Kiriko Nananan has once again crafted another masterpiece.
I read *Water* months ago, and I had mixed feelings about it due to its peculiar atmosphere and some unresolved storylines. However, *Everyday* (or *Kabocha to Mayonnaise*) erases most of the flaws present in Nananan's earlier art and style.
The artwork here is less cluttered, even though Nananan retains her distinctive panel composition, character design, and settings that provide a dark yet serene ambiance—a blend of the triviality of everyday life and the gentle aftertaste of a romantic connection. This is because Nananan always infuses a poignant element into her romances; here, it’s infidelity, guilt, and the gradual decline of love within a couple, steering clear of the usual clichés found in conventional romance mangas or josei.
I personally used to describe Nananan's works as "dark romance," but they are more accurately categorized as "realistic love." *Everyday* fits perfectly into this theme. Her writing style reminds me a lot of Kate Chopin and her tragic feminist romances.
This is a challenging story to engage with if you're not accustomed to romances or "adult" mangas in general, but I hope those who are curious will come to appreciate one of the best romance writers in the manga world. Solid 9/10.
If you enjoy disappointments and worthless content in your life, then this manga is perfect for you—it's truly disheartening if you admire characters like the male lead, Sei.
The dramatic summary led me to believe I’d actually enjoy this manga. To that fool who said, "If it has a good plot, it’s gonna be good; anime or manga without a great plot isn't worth the time," let me tell you that reading this garbage was an utter waste of time. You get the usual weak and clueless female protagonist, Tsuchida, who strains herself trying to impress men she shouldn’t even acknowledge. Both men in her life show no respect for her whatsoever. Her ex, Hagio, is a womanizer, and yet she thinks, "He has other women, he's a womanizer, and not a decent person, but I like how he makes me feel. That emotionless look on his face scares me, but lately, he smiles all the time." None of this makes any sense at all—LOL.
Her ex is cold-hearted, while the guy currently living with her leeches off her like a man-child. He lacks motivation, has no backup plan, doesn’t contribute to supporting her or offer to help her in any way, yet still complains about everything as if he pays the bills. He’s a complete failure—a type of guy no parent would ever want their daughter near. He’s just annoying and utterly pathetic. When they reunite, he resumes bossing her around as though nothing happened. She always ends up doing things for him... so when her broke ex couldn’t afford the hotel, she—despite being short on cash—paid for it herself just so they could sleep together and cheat on her loser boyfriend until he eventually breaks up with her because he "wants her to have a happier life with someone who’ll treat her right.”
After the breakup, naturally, the foolish woman goes back to her womanizing ex, who ultimately declares, “I only liked you when you had a boyfriend, maybe we should split up.” Her friend warned her countless times, but being the pitiful creature she is—out of money and having sacrificed so much for men—she invites her ex-boyfriend, Sei, back home to “cook him something nice,” which seems like they’re reverting to the same old routine where he remains a controlling failure and aspiring musician. He says things like, “How long do I have to wait for food?” Sorry, but maybe your lazy ass should learn to help out, get a stable job, or figure out how to cook instead of whining like a bratty adult child and crying all the time—you're a grown man. Honestly, she’s just dumb—LOL. <p>
Popular Reviews
I read *Water* months ago, and I had mixed feelings about it due to its peculiar atmosphere and some unresolved storylines. However, *Everyday* (or *Kabocha to Mayonnaise*) erases most of the flaws present in Nananan's earlier art and style.
The artwork here is less cluttered, even though Nananan retains her distinctive panel composition, character design, and settings that provide a dark yet serene ambiance—a blend of the triviality of everyday life and the gentle aftertaste of a romantic connection. This is because Nananan always infuses a poignant element into her romances; here, it’s infidelity, guilt, and the gradual decline of love within a couple, steering clear of the usual clichés found in conventional romance mangas or josei.
I personally used to describe Nananan's works as "dark romance," but they are more accurately categorized as "realistic love." *Everyday* fits perfectly into this theme. Her writing style reminds me a lot of Kate Chopin and her tragic feminist romances.
This is a challenging story to engage with if you're not accustomed to romances or "adult" mangas in general, but I hope those who are curious will come to appreciate one of the best romance writers in the manga world. Solid 9/10.
The dramatic summary led me to believe I’d actually enjoy this manga. To that fool who said, "If it has a good plot, it’s gonna be good; anime or manga without a great plot isn't worth the time," let me tell you that reading this garbage was an utter waste of time. You get the usual weak and clueless female protagonist, Tsuchida, who strains herself trying to impress men she shouldn’t even acknowledge. Both men in her life show no respect for her whatsoever. Her ex, Hagio, is a womanizer, and yet she thinks, "He has other women, he's a womanizer, and not a decent person, but I like how he makes me feel. That emotionless look on his face scares me, but lately, he smiles all the time." None of this makes any sense at all—LOL.
Her ex is cold-hearted, while the guy currently living with her leeches off her like a man-child. He lacks motivation, has no backup plan, doesn’t contribute to supporting her or offer to help her in any way, yet still complains about everything as if he pays the bills. He’s a complete failure—a type of guy no parent would ever want their daughter near. He’s just annoying and utterly pathetic. When they reunite, he resumes bossing her around as though nothing happened. She always ends up doing things for him... so when her broke ex couldn’t afford the hotel, she—despite being short on cash—paid for it herself just so they could sleep together and cheat on her loser boyfriend until he eventually breaks up with her because he "wants her to have a happier life with someone who’ll treat her right.”
After the breakup, naturally, the foolish woman goes back to her womanizing ex, who ultimately declares, “I only liked you when you had a boyfriend, maybe we should split up.” Her friend warned her countless times, but being the pitiful creature she is—out of money and having sacrificed so much for men—she invites her ex-boyfriend, Sei, back home to “cook him something nice,” which seems like they’re reverting to the same old routine where he remains a controlling failure and aspiring musician. He says things like, “How long do I have to wait for food?” Sorry, but maybe your lazy ass should learn to help out, get a stable job, or figure out how to cook instead of whining like a bratty adult child and crying all the time—you're a grown man. Honestly, she’s just dumb—LOL. <p>