10/10 (9/10)
If this manga's cute art could nourish one's soul as much as one's stomach, then world hunger would become a myth. While art was the main pull for me, the story has certainly been no less entertaining (10 chapters in thus far).
Characters:
The best part of the characters in Mayonaka are that they don't lean fully into one archetype, making them funny, relatable (mostly), and endearing.
First, the MC: the personification of confidence, the person that seriously treats his sh!t seriously (seriously), the scion of the Yamabuki family. He could leave this manga and go start his own slice of life series and it would
...
become a massive hit overnight. He would save truck-kun from being run over by a high school girl and then isekai both of them-
The MC truly brings the comedy to this manga, throwing off everyone else's pace and replacing theirs with his own. His confidence mixed with his sudden bouts of meekness balance out and create fun, bubbly interactions between him and the rest of the girls. He's neither too submissive nor too assertive, both humble yet confident, and dorkily adorable all the way. His personality is one that makes you want to root for him, and that makes reading this series that much more enjoyable.
I've already put a lot in the character section so I'll quickly go over the 4 FMCs. Describing each in one phrase, they would be: perfectly ditzy, smugly tsun(dere), confidently shy, and arms length friends. Let's ignore the last one (because she doesn't fit in my narrative :D). Like the MC, they never flip too hard onto one "side" of their personality, making it hard to predict how they'll react to the MC's antics and letting you cruise along the manga's happy fluffy vibe.
Plot:
Like another person has said, Mayonaka appears similar to Quintessential Quintuplets. MC is trying to find a girl from his past, only knows her from her voice, and finds four girls who all have voices and parts of mannerisms that parallel the girl he's searching for (Quadrassential Quadruplets!!). There are flash forward(s) of the girl he's trying to find, wedding photos, clues from school events; all that's missing is a paper that can rival the insanity of Yotsuba theory. It's a formula that worked for Quintuplets, and it doesn't falter for Mayonaka. The sense of mystery when each chapter changes who you think the mystery girl is, the gradual opening up of the girls to MC, and their growth and support for each other goad your finger towards that next chapter, then the next, then the next, until you've hit the end of currently released content.
Where it differs most from Quintuplets, however, is the characters' motivations. Whereas in Quintuplets the main motivations were their father and later, affections towards MC, Mayonaka puts more emphasis on each characters' dream careers/passions. Their dreams, even the MC's dreams, aren't just reasons for the characters to interact; they are genuine, core drivers of their character. It takes away focus from the romance aspect, which makes interactions natural and rewarding. Not only are they growing closer over time, they're also brilliantly working towrads their dreams, which always brings about happy and fuzzy feelings.
The plot might not be especially big brained or deep, but neither does it give you a sense of terror from second-hand embarassment, nor is any character being neglected both in romance and in passion. Its wonderfully relaxing and charming.
Art:
52/10, amazing, superb, sho cute, I want to gobble up the pages- The characters are expressive, dynamically posed, funnily panneled (panneled funnily?), and overall just a treat that blesses the eyes. Everything is so polished, so jubilant, even the onomatopoeia pop and flutter. Mmh, I think I've simped enough for the art now. Anyways, its amazing, incredible, fanta-gah!!
Recommend?:
*Cough*... Like I said at the start, just the art alone is enough to read this. But even if that's not one of your priorities, Mayonaka, following similar footsteps to Quintesential Quintuplets, has the potential to become a great in the romcom genre. Its characters, while not incredibly deep, are certainly not flat either, and have plenty of room to grow as the series continues. I can easily see myself coming back after it ends to cry, both because I'll miss the upbeat interactions and character relationships, and also because the girl I was rooting for didn't win (none of them have blue hair or like baking right?!).
If you're looking for a light, bubbly romcom with a side of mystery and passion for one's dreams, all glued together by amazing art, then Mayonaka is for you.
If you're looking for a rambunctious romcom after a long day, where you can unwind and escape from reality for a few moments, then Mayonaka is for you.
And if you don't know, then Mayonaka is DEFINITELY for you. Try it, you won't regret it. Cheers~!
Dec 18, 2023
Mayonaka Heart Tune
(Manga)
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10/10 (9/10)
If this manga's cute art could nourish one's soul as much as one's stomach, then world hunger would become a myth. While art was the main pull for me, the story has certainly been no less entertaining (10 chapters in thus far). Characters: The best part of the characters in Mayonaka are that they don't lean fully into one archetype, making them funny, relatable (mostly), and endearing. First, the MC: the personification of confidence, the person that seriously treats his sh!t seriously (seriously), the scion of the Yamabuki family. He could leave this manga and go start his own slice of life series and it would ... 
Jun 10, 2023
Minor spoilers ahead for characters and plot. Also, it's been a while since I've read volumes 1-3, so most of this will be based off of volumes 4-5.
This series, in a sentence, is a feels-good isekai power fantasy-and if that's up your alley, then I would definitely recommend this series. Characters: Characters are more or less pretty generic. The main character has little personality outside of being a normal Japanese isekai protag, and lacking a lot of common sense because of his "perfectly normal" training arc. The white mage is similarly fairly generic, her quirkiest quirk being that she's a heavyweight (drinker). I know that ... 
Feb 13, 2022
Rokka no Yuusha
(Manga)
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This is my first review, so please forgive the rookieness.
Now then, with the excuses out of the way, Rokka no Yuusha--a story about a merry band of heroes going out to defeat an evil god(dess?), courageously beating up monsters along the way. Except one of them is an imposter. Story (minor spoilers for volume 1): 10/10 At first, Rokka no Yuusha's story doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. Underdog protagonist goes out into the fantasy-like world, beats up some people, meets a cute girl with high authority, becomes one of the chosen ones (braves), and then starts his journey with the cute girl from ... |
