Houkago Kitaku Biyori

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Every time Matsuda-sensei releases new chapter of this manga, I cast a forlorn glance at my toaster bath and mutter "not today either, old friend."

Houkago Kitaku Biyori is a slice-of-life romance manga that doesn't attempt to reinvent the wheel. However, what does make this manga stand out is how likeable the male lead is. Typically in a lot of romance manga, if the male lead does end up being well-received, it's usually due to him being the textbook definition of a Chad. Shun isn't afraid to be upfront about his feelings; although, his strong desire to play soccer also elicits weakness that he isn't afraid ... to show to his senpai, Chokki-chan (Naoki Satou).

Chokki-chan is an interesting girl that constantly expresses a strong desire to go home. She ends up dragging Shun around on her antics and becomes increasingly curious about him. Throughout the story of Houkago Kitaku Biyori, while she always wants to make new discoveries on the journey home after school, she realizes that she wants to make more discoveries about Shun as well.

The artwork of the manga is done extremely well, and fits the tone the author is trying to set. Matsuda-sensei's drawings brings out a feeling of nostalgia across the pages. By doing so, it is able to effectively capture Shun's kindness and Chokki's bumbling behavior.

Overall, this manga is extremely cute and drama-free. It's just about two high schoolers going about their lives, not afraid of expressing affection for one another while we watch their feelings unfold and develop. Matsuda-sensei did a masterful job of capturing what youth feels like. As of writing, there are only 36 chapters. Why not give this short and sweet manga a shot? You might find yourself asking for more.

In the romance genre of manga, Houkago Kitaku Biyori confidently falls into the categories of drama-free and wholesome. Accompanied by cute, high-quality art and consistently compelling chapters, all of that would be enough to hook a five or six out of ten from me. The extra digits, however, come from the incredibly well crafted yet subtle character development that tacitly propels the story forward. Despite being a quiet and standoffish MC, Shun Satou is no stereotypical blank face. He has a distinct character and personality, as well as an engaging backstory that is gradually brought to the forefront and helps to better define his growing ... friendship with fellow club member Naoki. Likewise, Naoki (affectionally referred to by her classmates as Chokki-chan) embodies typical moe qualities mixed with a charismatic, whimsical disposition that stills leaves room for enough emotional intelligence to recognize the implicit stakes of a given situation. Simply put, the characters have genuine depth that is slowly teased out with every chapter.

And on that note, the pacing of the manga is spot-on. As you would expect, most of the chapters are a mix of casual interactions, funny situations, and light-hearted "will-they won't-they" teasing. But just as I would begin to grow tired or anxious of all the various charades and games, something would happen that permanently changes the dynamic between Naoki and Shun, even if just a bit, and the plot would move forward in a meaningful way. Unlike the majority of mangaka who write romantic interests into their characters (I'm looking at you MHA), this author actually allows and encourages the characters to *change* little by little without sacrificing cathartic moments of connection and closeness. It is so refreshing to read a story that isn't just some money-milking machine that recycles the same material over and over again hoping that readers will stick along for the ride with the vain hope that in another 100+ chapters the two might brush their hands while walking (gasp), but a worthwhile attempt at crafting a light, original, and sincerely expressive story about two teenagers falling in love. Let's just hope the author can stick the landing! 8/10

6.9/10


An alright fluff romance manga; I don’t love this as much as others, but it’s still enjoyable at times.

The characters are probably some of the most hit or miss aspect about the story; here’s the rundown: Quirky girl meets an emotionless boy, and he eventually changes because of her, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, this type of concept has been done countless times to mild to great success, but this manga didn’t leave that much of an impression on me due to how forced some of the developments were.

As I noted before, the fml is quirky — in fact, she’s too quirky. It’s almost ... like one of those real life people who act a certain way to scream “hey! Look at me! I’m quirky, aren’t I?” Mixed with this, the male lead is inconsistent in his reactions and development with the fmc, but I can pass it off to a freshman boy’s emotions running rampant.

The plot is simplistic — it revolves around the main cast, and there are only insignificant “plot pusher characters” who add comedy or an interaction/depth to the lore of the mc, and they do nothing more. Despite this, the plot is still wholesome at times, but it isn’t anything serious.

This could be an entirely premature review, and the author can make up a sob story with loads and loads of character depth and emotions, but I don’t see that happening, since this manga seems like another fluff story with some inconsistent characters. Flame me all you want, but the lack of character drawl makes it hard for this to be differentiated/have an identity from the rest of the fluff on the market.


You guys know this is just my opinion, right?

Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”