Ranked #2580

Ayu Mayu (Manga)

Ayu Mayu is an Ecchi, Romantic, Comedy that sadly contains every Rom/Com cliché imaginable but it makes it work, with incredibly wacky comedy and nicely done romance.

The focus of this wacky romantic comedy is an orphaned boy named Yousuke who dreams of reuniting his long lost little sister. After years of searching he finally reaches his goal however he runs into a major obstacle… there seem to be 2 girls who have the potential of being his little (Ayu & Mayu) and he has no way to determine which one is his sister. So there you have it; the entire story is basically about Yousuke trying to find out which one is his real sister. Sure the logical thing would be to have some kind of DNA test but this is a comedy and a very illogical one at that. So expect to witness the most random, hilarious and plain retarded moments imaginable. If you’ve seen or read something like Onegai Twins then you’ll certainly know that this manga’s story is anything but original. Nonetheless it doesn’t stop it being fun to read. Each chapter tends to have a standalone feel but thankfully the story actually progresses from one chapter to the next, which makes the cliché riddled adventure and sweet romance worthwhile.

The 3 main characters are pretty much what make it all worthwhile. Yousuke acts like most of the male protagonist found in most ecchi rom/coms and is usually at the butt of many jokes and misfortunes, but his attitude towards the girls is a huge merit. Then we have the story’s heroines who are pretty typical of any manga of this particular genre. Ayu is your standard tsundere whose annoying from time to time, whereas Mayu is honest and kind hearted and basically the complete opposite of Ayu. These 3 characters develop so much in such a short period; however when it comes to the supporting cast… They’re as forgettable as my morning chores and not worth mentioning.

For this kind of manga I must admit that the artwork is pretty good, but everything from the character designs to the environments was just too plain. I just came from reading another ecchi manga with its art style almost identical to this, which got me to see the artwork for how unremarkable it is. At least it improves as the manga progresses.

Overall Ayu Mayu turned out to be a pretty enjoyable Ecchi, Rom/Com, with plenty if hilarious moments. Nevertheless any experienced manga reader would easily be able to determine at least 3 different manga that this mangaka recycled some material from (Ichigo 100%, Love Hina, Onegai Twins, etc.). Although this is mainly the case for the 1st volume, as the story undergoes some improvements and contains plenty of plot twist. So if your in the mood for a blatant in-your-face kinda rom/com then check out this manga, as you may end up enjoying it.
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