Happy Cafe, Vol. 1

Happy Cafe #1

by Kou Matsuzuki

Romance and happiness blossoms at the Happy Cafe! Uru takes her mother's remarriage as an opportunity to work part time at the Happy Cafe. There, she befriends Ichirou and Shindou, two of the most unsociable guys she's ever met! To make matters worse, it turns out that Uru is not exactly meant for the waitressing world, as she's a huge klutz. But as this hilarious shoujo tale unfolds, true happiness,and even true love, lurks just around the corner.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Humor, Slice Of Life, Comics

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

松月滉

Reviews

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit it. When I first read the synopsis of this manga I rolled my eyes & thought "another stereotypical 'let's get the boy' manga". As some of my other reviews can testify, sometimes I'm proven wrong about my first initial impression of something. This manga was adorable. I'm not going to bother giving a manga synopsis as there's already another review here that does that quite well. I'm just going to jump to my review.

Frankly, I really enjoyed this manga. There were parts of it that made me smile and others that made me laugh out loud at how cute & silly they were. (Which got me a few odd stares in the bookstore.) I absolutely adored the main character Uru, who is a rather tomboyish & insanely strong young girl. Uru lives on her own due to her mother remarrying & thinking that she's bothersome to her mom & new father. The whole "on my own" thing isn't new & moving out under such circumstances isn't either, but somehow Uru just brings a whole new flavor to it.

I also liked the two male characters, Shindo (the main love interest) & Ichiro (eating machine). Now normally in many manga of this type, the fated relationship (& it's obvious that they're destined for each other) seems a little forced & "meet cute". The love building seems more natural in this book, although it still does fall under the "meet cute" category in many ways. Still, I like how Uru is willing to call Shindo out on many things rather than sit around & fret like so many other manga heroines do.

If you like cute, get this manga. It's one of the better romance comedy mangas I've read lately & it's something I believe I'll be buying within a week of each volume's release.

[Gavin Abdollahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 outta 5.

I know, I know. It's Shoujo (girls manga)..........
It's like watching a Disney Princess movie with your little sister! Don't judge me!
(But you read this alone, not with you little sister.)
...
(Throws iPad at whoever said that)

So, this is my first group read, and I have to say, I really loved it!
If you liked Youtsuba, this you'll definitely like!
It's about a sixteen year old girl with twice the strength she should have who comes to work at the Happy Cafe. There, she meets two guys: One sleeps whenever he's hungry, and can only be awoken when fed. The other is an anti social, brutal, but secretly kind hearted guy commonly referred to as the devil himself.
The story was sweet, funny, and really enjoyable.
Can't wait to finish the other four volumes!

[Mage M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh i found out why i like this so much, its similar to Fruits Basket. The book was pretty good! A little weird or confusing sometimes but it wasn't bad!

[Kayla Loewen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I know this is really typical shojo manga; you can practically predict everything that's going to happen. So Why?!?! Why do I like it so much?? What's wrong with me.....

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember really liking this series when I was in middle school/high school, so when I found it at the used bookstore I had to pick it up! It's silly and stupid for the most part, but it's fun! I really like the way the characters are drawn.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

Happy Cafe (or, Shiawase Kissa Sanchoume in Japanese) is Kou Matsuzuki's debut series. This is a breezy slice of life story centered around the theme of helping people uncover and then achieve their own measure of happiness. As such, this is the first book in a long series of side stories using the three main characters as the glue that keeps the plot together. Some stories will get more serious and others will stay lighthearted. But through them all (15 volumes and just ended in Japan) is the developing relationship between protagonist Uru and her two corworkers: reticent Shindou and flakey Souchiro. In true romance form, a small triangle does develop as both guys come to fall for her.

The author isn't going for the realism of popular titles such as Parfait Tic; rather, there is a sweet surreality along the lines of Fruits Basket. And I think that's really key - if you like the sweet but simple 'fighting' spirit of Tohru from Fruits Basket, then you'll likely enjoy this series a lot. If you are looking for stories with angst, smut, obsessive love, or reality (such as with Hot Gimmick or Peach Girl) then this is probably not the manga for you.

Matsuzuki's story is very sweet, often funny, and meant to bring a smile. And it is without consummation or lust in the romance - as with Fruits Basket, it's more about the soft looks and yearning than any kind of physicality. You won't find the heroine Uru being bullied into romantic situation or even a kiss.

The development of the romantic angles are slow and steady - Uru is, after all, a clumsy and immature girl with a big heart. Romantic overtures are completely lost on her and that will provide the humor of many situations throughout the series. But it is in the second chapter of this book that the continuing storyline is revealed, when Uru says to the gloomy Shindou, "one day, I'll make you say 'smiling is my specialty.'" Shindou and Uru will spend most of the series helping each other overcome the unhappiness of their childhoods - and coming to understand why their parents made the choices they did. As such, the focus is on happiness and not romance.

