Mayonaka Heart Tune
Tune In to the Midnight Heart

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Where do I even start? ARISU YAMABUKI IS THE GOAT!

The plot is good and all and so are the heroines of our story, but Arisu Yamabuki carries it so hard. The mangaka went so hard with writing this main character because HE IS SIMPLY THAT GUY. Going into the manga, I did not expect a lot. I found it on Reddit and I thought to myself, "It's 11 pm so I might as well just read brainrot." First chapter in, and I am already ASTOUNDED by Arisu Yamabuki. He is NOT your generic, romance main character. Not only is this guy bold as hell, he ... can BACK IT UP. Nineteen chapters later and I will NEVER stop praising him. He is the epitome of peak character writing. He should be an EXAMPLE to all other mangakas when it comes to writing character.

No more to generic, perverted and stupid main characters! Arisu Yamabuki is the model!

8.9/10


There have not been many instances where the first chapter in a manga screams “star potential,” no less than a harem; however, this manga does just that due to its balance of characters, mystery, and the extremist comedy.

The plot is relatively basic; as all harem mangas go, there is an objective, and the mc accomplishing said objective gets the fmls to fall in love with him in the process. Eerily similar to “Quintessential Quintuplets” though, there’s a plot device of mystery that will last until the series’ end. With this manga’s well-written pacing and introduction, the anonymous search of the main character is much ... more engaging than other generic harem counterparts.

The characters are rather basic with their plot lines — redemption arc, shy girl that opens up, the overly kind girl that gets close, etc — however, they all have redeemable qualities and are distinct while not overpowering each other. So far, the author has balanced the screen time for each character decently well, further deepening the characters. The main character in this instance is the source of the “com” in romcom, with him being the bud of most jokes and humorous dialog. Though his character is somewhat well-written and developed, most of the jokes seem to be forced, which does add a certain “cringe factor” to the manga. Despite all the inducing cringe, his character is rather unique to the genre and is quite a rusher from the stuffy “blush at every sight” type of harem protagonist.

Whether or not this manga will be the greatest harem manga of all time is too early to tell, however, it does have the potential to be it — no matter how low the actual hurdle is. As of now, this is a well-written manga with a few plot hole “face-palm moments,” but it’s full of depth and intrigue.

…
31 chapters in, this is even better than I thought, and it is actually the best harem of all time. Yup, I’m gonna die on this hill. Every character is just .. perfect. There’s no wrong options, and the author still leaves so much intrigue and mystery with each girl while developing them. Seriously, Uzuki may be one of the best written characters in a harem I’ve seen, along with the mc.

Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”

10/10 (9/10)

If this manga's cute art could nourish one's soul as much as one's stomach, then world hunger would become a myth. While art was the main pull for me, the story has certainly been no less entertaining (10 chapters in thus far).


Characters:
The best part of the characters in Mayonaka are that they don't lean fully into one archetype, making them funny, relatable (mostly), and endearing.

First, the MC: the personification of confidence, the person that seriously treats his sh!t seriously (seriously), the scion of the Yamabuki family. He could leave this manga and go start his own slice of life series and it would ... become a massive hit overnight. He would save truck-kun from being run over by a high school girl and then isekai both of them-

The MC truly brings the comedy to this manga, throwing off everyone else's pace and replacing theirs with his own. His confidence mixed with his sudden bouts of meekness balance out and create fun, bubbly interactions between him and the rest of the girls. He's neither too submissive nor too assertive, both humble yet confident, and dorkily adorable all the way. His personality is one that makes you want to root for him, and that makes reading this series that much more enjoyable.

I've already put a lot in the character section so I'll quickly go over the 4 FMCs. Describing each in one phrase, they would be: perfectly ditzy, smugly tsun(dere), confidently shy, and arms length friends. Let's ignore the last one (because she doesn't fit in my narrative :D). Like the MC, they never flip too hard onto one "side" of their personality, making it hard to predict how they'll react to the MC's antics and letting you cruise along the manga's happy fluffy vibe.


Plot:
Like another person has said, Mayonaka appears similar to Quintessential Quintuplets. MC is trying to find a girl from his past, only knows her from her voice, and finds four girls who all have voices and parts of mannerisms that parallel the girl he's searching for (Quadrassential Quadruplets!!). There are flash forward(s) of the girl he's trying to find, wedding photos, clues from school events; all that's missing is a paper that can rival the insanity of Yotsuba theory. It's a formula that worked for Quintuplets, and it doesn't falter for Mayonaka. The sense of mystery when each chapter changes who you think the mystery girl is, the gradual opening up of the girls to MC, and their growth and support for each other goad your finger towards that next chapter, then the next, then the next, until you've hit the end of currently released content.

Where it differs most from Quintuplets, however, is the characters' motivations. Whereas in Quintuplets the main motivations were their father and later, affections towards MC, Mayonaka puts more emphasis on each characters' dream careers/passions. Their dreams, even the MC's dreams, aren't just reasons for the characters to interact; they are genuine, core drivers of their character. It takes away focus from the romance aspect, which makes interactions natural and rewarding. Not only are they growing closer over time, they're also brilliantly working towrads their dreams, which always brings about happy and fuzzy feelings.

The plot might not be especially big brained or deep, but neither does it give you a sense of terror from second-hand embarassment, nor is any character being neglected both in romance and in passion. Its wonderfully relaxing and charming.


Art:
52/10, amazing, superb, sho cute, I want to gobble up the pages- The characters are expressive, dynamically posed, funnily panneled (panneled funnily?), and overall just a treat that blesses the eyes. Everything is so polished, so jubilant, even the onomatopoeia pop and flutter. Mmh, I think I've simped enough for the art now. Anyways, its amazing, incredible, fanta-gah!!


Recommend?:
*Cough*... Like I said at the start, just the art alone is enough to read this. But even if that's not one of your priorities, Mayonaka, following similar footsteps to Quintesential Quintuplets, has the potential to become a great in the romcom genre. Its characters, while not incredibly deep, are certainly not flat either, and have plenty of room to grow as the series continues. I can easily see myself coming back after it ends to cry, both because I'll miss the upbeat interactions and character relationships, and also because the girl I was rooting for didn't win (none of them have blue hair or like baking right?!).

If you're looking for a light, bubbly romcom with a side of mystery and passion for one's dreams, all glued together by amazing art, then Mayonaka is for you.
If you're looking for a rambunctious romcom after a long day, where you can unwind and escape from reality for a few moments, then Mayonaka is for you.
And if you don't know, then Mayonaka is DEFINITELY for you. Try it, you won't regret it. Cheers~!