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不揃いの連理 [Fuzoroi no Renri] #1
Assorted Entanglements, Vol. 1
Looks, age, lifestyle—none of that matters. I just want to be with her... After a spur-of-the-moment one-night stand, one thing leads to another and they start living together. They're nothing alike. Not in terms of personality, nor the way they look— there's even a wide age gap between them. But...ever so awkwardly, ever so clumsily, they're somehow fitting into each other's missing pieces.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2021
12 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
February 23, 2023
Serial ‘other woman’ Iori is dumped by another husband and gets smashed at a bar. She wakes up in bed with her server, Minami, a rough and tumble eighteen year old. The promised entanglements ensue.
Well, I love the notion of a yuri anthology that has each volume focused on a different couple and this one certainly has enough to hold my interest, but it’s also not quite as strong as I would like.
This is one weird pairing - Minami is a semi-delinquent with a home life from hell and an amazing amount of tattoo work that deserves a tip of the hat just for being drawn as often as it is. It’s really cool, even if it’s mostly there to establish her bona fides.
Iori is always after unattainable men, which I’m surprised the story didn’t go into with more detail than it does, since it clearly hints at the way the narrative goes, but this is a story that definitely makes some strange choices as it goes on.
There’s a whole abuse angle that throws these two together after their initial encounter, which is pretty extreme - this is definitely the first manga I’ve ever read that mentioned huffing gas - but it doesn’t really impact things in any meaningful way. It feels more like an excuse than anything weighty and a total missed opportunity.
Basically, I think the writing here isn’t especially strong. One volume is not a lot of time, but this kind of meanders and draws in a whole other relationship with Iori’s sister. There’s also a strange propensity for physical violence towards Iori that got to be a bit much.
Sometimes, when it’s diving into the nuts and bolts of what these two want, it really feels like it’s going somewhere that it never quite reaches. There are some great scenes - Iori figuring out what she’s wanted all this time is brief, but solid. But what we get is mostly just scenes with no connective tissue.
I won’t say there’s no chemistry - watching these two interact is a good time and they do have a unique dynamic. It just needs to coalesce better than it does to make it really great. They definitely flirt and know how to pick on each other and if you just wanted a low-key slice-of-life thing, this does that part pretty well.
I should probably say something about the whole age gap, since this relationship was technically illegal when the story was first written. But has since become legal, the age of accepted whatever got lowered to 18, so it’s a real gray area here. Part of the issue is that the art makes them look exactly the same, so if it never mentioned it you wouldn’t even know.
Yeah, it’s not bad and it has moments. I wanted more moments. That whole abuse thing is glossed over way, way too fast and the additional subplots make it feel like the mangaka was struggling to fill 148 pages with these characters. I think that could have been done, but not with the path chosen. This is the rare story that I read and I know there’s a better version of it and I’m somewhat annoyed we didn’t get it.
3 stars - The fluff is good, there is a charm to these two that definitely gives it a bit of oomph, but I really hoped for the whole package. It’s a reasonably decent, if unspectacular, start. We’ll see how the next one fares.
Well, I love the notion of a yuri anthology that has each volume focused on a different couple and this one certainly has enough to hold my interest, but it’s also not quite as strong as I would like.
This is one weird pairing - Minami is a semi-delinquent with a home life from hell and an amazing amount of tattoo work that deserves a tip of the hat just for being drawn as often as it is. It’s really cool, even if it’s mostly there to establish her bona fides.
Iori is always after unattainable men, which I’m surprised the story didn’t go into with more detail than it does, since it clearly hints at the way the narrative goes, but this is a story that definitely makes some strange choices as it goes on.
There’s a whole abuse angle that throws these two together after their initial encounter, which is pretty extreme - this is definitely the first manga I’ve ever read that mentioned huffing gas - but it doesn’t really impact things in any meaningful way. It feels more like an excuse than anything weighty and a total missed opportunity.
Basically, I think the writing here isn’t especially strong. One volume is not a lot of time, but this kind of meanders and draws in a whole other relationship with Iori’s sister. There’s also a strange propensity for physical violence towards Iori that got to be a bit much.
