YA romance manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 11, by Makoto Ojiro

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

As winter passes and spring arrives, Magari fills the photo album Nakami gave her with pictures of her own. As Nakami’s birthday comes and the second year of high school begins, their relationship changes in unexpected ways.

As they’re making college plans, Magari has to take her heart condition into account when considering what or where she wants to study. Bit of a spoiler, but it looks like this probably won’t lean into her dying young since the comic makes a point to say that with treatment and surgery, she could live to 50. That’s something of a relief, but it’s entirely possible the plot will take a nose-dive off the tragedy cliff. Nakami gets some development as well, and it’s nice to see him opening up to the new club members and within the friend group. This series is so good at conveying so much without words, unease as much as joy. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 10, by Makoto Ojiro

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

Magari is well enough to come back to school and as the new semester starts, they hope to get more members in the astronomy club.

I am legit shocked at how fast I read through the volumes in this series, excited to see what happens, even though it’s very slice of life so I don’t expect anything super dramatic or action-packed. It flows smoothly and is compelling enough that I am totally fine with pages of these two taking photos or watching other characters cook and eat crab for New Year’s. Even though, again, there is that looming shadow of Magari’s illness, on the whole, this is so cozy. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 9, by Makoto Ojiro

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

Nakami and Magari cram for finals before they can prepare for the meteor shower party. Nakami also visits Magari while she’s home sick.

I swear, if this series pulls a ‘Your Lie In April‘ on me, I will flip a table. Because it’s clear Magai isn’t well and it’s just this shadow lurking over the success of the party and them having a good time taking pictures. They are so cute together, whether they date or not, and I really hope this series doesn’t get that dark. I like the simple joy of them managing their insomnia and enjoying photography. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Wanna Do Bad Things with You” Vol. 7, by Yutaka

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

After confessing his feelings to her, Mamori ends up sick, not getting the chance to say how she feels. Once the air is clear, Fuji doesn’t want to move forward. Fuji is also drafted to be a part of the school play.

We also get the back story for the Fuji brothers, and Koichi’s “evil” turn is just… WAT? His turn on Soshi isn’t quite right to me. Maybe it needed more because Koichi didn’t have such manipulative tendencies from the start. It was such a quick flip of a switch, and I really think this needed one more volume to have a smoother transition to our well-deserved happy ending. I feel bad ragging on something because I wanted more of it, but here we are. This kinda fumbled the ending. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Wanna Do Bad Things with You” Vol. 6, by Yutaka

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

Fuji and Mamori enjoy their time at the festival and once the new semester starts, other students are raving about her festival look, angering Miyu Goda; who prides herself on being the cutest girl in class.

I love the trope of an attempt at bullying not only going over the target’s head, but completely backfiring and making the target look cool. Does that count as a trope? Eh, it does now. Mamori is such a likable person that it’s easy to root for her and great to see her being herself. I love characters who are just earnest and a bit silly, so I’m having a great time with this volume. I do wonder what the deal is with Fuji’s family. This is a perfect lighthearted YA romance, and I hope it stays that way. 4 out of 5.

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“I Wanna Do Bad Things with You” Vol. 5, by Yutaka

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

Fuji and Mamori’s hard work pays off and Fuji beats out his brother in test scores. While this small victory is stolen from them, Fuji makes good on his promise to take Mamori to the summer festival.

I agree with Kei: Fuji and Mamori are too pure and need to be protected at all costs. It’s a shame how life has treated them up to this point and seeing them happy is genuinely heartwarming. I really hope the older brother doesn’t make things more difficult for them. It’s bad enough he manipulates and throws family weight (and money) around to get what he wants and keeps his younger brother in a shitty situation; let the cute couple be happy with each other at least. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sakura, Saku” Vol. 8, by Io Sakisaka

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

Haruki has confessed his feelings to Saku but she thinks Hazuki would be a better match for him because she’s certain he still has feelings for Hazuki and not herself. This gives Iryu a chance to make his move.

 

For some reason, Saku is really ticking me off. She’s not being honest with herself and her own feelings, making decisions about the feelings of others FOR them but also taking advantage (in a way) of Iryu’s attempts to cheer her up. Girl, just don’t deal with either of them if you’re this unsure. Maybe it’s my own bias seeping in, but don’t fucking decide other people’s feelings for them. Saku is inadvertently becoming a toxic “nice girl,” and I really hope she gets called out.

Also, this is how to make a guy kind of an asshole but still likable. Iryu says mean shit, but Wolf Girl and Black Prince should take notes.

3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 35, by Tomohito Oda

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

As Komi’s friend group has increased (only three left till she hits one hundred) she branches out more, going to karaoke where she’s brave enough to pick the first song, and plays silly couple games at a festival. Perspective shifts to Shousuke as his classmates try to get him to laugh and then to Manbagi, as she makes progress in her relationship with Wakai.

This blows through stories, but it’s done well. The pacing allows each one to feel natural, they’re all interesting, and get resolved in the same positive tone this series has maintained throughout. Komi has come such a long way, and it’s so damn satisfying to see her come out of her shell so successfully. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 6, by Aki Kusaka

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

Yuri and Keiichiro go on their school trip where Yuri gets brave and give Keiichiro a kiss on the forehead. This prompts his family to send his older brother, Shotaro.

At first, it seems Shotaro is going to be a kind of punishment for our couple as well as a rival for Keiichiro, but this volume keeps the comedic tone, and he’s more of a goofball. That seems to be a running theme whenever a new character is introduced. They’re forcing Keiichiro and Yuri to follow these strict rules like they’re going to be evily overbearing, but they’re never as awful as one would expect. I like that. We can play with expectations, but on the other hand, the lack of conflict and lasting consequences can make this a little tedious, as it keeps happening without making any progress. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 3, by Kazune Kawahara

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

Koki gets in a fight while defending Sae, who thinks Koki’s secret crush is a girl named Subaru. Rumors also fly saying Sae is dating Ayukawa, paving the way for emotional misunderstandings.

Koki and Iwata also go see a movie together, but it seems like Iwata still thinks they’re just friends and Koki can’t possibly like her. While I did enjoy this volume because these two are sweet together, it didn’t feel like they moved forward. They have adorable chemistry, but this back and forth is going to get old. It doesn’t feel like heightened drama, it’s just circling. 3 out of 5.

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