Fredward-shi no Ahiru

This is the reason why I keep giving a chance to any manga. There are still surprises that I end up liking even if it doesn’t look at all like something I would enjoy. So, yeah, I’m not really a manga fan. And this has art that looks like typical shoujoslop at first look and story that sounds like it too, on paper. Yet, I’ve enjoyed both the art and the story. It’s quite difficult to put into words what makes this so different from the many other similar attempts. It’s mostly just about the vibe and how the atmosphere is executed, really. It feels... grounded?For example, the more heavy hitting parts of the dialogue aren’t just thrown in because they sound cool, or to just create drama out of nowhere. No, they are build up to. The characters aren’t exactly realistic, but rather than feeling like out of soap opera, they rather feel like stand-ins for concepts, in a good way. There is romance of course, but the manga shines best when depiction non-romantic situations. The protagonist, an author in a slump, interacts with walks of life and through him, so does the reader. In fact, the romantic part is something that I would say was the weaker part of the story – especially at the beginning where it attempts to romanticise toxic relationship and normalize cheating. But it rounds up with a better executed narration later and in the end left me satisfied with how it was woven into the general plot. Getting to the art, as mentioned it looks like typical terrible oldschool pointy chin artstyle. And yet… something feels oddly ephemeral about it. Like a real melancholy is being channelled through. Occasionally there is some interesting panelling work to. It has been a long time since I’ve truly enjoyed, not just tolerated, this type of artstyle. It’s quite a shame the author didn’t end up more prolific. And on another note, this manga can be taken as an example how not overcomplicating your setting is good. There’s a duck that can talk, can cook and can tidy up a mansion. Just accept it’s like that and focus on the actual story. I feel like nowadays there would be way too much time spent on establishing the lore and explaining how it happened and maybe even tying it up to the story and all that. But here no, the actual storyline is allowed to breathe. And it’s not like the duck is an unimportant element, no, it’s actually not just eyecatcher but also an element that lends the manga more unique personality and makes it stand out. But it doesn’t insist upon itself. So yeah, if you’re looking for some hidden gems, definitely give this one a try. Even if it’s outside your usual interests.