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Cheer Cheer is ostensibly a "fetish comedy" but it fails to achieve either. The fetish is simply voyeurism and panties, but it is relentless and uninspired. I'm not even sure what the comedic part is supposed to be, maybe just how much of a pervert the MC is? In that case, then it is Cheer Cheer's only joke. He is a pervert and everyone enables him for *reasons* while the plot tosses around random ideas that go nowhere before it mercifully stops. I guess the art is occasionally fine, that is until the next panel when we have the privilege of seeing the MC's dumb ... face again.

This is a fetish work and an especially egregious specimen at that. Without going into great detail on the subject matter, you can safely judge the book by its cover at a bare minimum. Then, just crank your imagination up a few more notches in the worst way possible, note that there is a face in a toilet at some point, and if you don't like what your mind has conjured then please do not read this. Even if you persist, then note that the topics on display are so unfocused and aggressive that it even fails to accomplish the most base standards.

The art ... style is off-putting at best. Typical for the genre are the almost not-awful women and the universally hideous men, so be assured in your selection of any other manga.

Of special mention are the randomly transparent men. Some see-through shenanigans are not unusual to anime/manga, sometimes it is easier or more expressive, but the use is frequent and distracting.

In short: I don't like it at all.

Natsu wo Oboeru is fine. Unfortunately, that's all it is: fine. More eloquently it is a slice of a not-very-interesting life. A guy hangs out with his friend, his teacher, his other friend, and his teacher once more. Words are said, awkward nudity is interspersed.

Much like the author's other works, it is difficult to recommend Natsu wo Oboeru because while passable you could just read almost anything else and have a more fulfilling experience. Still, Natsu wo Oboeru is short and determinedly inoffensive enough that if you have managed to stumble upon this page then you might as well just read the thing.

DoLL is weird, but underwhelming. To its credit, DoLL is at least unique and I can't think of any similar work off the top of my head. It succeeds at invoking a particular kind of awkward discomfort, but then it doesn't do anything with that emotion. Beyond the initial reveal, very little happens for its brief length. The main characters almost talk about things, characters come and go to perv on the girl, and then it ends. Its subject matter almost seems to demand discourse or even shock but it does so little that it feels pointless to develop any opinion on it beyond exasperation. ... Your time is better spent elsewhere.

I think that the main story of Aoi Spice is a very solid 6 but I enjoyed the side stories (well, 2/3) enough to bump the overall rating up to a 7.

There are plenty of other works that does the shoujo romance plot with more nuance, but Aoi Spice is short, sweet, and everything it needs to be. Though simple and straightforward it does not overstay its welcome by skipping quite a bit of the drama you may find in most shoujo manga.

If you are interested in the handcuffed plot point then know that it does not last very long and feels a little ... contrived. Afterwards, the relationship develops in a comparatively natural direction, which is why I read through to the end.

If you like simple romances and you stumble on Aoi Spice then you may as well read this one. If your cultured tastes require depth and complexity, read other manga.