Aishiteruze Baby★★

Oct 24, 2007

Master10K

Recommended

The story of a young man having a new familial responsibility, foisted upon him, is not a new concept. However Aishiteruze Baby (a Shoujo, Slice of Life, Romance, Drama) is one of the earlier ones that follow this (now) tried and true formula.

Just like in several other shoujo manga, set in a high school; we have Kippei, a student who happens to be a bit of a playboy. Yet instead of being the usual love interest of our mediocre female protagonist, the story forgoes all of that and sticks him in the main driving seat. Sleeping through class and flirting with all the girls who ... approach him. This is until, due to some family matters, he is stuck looking after his 5 year old cousin Yuzuyu. From here the story takes shape, as each volume focuses on newly introduced side-characters and a different issue to do with a variety of themes like: obsession, separation, depression and seeking happiness. Providing the reader with a different feel for every volume, but this also means that you'll specifically enjoy reading certain volumes more than others. I am personally not fond of the 1st volume's story.

However what make the whole experience worthwhile, are the characters Kippei & Yuzuru and seeing how their forced relationship develops over time, into something truly genuine. With an irresponsible teen like Kippei discovering what it means to be responsible, as he takes on the parental role in looking after the adorable Yuzuru. Giving the reader a nice warm feeling, with plenty of cute and dramatic moments, of character development for the pair. And seeing how each volume focuses on a certain/set of side-character(s), they also get a fair amount of depth added to their character. Though not all of them seem good enough to become recurring characters.

But what seems "good enough" to the mangaka, is the artwork. As nothing about it screams "gorgeous" or "meticulous". Just "good enough". With its fine characters designs and a decent level of detail put into them, all tacked together in panels and speech bubbles arranged in a serviceable manner. Nothing special, just typical shoujo.

Overall Aishiteruze Baby proved to be a very enjoyable shoujo manga to read. As a guy into my typical shounen battle manga and seinen thrillers, I am glad that this is my first endeavour into shoujo manga. As I found this story to be very heart-warming, full of some fairly universal social issues and the everyday troubles of looking after a kid. The story never really felt dragged out and it flowed at a steady pace. There’s a decent amount of humour, romance and drama and none of these elements seemed overbearing, which can be somewhat of a double-edged sword, as some of the issues do seem rather trivial. Making it a very casual and heartfelt read.

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Dec 23, 2007

Phill-z

Recommended

This was, quite possibly, the first manga I ever read from start to finish. When I was finished with it it was easily my favourite manga (at that time it was defaulty my favourite) but still today, after reading just a little bit more manga this is still my favourite.

Story: A womanizing idiot has to take care of his 5 year old cousin. It's a frightening concept at first, but it's done amazingly well. The characters fit in perfectly well and the story proceeds at a very nice pace. There are a few side-stories and a few mini-arcs that are a little ...

