Tsurutsuru to Zarazara no Aida

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The tag (romance, seinen) and the cover of this manga took my interest for showing only two characters which most likely be something I would enjoy, thus I gave it a try. I expected something like Pashiri na Boku to Koi suru Banchou-san or Karakai Jouzu no Moto Takagi-san since such a romance story seems a trend in seinen manga; a romance story between two characters with comedy created by missunderstanding and/or innocenceness. While Tsuru Tsuru to Zara Zara no Aida is an innocent romance of two characters, it's so different than the series I mentioned before. It's more slice of life-y than comedy and ... there's not much missunderstanding in it.

Tsuru Tsuru to Zara Zara no Aida is a romance story of two characters which focuses on the growth of the couple. When it comes to a romance story especially that focuses in the "growth of couple", the author tends to use an outsider as a third wheel to advance the relationship of the two main characters. I don't say it's bad, sometimes I find it useful when we talk about characters that stuck in the past and can't bring themselves to love anyone anymore (ex. in bitter virgin) or when it's not dragged all along (ex. in Futsutsuka Mono no Ani Desu ga). But usually, the author tends to rely only on it and uses it even if it's unneeded and bring nothing. The worst, some authors use it to milk the series by creating misunderstandings over and over again that the arc seems like just a mere filler. It's the trend in the Shounen manga wich makes me avoid Shounen-romance. It's over-used, uncreative, stupid and often makes the character unbelievably retard. Tsuru Tsuru to Zara Zara no Aida on the other hand, uses another way to advance the relationship of the two characters. Instead of using overused misunderstanding-love triangle, it makes the two characters having a complete opposite feeling about reptile and at the same time successful in making the story believable. It's not over on that, the author uses "reptile romance" as reference of the growth of the couple which I find interesting and very thoughtful.

Tsuru Tsuru no Zara Zara no Aida is a simple slice of life - romance without a complicated relationship or repeated misunderstanding. It's cute and yet, it's a smart and thoughtful one. It's created for people who likes to read a light romance. People who like reading complicated romance/ waifu war or shounen-romance fans on the other hand, most likely will find this manga boring.

Tsurutsuru to Zarazara no Aida is a slice of life romance centered around the relationship of two middle school students--one the son of reptile shop owners and the other a reptile lover. The author does a great job of incorporating reptiles into the series without smothering it. Overall, it's a very warm story that ends quite open. If you like for stories to end explicitly, it may leave you dissatisfied. However, in doing this, I think the author is able to continue the warm feeling through to the end. You have two side romances that are only implied; they never become official within the story. ... Romances can be messy and emotional, but this one just leaves you happy and possibly even loving reptiles a bit more than before.


The art is beautiful and fun with a few 4th wall breaks. The characters are unique and not easily forgettable while still behaving like average people. Facts about various reptiles are weaved throughout the series quite seamlessly. The character development is subtle and natural. The only character I somewhat disliked was the father because the daughter complex trope annoys me, however it creates humorous moments and he mellows by the end creating a heartwarming chapter.


If you're looking for a mellow, happy slice of life romance, this is for you. The reptile aspect makes in memorable and the story is beautifully executed. The open ending may put some off, but if it went on longer the story risked becoming overcomplicated. It's relatively short and sweet and something I'd reread even though I typically don't enjoy doing so.

Just personal scratch.
Advised, possible spoilers.
Opinion & Informal

Art: 7/10
Anatomy and proportions checked out. Hands looked a bit big sometimes. Facial details of male characters was to be expected: basic. Female character details looked good. Not too much nature showcases. Interior design details were pretty bare and basic. Animals (reptiles) looked good, they looked beleivable yet were also able to look cute which I think is a plus for this manga. Art got progressively better as the manga went on, by a bit, but it was noticeable. Backgrounds and supporting details looked a bit better later on. Some things could look pretty plain though. There was maybe ... 1 or 2 dedicated impact shots in the whole thing. Overall, the art was good, the characters (females mostly) looked good, facial expressions were nice, and backgrounds looked above average. The final chapter had a very noticeable upgrade in art quality across the board. The final chapter's art quality was really nice and I would have liked to see that kind of quality in the rest of the manga. My favorite part about this manga was the impact shot in the final chapter of the manga. That was well done.

Panel Progression: 7/10
The pacing was fine. The supporting tones looked fine and were mostly average, but I did like some of the experimentation where tones were used for clothing and shading such as for one of the later chapters where we get to see a full body shot of Tamaki. There was a good amount of panel cutting that looked good and the panel flow was also clear. Overall, clear, clean, and good-looking.

Characters: 7/10
While I wasn't too satisfied with the supporting character developments, I did like how the relationship between Tamaki and Saya panned out for the most part. I felt that the supporting character developments didn't have enough time to come to fruition, or at least to me they didn't feel like they did. I felt that if the manga was going to go ahead and actually give the supporting characters a chance at romance, I would have liked to see the full course. What I mean is is that I would have rather seen the side characters either just full-on supporting the dynamics between Tamaki and Saya or getting the whole package like they were. In other words, I would have preferred their romances to be developed fully since they were given the chance at it. I'll talk more about what I mean and some examples below. Anyways, overall, the character designs were cute, the character dynamics were fun, and (most) of the character developments were satisfying.

Plot & Development: 7/10
What I was mentioning earlier about how I would have liked to see more supporting character developments was that I was sort of disappointed by the end-result of their romances. Shouji's romance never really took off; this is an example. I would have rather not had him develop the possibility of a romance if it was just going to not be developed passed that at all. I would have rather had more focus on the development of the main couple instead. Sure, it was nice. I appreciate that Shouji was able to eventually show a modicum of care for the girl who liked him, but the way it was concluded (or just left off) was a bit annoying. I would have liked to see a dense Shouji develop into possibly realizing his or the girl's feelings. Likewise, the glasses kid's development would have been nice to develop fully or at least further than what we got. His story with the older sister of Saya was cute. I wanted to see more of that. Basically, I want to say that I would have rather had more main-couple development rather than half-assed supporting character romances because by the end of the manga, I felt that the main couple could have used more. Regardless, I felt that what we got for the main couple was fine. My favorite part about this manga was the attention to fleshing out the personality of Tamaki. Tamaki received a lot of excellent personal development by focusing on his inner thoughts and feelings while including believable adolescent tones. However, I would have liked to see the exact same for Saya. I feel that her character wasn't focused on as nicely as Tamaki was. For Tamaki, his start to end as well as his love for Saya felt real, it felt like he actually came to love her. Saya was introduced already loving Tamaki and her love was explained haphazardly; I wanted to see some personal asides for Saya, developing how and why she fell in love with Tamaki and not just expressed by a sentence or two. Overall, I thought that the romantic development left much to be desired (I wanted more intimate stuff, ya know...), but I was easily satisfied with the personal development of Tamaki. Tamaki's growth really showed during his personal asides and especially towards the end when he comes to the realization at how much Saya has changed his life. It was really touching that Tamaki and Saya's journey thus far were acknowledged by their kiss in the final chapter.

Conclusion: 7/10
The ending really had me happy yet sad. I was really happy with what the whole thing was and I was sad that it was ending. I wanted more. I wanted more time for Shouji's, glasses kid, and Tamaki-Saya's romances to progress. The final sequence was nice. It left a lot for them and for their futures. The well-done final chapter is something I will remember.

Overall: 7/10
This is a good romance that is worth reading for its nicely executed personal development of the male MC. Overall, the art, progression, character developments, and story were all good. The only gripe I had about this manga was its relatively short length for the kinds of developments it introduced pretty late. If this manga was longer, I would have liked it that much more.