Jan 7, 2021
So I re-read this for the first time ever, and I want to get this off my chest. This manga is definitely aimed at young teenage girls with lots of fantasies and can't grasp age gaps. Indeed, this is a story that romanticizes a relationship between a minor and an adult, and a student and teacher nonetheless! There are so many overall plot and story aspects that make this manga somewhat unpleasant to read, but it's all disguised under the cutest art style ever to distract you from it.
When it comes to the story and characters, I feel so bad for Shishio because even
...
though I like him (he is too handsome), many of his actions were simply unacceptable. Homeboy was grooming a lil 15 year old girl - like what !?!?!? He is, as Mamura states in the manga, an adult acting like a child. He is older than me and can't justify how his feelings came to be. What was he doing all along? Everything started so wholesome, maybe seeing a younger sister in her and wanting to protect her. I feel bad that he let himself get swayed by Suzume's personality and innocence, and it is not at all Suzume's fault (she was just living her life!). In fact, Suzume was affected by their relationship, and it was so painful to see them hide their true feelings. It was hard and annoying seeing her hurt and make bad decisions because of her teacher, but she is too young to comprehend both her feelings and what his actions meant. Anyway, I want to believe that Shishio deserved better than to fall in love with a minor. He did several questionable things, like holding her and leading her on a bit too much. Maybe he was too hurt from his past relationship that the next girl that liked him took too much of his attention. Who knows.
Also, not gonna lie, this manga rubbed me the wrong way when people insisted that the fact that they are student and teacher is the reason why their love is forbidden. Like - man, you are almost twice her age, this could be so problematic y'all aren't even in the same phase of life! Thankfully, the uncle brings some sense to him, but he was still in trouble because he was in love. This manga had no sense for boundaries both for Suzume and Shishio; and I one could declare Mamura as the only one with common sense lol.
The overall pacing of the manga is not the best. Too much time was spent developing Shishio's and Suzume's relationship and when it was Mamura's turn, it was very slow and sometimes even awkward (although cute). In a similar manner, when it came to the side characters, they were nice and cute, but they were unnecessary at times and didn't add anything to the plot besides the typical "yes, the MC has great supporting friends!". Anyway, I was more than happy that Mamura got his happy ending, but I don't feel like it was what Suzume or Shishio deserved. It's worth mentioning that I dislike how the author purposefully made it so that I want a kid to be with an adult T_T (and back when I read it as a teen, I was definitely a Shishio x Suzume shipper!). Honestly, those 2 had such good chemistry and cute moments together it makes everything (almost 3/4 of the story) go to waste. I would have liked it if they somehow got together once Suzume turned 20, but we can't have nice things.
In the end, I am grateful that Mamura was always there to protect Suzume, even though he did sometimes hurt her without thinking. I wish Shishio could either move on or never fell in love at all, because it hurts to see a nice young man tied down by a young girl. Overall, this manga was very cliché-y, but also sometimes refreshing in it's views for love. It is a work of fiction and I doubt that it seriously affected young teens' mindsets. The takeaway is to never fall for your teachers and avoid creepy old men no matter how handsome and charismatic they are!
I don't plan on reading this again, but I understand why some people love it, and can't blame them because it was so cute at times! I think it was an OK read, and I'm glad I got to read it both as a naïve teen and now as an adult.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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