Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki

Art is too good! Too bad about the story. An incredibly frustrating read.

I loved the premise of a princely girl + handsome boy pairing because it was fresh and interesting. But now — being caught up to chapter 32 at the time of writing — it feels like it was just a pretext for a vapid slow-burn romance series, with shallow and/or unlikeable characters.

It’s annoying how much I love the art (to the point of downloading to look at it later) and really really dislike the story. I kept reading because the art was too good, especially the way Ichimura is drawn, but I couldn’t bring myself to like him at all.

Even keeping in mind that they are high schoolers clumsily figuring out a relationship, Ichimura seems incredibly gaslighty, spoiled and shallow. But the narrative doesn’t give his problematic behaviour any weight or context…

(at least until the sad rich boy backstory reveal).Instead it spent so many chapters focusing on Yoi’s passiveness and caution regarding intimacy, and her attempts to change herself for him… Which only makes their dynamic come off as unbalanced and toxic to me, and their romance as incredibly unconvincing.

All the above points could make for a great story if it were a realistic coming-of-age drama, but the narrative is decidedly all romance shoujo manga cliches, where the leads are set up as a “destined” couple… So in the end it’s a gimmicky romance series without any deeper understanding about these characters beyond their stereotypes, nor any inspired thoughts about what it means to be a ‘prince’.

Regardless, thanks to Blueberry for the great scanlation, and I’ll look out for this author’s work in the future in hopes that their writing gets better.

i would second that the review talking about the "borderline cheating" is just... that doesn't happen, lol?!

i thought this was a beautiful manga with a charming female lead at first, but otherwise i thought the male lead was a little forgettable. not bad, but i couldn't quite put my finger on what made him tick, and his thoughts felt a little nebulous. but as the story has gone on in the later volumes, i've found it gets better and better, and i've been constantly melting.

i think what this story does really well is show the awkwardness and earnestness of kids in love -- all the common stumbles, well-meaning miscommunications (that aren't drawn out, don't worry lol; all in the name of growing their relationship and communication skills), that come about when you're a kid who really likes someone. it feels more realistic as it goes on and explores the romantic dynamic.

if you think you like it well enough at the start, give it time for it to get even better! it's so so charming and cute. i even had butterflies at one point, haha.

God I hate leaving reviews (btw I'd probably rate this 8-8.5/10) on this website especially since I'm only on Chapter 9, but LienHoa's and Orionthehunter's reviews are god awful and I don't want them to prevent people from trying this series out.

LienHoa's review is self-explanatory on why it's bad: the main characters are strangers at the start of the chapter... why would you expect them to be dripping with chemistry before we even get to Chapter 2. It's dumb to leave a review for most mangas after only one chapter, but their justification is particularly ridiculous. In terms of formulaic shoujo, this series has more of a slow burn vibe to it so idk what they were expecting.

Orionthehunter's review is asinine. The ML did not go on a date with someone else when he "promised to go out with [his] partner". He's not even in a relationship. Literally during that chapter he explains that the not only was he not dating this girl, she made up the promise about him going out with her that night. It's so off that I honestly think that Orion might talking about a different series.

Anyway, I didn't want to write this review because even though I think this is an objectively solid series, I go back and forth on whether I personally like it. I absolutely adore the FL. She's a phenomenally interesting character and her battle with labels and how they affect her perception of herself and the relationships around her is so interesting to read. But I just don't really see them putting in the same amount of work for the ML. They're hinting at his backstory right now, so I know they'll put in the work later, but he's still kinda iffy for me.

Regardless the ML and FL are hot, the FL is especially adorable to watch as her walls break down, the ML's straightforwardness is absolutely refreshing, and it has a surprisingly great attempt at diving deep into convos about "What is love?", "Who am I in relation to how others see me?", "Do Japanese high schoolers really call certain students Prince... because wtf?", etc. Definitely give the series a shot.

N/A

I don't think that going on a date with someone else when you've promised to go out with your partner is a good relationship practice. It's borderline cheating, though the ml isn't a decent guy either. I suppose they both should just break up already, though that would be the end of the story.

I really like it. The story is cute and the protagonists are handsome and very attractive. Their doe eyes make even my heart skip a beat haha. They are also likeable and interesting. The mangaká knows how to use clichés but making it fresh, in a way that you forget some things are actually cliche.

The chapters are long and well developed, the art is beautiful, the scanlation is super clean and the translation is well done.

I can’t wait for the next chapters! It has a very interesting storyline and the artwork is amazing!