Sometimes, when it’s diving into the nuts and bolts of what these two want, it really feels like it’s going somewhere that it never quite reaches. There are some great scenes - Iori figuring out what she’s wanted all this time is brief, but solid. But what we get is mostly just scenes with no connective tissue.
I won’t say there’s no chemistry - watching these two interact is a good time and they do have a unique dynamic. It just needs to coalesce better than it does to make it really great. They definitely flirt and know how to pick on each other and if you just wanted a low-key slice-of-life thing, this does that part pretty well.
I should probably say something about the whole age gap, since this relationship was technically illegal when the story was first written. But has since become legal, the age of accepted whatever got lowered to 18, so it’s a real gray area here. Part of the issue is that the art makes them look exactly the same, so if it never mentioned it you wouldn’t even know.
Yeah, it’s not bad and it has moments. I wanted more moments. That whole abuse thing is glossed over way, way too fast and the additional subplots make it feel like the mangaka was struggling to fill 148 pages with these characters. I think that could have been done, but not with the path chosen. This is the rare story that I read and I know there’s a better version of it and I’m somewhat annoyed we didn’t get it.
3 stars - The fluff is good, there is a charm to these two that definitely gives it a bit of oomph, but I really hoped for the whole package. It’s a reasonably decent, if unspectacular, start. We’ll see how the next one fares.
March 5, 2023
I wanted this to be better, but here we are. The disjointed storytelling (presumably a result of the original Twitter serialization) was one thing, but the hand-waving away of Minami's abuse at the hands of her father and "friend" was quite another. I felt like Mikanuji just gave her that past because and didn't care enough to follow through with it, and setting Iori's sister up with one of Minami's abusers just left a bad taste in my mouth, alongside Iori's insistence on drinking to excess even though it made Minami uncomfortable(ly reminded of her abusive father). Definitely a case of almost not counting.
August 28, 2021
très gênée par la différence d'âge (18/28 ans) et par tout ce qui tournait autour de Minami qui se fait frapper par ses parents
January 16, 2023
I don't really know I felt about Iori or the relationship itself. At times it felt a bit toxic while other times it had cute moments. Since we only get snippets of their life it's really hard to get a feel for the dynamics and what makes the relationship work. Even though the next volume will be about a different couple, I don't really see myself picking it up.
I received an ARC via Edelweiss for an honest review.
I received an ARC via Edelweiss for an honest review.
July 1, 2024
This is going to sound rude, but as I was reading this (and gradually reading it faster and faster), I kept wondering, "What makes a story? What's plot? What's coherence? Am I having a stroke and losing my grip on reality?" and then I got to the end and saw that it was originally developed as a series of shorts on Twitter dot com, got popular, and was optioned to be published. THIS HAD NOT ONE, BUT TWO EDITORS!!
I really, really wanted this to be good, but alas, earwax. I don't want to always end up talking shit about webtoons, because I think there probably are fantastic, grade A quality stories out there, but unfortunately, I haven't really seen too many examples of any getting published, and sapphics especially deserve better in quality.
I really, really wanted this to be good, but alas, earwax. I don't want to always end up talking shit about webtoons, because I think there probably are fantastic, grade A quality stories out there, but unfortunately, I haven't really seen too many examples of any getting published, and sapphics especially deserve better in quality.
April 24, 2025
I wanted to like this story, plot tangles and all, but the casual way it handles violence ruined it for me. One heroine is beaten by her father, then later her girlfriend punches her—and it’s never properly addressed… Treating domestic abuse as a punch‑line pulled me straight out of the narrative. Tone down the assaults.
September 10, 2021
https://lapommequirougit.com/2021/09/...
On se retrouve pour un titre poétique, beau et émouvant à souhait ! J’avais les larmes aux yeux et un cœur qui frissonnait à chaque page !
Iori est une jeune femme de 28 ans. Elle ne cesse de fréquenter des hommes mariés, qui a chaque fois la délaisse, car elle n’est qu’un second choix pour eux. Après une énième séparation, au bar où elle se rend régulièrement, elle se plaint à la serveuse.
