Hajimete...

Ah, young love. Sweet, right? Not at all, once reality sets in. "Love" is harsh, painful, cold, and unforgiving. Young love is cute because ignorance is bliss. Young love is eventually ruined by low self-respect, immaturity (and sometimes maturity), naivety, and lastly people going into the relationship in search of physical pleasure. This is why many read shoujo, because no matter how unrealistic it can be, it's often sweet and serves as an escape. Then there are those manga that are so unrealistic that it isn't even sweet, corny, or redeeming. Hajimete is one of those manga. It is a story about young love, told inan idealized way. It's about a girl and a boy who are madly in love. She has trouble expressing her feelings, but after he confessed to her, they became a couple because she's also always liked him. She just can't express it the way that she wants to. The repeated thing in this manga is that he's her "first." Her first love, her first boyfriend, her first kiss... and maybe more. You get what I'm saying, yes? The story, itself, is your basically your normal shoujo story condensed into a oneshot. It's fairly rushed, but there isn't really much to tell in the first place. Mainly because of execution, there is nothing that sets this story apart. It's very predictable, with a flat complication thrown in and an ending that I personally despised. Is this called love? It's so immature, shallow, and unrealistic that I can't even call it that. Because there is nothing to make me like or care about the said couple, I can't see this as anymore than a revolting and sad infatuation. The consequences of the two character's actions aren't even touched. There's no thought put into what love really is. There's no thought put into - "Do I really love this person? Is this something that I really want to do?" The story is so immature that I cringed. I try to disconnect myself from logic when I read something like this, but with Hajimete, I just couldn't do that. While the characters are well drawn, they aren't delved into at all. The main girl has a cute moment or two, but it's all watered down by her naivety and her illogical infatuation with the main guy. She thinks she knows what it means to show love, but she doesn't. Maybe it's cute in a manga, but in real life she'd only be heartbroken and taken advantage of. It's sad, really. The main guy has little personality. He seems nice enough, but since that's only an outward thing since we don't get to know what's inside, I can't help but think that he's just a guy with a nice face who's going to take advantage of the main girl. We're told that they're in love, but are they really? And how do we know if they are when their romance is rushed and flat, with no seriousness put into it? If you can get past those major flaws, then maybe you'll find this oneshot to be cute and enjoyable. Looking at it from a realistic sense, I found it repulsive, immature, and sad. In real life, this girl would be used up and then they'd break up, if she was lucky. In a manga, maybe it's considered sweet, in my opinion, it's not.