Yumi to Kurumi

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Yumi to kurumi is a bittersweet slice of life tale that illustrates one's personal growth and happiness in a shott span of 8 chapters.
 
 Enter the life of Yumi Tanaka; a socially inept office lady who thinks lowly of herself. After stumbling upon a sentient doll that deems to bring happiness to its owners, Yumi's life began to change for the better. 
 For a relatively short read we got to see Yumi's healthy development of becoming a better person, that doesn't feel forced or shallow in a way that got me intrigued as to how it will goes down. The story itself is cute and simple, and ... easy enough to follow, as it is short, however the shortness of the story is also its shortcoming: It is very shortlived that I wished there were more chapters to further explore more of the story. 
    As for the art, the artworks and paneling are smoothly drawn and articulate to follow, it synergizes well with the cute and innocent artstyle. 

 Overall, I'd rate this manga a 6/10, I honestly can't rate it any higher. It has good potential and  I wish there was more to it. Yet I would still recommend it when you got 20-30 minutes or to spare.

"A stuffed doll...? Did someone throw it out? He's ragged, but still smiling..."

A story about a girl and a doll. But also, a story about the small joys that make the pressures of adult life bearable. A story about learning to become yourself.

There's a lot to love here. Yumi is a highly relatable character, awkward among her work peers and a misfit in general. It's heartwarming to see how her affection for her stuffed doll, Kurumi, brings her back to her abandoned hobby of sewing, and how injecting these little moments of happiness into her life spur her to make changes in her professional life ... as well. Suguru, the proprietor of a sewing shop, is also a lovable character, whose appreciation of Yumi's foibles and idiosyncrasies support her personal growth.

The art is lovely as well. It's polished and charming, so that even Kurumi's frozen smile emotes and warms the heart. Kurumi says that Yumi "sparkles" when she's happy, and the art reflects this; her joy jumps out of the page. The details are lovely as well, with fabric-covered buttons and the seams of Kurumi's little denim jacket conveying the care the characters put into their work, and that Uruhiko put into this manga.

Yumi to Kurumi is a story about a girl and a doll, but it's a lot more than that. It's about adulthood, and self love, and being true to yourself. And I think it's something anyone could enjoy.

It's a story about a girl and a doll.

The story is mostly how she interacts with the doll Kurumi and how the doll changed her to become a better person, meeting new people, working on her own happiness.

The art style is smooth with a nostalgic '00 style that remembers me a lot to the mangas back on those days that felt more heartwarming for it's gentle lines and designs.

The characters are kind of plain but you can't expect much in a single volume manga.

The enjoyment is something very subjective, since some might like action, others like myself, prefer a more chill experience that attracts ... you with it's athmosphere, and let me tell you, this mangas has lots of it.

If you want a manga to read and relax, this is definitively it.