shojo manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Sakura, Saku” Vol. 7, by Io Sakisaka

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Iryu is tempted to interfere with Haruki’s relationship; meanwhile, Saku thinks Haruki still has feelings for Hazuki.

Okay, I know they’re teenagers but seriously. Saku has doubts about Haruki so she snubs him and immediately goes to the other guy who likes her? And to just dismiss him when he says what’s past is past? Spoilers I guess, but to me, it felt like she was doing her hardest to sabotage this relationship. It really annoyed me because Haruki was so earnest and open with Saku, and she just closed it off. This is seven volumes in now, you’d think she’d know him better than that. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 4, by Aki Kusaka

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Yuri’s plan to become a maid at Keiichiro’s home to be closer to him over the summer doesn’t work out like she thought, resulting in hilarious consequences once summer break is over.

This volume has some great comedy, but it’s starting to feel like Yuri is learning the same lesson over and over again. She does something wacky then realizes that Keiichiro deeply cares for her and she should just chill out about what she expects from their relationship and all these rules. I like them and root for them, but this volume was just okay. I’d like to see a bit more growth from her. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Special One” Vol. 9, by Momoko Koda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Sahoko and Kata go on a trip with Emiko tagging along, wishing Kanato could be there with her.

It starts off with the trip but the standout here is Emiko freaking out about being intimate with Kanato but she’s a virgin. These two are gonna rot my teeth they’re so sweet. They still have a few misunderstandings but it’s nowhere near as bad as when they first were trying to get together. It’s an entire volume about how lovey-dovey they are and while sweet, it’s very slice of life. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbow Days” Vol. 14, by Minami Mizuno

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Not that the second term has started, the boys are thinking about college. Keiichi has no motivation to grow up and Tsuyoshi’s plans may not be in line with his girlfriends’s.

This volume really gives you the feeling of going from the small world of your high school to realizing how big the world is outside of it. It’s all the bittersweetness of growing up. Other volumes in this series have been hit or miss; some are dryer than others but this one is great at handling all the different emotions. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sakura, Saku” Vol. 6, by Io Sakisaka

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Saku remembers when she met Iryu as a child and he is starting to have feelings for her. At the school festival, Saku plans to spend time with Haruki but Iryu also wants to see her.

Oh, we’re fully in love triangle mode now. Iyru and Haruki are wasting no time pursuing Saku, who is mildly annoying with her passivity and milk toast reactions. She’s just going along with whatever each guy is doing at the moment. I like her but I’m hoping she’ll be a little more active in all this in the future. The boys clearly have no issue with this. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Firefly Wedding” Vol. 1, by Oreco Tachibana

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Satoko is a Meiji Era noblewoman with a heart condition who has a duty to her family to get married; as she feels it will prove her worth. She knows her time is limited so when she is kidnapped, she offers the man hired to kill her – Shinpei – her hand in marriage in exchange for her life.

This manga manages the seriousness of the situation and the doofyness of our main pair very well. One second they’re fleeing Satoko’s captors in a bloody massacre and the next Shinpei is gushing about what married life will be like with the biggest puppy dog eyes. So, be aware there’s a ton of violence. I actually hope they work this out and get together as he’s really interesting and Satoko is stronger than most characters give her credit for. She’s like a less annoying Akemi. I am so excited to see what happens next. 4.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbow Days” Vol. 13, by Minami Mizuno

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Natsuki and Anna are finally at the school festival together but will he finally be able to tell her how he feels before the day is over?

Now that they’re together, we’re in the “figure out how to couple” stage and move on to other possible pairings in the series as they all head into summer vacation. These bits of slice of life scenes was so much better than it has been in the previous volumes. There’s something about the energy here that’s more entertaining and interesting. We’ll see if we get more pairings to follow in the future but I’m cool with we just get more of these teen shenanigans for a bit. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 3, by Aki Kusaka

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Keiichiro has a packed summer schedule and Yuri manages to get a summer job just so she could see him more often. But when they attend an overnight study camp, through a series of misadventures, they end up in the same bed.

I’m glad the feelings between these two are genuine. There’s wacky moments and to me it’s a little much for Yuri to keep going so far for just a scrap of Keiichiro’s attention in his absurdly packed schedule but he clearly cares about her and is trying to do what he feels he can within the confines of his family’s demands. It’s sweet and nice to see with the other series I’m reading where one partner has deeper issues or ulterior motives. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Wanna Do Bad Things with You” Vol. 3, by Yutaka

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Fuji’s next idea for a prank on his brother, Koichi, is for them to beat Koichi on a test to lower his ranking. To do this, they must enlist the help of Kei, who offers to help Mamori study to get her poor grades up to par.

Kei is… An interesting way to work more fanservice into this but… Okay. This volume is one of those situations where it’d be better if Fuji didn’t care what his brother did and visa versa but I’m old and out of fucks to give. Teens think everything is such a huge deal so yeah, I get it. I also sympathize with Mamori as she struggles to make friends and has been used before. I do wonder what exactly Koichi stands to gain by snooping on Fuji and Mamori aside from thwarting the bad things they get up to but clearly this is building up to something. I just hope this adorable friendship doesn’t break. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Neighborhood Story” Vol. 4, by Ai Yazawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

When Mikako wins the Grand Prix award, she is offered the chance to study in London for a year and a half, all expenses paid. She hesitates to accept because it will separate her from Tsutomu.

After Mikako makes her decision, we fast forward to our cast as adults and then transitions to the characters from Paradise Kiss; which is an interesting choice. I think it would have been better to use the time to see how (spoilers) Mikako’s studies in London affected her relationship with Tsutomu because that could be some good drama right there. It didn’t quite stick the landing for me. 3 out of 5.

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