Ranked #5912

Tonagura! (Manga)

When I started to read Tonagura, i was basically expecting to get a few small laughs, but not to be "wow'd" by anything. And when i started reading i was surprised to find that... it really was just as basic as you can get for a romantic comedy, 2 childhood friends meet up after years apart and a romance forms. But that's not a bad thing, it takes things pretty simply, never going to far over the top, and giving the reader a very nice feeling overall, watching our 2 protagonists fall in love.

Anyways, the plot is one of those dime a dozen stories. 2 families used to be neighbors, the Arisaka's and the Kagura's, and each of them had 2 children a piece. The children played together all the time, but unfortunately the Kagura's had to move one day and the younger sister of the Arisaka's, Kazuki, never got to profess her love to the eldest sibling of the Kagura's. Yuuji. Skip ahead 10 years, and the plot begins with the Kagura's moving back in. Kazuki has been dreaming of his return for years and wonders what kind of guy Yuuji has become... Only to find that hes a total perv. Yuuji is a bit let down too because Kazuki isn't as "accepting" as he had hoped (laughs). Thus the story begins as the 2 begin on awkward footing towards a relationship. The plot is very simple, nothing you'd be amazed by, but still nice to read every once in a while. The stories are well told, the writing is pretty good, and there is some pretty good character growth in the series. Overall its a very safe story, a little perverse (read very perverse), but enjoyable none the less.

The characters are what really make this story worth it mid you. Lets start with the 2 leads, both have fairly common personalities at first glance. Kazuki is rather hot headed, and quick to anger, but at the same time, shy around people she doesn't know, and really rather innocent. She really is quite a bit more pure than the rest of the cast, and this is probably why shes always kicking Yuuji's ass for peaking on her. Speaking of which, Yuuji is probably the complete opposite of Kazuki. He's forceful, and always outgoing, never afraid to voice his opinion. He also has a magnet in his forehead which is only affected by large breasts... by which i mean he will leap onto beautiful women when given the chance. Both of these characters personalities bounce off each other so well that you can't help but root for them and laugh at all the stupid stunts they pull on each other, even when they are usually seen coming a mile away.

Now there is a whole list of supporting characters, and I could easily go on about each and every one of them but i think ill only concentrate on the sisters. That is Yuuji's younger sister Marie, and Kazuki's older sister Hatsune. Both these characters work wonderfully when paired with the main couple, and actually bounce off each other in a similar fashion as well. Hatsune has a thing for Kazuki, being her older sister and all (although you always wonder....), and is determined to get her and Yuuji essentially married. Marie on the other hand disapproves of her older brothers lecherous ways and tries to suppress his assaults on Kazuki by any means (usually with deadly force). Thus an epic war basically ensues between the two, Hatsune to get Yuuji and Kazuki together, and Marie trying to keep them apart. Both characters are hilarious, and are probably the most memorable characters of the series. They both have unique characteristics and have decent growth of their own.

Overall Tonagura is still very simple, but very enjoyable. Sure the stuff has been done before, and its not exactly breaking any records, but its simple, its sweet and I probably enjoyed it more than most of the more main stream comedies out there. I'd defiantly recommend at least checking it out as you'll be sure to get some laughs out of it. read more