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14
2
Finished
Feb 24, 2012 to Jul 24, 2013
7.6/10
Average Review Score
100%
Recommend It
8
Reviews Worldwide
Futari no Renai Shoka is a sweet, vanilla romance about two bookish people from broken families who find comfort, solace, and love in each other. The only possible turn-off for some might be the 10 year age-gap: when the manga begins, she is in her mid-20s, while he is about to enter high school (10th grade). If that doesn't bother you, then this is an extremely good romance manga. The story is fairly simple, as this is mostly a slice-of-life romance. The little story that is here is driven by the two fascinating characters. Young woman takes over her father's old bookshop,meets a bookish boy who is oddly mature for his age, and immediately proposes to him. He's taken back, but intrigued enough to start seeing her. It turns out that they both have similarly bad family backgrounds, both love books, and they use that to slowly build their relationship. It's simple, but very well written. My only regret is that the manga wasn't longer. The story ended at a reasonable point, and most of her background was fully explored, but his was left somewhat vague. Besides, I loved the characters enough, I would have thoroughly enjoyed spending more time with them. The art is solid, but unspectacular. The pacing was good, it ended well (if a little abruptly). There is almost no fan-service here (they even make a joke about that at one point), and the relationship remains remarkably chaste. In other words, if you like a good vanilla romance, and the age-gap isn't a massive turn-off for you, then there is no reason not to give this a try.
Kanako is a young woman who is running an old book store. One day, a customer comes in who shares her taste in books. He's a teenager named Akio, and he and Kanako quickly find that their taste in books is only the first of many ways that they fit together well. Kanako immediately realizes she wants him, and soon blurts out awkward things, like proposals of marriage and cohabitation. Despite their different ages and their awkwardness, it seems like their relationship has the potential to grow into something beautiful. (Source: MangaHelpers)
"Have you ever had a book you couldn't help but flip through when you remembered it? A book you kept coming back to, over and over again? That's what you are to me." Futari no Renai Shoka is a case of getting many things right about telling a short yet profound romance story. Conveniences and clichĂ©s are present but they are layered well enough that none of them stands out enough to drag the story in unwanted directions. It took me quite some thinking to come up with a reasoning behind why this manga left an emotional impact within me, nevertheless itâs a work that I canâthelp falling in love with. The romance progression escalates quickly and then moves forward to new heights reflecting on what it really means to have a relationship with a person. By relationship, it doesnât necessarily mean in a romantic lens. While there is a sense of progression in the story, it also attempts to be character driven in which its main strength is through interactions between people. Normally, dialogues of confessions and intimate talk can get really cheesy and pretentious but the manga finds a balance between depth and practicality. The characters can say something meaningful but it doesnât feel disconnecting to the overall narrative. There is weight behind the words spoken. They can ramble about a certain subject and there will always be a subtle impact left behind by chosen words and lines. Of course, the theme of the story revolves around the passion for books and literature and the story does a good job of integrating that with the development story and character-wise. Like mentioned before, there are clichĂ©s found in the manga. While they donât stand out a lot, there are some of them that couldâve been omitted and the story would still remain fantastic. For example, there is the static high school setting since Akio is still a student. If the story attempted to explore that setting, then it would lose focus on Kanako and Akioâs growing relationship potentially harming the very beautiful conclusion the story has in store. My only issue I have with this manga that I canât ignore is that it focused too much on Kanakoâs side of the story leaving Akioâs characterization much to be desired. There are chapters where it subtly displays bits of Akioâs life before he met Kanako which helps in understanding his mindset. However, it felt disappointing that the story didnât give closure to Akioâs side of the story even though he helped resolving the conflict on Kanakoâs side. Maybe adding an extra chapter or two wouldnât harm the storyâs brevity. I am really curious of his family situation and how it shaped him up until now since the story did the same thing with Kanako. The only assurance that I can get from this issue is that Akio identified himself within Kanakoâs predicament and that it helped him gain some confidence and resolve as her significant other and as a growing young man. In a way, the story has a coming-of-age feel to it. Overall, I recommend this to people who like their romance brief yet meaningful. It doesnât sidetrack to less significant subplots and the overall story goes straight to the point and provides a satisfying climax and conclusion. Be prepared to be enticed with its love for words and get absorbed in a world full of books. Itâs not only a love story between two people brought together by their shared passion, but itâs also a love letter to literature and how it can transcend into something timeless and connect people no matter who they are and where they come from.
I loved everything about this from start to finish. The characters are perfect. The way in which they mould as one is beautiful. I'm not usually into things like this but it has converted me toward romance manga heavily. There has never been a time where I have wanted a manga to continue so badly. The way in which the story progresses is done perfectly. It would have been nice for it to be a little longer but that's just because I enjoyed it so much. I love the way in which they use quotes from other writing and how it shines such a positivelight on reading and how important books are. There are also a lot of life advice tips within this manga and I love that. I truly felt like I learnt a lot from this even though like I said it isn't usually my scene. I would recommend this author time and time again 10/10 would highly recommend this manga
A veeeeeery fast paced manga, and since most of the focus is on the female character, my guess is the author ran out of time to do the male character's background. You could say it's unrealistic as well, and the side characters aren't even that much. A light read, if you may. The main characters are pretty cute. Although I did find the age gap a turn-off, the story is so unrealistic and basic it didn't even incite that much rage in me. It was kind of interesting to see the transition from this type of story into Mahoutsukai no Yome.
"Futari no Renai Shoka" is a case of getting many things right about telling a short yet profound romance story. Conveniences and clichĂ©s are present but they are layered well enough that none of them stands out enough to drag the story in unwanted directions. It took me quite some thinking to come up with a reasoning behind why this manga left an emotional impact within me, nevertheless itâs a work that I canât help falling in love with. This manga might have hit home with me because of my personality or because of my want to have someone who'd give me the warmth of companionship.This manga might not have the best art,the best direction or even a unique story for that part but once you start,you know you're here for something more. The manga has romance as it's main focus but shows us bits and pieces of the things that encircle this said romance. The circumstances,the hesitation and the feelings of people encircling this made the manga shine in my eyes. The romance gives you a fluffy feeling not because of the love you feel but because you feel complete looking at two people who found a part of each other they had been in need for. You understand why they behave like that,what they feel and through this understanding, you get to know the characters and feel fulfilled. "A sense of easing your loneliness and gradually filling the hole in your heart with the warmth you get" is what the manga in it's entirety meant. I really liked it and I hope everyone who reads it enjoys it too.