"Flip Flip Slowly" gives off the impression of being a manga about books and library, but that's only the surface pretext concealing deeper layers of personal story. While the first chapter fulfills what is promised to readers from the synopsis, the next few chapters go on to show the masterful pacing with one thing naturally leading to another, never giving readers the chance to slack off or get bored.

Quite the contrary, really - 'cause once readers get their one foot deep into the story, they'll find themselves falling for not only the development in the protagonists' relationship but also the emotional complexity of the characters themselves - which is deceptively straightforward, yet so familiar and true-to-life that the conversations in this manga almost resemble those dialogues found in award-wining slice-of-life novels.

The most impressive feat where this manga really got me is how it portrays grief and the contradicting emotions a child has for a parent who lashed out on their whole identity when part of that identity isn't widely accepted within the small-minded community. It manages to be so personal and ubiquitous at the same time that I never cease to amaze at how much there is for us to resonate with another human being.

I have so many things to sing praises to this manga that I almost forgot to mention the gorgeous art! The facial expressions throughout the ups and downs of the story are spot on! This is possibly my second favorite thing about the manga.

To sum up, everything in this manga is incorporated with careful consideration - each choice the characters made before and during the main story consistently reflects their personality traits so well, thereby highlighting the beauty of human connection - how we slowly come to know a person, explore their trauma and provide them consolation while receiving on our part the warmth of companionship and solace for our own wounds.

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