Son nom est Minami, mais après avoir trop bu, elle se réveille le jour suivant avec cette serveuse dans son lit. Au début perturbée et n’ayant aucun souvenir, elle finira petit à petit par se rappeler de la soirée. Iori n’a jamais ressenti cela pour une femme. En plus de devoir apprendre à comprendre ce qu’elle ressent, elle devra affronter toutes leurs différences !
Cette histoire est sublime. Il met l’accent sur le bonheur et l’amour au-delà du genre et des différences. Elle dénonce. C’est un titre qui m’a beaucoup ému.
De plus, le format du manga est plus grand que ceux qu’on a l’habitude de lire, histoire d’avoir plus de place pour les jolis dessins de la mangaka.
La romance est pleine de douceur et surtout, le personnage de Minami m’a énormément surprise. Elle est pleine de profondeur et on lui découvre un côté beaucoup plus attachant qu’attendu.
En bref, c’est un titre qui a fait carton plein de mon côté. Je suis fascinée par l’histoire, par les deux jeunes femmes et par la tendresse de leur amour. Je suis déjà impatiente de pouvoir avoir la suite entre les mains.
On se retrouve pour un titre poétique, beau et émouvant à souhait ! J’avais les larmes aux yeux et un cœur qui frissonnait à chaque page !
Iori est une jeune femme de 28 ans. Elle ne cesse de fréquenter des hommes mariés, qui a chaque fois la délaisse, car elle n’est qu’un second choix pour eux. Après une énième séparation, au bar où elle se rend régulièrement, elle se plaint à la serveuse.
Son nom est Minami, mais après avoir trop bu, elle se réveille le jour suivant avec cette serveuse dans son lit. Au début perturbée et n’ayant aucun souvenir, elle finira petit à petit par se rappeler de la soirée. Iori n’a jamais ressenti cela pour une femme. En plus de devoir apprendre à comprendre ce qu’elle ressent, elle devra affronter toutes leurs différences !
Cette histoire est sublime. Il met l’accent sur le bonheur et l’amour au-delà du genre et des différences. Elle dénonce. C’est un titre qui m’a beaucoup ému.
De plus, le format du manga est plus grand que ceux qu’on a l’habitude de lire, histoire d’avoir plus de place pour les jolis dessins de la mangaka.
La romance est pleine de douceur et surtout, le personnage de Minami m’a énormément surprise. Elle est pleine de profondeur et on lui découvre un côté beaucoup plus attachant qu’attendu.
En bref, c’est un titre qui a fait carton plein de mon côté. Je suis fascinée par l’histoire, par les deux jeunes femmes et par la tendresse de leur amour. Je suis déjà impatiente de pouvoir avoir la suite entre les mains.
March 22, 2023
I kind of hated this. I pretty rarely do "bad" ratings, so let me overexplain. Assorted Entanglements seems to originally been random Twitter posts by the author; this manga doesn't really have a structure but keeps trying to go for an unearned emotional response.
I liked seeing a lady with tattoos, but I'm icked by her age (18). Also, in the curse of manga, the two women don't appear to be different ages (ie 10 years apart). It was just bizarre and there wasn't much nuisance added by the age gap. I'm totally into age gap romances as long as they're written well!!
I'm also totally disturbed how the younger character had been beaten up by her father early in the story and then how the older woman often punched her in the last panel, but treated as a joke. Dude, what???
I got more invested in a side plot with two completely different characters who were much closer in age.
It reads like someone was doodling some OCs and never got past the draft stage which is totally fine if you know that's what you're signing up for, but I didn't. And now to pawn this off to my friend's yuri collection.
I liked seeing a lady with tattoos, but I'm icked by her age (18). Also, in the curse of manga, the two women don't appear to be different ages (ie 10 years apart). It was just bizarre and there wasn't much nuisance added by the age gap. I'm totally into age gap romances as long as they're written well!!
I'm also totally disturbed how the younger character had been beaten up by her father early in the story and then how the older woman often punched her in the last panel, but treated as a joke. Dude, what???