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Jul 9, 2013

Yuukii_Cross

Mixed Feelings

Okay, so here I go.
It was not brilliant. It was certainely not a masterpiece, but it was better than, let's say, many of the manga out there.
The story revolves mainly around a flirty playboy, Katakura Kippei, who is one day told be his family to take care of his 5-year old cousin Yuzuyu, whose mother has "disappear" (read this as "run off to God knows where"). Other than this... normal family, some other characters are Sakashita Miki, a cousin of Yuzuyu, Tokunaga Kokoro, a classmate, love interest and later even girlfriend of Kippei, and some of their classmates, of which the most ... revelant are Kokoro's two best friends and the new transfer student, Ooga Akari. Not that they steal the spotlight too much, they are pretty much there to create new tensions to the otherwise lacking story. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice read and I did, on some level, enjoy the manga, but that was all. There are so many things that could have been better, better thought, better written.
First, it's the love story between Kippei and Kokoro. It was sweet, something the manga would seem pretty boring without. But, even though it had the potential to be one of those couples where the two lovers suit and complement each other, I got the feeling that it was just thrown in the middle of the story, without managaing to completely fit in. Right from the beginning, it was never really explained why they liked each other. They said they love each other and that they want to be together forever, but it seemed to be more because of the author's wish than for a real reason, like they were together simply because "they should be". Of course, Kokoro said once that she liked Kippei because he's so carefree he seems to have no worries, but I wonder, is that enough? Is it a big enough reason to want to spend the rest of your life with someone? Not to mention that Kippei never said why he loved Kokoro. It could be because she was the cool beauty type, seemingly unaproachable, one of the few girls who didn't fawn all over him, but then again, the same goes for Kokoro's friends. So why did he like Kokoro so much? The best we can do is speculate and hope for the best, as no real reason was given. That being said, the whole relationship seemed kind of superficial, lacking in depth. They said they loved each other, but they didn't really show it. It made me wonder how a relationship like that, where the two parts seemed to have communication issues, could really work out.
Another point in which the plot seems to be lacking is Miki's story. It's said that she had an ordinary, simple life until she saw one of the teachers beating up a boy pretty badly. She told on him, probably to the director of the school, and after that everyting started to fall apart. The teachers and classmates begin to bully her, she begins skipping school as a result, her parents start yelling at her and even hitting her, telling her that she is a shame to their family. And while all this happens, nobody seems to care. Not one of the teachers or classmates tries to help her, and even the boy who was being beaten seems to at least ignore her. This would be a pretty sad and serious situation, but there are no real reasons given as to why everybody acts this way. Why would everyone starts bullying her because she told on an abusing teacher? She seemed to be doing the right thing, so why was there absolutely no one who thought all that was wrong? Are ALL people really that indifferent? If this would have been brought to the police, they could see it as harassement. And why, for God's sake, didn't she tell her parents about all this? It is not made clear wether or not she told them about the beating she saw, but she should have told them about the bullying she was going through. Why didn't she fo it? Because, in her words, "it would make them sad". So she chose to endure it to "protect" her parents, as if they were some fragile, unstable people. This wasn't the case though, and even if it was, she was trying so hard to hold on for the parents she loved, parents who nevertheless didn't seem to notice there was something going on in their daughter's life. Things got so desperate that she tried to kill herself. How can you miss that as parents? Just how wrong can this get?
And after everything was cleared up, the things started to fall back to normal. She was once again happy, and she even said "it's no big deal" about getting therapy. Yeah, because apparently wanting to commit suicide is something every normal teenager wants to do.
And while we're talking about familly issues, let's take a look at Yuzuyu's situation. Her mother got so lonely and miserable after her husband died that she ran away, leaving her daughter in her (the mother's) sister's care. And, after she managed to earn some money and get back on her feet, through the help of some guy she planned on marrying, she of course wanted to take Yuzuyu back, because, hey, she was her mother after all. And she succedeed to do so, because Yuzuyu wanted to go with her. Well, even though I totally understand why a 6-year old would want to be with her own mother, I don't thing it's the right choice to leave this serious matter in the hands of a 6-year old. Even if that's what the little girl wanted, the adults should't have let her go. If this matter had reached Social Service or a judge, I'm not sure the judge would be making the same decission. The mother DID abandon her child after all, and she was pretty unstable to begin with if she ran away like that. Of course you'd be shaken if your husband died, that's no excuse to leave you child behind. Apparantly just because she was sorry for what she had done was enough for her to get away with it and take the child back, from the people who so lovingly and carefully took care of her. Apparently child neglect and abandonment is not serious enough to keep a child away from his/her mother.
Aside from this lack of psychological depth, another dissapointment for me was the ending. After Yuzuyu went back to her mom, the manga fast-forwarded to some time in the future, where Yuzuyu was now a teenager. And that was all. Yuzuyu was writing Kippei a letter in which she told him how she has always loved him and how she never forgot him. Sweet and everything, but it gave me the impression that Yuzuyu didn't visit him again after she left, only there woud be no logical reason to why she wouldn't. He got really attached to her, and she clearly did so as well, so it's safe to say she would have missed him, so she would want to see him again. But if that was the case, then why did she write that letter to him as a teenager? It was probably a way for us to see how much Kippei meant for Yuzuyu (if that wasn't clear by now), but it felt out of place, useless. If you'd see someone you care very much for regularly, why would you write to tell him something that you probably reminded him at each visit about? To me it made no sense. Unless she was talking about a different form of love, a romantic one, but given as she reconnected with Shou-chan again, I doubt that. Not to mention Kippei was probably married to Kokoro by then, which again are only guesses, as the manga never showed what happened to the relationship between Kippei and Kokoro. As far as we know, they could have broken up, or Kokoro died, or whatever else. It's pretty unlikely that something bad happened to them, but I don't think it would have killed the author to say something about the progress of that relationship. Were they still together? Did they marry? Did they have kids? We assume all those happened, but we'll never for sure. That being said, I was pretty dissapointed with the ending, as it let so many things in the air. What about Miki? What about Kippei siblings, Reiko and Satsuki?
All in all, this manga was nice and sweet, not too long, not too short, and that's pretty much all. It's not a manga that's I'll be re-reading very soon. I did like about it that it was told from the guy's POV. That felt fresh and new. And I also liked the female lead, pretty different than those weak, stupid, crybaby, leads we see in a lot of manga. Unfortunately, the manga as a whole didn't manage to reach it's full potential. A lot of thigs remained unfinished, and the serious topics touched by the author could have been much better written, with more care to the psychological aspect. The manga was sweet, I think that's the best way to descibe it, but it also could have been much better, and it's a shame that it wasn't.

