but not being able to hear what it sounds like makes me wonder if this is how people who read Given felt before the anime came out. Kinda funny cuz I’m not sure if it’s jazz or not lol. All in all I think I’ll pick up the next volume. Love a good lesbian jazz band 😂

[Lou]

I really liked this. I like how real Minato's awkwardness feels??? I've been reading a lot of shojo romances recently where the girl is like cutesy awkward and Minato is not that, she's gangly and awkward in a way that is endearing to me, the reader, but isn't inherently charming. I dunno, I just find both her and Hibiki to be adorable and grounded and I was just allover charmed by this.