I got more invested in a side plot with two completely different characters who were much closer in age.
It reads like someone was doodling some OCs and never got past the draft stage which is totally fine if you know that's what you're signing up for, but I didn't. And now to pawn this off to my friend's yuri collection.
April 2, 2024
dnf
this is so problematic in so many levels…
this is so problematic in so many levels…
September 12, 2024
My review of Assorted Entanglements #1
Written and illustrated by Mikanuji
Believe it or not, my youngest child suggested this to me. They know my enjoyment for sapphic manga and knew from their queer friends that this series is both romantic and heavy, so I took the shot and I'm so glad I did.
Iori and Minami are very different women (women by American or modern Japanese standards, see caveat to follow), and their accidental hookup leads to a real relationship that puts into sharp relief how seemingly different they are. Bonus points from me for demonstrating how the age gap can actually be problematic even in the best circumstances.
Caveat: when the story was written, Minami's age of 18 would have made the relationship illegal under Japanese law, so some of the dynamic is a little dated (riskiness of their being open). This doesn't take from the story but it loses context since Japan lowered age of adulthood to 18 recently.
The Rubric:
Spice Score: 7 out of 10. This is an OT (older teen) mange so the spice is muted. Additionally, as the caveat points out, there were limits to what could be portrayed. But for what it is, this is a pretty spicy story with some really good art depicting women's intimacy in a PG-13 sort of way.
Relatability: 9 out of 10. Honest depictions of workplace burnout, missing cues about relationships, struggles with alcoholism, and a wildly gorgeous final panel that made me smile, there's a bit of something for anyone who has ever been like these two women. The relatability does lose a little to the art style but it's manga....so it is to be expected.
Emma Recommends: 10 out of 10. For me, this one needs no special reasons to recommend it. Minami and Iori are a young couple who really do discover that each is the salve on the other's broken parts. That this is the opening of a series makes me believe Mikanuji is going to delve into their growth together and I plan to seek out whatever she draws/writes. If you are so inclined, get some takeout, try some Natto, and enjoy watching these two young women discover each other.
Written and illustrated by Mikanuji
Believe it or not, my youngest child suggested this to me. They know my enjoyment for sapphic manga and knew from their queer friends that this series is both romantic and heavy, so I took the shot and I'm so glad I did.
Iori and Minami are very different women (women by American or modern Japanese standards, see caveat to follow), and their accidental hookup leads to a real relationship that puts into sharp relief how seemingly different they are. Bonus points from me for demonstrating how the age gap can actually be problematic even in the best circumstances.
Caveat: when the story was written, Minami's age of 18 would have made the relationship illegal under Japanese law, so some of the dynamic is a little dated (riskiness of their being open). This doesn't take from the story but it loses context since Japan lowered age of adulthood to 18 recently.
The Rubric:
Spice Score: 7 out of 10. This is an OT (older teen) mange so the spice is muted. Additionally, as the caveat points out, there were limits to what could be portrayed. But for what it is, this is a pretty spicy story with some really good art depicting women's intimacy in a PG-13 sort of way.
Relatability: 9 out of 10. Honest depictions of workplace burnout, missing cues about relationships, struggles with alcoholism, and a wildly gorgeous final panel that made me smile, there's a bit of something for anyone who has ever been like these two women. The relatability does lose a little to the art style but it's manga....so it is to be expected.
Emma Recommends: 10 out of 10. For me, this one needs no special reasons to recommend it. Minami and Iori are a young couple who really do discover that each is the salve on the other's broken parts. That this is the opening of a series makes me believe Mikanuji is going to delve into their growth together and I plan to seek out whatever she draws/writes. If you are so inclined, get some takeout, try some Natto, and enjoy watching these two young women discover each other.
May 18, 2025
I absolutely loved the chemistry between the characters! I absolutely hated the weird storytelling. Every chapter seems to be 5-6 pages only, and all chapters are kind of out of whack, too. I had a hard time following the story sometimes, it was hard to tell when a chapter ended and another began.
I don't like that there wasn't much depth to the characters. They had some good personality traits and a very, very quickly developing relationship, but that's about it. No depth to Minami's past, no depth to Iori's character...