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Jun 7, 2010

Gamatoki

Recommended

It was such a shame that I just read this wonderful series. Oh well, I'm really glad I'd come to encounter this one.
It was about Kippei, a good-looking boy, whose as expected, is a womanizer. He's slacking days came to an end when Yuzuyu, his little cousin, move to their house. He was in-charge to take good care of the kid. From then on there would be a gradual change in kippei's personality. He came to understand more about the woman's heart and he became thoroughly attached with Yazuyu. It was such a heart-warming manga. I really admire the development in-terms of Kippei's personality. ...

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Jul 14, 2014

2SugoiToActSugoi

Recommended

Babysitting. Some of us might have done it, whether it’s one of those odd jobs or it’s being stuck with a younger sibling. Especially when you only want to focus on yourself, something prevalent in just about any age group (but especially during adolescence), having someone else to tend to can be one of the most irksome things to deal with. So let me ask you this—what if you were in high school, enjoying a selfish lifestyle that you’re arguably allowed to have (to an extent), only to have a child dumped on you? This is how Aishiteruze Baby starts, introducing us to the prospect ... of Kippei having to care for his five year old cousin, Yuzuyu. The manga is already chock full of issues that must be handled not only delicately but tactfully to create a successful story. Aishiteruze Baby takes this weight upon its shoulders.

One thing that is evident about Aishiteruze Baby is that it’s not a typical shoujo, yet despite all of the realistic issues the manga handles, it sometimes treats itself like one. Although it does put a fairly down-to-earth spin on things, the attempt to mix comedy and drama comes across awkward at best, forming a sort of identity crisis. In fact, it almost gives off a nonchalant tone when things are anything but. The true charm of AiBaby lies in the undeniably sweet relationship between the main characters.

The fashion in which this story is told could be described as a double-edged sword. Every volume focuses on another person’s problems and how they overcome them in the end while also juggling the main story. This ensures that the drama never overstays its leave while developing characters on the way, but there’s a juvenile tone to the storytelling. I found the drama to be half-baked at best, even overbearing for my tastes. Yes, the drama is often underdeveloped and resolved far too quickly to be seen as serious and realistic. Although it’s heartwarming on one side, on the other I just don’t care enough about this new character’s issues to enjoy the outcome—to really feel for them. In fact, it even feels melodramatic for that very reason. On the other end of the spectrum, the most developed arcs include the main characters and they are, by far, the most enjoyable. These arcs are like a speck of yellow in a gray room.

Although the plot could be considered sloppy, Aishiteruze Baby fares better when it comes to charm. There is an inexplicably sweet, warm atmosphere that stays consistent throughout the story, providing a much needed breath of fresh air. This feeling is only reinforced by the art style; while it’s not much different from most shoujo styles, it fits the overall tone of the manga well. The paneling is decent at best but the strongest point of the art is the character designs, which reinforce the overall personality of the character nicely and stand out just enough. Yuzuyu’s appearance is enough to invoke a warm feeling. She’s particularly adorable and her varying hairstyles and outfits only add more humanity to this little girl. The growth of Kippei’s personality shows through the art and Kokoro is drawn in an elegant yet practical way. The art flows nicely and doesn’t hinder the story in any way.

