Mayple-san no Koucha Jikan

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All right so, first time writing a review. Lets try to make this good.

My first time reading this manga was a long time ago, probably a year or 2. At the time I was bored and I was just browsing through random manga looking for a good read. Then I saw this manga. It sorta managed to catch my eye because its title was relatively long and I found the spelling of "Mayple" interesting. At the time, the manga only had a around 3 chapters or so, so I never got the chance to finish it at the time, but it definitely left a strong ... impression on me, an impression strong enough that I managed to remember after this long of a time.

STORY

Being a 10 chapter manga, the story was rather short. Despite the short story, the author still chose write this story as a series of shorts. Each of these stories serves the purpose of showing Mayple being increasingly accepted into the community. Usually this takes the form of a person being added to the group of people that support Mayple. The cafe is used a central point throughout the entire story. Near the climax the plot gets quite unpredictable and it really helps make it climatic. However, all in all, the story is not very strong. A lot of cliches are used, and the story is fairly predicable most of the time. At the end the author wraps up with a nice epilogue.

CHARACTORS

Because it was only a 10 chapter manga, the characters could not have been well developed. A lot of the characters are very cliche and get sidelined after their respective stories are told. The only character that is really developed is Mayple.

ART

The art was good. I really can't say it was spectacular or anything, but it was definitely above average. The panels were framed and composed very nicely and the art was high quality. I feel it was just done right. However, it had nothing that made it particularly standout, it was just typical.

ENJOYMENT

Despite the fact a lot of the elements of this manga were weak, I really enjoyed this manga. I found it very heart warming. Because of this, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light, enjoyable manga to read.

"Those sweets are made by hands that are stained all over by blood."
"Past memories can't be erased so easily, huh?"

Mechanical dolls were used in a war that has since ended, but the horrible actions of these mechanical dolls still linger within the hearts of everyone. What's to stop them from continuing to murder? It's better to just get rid of them all. I can't trust her. Even though a bloody war precedes the event of the main story, it's a slice of life. Lots of inaction, more of a focus on dialogue and emotional and character development. It's an uphill battle for Mayple to bring ... joy and happiness to the townsfolk who have lost many loved ones from her kind.

The art is very good, Mayple is always a particular delight to look at drawn out, with her long flowing hair and beautiful maid dress. The art is similar to that of CLAMP, with pretty female outfits, pretty hair, soft visuals in general.

We have two main characters, Craw and Mayple, one a human, the other a mechanical doll without any desire for combat. Craw decides to take the first step in forgiveness for the human race and help Mayple. She opens up a tea shop, but of course, she has to win the hearts of the townspeople first, being a mechanical doll and all. There are a fair number of side characters, each with their own backstory and character development, but sadly, many of them of one-and-done characters, an unfortunate after-effect due to the short length of the series.

The series is 10 chapters long, 2 volumes total. With that length in mind, you can get a rough idea that because of that, the story is a bit rushed, despite being a slice of life. Any plot, issues, unique events, etc, are usually resolved within the chapter. The series could have certainly benefited from a longer length, which would have allowed it to flesh out its characters more, the world building in general, and certain events in the story could have had a bigger impact to the reader.

It's a short read, which ultimately becomes its biggest issue. It's good and has some memorable moments, but the story becomes a bit predictable and it doesn't feel like it really offers anything new or particularly unique to the table. Mayple is absolutely precious though, and it's almost worth reading purely for her.