This first volume is slow and doesn't have the pull that will come later once the characters are fleshed out more and their back stories developed. By volume 15, author Matsuzuki's artwork really matures - a great reason to stick with this series beyond just the small promise in the first book. As with Fruits Basket, very interesting side characters will come to work or play in the cafe and really give the series much more drama than evidenced in this first volume.

In all, a sweet, chaste, slow burning, humorous slice of life story of a girl working at a cafe with two very handsome guys.

[Jessica-Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

RATING: 2.5 STARS

For me, this wasn't a particularly strong start for the Happy Cafe series. Happy Cafe is a light, bubbly manga with some great promise behind a lack-luster plot and sporadic characters. I'll admit that although Happy Cafe had some really excellent, humorous, cute moments, it didn't have very strong direction when it came to the overall plot of the story.

Uru, is sixteen years old and has decided to live on her own for the first time. While walking down the street she passes by two women talking about the cafe they had just stepped out of, excited and happy. Wanting to make people feel that happy Uru asks for a position and is greeted by the two quirky (very, very strange) boys who work there.

The major appeal of Uru was initially very off-putting. Her character design skews very young, as this sixteen year old is constantly mistaken for being in elementary school, and you can clearly see why. She is very strong however, and can handle anything except not breaking the dishes.

The two guys she works with are also initially very poorly received. Shindo is an crank with a zero tolerance attitude. Even though he's only 20 his personality is that of a grandpa, with a preference of physical violence to motivate others. However, despite these things, he is incredibly adorable at times and charming in his own odd way.
And finally Ichiro, he's the strangest of them all with an unexplained sleeping habit that pops up whenever he hasn't eaten something, which is about every other page. Outside of that he doesn't offer much to the story aside from someone for Shindo to beat down and occasionally adding some character back story tidbit.

When it comes to the relationships, I was surprised that there wasn't much romance in this as I was expecting, going off the description. Although there is some hinting there wasn't anything significant to that end, no real push in that direction. Otherwise the story was just about Uru experiencing a series of semi-unrelated events to introduce the characters better.

With all of that said, based off this first volume, I don't think that this is a series I would go out of my way to read. Happy Cafe certainly has a lot of promise, I can only see the series improving as each character develops more, but I just don't see it being something I would run to. I'll definitely continue with the series if I stumble upon the next book, but it's not something that can compare well enough to the other series I currently have in progress.

[Keliiyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for some laugh-out-loud moments? This is the right series!

Shiawase Kissa Sanchoume, also known as Happy Cafe, tells life stories of Uru - a very short girl and is constantly mistaken for an elementary school kid, but despite that, she is ridiculously strong and decides to live by herself after her mother gets remarried. She has a very bubbly, optimistic personality. Basically she is like a walking sun, so bright and full of life.


She ends up working at a small cafe with two rather unique co-workers, Shindou(demon king - as you can see from the picture below),

who acts gruff and intimidating, but who is really a nice guy who loves to make cakes and pies and the like.

And Ichirou(weirdo),

who is really good-looking but will instantly falls asleep when he gets hungry and doesn't wake up again until he's given something to eat - so that brand him as a werido XD.

The story proceed in a very interesting way, you will get to know more about those characters and you definitely will enjoy knowing them.



Everything about this manga is perfect, only for the ending - so I gave this a 4 stars. The ending was good, but somehow I think it was too rushed. Where is the promised kiss?



Anyway, I loved it. Enjoy!

[Anastasia Antonova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Светлая история, наполненная запахом клубничного мусса и легкой меланхолией.
"Кофейня счастья с третьей улицы" действительно милое произведение. На протяжении всего прочтения я не могла сдержать улыбки, ведь эти персонажи, сама история источают доброту. Я влюбилась в героев с первого взгляда, как в главных, так и во второстепенных.
Главная "троица" радовала до самого конца. Эта привычка Ичиро засыпать и просыпаться только когда ему в рот засунут еду, эта "цундерность" Шиндо, и проглядывающие сквозь маску "злобного дьявола" открытые и искренние улыбки, и да, эта способность Уру улыбаться не взирая ни на что... Жаль прощаться с ними. Они уютно поселились в уголке моего сердца, и я знаю что смогу улыбнуться как только вспомню о них, буквально в любой момент, когда мне станет грустно.
Описывать сам сюжет не стану, просто посоветую вам потратить один вечер и прочесть эту историю, которая однозначно оставит след в вашей памяти.

Итоговая оценка: 10 из 10
Статус: завершена (переведена)
Качество перевода: хорошее. разве что в середине будет глав пять, где плохие сканы и такой себе перевод. за перевод взялся новый переводчик и он набивал руку. во второй половине манги все хорошо с качеством, максимум опечатки.

[kaitlphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the simple structure of the story focusing on Uru's experiences at the bakery. There are enough references to other parts of her life to know she's in high school and sees her parents, but those times aren't shown in the book.

I feel like some jokes and references were lost in translation, or perhaps just unknown to me. Regardless, I plan to try the next volume. I hope I can get more into this simple and wholesome story.

Uru's strength, clumsiness, and desire to prove herself remind me of the Kdramas Coffee Prince and Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, which is exactly what I was hoping when I picked up this book.

