Pen to Chocolate
Pen and Chocolate

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Fun art style, easily readable, great characters, probably got axed.

Not the best or most original plot, but I was never bored and I consistently felt compelled to keep reading. The actual plot is secondary to the development of the characters and relationships (which is not necessarily a bad thing given how well-written the characters were) but it does show. There is a great energy in the beginning of the series that comes from seeing the main character fall in love with her job again and again -- the author's passion for their work comes through each time the main character finds her motivation again. The ... ending definitely feels rushed but at least it ties up loose ends.

The characters are definitely the best part of this manga. They were all unique and lovable without falling relying on convention. The love interest is appealing in his actions and mannerisms rather than appearance or any type of off-the-page reputation, which makes it easy to follow along with the progressing romance plot. The little details the characters have and notice in each other feel incredibly human as well. I also appreciated that there were various fat characters, since that can be a bit rare in manga. The ending definitely felt rushed in terms of character development as well -- the implied "happily ever after" is difficult to resolve with the characters' behaviors in the rest of the story.

Overall, a fun feel-good read, but I wish it had the chance to fully conclude.

Great start, great characters, awful finish. I assume it got axed, but even then, this is an awful way to end a manga.

The premise isn't too horribly original: struggling mangaka gets a new editor who is quirky but dedicated, and falls for them. The genders are reversed from some of the other struggling mangaka stories I've read before (Comic Studio, Koimoku), but the basic ideas are the same: to make it as a mangaka you need to pull all-nighters, you need to pay attention to detail, you need to be creative, you need to balance your artistic impulse with the readers' preferences, ... etc.

Pen to Chocolate starts out a pretty good version of this story. The mangaka and the editor are both likable characters, with their own little personality quirks that make them funny and interesting. The mangaka's attraction to the editor is explained well, despite the fact that he is pretty much a geek and a slob. They do a good job of introducing and discarding other romantic interests.

And all the while, the editor is slowly helping the mangaka become better at her job. Supposedly.

Except that then the last few chapters hit. And everything we thought we knew about the mangaka's career trajectory turns out to be wrong. And then there are time skips. And more time skips. And suddenly they try to pull out a "happily ever after" ending, except the author never explained how it happened and also left the romance completely ambiguous.

Just awful.

I understand that sometimes manga--even otherwise pretty good manga like this one--get axed and need a rush-job ending. This is a case study in how NOT to do it.

6/10