Aug 6, 2022
This community has been absolutely doused in quirky boy-girl romcom lately, and this series does not exactly do a whole lot to iterate on the formula. With that said, though-- the character writing is great and the dynamics are kept fresh enough to not really get boring, even if it is a very slow burn. My biggest gripes with this genre are generally as such: either character A is completely shy and passive and character B is driving the entire story, or character B exists as a "gimmick" character with a bit that carries through on every sketch. This story is not like that-- all
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of the characters are fleshed-out wholes, all pushing and pulling on their respective romances in equally important ways. All of the characters have agency, and that's great.
I don't enjoy Ayumu's kouhai and was annoyed by her presence in a lot of the chapters, particularly the excessive depiction of her in romantically sensitive scenes with Ayumu later on, but I do like how she is eventually fully integrated into the Shogi club dynamic, where the underclassmen become wholeheartedly engrossed in shogi and are able to carry on the legacy of the club the next year.
As far as gimmicky modern romance manga goes, this is probably the cream of the crop. It does have yonkoma vibes but it benefits from being a fully featured series.
If you're looking for some simple reading to lift your spirits without providing much to chew on, this isn't a bad choice.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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