STORY:
The story follows high-school student Nakagawa Hinata, whose grandfather had arranged her marriage with Joumori Zen - the heir to the Joumori Company. Unforunately for her, Zen is completely opposite her grandfather`s description, with his strict and unreasonable attitude and the rich lifestyle being a constant struggle for her. What do you think will happen in Hinata's life? (That sentence is in every plot synopsis of this manga that I have seen, so why not here as well).
I`m pretty sure you probably have already read the plot synopsis, but I wanted to give a brief idea about the story. Hinata struggle with Zen and adapting to her new life, at first wanting nothing of that. But slowly she begins to open up more to Zen, which eventually leads them to accept each other and fall in love. The story is centered around them, and the moments they experience together, and the struggles they face. Like I said in the start, there is no unnecessary, patted drama, or useless characters that add nothing to the story or characters. The story is extremely heartwarming and engaging, filled with moments in which you can`t help but smile. The chemistry between Hinata and Zen is great and believable. I loved seeing them fall in love, exchange banters, spending time together, and discover new things and experiences. Moments like when Zen feels he won`t be able to keep Hinata happy, or when Hinata is forced to leave Zen, feels satisfying and hit hard. The story also has a grounded and mature feel to it, with little but well-done comedy. There are plenty of twists and turns, heart-warming and heart-breaking moments, and great supporting characters that will keep you entertained, and also progresses the story in a meaningful way.
However, I did felt the story to be underwhelming and under-utilized in some areas. There are several plot details and filler-content which I would have liked to see explored. Like Hinata`s commoner life, her family, and friends; or Zen`s past and attitude before he met Hinata. I also felt the same way with some supporting characters like Sou, Sena, Asuna. While their story felt resolved and satisfying, is not further explored. Most of them do not even make an appearance again, until the very end. I would have really loved to see some of them make a more regular appearance and impact on the story during its critical moments. Several plot points could have also been more creatively done. Like Zen`s and Asuna's relationship, and the overall ending could have improved or further expanded on. On one hand, it is a positive as it allows the story to remain focused on Hinata and Zen. But it also leads the story to be less diverse and feel like the characters and premise are not utilized to their fullest. But that`s just a minor point of contempt that I felt worth highlighting. And honestly, something that many won`t feel. But I think it`s still something worth highlighting, as would surely further improve the manga. And something which I hope would be done if Ore Yome ever gets an anime adaptation.
CHARACTERS:
Rom-Coms are infamous for having their loud, over-the-top, annoying characters, along with couples and love interests not having any chemistry or reason to be in love. I am very happy that`s not the case with Ore Yome. Its characters are its strongest point. I loved and adored every single character and always wanted to see more of them. The main and side characters are well written. Each have a distinct personality and likeness to them, backed up by relatable motives. What stood out for me. Instead of being your standard Rom-Com side characters, each of them has their own life and side to them. Like Arata and Sena being popular idols, Kou being popular and expert fisherman and athlete in his island home, or Rui being a kendo expert. This adds a new dimension and further likeness to their characters. I just wish that they had more dialogue and interaction with the MCs and each other, especially other than during the main plot events. But apart from that, I was really happy with the charters in Ore Yome, and they were my main motive to keep reading the manga. I felt a real connection with them, something that is rare (Especially for a Rom-Com).
ART AND DESIGN:
The art of Ore Yome is just as stellar as the story and characters. The manga is masterfully drawn. The art and designs are more beautiful and elegant in nature, instead of being cute or adorable, as many Rom-Coms tend to be like. This works very well with the type of story Ore Yome aims to tells, and the characters it portrays. It contains numerous gorgeous scenes and art pieces, and the characters look equally great.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Ore Yome, Ore no Yome ni Nare yo is among the best Rom-Coms I have read, and a romance story done right. The story is masterfully handled, with every and all of its moments feeling right and having a tangent effect on the story and characters. And it`s something which many Rom-Coms struggle with. And while I felt the story to be a little bit too short and stringent, I never felt it was lacking or unsatisfying.
There is still much I wanted to discuss and elaborate on in this review. But I`ll end it here, as I don`t want to further extend the review or give any more spoilers. I hope I was successful in conveying my thoughts and I hope you found this review informative and appealing.
If you like good Rom-Coms that focus more on the characters and their relationship, instead of unnecessary drama, you`re going to surely love this.
