Adachi to Shimamura
Adachi and Shimamura

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ABSOLUTELY WORTH A READ IT IS THE CUTEST ROMANCE EVER NOT JUST FOR GL BUT FOR ROMANCE GENRE IN GENERAL.

The characters are so cute and relatable and the novels are just so well written and realistic, and their relationship grows so well it makes reading every novel worth it.

Definitely a slowburn but all the development does happen it just takes some time.

There will be a total of 12 volumes and the manga has covered up to 5 as of now.

If you like bloom into you and citrus (apart from the step sister part it was adorable) you will definitely like this theres also nothing controversial ... in here and everything is entirely wholesome (though there may be some spice in volumes 11/12 not to spoil).

Adachi and Shimamura is what results in a blend between two sets of rather opposite ingredients with their own special effects and preferable gourmet utilization, which unexpectedly coalesce so smoothly and naturally by the support of destiny and fate into a compound of pure, wholesome romance between two girls.

The primary sensation I have of reading Adachi and Shimamura for the past 3-4 months is one that one might feel on a journey on the boundless bodies of water, where the mode of transportation constantly changes, ranging from a relaxing afternoon on a lifebuoy as I feel the waves moving me so and so, to and ... fro, an experience on a cruise ship with minimal personnel, and to a deep underwater dive as I transform into a purebred marine creature exploring the sensibilities of human persons in the likes of our main characters--where in every expedition, a shore is present, perfectly allocated in the most appropriate coordinates such that the reader would experience comfortable pacing and feel a sort of longing on both terrestrial and aquatic territories as they travel from one place to another, thus an appreciation for both the yin and the yang and the two pairs of ingredients arises.

I mention the abundance of travel, but truly, the momentum is that of a casual stroll to the gardens most of the time, as one carefully appreciates each and every species of flower present. You cannot feel seasick reading the light novel--on the contrary, actually. The passage of time progresses with grace, and you are inclined to embrace nature and its elements.

To talk about the series more concretely, I heavily adore how the guide leads us uphill even after the supposed peak of majority of romance stories--the confession and the getting-together. In Adachi to Shimamura, it only gets better in the succeeding events as the payoff from several volumes of the developmental stage provides much more substance to itself and its previous parts, the satisfaction coming from the realization of Adachi's dreams as the cherry blossom tree finally blooms affectionate, love-filled leaves following a whole youth's worth in the cryosphere, and the understanding of Shimamura and her own efforts to actually start to care about other people, shaving away the ice she's incased in, rendering her feet incapable of motion. The acknowledgment of dates, hand-holdings, sleepovers, bicycle rides, ping-pong matches, weird boomerang usages, a long, long time of overthinking, sleepless nights, self-loathing, inertia, listlessness, and meaninglessness, all efforts of the two girls are rewarded, and continue to be, by the hard work of our two protagonists.

The prose is consistent and is written in a style which develops the centralized characters individually, and then the execution weaves the many subtle and clear metaphors together to form a cast filled with tranquil chemistry. The characters are usually likened using the elements of nature: animals, non-living entities, temperature, and so forth. Hence, the unity brought by their many interactions produces thoughts of "Man, these pairs are so perfect together, they complement each other so well that it always leaves me content," and "Man, these pairs are so perfect together, I wish I have my own significant someone soon." I felt the latter a great deal throughout the 10 volumes thus far, and it's a testament to the power of Iruma's penwork on romance. He awakens the poet within me.

Diverging slightly, Yashiro is such an interesting concept character. I love it every time she appears. Her being the embodiment of weirdness, mystery, and surprise in the vessel of a silly little child is always pleasurably entertaining to read. That is not to disregard her value within the context of the story. Yashiro as a younger version of Shimamura enhances the latter's characterization tremendously.

Staying on this tangent a bit, Adachi is so precious to me. Her character was something I absolutely needed in this phase of my transient life. Adachi lives her life to the fullest. She is so incredibly honest and expressive with her words and essentially her body gestures all over exposes so much about her personality that she literally becomes an open book. She is straightforward and moves one way only: forwards. A headstrong girl similar to a newborn chick, basically, she is a painful reminder of what I was, what I could be, what I should be, and what I shouldn't be, as a human being with a different deck of cards on hand. Adachi makes me cringe. She makes me feel itchy, exposed, and embarrassed. Yet, she makes me awestruck at how hardworking she is to achieve her dreams--to reach Shimamura and make her think about her a lot that in the end, Shimamura's closet of ice cracked and she became genuinely in love with Adachi.

It feels good when Shimamura initiates for Adachi. It feels good when Adachi is rewarded and she is granted the affection she seeks. I was honestly caught off guard with the approach Iruma took with their relationship and Adachi's character especially, how Adachi being all about Shimamura is tolerated despite its potential to be a full-on toxic potion. Still, they were able to work it out, and they became functional adults in the end even able to travel abroad. So it all worked out. Adachi still does not need any friends, whereas Shimamura still values her family and everything else to fill the hole of her heart.

