Mushiro

DNF – this is about a 25-year-old woman who is a fangirl. She spends all her excess money being devoted to one musical actor. She forgoes lunch to spend time with his live stream, and to save money. But due to workplace politics she does not want to be “out” as a fan girl at work. One day a lovely young man feeds her in the park after a bird takes off with her lunch. She tells him everything. Turns out this random guy is her new coworker. I just could not do this book any longer. I do not get “fandom” life or idols, so to me this is just a young woman acting like a 10-year-old and playing at being an adult. Even the way things are written is dumbed down and childlike, and very unenjoyable.… (altro)

can't decide between a 3.5 or a 4. If 3.75 was a thing, I think that would be the closest star rating.

SPOILERS BELOW!

I take back what I said about this being a slow-burn romance in volume one. The romantic relationship milestones went from ten to two hundred in this volume! I do like that this volume doesn't let misunderstandings fester for too long. I hate miscommunication tropes, especially unnecessary ones that are just to generate "drama". This volume doesn't do that, it has the characters talk it out fairly quickly. Almost... too quickly. This volume seemed to run through several rom-com tropes at a breakneck speed. The potential for a love triangle is brought up and teased for about two pages and then immediately squashed. The main couple gets together in the first chapter and decides to get engaged in the last chapter. Deciding to date to getting engaged in the space of a single volume is insanely quick! Akari opens up to her friends about being a fangirl and dating Ritsu, only for it to be revealed that it was just a big misunderstanding by both Akari and Kaho. Nothing really feels satisfying, because it flies by so fast! I felt like I got plot whiplash the way it flew by so quickly. I think this is the last volume? I can't tell, but I saw a tiny "The End!" on the bottom of the last page, so I'm going to assume it's the last volume for this series. A pity, I thought it would be longer, going off of the feeling from the first volume. This series was short and sweet and is a quick read good for a fluffy pick-me-up.… (altro)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Akari is a twenty-five-year-old office worker who is hiding the fact that she is a hardcore stan of a popular Idol, and is having the worst week ever. She's totally broke and used the last of her money to buy a 200 yen convenience store sandwich, only to have it stolen by a pigeon! She comes across a stranger who kindly offers his bento lunch to her in the park across from her work. While eating, Akari spills everything to this kind stranger. That she's broke, that she's an Idol fangirl, and that she's trying to pretend that she's not broke nor a fangirl in front of her co-workers. After all, she's never going to see this person again, right? Well, that's what Akari assumes until later that day she meets her brand new co-worker Ritsu, who is the exact stranger she gave away all of her secrets to! This was a very cute and comedic manga. This first volume leans more toward the comedic side than it does toward the romantic side. Akari is someone who is very relatable, as she's an adult trying to live her life doing what she enjoys whilst maintaining her polished image at work. The relationship between Akari and Ritsu so far has been for the most part comedic, but something about their interactions with each other is fun to see. They're almost popular opposites of each other personality-wise. Akari is bubbly, bright, and extroverted, whilst also being frugal and a tiny bit of an airhead. Meanwhile, Ritsu is quiet, calm, and introverted whilst being a person who grew up in a rich family. Opposites attract is always a fun dynamic in stories! I'm also pleased that this is a fun romance story between two working adults, instead of just spice. It also looks like it will stay PG-13, which is a nice change from most "adult" romance manga I stumble across. Nothing wrong with spice, just sometimes I want a cotton candy fluffy romance instead. It feels like the romance between those two may be a bit of a slow burn, but I honestly can't tell. I think this will be a fun fluffy series to read as a pick-me-up. The cliffhanger was mean though, I'll have to seek out the second volume immediately! The art style is a bit more simple than other romance mangas I've read, but honestly, the simplicity adds to the charm. It's clear this is meant to be a romantic comedy instead of just a plain romance. I do like the art style, it's sweet.… (altro)