Kamisama ga Yadoru Kotoba

Rating one-shots can be tricky because it's unfair to compare the level of characterisation and story to a manga with volumes of serialisation - it's a totally different beast. You're never going to get the level of complexity out of a one-shot so you're appreciating different things like how succinctly can a story and a message be conveyed? Did the one-shot manage to have a beginning, middle and end? So it makes much more sense to me to rank one-shots against other one-shots and as far as this one goes, I thought it was pretty good. It's cute, wholesome and perhaps a little cheesy.I'll be honest, I sometimes kinda like my romance a little cheesy so it doesn't particularly bother me. There's a certain amount of "yeah right, as if that would happen" but in a good way I think. Sometimes, realism is overrated. The story is nothing special in the sense that it's not particularly novel but it's clear, concise and has a solid conclusion. There's no uncomfortable forced sex scenes, no incest, no huge age gaps (not that I'm complaining about these tropes necessarily) and it's pretty much smut free. There's some cute hand-holding. Some wistful remembrance of umbrella sharing. There's a confession. The standard sort of thing you come to expect...but also, the standard of sort of thing that you want in this type of thing. The characters are cute but nothing particularly developed. It's a one-shot, what do you expect? But I'll admit I've seen stronger characterisation for a one-shot. The art is good and clear. The character design isn't my favourite style but it works. Overall, I found it enjoyable for what it is. It's a decent one-shot. Is it going to be something that stays with me forever? No. Did it tell a clear story with a message? Yes. Was it a cute and fun read for something that took 10 minutes? Yes.