Unmei no Hito ni Deau Hanashi

i don't understand the previous review. there's no pointless drama in this story if you just keep reading, lol. there are misunderstandings and hiccups, but they all resolve and are not drawn out; and the characters are mature and communicate with each other. you get to watch them grow together as people and in their relationships.

the manga's theme seems to be fate and choice in romance -- some things may seem fated, but love is a choice that you make. i love how it explores this (especially in shoujo, a genre which often romanticizes destiny).

the art is pretty, i love how the main couple tease each other and can have fun with each other just as friends, the side characters are all charming. if you enjoy the genre, i'd definitely give it a try!

Dropped after chapter 4. Don't really care for pointless drama

Was kinda apprehensive starting this one since I wasn't that much into Hatsu Matsu Bokura but I really like this so far! It's really refreshing when the characters are college age and not like your usual high school cast so they're easier to relate to as I'm only growing older myself (sad). Really excited to see how this progresses!

This is a new series from Anashin-sensei who got fairly famous with her last series, Haru Matsu Bokura (Waiting for Spring). I actually follow Anashin-sensei sensei on Twitter so was very much looking forward to this new series a couple months before it premiered in the monthly Dessert magazine. I know it's only 3 chapters in (peanuts!), and to top it all off this will only be published every other month, but I gotta say, this is one of my favorite new shoujo series and I am eagerly buying the Dessert magazines as they get published just to keep up with the latest chapters. Though, kudos to the scanlation team, they're fast!

Basic premise is about a 20-year old college student named Yuuki who lived in the countryside but came up to Tokyo a year ago for college. She is very single and wants to meet her "fated one," the love of her life. But she doesn't just want to date or meet any random old schmuck, she wants to meet THE one! Well, her friend Sanae and she decide to go to a club one fateful night and there she meets Iori (at first blonde, but later you realize he has dark hair)...and this is how their fateful encounter (urr "meet cute"😉 starts! Throw in the latest character (and Yuuki's first love), Seno-kun, and you have the makings of a riveting love story.

I've read tons and tons of shoujo and now I just am not really excited by most of them anymore. But this one is different. The art is beautiful, the characters are beginning to become well-fleshed out, and thankfully it's set post-high school. The male lead, Iori, is actually an adult. Not a yandere, or tsundere, or anything of the sort -- just a mature dude! And for this I'm super happy. The female lead, Yuuki, is relatable. She's a bit reserved and idealistic, but overall I think crafted so that the readers will be able to relate to how she's feeling. Plus, this is a bit of a weird aside, but both leads have black/dark hair! Love this since it's pretty rare in manga (it's annoying for manga artists to fill in dark hair, lol).

I recently read Anashin-sensei's other work, Hatsu Matsu Bokura, and TBH it wasn't really my cup of tea. I think due to the fact that it was somewhat low on romance and the story was....dare I say, boring?! But this is completely different with a totally different feel, so I highly recommend it to anyone who has any interest in shoujo.

Anyhow, the next chapter (4) will be published in October (sadface!), but the happy news is that this delay is due to Anashin-sensei's imminent birth of her baby. 🙂