Harumatsu Bokura
Waiting for Spring

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

As soon as I noticed there wasn't really a proper review of this manga yet, I decided to grab my keyboard and tell you a bit about this interesting story - without spoiling the main plot.

Story:
So the story evolves around a girl named Haruno, Mitsuki. She has always been a bit of a loner, because she tended to concentrate on studying a lot and just didn't quite fit in. It was her childhood friend Aya-chan, whom supported her in finding a reason to keep going. And so Mitsuki enters her high school, determined to make friends. It's hard to make friends, because nearly ... all the girls in her high school tend to fangirl around 4 guys - 4 members of the basketball team. Let it be that they start to visit a café which is an important place for Mitsuki, she works there part time and it is her place to relax. And they start to tease her a bit, etcetera ectetera..
Anyway, I'm trying to show you by this quick summary that it kinda feels like a typical reverse harem, but don't get me wrong, it definitely isn't one of those stories. It's just your typical romance involving basketball, and which girl doesn't like that? But to be real to you guys, I don't like the story that much, it is surely passable not a thing I'd normally enjoy. That's why I have graded it with a 6.

Art:
Eventhough the story cuts a bit short and reading what this manga was about didn't get me all that excited. I decided to read it anyway because the art style is really pretty. Hell.. I only decided to look into this manga because I thought the cover was pretty and the guy looked pretty amazing to me. Haha. So yeah, the art is a 10 worthy.

Character:
I got to admit that I don't think the characters have that much depth.. But that might just be because the story hasn't come that far yet and the mangaka just simply needs to give the characters more in depth. But as it looks right now, the girl is one of those typical shoujo girls and the guys in this story are those typical type of guys, that you also find in otome games and reverse harems. But yet they have small treats that makes them diverse from the rest and that made me give the characters a 7.

Enjoyment:
Eventhough this manga lacks in some aspects, it's pretty enjoyable to read and surely underrated. A 9 for enjoyment, mmmmhmm! So yes.. Start reading you bastards~! ;)

Overall:
And if you count those all up and do some math, it all comes back to an 8. It's fun to read, so it's definitely worth the 8.
If you are interested in a shoujo manga involving basketball and very cute guys, you should start reading it now ^^

I really like it! The artwork is amazing and it fits my style hehe..
The story is great as well! What I like the most is the characters! Haruno Mitsuki the most is who I relate to! She doesn't seem to be the type of girl that would blush so easily like getting grabbed by the arm from anyone ( I hate things like that) She's a normal girl :)

The boys....oh my lord. Praise Anashin-senpai! (Author) The boys are hot asf and their really nice :)

If you want to read a manga that feels connection with the characters than this is DEFS the right manga ... for you!

(I really like this type of mangas so I keep on reading it over and over again and never bored!(

I thought the character development was decent because there's obvious change and the author incorporated scenarios that would highlight that development which was nice. Overall, it was a good manga to read if you're looking for something easy and light that packs cute scenes, emotions, and good ol' camaraderie/rivalries.

One thing I thought this manga did a good job at was actually showing what the leads liked about one another; it was clear and it seemed more thought-out than other mangas I've seen. But I had pretty serious second-lead syndrome with this one as well...

I hope you enjoy reading this if you choose to ... do so!

Harumatsu Bokura is a light romantic story about love, friendship and rivalry that can easily be read by anyone. The plot is simple but executed brilliantly. The best part of this manga is the little moments between the two main leads and the secondary leads.

There isn't too many grand scale misunderstandings (except for one) and the author instead focuses on the little pockets of character development for each cast. The comedy is great and the direction of the plot is pretty clear from the start.

The main lead girl, Mitsuki is self-aware in a sense that she fully understands her feelings and abilities, which makes ... her different than most female lead. The lead guy, Towa is also a breathe of fresh air as unlike most lead guy, he is oozing with warmth and gentleness but with enough angst that makes things interesting. Rival lead guy also has good characterization and keeps the plot moving forward.

Overall, it is a story that is light but oozing with lots of doki doki moments. The friendship of the four main guys is also such a fun thing to read.

Sidenote: This is far from being harem. There's only two guys competing for the main girl.

This manga has great art, and physically attractive characters, but it is too realistic for me. What do I mean by realistic? The characters are mostly self-absorbed or downright narcissistic. Towa, the main male character, is overly concerned for others, to the point that he is a doormat. Mitsuki, the female main character, strings along the male characters, refusing to make a decision because all that matters is her ego. And the love polygon story is kept going because the editor and author are trying to meet a quota of chapters.

If MAL had a category for most hated characters, I might put a couple ... from this manga in that list. Like all the male characters, I fell for Mitsuki early on. I didn't make it to the end. But even if she "redeems herself", her bad behavior made me sick, and I couldn't keep going.

