absentminded_reader's review
4.0
Delightful
Story: ★★★★☆
Art: ★★★★☆
It is difficult to put my finger on what exactly I enjoyed so much about this volume because there was so much that caught my fancy. First, the art was excellent. Beyond the shimmery shoujo effects were figures drawn with a great skill that captured masculine and feminine traits, as well as personalities and moods. The faces were wonderfully expressive. Robico & team are not just pros, but artisans.
The conversations, too, were entertaining. The characters, even background characters, had growth. Also, I especially appreciated Robico-sensei's afterword where she expressed a desire to give her background characters more room to shine, but wisely chose to keep them in the background. So many mangaka give into their burning need to turn a spotlight onto background characters. It is always sad to me when perfectly good main characters get shelved in their own series due to the mangaka's lack of restraint.
If I had to pick one scene that stood out for me, it was the karaoke argument. Robico uses a technique where conversations occur outside of the pages, but then have ramifications within the story. This isn't a matter of bad writing where important things happen off stage. Instead, this is an outside conversation that gives the illusion that the characters have lives outside of what we see. The scenes never involve major plot developments, which is why I feel they work seamlessly instead of feeling incongruous. The main characters react to the scene on the pages, providing opportunity for lively conversation. I noticed it in other volumes, but I felt this karaoke scene was done the best because there was a satisfying flashback. Earlier uses of this narrative technique felt a bit jarring in comparison.
Overall, excellent volume. This series is shaping up to be a new favorite.
Story: ★★★★☆
Art: ★★★★☆
It is difficult to put my finger on what exactly I enjoyed so much about this volume because there was so much that caught my fancy. First, the art was excellent. Beyond the shimmery shoujo effects were figures drawn with a great skill that captured masculine and feminine traits, as well as personalities and moods. The faces were wonderfully expressive. Robico & team are not just pros, but artisans.
The conversations, too, were entertaining. The characters, even background characters, had growth. Also, I especially appreciated Robico-sensei's afterword where she expressed a desire to give her background characters more room to shine, but wisely chose to keep them in the background. So many mangaka give into their burning need to turn a spotlight onto background characters. It is always sad to me when perfectly good main characters get shelved in their own series due to the mangaka's lack of restraint.
If I had to pick one scene that stood out for me, it was the karaoke argument. Robico uses a technique where conversations occur outside of the pages, but then have ramifications within the story. This isn't a matter of bad writing where important things happen off stage. Instead, this is an outside conversation that gives the illusion that the characters have lives outside of what we see. The scenes never involve major plot developments, which is why I feel they work seamlessly instead of feeling incongruous. The main characters react to the scene on the pages, providing opportunity for lively conversation. I noticed it in other volumes, but I felt this karaoke scene was done the best because there was a satisfying flashback. Earlier uses of this narrative technique felt a bit jarring in comparison.
Overall, excellent volume. This series is shaping up to be a new favorite.
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