Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars) (for final volume)
Full manga (10 volumes) review 👇🏽
I've had my fair share of experiences with romance novels/manga/manhwa but I would have to say this one is quite unlike the others I've come across.
To begin with, it's not a slow burn or one where the couple take way too long to get together. In fact, our main couple gets together by the end of first chapter. I had my misgivings when I started reading the manga, since things seemed to be moving way too fast.
But as I kept reading, I realised that this manga wasn't about the hardships that come before you start dating but about the ones that come after. It was quite a refreshing take, at least for me, in the romance genre because more often than not, the romance books I have read have been about the pain of an unrequited love and when the couple do get together, it's all a bed of roses. This manga wasn't like that.
It also wasn't one of those where the problems between the couple arose due to their inability to communicate. I was constantly and pleasantly surprised by how mature both of them were when it came to talking about their thoughts and feelings. Of course, they had their moments of jealousy and their arguments but instead of sitting around and brooding, waiting for the other to act/apologise, they did what they were supposed to and took in charge of their relationship, which honestly made it so easy to read.
Another thing that the manga did well and that I briefly talked about before was the 'first time' arc. The mangaka took immense care in showcasing the feelings and anxieties of both Asuma and Serina. And even though there were no explicit scenes, reading that particular volume got my heart racing.
It was my favourite volume in the manga, along with the one where they go through a brief seperation, something I could very much relate to. I've never really had a high school relationship but I have been in a long distance one and it's really painful to both of the people involved. The volume captured that pain and the anxiety that comes along with it quite beautifully.
The final thing that I'd like to talk about is the second love interests. This is one of the few books where I actually didn't abhor the second love interests because for the most part, they didn't act like assholes. In fact, Higuchi was probably one of my favourite characters. And though, I didn't like Nagisa as much (mainly cause some of her advice was just...not advice at all) I still didn't hate her. I like how the mangaka has made the effort to not make the exs and other love interests into complete villains or one dimensional but rather they're perfectly rounded and perfectly human in their actions.
Overall, I would say this is one of my favourite shoujo mangas (though I've only read a few others so idk how much that should count for) and I would really love to visit it again someday.
Bottom line: Cute, lovely, refreshing, mature.