[Ryan Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

OKAY, THE PUREST CUTEST MANGA I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE, S2G. Listen the artwork is SO CUTE the characters are so interesting and adorable and everything is!! just so much fun!! I would recommend it to anybody interested in manga.

[Sherish Bustamante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uber funny.. i remember Coffee Prince it's some what alike..

[kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Cafe takes place in a bakery that specializes in western sweets. The staff is a little odd, but kind at heart in subtle ways that really make an impact.

The manga is character and community driven, it reads more episodically, so it can move the story forward quickly. Like a sitcom.

Body proportions can be weird but that’s rather commonplace for a debut series. Get ready for some big shoujo eyes!

I like the female lead, Uru, she grows on you really quickly. She’s loud and clumsy, but she’s kind and very straight-forward unless it’s an inconvenience to others. She doesn’t know how to handle her physical strength. She’s thoughtful and determined. While she is in high school we don’t see much of her academic life outside of some studying.

The other main characters are a bit different from Uru. They’re very observant and caring, both of Uru and the patrons of the shop.

Shindo, the eldest and pseudo shop leader, has rough edges but he’s a softie. It’s hard not to laugh at his more violent tendencies.

Ichiro has a cool, calm and confident vibe offset by his bizarre tendency to fall asleep when he’s low on sustenance. He has to be force-fed to regain consciousness.

This is a nice light comedy manga. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this up, but its exceeded my expectations and I’ll be collecting the rest of the series.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid if typical shojo manga about a cute high school girl who gets a job working at a cafe with a pair of slightly older attractive guys. This seems to be a sub genre as it’s a fairly common plot line. She lives alone despite being only 16, another common plot device in manga. I wonder how common that really is in Japan.

Each of the characters has there quirks but not a lot of depth or nuance. The story moves along well enough, but the conflicts are soft and easily resolved. It’s somewhat episodic and driven by the main characters’ slowly developing relationships, generally ending on a theme of finding happiness, as fleeting as that can be. Sort of like a family sitcom. There isn’t a lot about the food, something that other series like this utilized effectively (Kitchen Princess comes to mind).

The publisher, Tokyopop, went out of business sone years ago, so this series is out of print and not easy to track down (I think I found this volume in a used bookstore or thrift shop and picked it up on a whim). I didn’t find it strong enough to look for the other volumes, but I’m not the target reader.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is okay. I'm not entirely sure I am committed to finishing the series though.

Basically it about Uru, a super strong but clumsy girl who is living on her own for the first time after her mother remarries. She gets a job at a local bakery where she meets the two employees, Shindo and Ichiro. Shindo looks stern, but is deceivingly kind and a bit awkward. Ichiro falls asleep a lot and can only be wakened by food being shoved in his mouth.

It's a standard girl on her own for the benefit of her parent type deal. Reminds me a tiny bit of Fruits Basket in a way. But unlike Fruits Basket, I didn't find anything about this manga particularly gripping in order to reel me in for the second volume.

All in all, is was okay.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more like a review of the entire series.

It’s short, cute, but not really exciting. The development is pretty slow.

Shindou didn’t stand out as our deserving leading male. Really, I found myself liking Ichirou so much more.

The art is decent and I liked the characters, but I would have given the story a bigger arc.

[Jesi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este manga me hace sonreír y emocionarme en partes iguales. Es precioso en todo sentido. Soy tan feliz leyendo este manga como Uru trabajando en Bonheur <3
Espero que la simpleza y la alegría que caracterizan esta historia no se pierda con el pasar de los capítulos.

[skyblue_31 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished series.

Super cute and hilarious. The kids look sooo adorable.

Sad that this series had to finish quickly.

I do like the drawing style but sometimes it was really hard to discern who's who.

[Pixie &#x1f35c; · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s average I suppose. Her dad is 29 and she’s 16 so that means her dad was 13 and her mum was 20 which is gross. I don’t think the author thought that one through at all. I’m dropping.
People like each other and get close way too fast and the art is eh

[August Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book I did but I hate that our female lead is 16 and our male lead is 20 like if they had just differently changed one of their ages by 2 years I would have felt better about this but they didn't and I am upset with that fact

[Sphiggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating the whole series by adding just the first volume.
Super cute and heart warming. A favourite of mine when I was younger. The age gap and sprinkling of toxic masculinity is not super swell though.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was kind of rocky, but later it improved. It is very interesting. I personally like the cafe setting too! It has some quirky humor in it.

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Great premise. I wanted it to be like a K drama like Coffee Prince but story went nowhere.

[ThePreciousLife808 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first manga! loved it!

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute just want I needed to get through midterms.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! The book ended in a way that leaves you satisfied.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole series can be summed up in one word sweet. It was a dose of cute and sweet.

[Martu (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was really funny and cute.
I couldn't help but smile while reading it on the train.

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty adorable manga, arts pretty good and story’s not too bad But great Shoujo👌😁💕💕

[Sahar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A happy book, quite like its title.