Bokura no Shokutaku
Our Dining Table

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"Our dining table" is an incredibly cute albeit quite short story about a romance forming due to an unusual relationship.

It is a heartwarming story, which beams with wholesomeness and very likeable protagonists. The interactions between each and every character comes out positive and there are next to no conflicts that aren't solved within three panels. This makes the manga quite the uplifting experience, although it does make it a bit less believable.

It must also be told that "Our dining table" is a short story, hence the Characters and overall setting aren't fully fleshed out. Therefor it may leave one in an unsatisfied position when ... it ends. Although the entire plot and drawings were handled with care by the author.

Regardless of that I would recommend it as a quick and fun read for in between.

I bought this manga used from a local shop, I didn't even read the back. The front just had its own energy. You can feel the wholesomeness radiating from it!

The art in this is wonderful and soft. Just looking down at the pages makes me smile. It is very reminiscent of 2000s slice of life shoujo manga. The panelling is well thought out and flows with the eye nicely. I enjoy the art. Although it is not unique in anyway it is still good. Art doesn't need to be unique for it to be enjoyed and add to the story. The art is simple ... and sweet just like the story.

The story is wholesome and tugs on your heart. Two boys meet due to one chaotic little brother, food and found family, queer writing with heart, grief, and the struggles of being adopted. All of these are to be found in this manga. The story is contained in one thick volume. It is about as long as three standard volumes. The story is fleshed out and helps give you a better understanding of the characters and their feelings. It feels very true to life without being too saddening. The characters are defined and relatable. All in all I really enjoyed this manga! I 100% recommend to anyone looking for a wholesome slice of life romance!

I can see what this manga was going on. A wholesome portrayal of two non-conflicting adults and one adorable child. The problem is, it feels empty.

There is a lack of any “meat” to the story. The manga feels more like an outline of the content than the actual final product. A quick, fleeting moment without much context before and after it, just hastily thrown together. Sure, you could argue that the wholesomeness enough is what makes this great, but I wouldn’t value the one here that highly. It certainly is no Yotsubato.

The art is pretty good, I’ll admit that, and it’s mainly thanks to ... it that the main appeal of wholesomeness works at least to some degree. However, the manga still goes by without any real memorable moment, ending as suddenly as it begins. Is the notion of this being a consensual relationship between two males a.k.a. this not being a terribly cliché BL enough for the manga to be considered great? Maybe within the genre, but for a more general rating, I’m sorry but my standards are a bit higher than that.