Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai

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I actually read a little bit of Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai, and then stopped because I thought it was going to be one of those josei manga where the sadistic male protagonist is just bullying the weak female protagonist all the time as she's just helplessly along for the ride, and it's often a boss/subordinate situation too. (At one point early on, Kurosawa even tells Shibata to be his servant.) There's a ton of josei out there like that, and it's a trope I really hate, so I stopped reading. Then I learned it's by the same manga author is the same one ... who wrote Lovely Complex, so I decided to give it another go, and I'm glad I did.

It's true that at the very beginning the two protagonists' dynamic is more like Kurosawa pushing Shibata around. He's constantly dumping on her for being so stupid for being scammed by a guy who has no intention of dating her. But if you can get past that part, their dynamic changes pretty quickly as Shibata starts fighting back. They then end up in a fairly amusing bickering couple dynamic instead. It also is gradually revealed that despite all of Kurosawa's criticisms, he's not really got it together himself, putting the characters on much more even ground, rather than typical aforementioned josei trope that relies on a huge power imbalance, which for me is kind of a turn-off. For those that found this manga because they loved Lovely Complex, this is a definite must-read, because their relationship dynamic is basically an adult version of Ootani and Koizumi's.

In conclusion, if you enjoy the bickering couple dynamic, this is definitely a good one. The author did a really good job at writing a slow will-they/won't-they romance that feels natural rather than artificially prolonged with annoying over-the-top drama. I especially enjoy reading Shibata, as she is an very atypical josei protagonist. She has a lot of character versus the typical bland protagonist.

This is a lovely josei manga. Perfect for the twenty-year old me who can relate to the MC's problems. And, I haven't laughed so hard while reading manga in a loooooong time. Almost every other josei manga is too sexual (for me), while this story is super cute and the lines between the characters are all so witty.
Before I knew it, I finished the manga, which made me sad but there is a sequel!! Though I don't necessarily think it needs one, but I still can't wait to read it. :')

This review is not helpful, but I just wanted to vent my admiration for ... this manga. Thank you for reading and I hope you do decide to read this!

If you liked Lovely Complex, then you will probably like Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai. This should be the kind of story I really go for: corporate cog Shunin quits his conventional job to take over his grandma's cafe, with the ambition of recreating a neighborhood hangout where all kinds of people could come for peace, comfort food, and a restful respite from the stresses of their lives. It all sounds very Iyashikei.

But it is the delivery that I can't get into. There is a sort of romantic tension between the main characters, but the focus is not on the potential romance, ... but on the comic bickering between our ditzy 29 year old unemployable Shibata, and her new/old boss Shunin. The distorted facial features of Lovely Complex are the center of this manga as well. Contortions of chin, lips, nose to display anger and irritation are the mangaka's main trick, a style that she is dependent upon. If you found it cute in Lovely Complex, you will enjoy it here as well. But it is this dependence on the bickering couple that turns the story into an anti-romance.

I admire the mangaka. She seems very relatable and seems to be writing from her own life experience. It's just the style of storytelling, and the lack of actual romance that turns me off. I just don't find it comforting, romantic, or funny to read about couples bickering or fighting.