I have to give it to the author, though, that Iori's sister is a badass lol. I think I like her character more than the main characters.
Overall it's not a bad manga, but it didn't give me much.
Also the fact that Minami just gets punched and beaten for no damn reason is really disturbing. I get that she has an abusive father who acts the way he acts, but why is Iori hitting her sometimes? My girl, you're 28, hitting an 18 year old, calm down...
I don't like that there wasn't much depth to the characters. They had some good personality traits and a very, very quickly developing relationship, but that's about it. No depth to Minami's past, no depth to Iori's character...
I have to give it to the author, though, that Iori's sister is a badass lol. I think I like her character more than the main characters.
Overall it's not a bad manga, but it didn't give me much.
Also the fact that Minami just gets punched and beaten for no damn reason is really disturbing. I get that she has an abusive father who acts the way he acts, but why is Iori hitting her sometimes? My girl, you're 28, hitting an 18 year old, calm down...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2023
TW: Partner violence, parental violence, excessive drinking, substance abuse.
Initially I gave this three stars. But the more I thought about it, the more problems I had.
Manga is no stranger to treating violence and excessive drinking as a joke, and normally I just take it in stride and chalk it up to cultural differences.
The problem is in this novel, one of the characters has a tragic backstory including "Suffered physical abuse by her alcoholic father" - and yet the excessive drinking by her partner and punches occasionally exchanged (it goes both ways) are still treated as the same humorous shenanigans as in, say, _Love Hina_.
Combined with the choppy structure and awkward transitions (which I assume come from the original Twitter-based distribution), and I just can't recommend it. I might try volume 2 since I already own it, but... I wouldn't hold my breath.
Initially I gave this three stars. But the more I thought about it, the more problems I had.
Manga is no stranger to treating violence and excessive drinking as a joke, and normally I just take it in stride and chalk it up to cultural differences.
The problem is in this novel, one of the characters has a tragic backstory including "Suffered physical abuse by her alcoholic father" - and yet the excessive drinking by her partner and punches occasionally exchanged (it goes both ways) are still treated as the same humorous shenanigans as in, say, _Love Hina_.
Combined with the choppy structure and awkward transitions (which I assume come from the original Twitter-based distribution), and I just can't recommend it. I might try volume 2 since I already own it, but... I wouldn't hold my breath.
December 22, 2024
Globalement au début j'aimais bien, malgré le gap-âge (enfin... J'ai compris assez tard que Minami était encore lycéenne...
MAIS je tique quand même à chaque fois face à la banalisation de la violence dans les couples. Que Minami et Shizuku aient une relation amicale basée sur cela s'entend de par leurs vécus et elles doivent évoluer, mais ce n'est pas normal qu'il y ait de tels gestes banalisés entre elle et Iori, c'est gênant plutôt que drôle, d'autant plus lorsque ça se veut quand même romantique et mignon.
De plus, Iori a un vrai problème avec l'alcool et ce n'est pas forcément traité de manière sérieuse.
Il y a une vraie ambivalence dans le récit car il y a un côté assez mignon et attachant des perso, mais un autre assez pervers, et avec des défauts et des problématiques qui ne se corrigent pas au fil des pages
MAIS je tique quand même à chaque fois face à la banalisation de la violence dans les couples. Que Minami et Shizuku aient une relation amicale basée sur cela s'entend de par leurs vécus et elles doivent évoluer, mais ce n'est pas normal qu'il y ait de tels gestes banalisés entre elle et Iori, c'est gênant plutôt que drôle, d'autant plus lorsque ça se veut quand même romantique et mignon.
De plus, Iori a un vrai problème avec l'alcool et ce n'est pas forcément traité de manière sérieuse.