It put me in contemplation: greed is perceived to be different in this case. Shimamura was represented as the one greedy for needing many things to complete her, but is that not the most common progression for society? Is not the epitome of greed Adachi, what with her galactic love for Shimamura, actually neglecting everything else? And so I arrived at a conclusion of how greed is actually not an objective scale, for even Adachi was able to make her own greed reasonable with her and her mother's conclusion.

What hinders this to break a 9 and above is perhaps the lack of fireworks conjured within me. Adachi to Shimamura, as I said, is more "moderate" in its writing, and I think that it wasn't enough to elicit strong feelings for me as I was reading (except for Shimamura's Sword though, that was SOMETHING). Additionally, perhaps I limited its impact myself by the unintended confines of relatability. I am moving on from such era of my life, and so the efficacy of the novel was enfeebled.

I did enjoy traversing the world of Adachi and Shimamura, and the time I spent reading this was definitely one I would not regret, as I have made a newfound appreciation of my own identity, and the fact of my puny existence.

So I have just finished reading all 9 volumes of this series, as my first Light Novel series ever I feel like it's worth writing a review. I read this series at a furious pace, I finished volumes 3-9 in less than a week, that's 1 volume a day or so. The first thing I have to say is that of all the Yuri media I've ever seen (not a lot), this has absolutely been the best. However hailing this series as a 10/10 masterpiece just seems wrong, I want to explore why in this review.

Minor spoilers ahead! I will be as non-specific as ... I can!

The first time I heard of Adachi and Shimamura it was from browsing the list of anime that would be airing in the winter 2020 season. I watched it every week and gave it a 7/10, I enjoyed it a lot and I was hungry for more, so I leapt on the chance to read the light novels. I started from the beginning and it was well worth it, Volumes 1-4 which the anime adapts are simply not the same without the extended inner monologue of both deuteragonists. These volumes also have slightly weird pacing, where one chapter is almost entirely setup for another chapter where an event like Christmas or Valentines is taking place. Now to be fair, the event chapters never disappointed, but once you arrive at Volume 4, things really start looking up and the series starts getting more interesting to read as more things happen than just: Adachi wants to say a normal thing but says a weird thing and her face turns red. It's under the blossoming sakura trees that set the scene for the beginning of their second year of high school where there is a noticeable increase in momentum.

So let's talk about the good.

THE GOOD
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First of all, Adachi and Shimamura are both good characters. They both noticably develop as the series progresses and their perspectives can sometimes really have great emotional impact. Adachi's story is one of breaking out of one's shell and trying her absolute best for the one thing she has found that she is not entirely indifferent towards. She isn't braindead and indecisive, she's super driven and on the flip-side, also super awkward. It's hard not to find yourself rooting for her, and the experience of seeing her triumphs and failures is a joy. Shimamura's story is similar to Adachi's, in that she is finding something in the world that she is not entirely apathetic towards, unlike Adachi, she wasn't always an apathetic, asocial person, it's constantly hinted that she underwent a major personality shift in middle school. She has only recently started to see most things in life as bothersome. Her inner monologue about the pains of living with the memories of your past self as well as becoming jaded with the world will be relatable to many readers.

Second of all, the interactions between our characters are interesting, hilarious and adorable. I've heard many series be described as 'cute girls do cute things', but to quote a video essay I watched on this series, this series is 'awkward girls do awkward things', and it works brilliantly. It captures the cringy enthusiasm of young love in a way that so many other series totally fail to do.

Third, our supporting cast is interesting and has a lot of potential, I enjoyed Hino and Nagafuji's interactions, and while at the start I totally hated Yashiro, by the end I had grown to love her as a fun and simple character who can easily bring a smile to your face. Where you might expect her to cause friction in the story, she often has the effect of being a positive and funny addition to scenes and doesn't end up getting in the way.

Four, its a very entertaining series and once you get to about Volume 4, you probably will not want to stop reading. It's pleasant and keeps drama on the minimum, its nice and relaxing and will have you smiling, laughing and cheering for the awkward romance of these two girls. There are also some really touching scenes that are quite beautiful, I have a lot of praise for Shimamura's bit in Volume 6 that did quite the job of developing her character. I didn't cry but I could certainly understand if you did.

Now, onto the bad things about this series. As much as I would like to say there's nothing wrong with this series, there is a fair amount to talk about.

THE BAD
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First of all, the biggest issue of the series. Imagine a batter playing baseball, the ball goes flying towards them at high speed, its a fastball, a perfect pitch. But the batter is ready, they were prepared for this kind of pitch, their form is on point, the swing is textbook. It looks like it's gonna be a home run! The ball looks like its about to go flying out of the park. The bat hits the ball right in the sweet spot ...but the ball just fell on the floor and barely moved? Well, thanks for indulging my gratuitous metaphor, now how about I explain what I'm talking about.