One thing to mention is that there was an ambitious attempt to cater to each character. While scattered, the story features everyone’s side of things, making it a bit easier to sympathize or at least understand some characters. It showed that everyone does, in fact, have things they’re trying to overcome. This gives an eye-opener that many manga don’t consider—though caring is another issue. The attempt to do this was overdone, with some characters getting more screen time than they deserved. Other characters get a rushed explanation of their past when it could serve to have them viewed positively and maturely for a change.

With that said, the strongest point is the maturation of the Kippei and the interaction between the mains. The characters come across bland but their actions were anything but. Dialogue and development aside, the chemistry between the characters could stir hearts on its own. The main three characters Kippei, Kokoro, and Yuzuyu have their place and use it well; romantic relationships are surprisingly refreshing, straightforward, and realistic. They don’t suffer from the cliché complications that many manga overuse, leaving me fairly content. Yuzuyu and Kippei’s interactions are sweeter than sugar and the topic of a foster parent is well handled. Although they’re merely caricatures on one end of the spectrum, their communications were enough to weave a secure, heartwarming atmosphere.

Though overall superficial and varying in quality, one thing that can be said about Aishiteruze Baby is that it brings on some simple warm feelings that are uplifting to experience. Perhaps it’s the adorable and delicate portrayal of important relationships or perhaps it’s just the down-to-earth, relaxing vibe. No matter what it is, most of my enjoyment came from these moments and the most annoying times were when this atmosphere was interrupted by subpar melodrama. This manga is not about drama but instead it’s about the things in between; when this philosophy is taken away, it feels unsatisfying.

So what is Aishiteruze Baby? It’s a simple feel good manga that is a bit too ambitious. Its strength remains in the cute hugs, tender slice-of-life happenings, and endearing relationships. If you look beyond the manga’s flaws, a sweet, heart-warming story remains—no more, no less.

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Aug 13, 2013

deathmailrock

Recommended

Almost a master piece.

This series was extremely great but, the ending seemed so half assed. The last chapter was horrible. If you wanna enjoy the series, then skip the last 2 chapters and take the anime ending. This last chapter was not very good, but the 2nd to last chapter ties in to well with the last chapter.

In fact, it's only because of the last chapter that I'm not giving this series a 10. It was so rushed, but this series was an overall amazing one and I am glad that I have read it. I wish I have read this sooner.

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Jun 6, 2010

rikichi-chan

Recommended

For those of you looking for a shoujo that will melt your heart with romantic dates and awkward kisses, this probably isn't the series for you. But I wouldn't turn away from it so quickly, as I believe you will find this to be a grade above all of that.

Unlike most other shoujos, the focus of Aishiteruze Baby seemed to be on the development of the characters, more so than the development of a relationship. Though romance is prevalent within the storyline, it's not what the story is meant to feel like, making it one of the greatest shoujos I have ever read.

Not often do ...

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Jul 16, 2017

chaeronea

Recommended

As someone who made the mistake of watching the anime first, I was slightly disappointed at the pacing of the story. Of course, there is always more time to carry things out in an episode due to the fact that things are always given more time in anime, as they are about 21-25 minutes long. However, I think there is a pacing issue that lies within the manga. Aishiteruze Baby is a wonderful franchise that will touch you right in the heart, but also has a few things that make it not as great as it should be. I am itching to talk about the ... pacing and the ending, but there are a few things I need to get out of the way first.

I have no complaints about the art. It is drawn in a very traditional shoujo style, and I'm a huge fan of things like that. There was not a particular angle that Maki-sensei showed that she was worse at. All in all, things are very consistent. Almost too consistent. It was like Maki-sensei was playing it too safe with this manga. That's fine, though, I guess. It's better than authors who try to draw harder things than what's in their power.

Almost all the characters were quite close, or even the closest a character can be to ideal. Only two of them I thought didn't make the story any better. Those two would be Kippei and Kokoro. For Kokoro, I think anyone can guess what I'm going to say. She's an independent girl with a few underlying problems she doesn't quite talk about. However, something about her makes her a little too bland for my liking. Kippei never really talks about why he likes her, and quite frankly, I don't get it. Well, Kokoro aside, Kippei has a few flaws, as well. Or, should I say, he has no flaws at all. That's what makes him a troublesome character. He's your usual white knight. Like Yuzuyu says... If every family had a Kippei, then everyone would be happy. I also want a Kippei for myself. Everyone would. However, it would make it so much more interesting if he had a few flaws in his personality.

