Yuuyake Rocket Pencil

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I read this manga in a very depressed stupor a few years back and I still remember it fondly today. It's about a little girl who runs a stationery shop and that's it, it deals with her emotions, her terrible NEET father, and honestly it just made me feel so warm in the cold months of winter. Seeing a little loli have problems that I had really resonated with me. I don't really have anything to say other than if I read it now and didn't put on my nostalgia glasses I'd be disliking the manga. If you somehow stumble upon this single review on ... a barely known manga, please do read it~
It may not be good but it sure does have heart.

This manga is ridiculously adorable and sweet. The plot ultimately works out unrealistically perfectly to the point it kind of feels off, but it doesn't matter because it's so ridiculously adorable and sweet. The plot focuses on Satomi and her effort to run the shop as various events involving other characters occur, ultimately culminating in the one focused around her and her own family. While her tackling new challenges and growing in the process was definitely interesting in all of these, in terms of the other characters involved it felt like there were side stories going in directions that it felt strange for them to go in. Still, the core story worked ... out incredibly well, and reached an ending that was incredibly strong and heartwarming. The pacing was also good, in that because it was focusing on smaller events, even though there wasn't really any movement in the larger plot most of the time, it was never an issue and still felt interesting. The writing and art also created a warm atmosphere that fit really well.

tl;dr: An incredibly heartwarming tale about a girl trying to run a shop. 

After getting a general idea of the story, I was kind of hesitant to continue reading. The fact that it tolerates irresponsible parenting with an enthusiastic cute little girl who is okay with it makes me slightly angry. The manga gets most things right when crafting a lighthearted slice-of-life, but the premise just makes me uncomfortable. Ultimately, I decided to keep reading in hopes of it getting better. Surprisingly it did, but there are a lot of things left much to be desired in the story.

At the start, it planned to go episodic with no sense of development at all. The dad is a hopeless ... otaku who lets her daughter run the shop. All of the chapters build on this premise, and the way it goes around it in slight deviations is to be expected from the type of genre the manga is in. It's cute, it's heartwarming, but most of all it leaves a feeling of pity. It becomes evident that the girl has some serious struggles between peers, family, and the shop itself. She is refreshingly mature for her age but still has her childish traits intact in which she learns how to deal with naturally just like any other kid. However, there is an effort story-wise in making the overall situation better especially when the dad starts acting like one.

The story does reach a happy ending, but I can't help but feel that it happened too fast for everything to settle down. Given that this is only less than 20 chapters, I expected a bit more from it. It leaves certain subplots half-baked like the one about the mangaka or the one about the delivery girl. It's such a shame really that it started to discover its potential halfway but never managed to utilize it fully. Overall, it's a decent slice-of-life manga that initially tries to reel you in with the pitiful situation of the little girl but eventually evolves from it into a somewhat mature yet partially realized story.