That fastball is any kind of possible drama or issue in this series, its well set up, it builds up for a while and comes hurtling into view. Similarly, the actual problem occurring is on point …the issue is, there is entirely no follow-through! The perfect example for this is what occurs in Volume 6 in the chapter 'Shimamura's Sword'. The long monologue in this chapter was absolutely heart-breaking, in a way, it was actually haunting. While reading it I was actually reminded of 'broken Emilia' from Re: Zero season 2, like I could hear the 'Call of the Witch' creepy sound in my head, or the strangling scene in Evangelion. A well written, total meltdown. Surely this was going to cause some huge drama? Well, no. This incident has close to 0 consequences for the story and for their relationship, because, apparently, the person on the receiving end of this monologue zoned out and wasn't paying attention. Yeah... That person doesn't even recognise a conflict has taken place. If the author didn't want to deal with the drama, why did they go through the effort of writing it?

This issue doesn't just occur once, remember Tarumi? Despite being a character created almost for the sole purpose of creating drama and adding a love triangle element to the story, after the events of Volume 5 where it really seemed like her relationship with Shimamura was going to go somewhere, she becomes totally irrelevant! Another rapid fire conflict with no follow through, Adachi's intense and overbearing jealousy, again, major conflict that is just glossed over and swept under the rug. Remember Adachi's resolution to change? Well after taking a bath one time, she certainly doesn't! Why is Shima the way she is now? What major transformation did she go through? Take this chapter that does not explain that properly! It's frustrating and is most certainly to the series detriment.

Second major issue, nothing is done with the supporting cast. Hino and Nagafuji, I'm looking at you two! First of all they are wasted as they don't get a lot of chances to interact with our deuteragonists, I would have really loved to see them used as a vehicle to develop Adachi's character but nope, nothing ends up being done with them. Also, after reading so many bonus chapters, even dedicated side story chapters with these two, basically nothing has happened with their relationship, they have airhead conversation and Hino talks about Nagafuji's boobs a whole lot, and they think of staying together long into the future, so at the very least, it seems to be pseudo shoujo ai stuff. But their only major character development chapters were in Volume 4 and Volume 9, its frustrating that their story does not seem to be going anywhere given how many pages it is taking up in the later volumes. There are also random side stories that are like what ifs, as well as random perspectives that are teased at becoming relevant but never do. You're eager to dive into Volume 6, but the first chapter you get is a what if story about what if Adachi and Shimamura met in Kindergarten, at first you feel enraged that the author is going to wheel out a trope that they met each other but just didnt remember, then all of a sudden it is ended by telling you that what you just read never happened. Awesome! It was from this side story onwards that the amount of side (filler) content started ramping up too. Yashiro is also a big offender, while I initially read the first few volumes I was always wondering what big story purpose she was going to build up to, well, she hasn't done that, instead she has just been a quirky and quite enjoyable side character who occupies the latter half of filler.

Third issue, the author, Hitoma Iruma, seems to be growing tired of the series or running out of ideas. Non, the illustrator who did Volumes 1-8, has also left the project. After Volume 6, filler content started increasing in frequency and size, where they used to be 'bonus chapters' tacked onto the end of normal chapters, now they make up the majority of chapters in the book, then in the newest volume, the side content makes up most of the text too. In the latest volume, the word count has fallen to around 40,000 words from where it was previously around 50-60 thousand. Worth mentioning that the latest release, Volume 9, also has a really ugly cover and features no illustrations. The biggest blunder in my opinion is the 'insurance ending' that Iruma has prepared as of Volume 8. I was really let down by this as the story was still continuing and the actual ending itself was rather unclear and lacking detail, you actually have to go read the Anime Special Novel 2 to flesh it out to any reasonable degree. It seems like a careless way to go around ending a piece of work, and seems rather devoid of any passion. It is a shame too because the present day chapters in Volume 8 were actually great, maybe some of the best in the series. Unfortunately, I found Volume 9 to be severely lacking and it is probably the weakest entry in the series so far, one of the huge moments for the main relationship here takes place at a random table in a non-descript mall with not a lot of build up, once again failing to resolve an issue in a satisfying way.

CONCLUSION
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Adachi and Shimamura is not the 10/10 masterpiece I have seen it praised as. There is plenty to complain about with it, and the series does not seem to be getting better at this current time. However! It is still a very enjoyable series, so much so that I read all of it in around a week or so (volumes 1-2 in Dec-Jan and 3-9 this week). The romance is pretty good, and of all the yuri series I have talked with others about or watched it is by far the most normal and respectful depiction of a yuri relationship. The overall story is nothing to write home about, but the characters are well written enough to make up for it most of the time. Most important of all to a *true romance fan*, this series will make you feel warm and fuzzy and put a smile on your face, which is a great indicator of well-executed romantic feelings. Don't go into this series expecting any kind of conflict or drama, its gonna be awkward girls do awkward things and its not aspiring to be more than that. I think this series overall is a 6/10 from me, lacking in story, but with good characters and great illustrations by Non, manages to be very enjoyable.

SUMMARY
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+Good characters
+Good romance (with W.A.F.F.)
+Funny, cringy and cute
+Touching, emotional moments

~Overall story quality is decent slice-of-life
~Cliched moments

-Conflicts remain totally unresolved
-Too much filler content that never goes anywhere
-Downward trend for the series
-Given an ending devoid of passion

6/10