I highly enjoyed Aishiteruze Baby. It's a heartwarming story that made me feel happiness, nostalgia, and grief. For a story to do that to me is... Actually not that uncommon, but let's ignore that. Anyway, I really liked it. I have no complaints.

Now, it's finally time for the story and pacing. The idea for the story is not the most original thing someone could come up with, but evidently, it creates results. Especially if the author is someone with Maki-sensei's talent. Oftentimes, other authors using the idea of a person with no experience taking care of a child have no clue where to bring the story, other than your well known Usagi Drop, Amaama to Inazuma, and Barakamon. Other than Aishiteruze Baby and those three, there are countless stories with premises like these. However, you haven't heard of them because the authors probably did not know how to expand upon their story, and make their characters move. It's that simple.

The main issue, however, with this story is pacing. It was as if Maki-sensei was trying to foreshadow, introduce, and solve a problem all in one or two chapters. I would understand if every single one of the chapters were fifty to sixty pages, but each of the chapters are about half that length. Occasionally, if you were to solve a problem in one or two chapters, it still ends up okay, but this is not the case. When you have so much to compact into 30 or so pages, you need to do a lot of explaining with just a few panels. You can't afford to show someone crying and make it take up two and a half pages. That just makes the ending rushed and explaining the problem practically incohesive. To put it simply, Maki-sensei has her priorities upside down.

Lastly, let me talk about the ending. Obviously, there are going to be spoilers in this. Please control yourself if you haven't read the series. After watching the anime, they concluded the story at "Yuzuyu's mother can't pick her up because of her own circumstances". That was completely for a reason. After watching the anime, I felt relieved, and totally satisfied with the ending. However, after reading the manga, I had a bad taste in my mouth for hours. That was likely the least satisfying ending I have ever read. I feel like Maki-sensei tried to add too much, and was given too short of a notice that her manga was cancelled, or something. If so, I don't blame her, but really. Having it end there is almost too cruel. Yuzuyu goes back to her mother, and then... Nothing. It's got to be sad for Kippei. There has to be some healing for both Yuzuyu and her mother, seeing as she chose to completely forget about her after overhearing that she didn't have a mother. Yet, we were given the running and hugging mommy scene, and a letter to Kippei ten years later, and nothing. I know that if Maki-sensei were trying desperately to fit everything in, there's nothing that she could do about it, but then she should have shortened everything else rather than... Well, just reference the above paragraph.

In conclusion... I hate writing conclusions. Goodbye. I am done. Have a nice day.

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Jun 17, 2012

Rosamaria

Recommended

This manga was so cute! I probably would have rated it higher but I just finished it and I was disappointed at the end. I was hoping for different outcome than how I suspected it would end....I guess I was hoping the author would surprise me! Oh well, it was still a light and fun read. The characters were really adorable. The male lead was such a sweetheart, I’m pretty sure he was prefect guy. I wish they were made like in real life :D

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Jul 21, 2013

Anastiza

Recommended

This was such an amazing and sweet story ! I became emotionally attached to the characters especially kippei and yuzuyu. The ending was very emotional for me and it reminded me of my love for the kids in my life. If you are a brother or sister or even a parent this manga/anime would be great for you !

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May 15, 2016

Otaku365

Recommended

I did not really have high expectations for this manga, the ratings were not all that high. However I was deeply surprised at how moving the manga was.
The characters were designed well and kept in character. The main ones did not feel shallow and are easy to relate to or like. I thought Yuzuru will be super annoying since I am not all that fond of kids but her cute nature got me. Kippei had became a playboy to a doting parent which was super sweet as well.
The art is cute, it was a bit shabby in the beginning but got better. It is ...

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May 13, 2018

CriticalSmash

Recommended

This is an excellent shoujo series that would be a ten in my book if it didn't have an okay ending.

Kippei is a playboy with no real purpose in life but acting cute and sleeping with female students. That is until he is forced to take care of Yuzuru. Through Yuzuru, Kippei manages to grow up and take life a little more seriously. The whole manga has a happy feel so there's not a whole lot of down moments in his period of growth. The girl he falls with doesn't have a lot going for her and seems almost useless to the story as ...

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