Come Come Vanilla!

STORY: 7/10 Come Come Vanilla! (CCV) is a very light-hearted mix of comedy, romance, ecchi and underlying "drama" that creeps up slowly but surely. For those who rolled their eyes already, sorry looks like this manga isn't for you. For those whose interest was piqued a little then by all means, please continue. I tend to not read much works involving monstergirls- for lack of a better word but much to my surprise and chagrin, it was integrated quite nicely into the story. A few pages and chapters in and I already regarded it as normal; and I'll be lying if I said I wasn't takenfor a emotional ride nearing the end. ART: 8/10 Chihiro Harumi's art is consistent as always. The overall toning was appropriate, shading was accurate, not excessive and character designs was drawn well. The details were setup properly to convey the mood of each scene and panel as well as the story as a whole. Our male protagonist gets a rather simple design like the typical high school boy. The female leads and possible love interest(s) are composed of the obvious loli bait character along with the curvaceous and kawaii-pie female who is also our main source of eye candy. The artwork was definitely geared towards a softer, "dull" and cutesy presentation and while I did enjoy it- I am more of a fan for clean, sharp and defined designs. CHARACTERS: 7.25/10 A few varying factors in this department. Mainly, character interactions, reactions and dialogues were on point, loved it. So, Rikuo our male lead's personality is pretty much established early on and likewise for Kiriko- thus they don't have as much development as Vanilla- that's not to say that they don't have any at all. You can see the transitions for each respective character but in my opinion it takes a backseat to Vanilla's. She (Vanilla) is easily the main focal point when it comes down to reviewing or critiquing character assessment. Of course being non-human, her confused and new found emotions are to be expected but how she comes to terms with these emotions and learns to cope with them really make her shine as a character. The supporting characters aren't a selling point as they didn't add much to the overall setting aside from some minor drama or a change of pace for the readers. ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 7.75/10 Overall, I'm glad I found and read this manga. While some parts weren't memorable and impactful, it will definitely be a story that I can refer back to on a by-name basis. I may sound like a broken record by now but Vanilla is truly a memorable character and will be one of those unique characters that I will remember for a long time. This manga is not a classic, hidden gem type of thing but rather a refined, consistent and reliable piece of work that knows when and where to shine. For light-hearted romantic comedy fans that enjoy that sprinkle of drama in the mix, step right up.

This series was... okay. I enjoyed the one shot more, but I recommend reading it after the series. The main series' pacing is weird and story is lacking. Normally, I really love to dig into the characters; every character here is just their trope. That isn't necessarily a bad thing usually, but I feel the manga abides by the tropes and don't go beyond them. Even then it felt like some characters were either appearing without any sort of introduction or was so forgettable that it felt that way. The story was disappointing too. It is the standard premise, hijinks, dramatic climax, and then standard conclusion.The problem is that the the conflict for the ending.. is obvious? And the conclusion feels... inconclusive? It was both open-ended and not? It wasn't very good.. 5/10 I don't recommend the series, as it has a lot of weak points and no pay off. Honestly, just read the one shot and move on; it's more interesting, all around better, and a lot shorter.