Il y a une vraie ambivalence dans le récit car il y a un côté assez mignon et attachant des perso, mais un autre assez pervers, et avec des défauts et des problématiques qui ne se corrigent pas au fil des pages
Read
June 23, 2025Picked up some selections while browsing the Manga section at the local library; here is the first of a few I found. Kinky, lesbian age-gap romance. First in a series. Frequently was skimming the surface of potentially relationship-altering conversations but it's true that sometimes it's less anxiety-inducing when the writer keeps it cute. I enjoyed how the flow-y the story was told. Personally, I think Iori and Minami should have been broken up. And the parallel plot points of the main characters and the Iori's sister attracting a girl that was the same type as Minami's ex was so messyyyy. I was interested in the dramatics nonetheless.
September 18, 2024
1 star
A collection of abusive relationships with really rough pacing issues. It also doesn’t know what tone to take at any point, trying to take a silly goofy tone and apply it to the whole story when all the characters and issues presented are deeply concerning and should be treated with more tact and respect.
Overall just really not a good read, and a genuinely terrible example of a good relationship, traumas healing, etc.
A collection of abusive relationships with really rough pacing issues. It also doesn’t know what tone to take at any point, trying to take a silly goofy tone and apply it to the whole story when all the characters and issues presented are deeply concerning and should be treated with more tact and respect.
Overall just really not a good read, and a genuinely terrible example of a good relationship, traumas healing, etc.
October 11, 2023
J'ai mis une éternité à finir ce manga que l'on m'a prêté. Narration laborieuse, j'ai compris pourquoi à la fin en découvrant que c'était des histoires publiées sur twitter. Je sentais les moments où on sautait d'un épisode à un autre sans trop de transitions. Le côté exclusif, ado, rien ne m'a beaucoup plu...
July 16, 2024
4.5 out of 5 Stars: While this was an age gap, there wasn't a real power imbalance. Although the abuse did make me cringe a bit, but I do think that it was an important story. I am gonna read the next ones. Although the fade to black intimacy was a little disappointing. But I did love them each learning what they each deserve in love.
February 18, 2023
Aww, this is cute, even if a bit disjointed at times - it's a fun relationship to see develop anyway. Very much for fans of Tough Girl x Cutie, with the cutie being the violent one. Looking forward to what's next.
August 15, 2023
cringe, toxique, problématique, trop rapide, cliché, décousu, prône la violence. je pourrai écrire un essai sur à quel point le manga était une torture à lire, mais je suis trop fatiguée et il mérite pas plus d’intérêt.
July 20, 2024
The underlying premise is interesting, but the story is told in an extremely disjointed way, with each page jumping to a different scene. The characters also seem to treat abusive relationships as normal, which I hope gets addressed in further issues.
September 15, 2024
3,75
Am I insane for having enjoyed this?
I've seen a lot of people criticizing it for not having a coherent plot, but I feel like that's a bit of a strange complaint to give to a manga that... doesn't seem to be intended to have a plot at all? Virgins Empire would blow their minds, I guess
Am I insane for having enjoyed this?
I've seen a lot of people criticizing it for not having a coherent plot, but I feel like that's a bit of a strange complaint to give to a manga that... doesn't seem to be intended to have a plot at all? Virgins Empire would blow their minds, I guess
June 9, 2025
A cute read! I loved the chemistry between the two and see the two get closer and closer. Also liked that we got to see Minami's ex and that she is going to the same school as the younger sister of Iori.
January 10, 2023
Representation: queer Japanese protagonists, Japanese secondary and tertiary characters.
Content Warning: vomit, alcohol, violence, familial abuse, age-gap.
Review to come...
Content Warning: vomit, alcohol, violence, familial abuse, age-gap.
Review to come...
March 2, 2023
Sweet vignettes of an opposites attract romance. I can see myself giving this one a reread on a rainy day.
March 3, 2023
So wholesomeeee
March 27, 2023
Super cute!
May 19, 2023
Very, very dysfunctional.
February 7, 2024
Not for me. Age gap was wayyyyy too creepy. I am really skeeved out by stories in which the MUCH younger partner is more mature than the older one, so it's framed as some kind of balancing force.
April 29, 2024
It's cute but really disjointed, probably because it was originally done as posts on Twitter. But I'm also not sure if the one relationship is entirely healthy.
August 17, 2024
Between the age gap (28/18) and the casual responses to physical abuse this is a no for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews