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2 of 10 people found this review helpful
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1 of 4 chapters read
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I'll update this review when the rest of the volume is translated and uploaded so right now, I'll just focus on the first story: The Bean Sprout Boy and the Seed Girl.
STORY: 6/10
The first story concentrates on An, a fatherless high school student living alone with her mother. Since it's just the two of them at home, a lot of space isn't used up so one day, her mother brings home her subordinate from work, a man called Touichirou Yamada. A young man living at a house inhabited by two ladies? Of course responsible, obstinate An would take the wrong idea.
Seeing as this is a one-shot story, I firmly believe the mangaka could have further expanded this story to take up the entire volume. I mean, imagine all the drama and all the misunderstandings the situation would cause! It could have taken the manga's genre into comedy! However, Koyoma Kariko (the mangaka) keeps it simple and the plot actually takes on a mild-serious tone. To avoid spoilers, An is fatherless and her mother bringing home a man only causes her to assume her mother was trying to replace her deceased father. Cue misunderstandings and An constantly being dramatic, and you pretty much have the entire enchilada of this story.
ART: 8/10
For me, I thought it was very well done. The lines are smooth; the effects are nice (not an overdose of the whole 'sparkle' effect, as is common in shoujo); hair is quite detailed; the scene backgrounds haven't been neglected; and the eyes aren't too big (which is a big plus in shoujo, personally). Do I even have to say any more?
CHARACTERS: 6/10
Yes, I know it's hard to make characters come alive in 50 pages but...
Man, in shoujo, it's really hard to find a likeable main character, especially when it comes down to the heroine. For me, An was quite annoying. I know I only had to endure her for 50 pages or so but the way she just kept overacting and smooshing drama all over the story -- I didn't like it. Yes, I'm aware she's meant to be stubborn and such but I just wished she'd take a breather and think things through more carefully... before she misunderstood completely. (She also needed to learn to be a little more respectful towards her mother... She's a high school student... but for heaven's sake.)
Her mother was less than fine. She had no personality whatsoever and if there were more characters in this story, her mother would easily blend into the background. Aside from her cheeky side, I found her character really bland.
Touichirou Yamada was at least quite interesting. Being a plant lover and having a gentle soul... He appealed to me. I don't stumble into a lot of plant-loving characters in shoujo (at least... in the mangas I've read) so it was quite refreshing. And to be honest, he stood out more than An did, haha.
ENJOYMENT: 6/10
I stumbled on this just as I was about to go to bed and I guess it was enough to make me sleepy by the end. It's nothing like a masterpiece (after all, I've only read the first chapter) but it isn't too bad either. It doesn't make you laugh out loud or shed tears but it gives off a nice calming atmosphere (for me, at least). It's something you can read to unwind at the end of the day, I suppose.
OVERALL: 6/10
It wasn't too great, it wasn't too bad either. It isn't too cliche or flashy. The story is quite simple but personally, I thought it pulled it off quite well. In the words of MAL, it was fair.
STORY: 6/10
The first story concentrates on An, a fatherless high school student living alone with her mother. Since it's just the two of them at home, a lot of space isn't used up so one day, her mother brings home her subordinate from work, a man called Touichirou Yamada. A young man living at a house inhabited by two ladies? Of course responsible, obstinate An would take the wrong idea.
Seeing as this is a one-shot story, I firmly believe the mangaka could have further expanded this story to take up the entire volume. I mean, imagine all the drama and all the misunderstandings the situation would cause! It could have taken the manga's genre into comedy! However, Koyoma Kariko (the mangaka) keeps it simple and the plot actually takes on a mild-serious tone. To avoid spoilers, An is fatherless and her mother bringing home a man only causes her to assume her mother was trying to replace her deceased father. Cue misunderstandings and An constantly being dramatic, and you pretty much have the entire enchilada of this story.
ART: 8/10
For me, I thought it was very well done. The lines are smooth; the effects are nice (not an overdose of the whole 'sparkle' effect, as is common in shoujo); hair is quite detailed; the scene backgrounds haven't been neglected; and the eyes aren't too big (which is a big plus in shoujo, personally). Do I even have to say any more?
CHARACTERS: 6/10
Yes, I know it's hard to make characters come alive in 50 pages but...
Man, in shoujo, it's really hard to find a likeable main character, especially when it comes down to the heroine. For me, An was quite annoying. I know I only had to endure her for 50 pages or so but the way she just kept overacting and smooshing drama all over the story -- I didn't like it. Yes, I'm aware she's meant to be stubborn and such but I just wished she'd take a breather and think things through more carefully... before she misunderstood completely. (She also needed to learn to be a little more respectful towards her mother... She's a high school student... but for heaven's sake.)
Her mother was less than fine. She had no personality whatsoever and if there were more characters in this story, her mother would easily blend into the background. Aside from her cheeky side, I found her character really bland.
Touichirou Yamada was at least quite interesting. Being a plant lover and having a gentle soul... He appealed to me. I don't stumble into a lot of plant-loving characters in shoujo (at least... in the mangas I've read) so it was quite refreshing. And to be honest, he stood out more than An did, haha.
ENJOYMENT: 6/10
I stumbled on this just as I was about to go to bed and I guess it was enough to make me sleepy by the end. It's nothing like a masterpiece (after all, I've only read the first chapter) but it isn't too bad either. It doesn't make you laugh out loud or shed tears but it gives off a nice calming atmosphere (for me, at least). It's something you can read to unwind at the end of the day, I suppose.
OVERALL: 6/10
It wasn't too great, it wasn't too bad either. It isn't too cliche or flashy. The story is quite simple but personally, I thought it pulled it off quite well. In the words of MAL, it was fair.
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