Story - 8
The story has a slice of life romance vibe that you can find anywhere but this time, you already knew the characters. Well, not exactly, as the main protagonist is the opposite of that in the main series as it starts off with Yuki Nagato being shy and reserved.
The manga suffered from a rough start mainly due to the introductions being convoluted and fast paced. I can understand that since everyone who gonna read this possibly already knew the characters and it's hard to make an introduction of an already introduced set of characters.
But as the story goes on, it becomes lighter and easier to follow like your average slice of life story so I suggest not dropping it and continue reading until the end because I guarantee you that it is worth it.
Art - 9
Just like the story, the art at first has excessive use of tones and stacked panels per page, this is one of the reason why I said the introduction is convoluted.
The character designs are also hard to be distinguished but it will be fixed later on. To be honest, I had a hard time knowing who is who between Tsuruya and Asakura at first chapters because of that. But yeah it gets better and better until you can easily recognize the characters distinctively.
And lets not forget the use of chibis and the artist's deformed style that gives uniqueness and cuteness to the manga. But the main reason why I gave art a high score is the facial expressions of the characters especially Nagato's. You'll know when you read it.
Characters - 8
As for the characters, the development is there but it is not so much. First off, obviously Nagato's personality is the main thing to be develop but that's it. We see Kyon being Kyon but with a little courage, Haruhi, Mikuru and Koizumi being as they are but without the mysterious vibe around them, oh and Asakura who became conscious about her goals in life. There is nothing to write about the development (except I write one lol) but seeing them living their lives happily gives you contentment.
Yuki Nagato's character is easily the best out of all, she's the main protagonist afterall. What I'm saying is her character surpassed my expectations. I was reluctant at first and saying that I like the silent type Nagato in the main series more, but after reading, I can proudly say that I like both of them now, or maybe even more than the silent type. You have to really read this manga if you want to get to know the new and improved Nagato.
Enjoyment - 9
For me, the definition of enjoyment when reading manga are: when you look forward to reading more chapters, when you unconciously smile while reading, and when you feel that you became a part of the characters' lives. This manga captured it all. I always find myself smiling especially on later chapters which makes this a really enjoyable ride. There are so many happy moments and a one sad specific arc.
Overall - 9
Overall I find this manga as somewhat like any other slice of life/romance I've read but with a pinch of uniqueness. Why did I gave it a 9 then? Because I love slice of life genre as it gives a breathe of fresh air to my mind and maybe soul. Mind you I only read the ones I really like or want to read that's why I have a high mean score on my list, 7 being the lowest and 10 as the highest, but some scores are outdates so I will work on that.
And lastly, I would like to thank the author for bringing new life to Yuki Nagato! Hope you guys will try this heartwarming manga too!