If you like love polygons, where the main characters don't want to commit to one person but want to string everyone along for 60 long chapters, and generally are total jerks to one another, then you might like this. The art is good. The characters are well drawn. But if you prefer neat and tidy escapist romances with happy endings and everyone behaving themselves, give this one a pass.

If you're looking for a cliche, light-hearted, love triangle "harem", with a little bit of sports, I would say this manga is for you!

Most of the characters are pretty likeable, and the story progresses relatively well. The male and female lead have a decent amount of growth throughout the series, and you find yourself rooting for the side characters too.

The only thing I wasn't too keen about was the love-triangle, as I didn't find Aya a particularly pleasant character, and found his behaviour a bit overly possessive. I also would have preferred if the female lead was more decisive and sure of her feelings ... with the two guys, as after a while watching her going back and forth between the two male love-interests got a bit tiresome and repetitive.

I would say the number one thing that made this manga so enjoyable to read was the art! The characters are very well drawn and you can tell that the mangaka took their time and effort with all aspects of the characters, the backgrounds, set-design, etc. They are all distinguisable from each other and have their own defining features.

Harumatsu Bokura is the kind of shoujo romance that pretty much uses all elements that have been done before, but where it shines is in the execution. The art is, if not particularly pretty, at least very consistent, and the writing is quite solid. The characters are consistent and fleshed out, and it never feels like a flimsy excuse for a tropey "swoon" moment, unlike so many shoujo manga.

I think what's particularly good about this manga is the friendship between Mitsuki and the basketball player boys. They legitimately feel like friends. I know their friendship was written to appeal to reverse harem fans, but it ... doesn't give the usual vibes that these harem friendships usually give. Perhaps because usually the guys are exclusively interested in the protagonist, and so she is the one thread that ties them together, whereas in this, the boys were all friends first, and it feels really natural rather than forced for fan service.

Also, I like the way the romance between Towa and Mitsuki is written. It could have easily been really dull because Towa and Mitsuki aren't very flashy characters, yet the author has such a good grip on their characterizations that it feels like a sweet and natural romance between two people that are really suited to each other.

Really I just have two nitpicks. The first is that Mitsuki's friend Reina kind of sticks out like a sore thumb for being such a fujoshi. She almost feels fourth wall breaking or like an author self insert, although she never quite goes that far. Her friendship with Mitsuki feels the most forced, as if the author felt obligated to give her a female school friend, but they didn't want to bother writing another character, so they wrote an in joke.

The other nitpick is the way the love triangle is written. It's really obvious that Mitsuki has zero romantic interest in Aya, yet they treat him as if he's a real threat to Mitsuki's and Towa's relationship. Mitsuki is written to both clearly have chosen Towa, yet at the same time is anxious over Aya's advances, almost as if she has no choice in the situation, and she feels she might have to give in because Aya is just so insistent. I suppose the author is trying to go for Mitsuki feeling obligated and guilty towards Aya due to their past as childhood friends, but the problem is that no one at any point points out that no one has to date anyone else out of past obligation, and no relationship is going to work anyways if you're just dating them out of pity or something. Everyone just treats Aya like a serious rival, and it continues on like this well past the point of believability, so it just makes it all seem a tad silly.

But, on the whole, I think this is a particularly good shoujo manga, even if I wouldn't call it a top tier, and would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre.

The story is pretty compelling and it does the love triangle trope extremely well. I'm tired of reading romance manga where the "new love interest" is supposed to be a big deal but only last for a few chapters, or the main couple are already endgame by the time they appear so they just get in the way.

The back and fourth of who you're rooting for is created really naturally, and even the side characters plots and stories and feelings have impact.

Art is pretty, some really jaw dropping panels, but overall just normal romance manga art.

Overall I give it a 9/10.

Story:

Harumatsu Bokura is your typical school romance. I wouldn't say it's the most original out there nor the most exciting, since from the very beginning you already know how it's going to finish. Besides, the ending wasn't that satisfactory, since in the last 2-3 episodes the author rushes all the characters to end up paired with someone else and it doesn't give time for the relationships to develop. However, there are some other aspects that make it worthreading.

Art:

The drawing style is really beautiful, all the characters are really pretty.

Character:

... There are 3 main characters and the story revolves mainly around them.

The main girl, Mitsuki, is your typical protagonist, she doesn't have a very strong personality and she's basically a goody two-shoes. This, although makes the story a bit boring it allows to avoid useless drama.

The main love interest is a very polite and sincere guy. He's very conscious about the situation Mitsuki finds herself in and acts very respectfully. I didn't find him particularly interesting but it was a nice change from the typical love interest.

Aya, the love rival, is, in my opinion one of the most interesting characters of the story. He is a complex character, very passionate and goal-driven, and this makes him stand out.

The rest of the characters are there for comedic relief, which is a pity because they are very well written and I think they could have appeared more in the story, or at least have a more prominent role.

Overall:

Although it may not be the most innovative story, the drawing style and the characters make this story a nice read.