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17 reviews for:
Hatsu haru - La primavera del mio primo amore, Vol. 4
Fabio Bettazzi, Shizuki Fujisawa, Alice Settembrini, Massimiliano Lo Cicero, Chiara Antonozzi
3.92 AVERAGE
17 reviews for:
Hatsu haru - La primavera del mio primo amore, Vol. 4
Fabio Bettazzi, Shizuki Fujisawa, Alice Settembrini, Massimiliano Lo Cicero, Chiara Antonozzi
3.92 AVERAGE
*flips a table* GOSH DARN IT. The misunderstandings and how Kai is doing. It is SO hard to have any sympathy for Kai. Seriously, your crush is talking to your childhood friend and having a good time and you think they are DATING??? WHAT THE ACTUAL. But this whole volume just frustrates me and I can tell you I am also not really a Riko fan.
The only thing holding this one for me is the fact that we get to see the friends (Kai's and Riko's) together, see some cute moments, see them try to help out. Oh, and the art.
For now it is on hold, I got these first volumes second hand and now I need to get the rest, and for now I am just not motivated.
The only thing holding this one for me is the fact that we get to see the friends (Kai's and Riko's) together, see some cute moments, see them try to help out. Oh, and the art.
For now it is on hold, I got these first volumes second hand and now I need to get the rest, and for now I am just not motivated.
The miscommunication trope IS TROPING! Dear god help me
I liked this vol, I like getting to know the ml bestie more but he defo loves his step sister god dam it. Kai bless him he is really going through it. We are finally getting some development from fl, her slowly moving on and catching feels for our ml
I liked this vol, I like getting to know the ml bestie more but he defo loves his step sister god dam it. Kai bless him he is really going through it. We are finally getting some development from fl, her slowly moving on and catching feels for our ml
This series is so cute and just the right amount of frustrating to feel realistic and keep me engaged.
Taka is, without any doubt, my favorite character!
I loved the angst in this one.
The artist is quite good at different expressions probably because of their style.
**spoiler**
The ending was predictable but fairly unbelievable in that we thought Kai was doing better. Ah well.
I loved the angst in this one.
The artist is quite good at different expressions probably because of their style.
**spoiler**
The ending was predictable but fairly unbelievable in that we thought Kai was doing better. Ah well.
Okay, this is going to be tough. I want to defend the use of some annoying cliches that occur in romance manga, but I feel work in this particular volume. I want to make it clear that I can totally understand why this volume would put off people who have been enjoying the series so far because of said cliches. However, I really do feel that this series at least has a leg to stand on if one wishes to defend the cliches that occur. Before I go into that rant, a brief fangirl moment of all the things I loved in this volume:
Ayumi is still fantastic and I absolutely adore her. She makes me smile every time she graces the pages with her enthusiasm and genuine desire to help Riko.
I like seeing two priests following different religions playing games together, and it implies that they are friends with a Christian priest as well (the aforementioned priests follow Shinto and Buddhism (?)).
Kai's niece and nephew are so stinking adorable, I can't stand it. I love them so much.
Misaki's character is a great foil for Kai's. His down-to-earth yet caring nature is also really nice and I enjoyed seeing more of his character in this volume.
Okay, fangirl moment aside, I want to talk about the romance manga cliches that occurred in this volume and why they didn't bother me as much as they usually do. First and foremost, the "dense at love" character we all know and love. While this cliche drives me up the wall, it didn't bother me here because I felt it made sense in context. Our dense heroine Takahashi has never viewed Kai as a romantic partner, nor has she had any feelings for anyone other than Sensei. Since she has had such strong feelings for an unrequited love, along with barely getting along with Kai in the first place, it makes sense why she would be so quick to dismiss his confession. He has only recently started changing his behavior around her and there hasn't been enough time for her to both get over her love and consider what his change in personality means. Yes, I'm sure the mangaka is primarily doing this to draw out the plot/drama, but I think it makes sense and am not bothered by it.
The other cliche I want to discuss is "I see my crush smile/blush at another guy, that must mean she loves him" cliche. This one is a little harder only because it could be solved easily by the main character using their words, but again I will defend it. In this case, Takahashi is smiling at Misaki, and Kai truly feels that she loves him and his reasoning is actually sound. Up until this point, Kai has been seen as a shallow playboy, while his best friend Misaki has always been kind, considerate (if not blunt) and a generally good guy. From Kai's point of view, why wouldn't Takahashi go for Misaki? He's a really good guy that has the potential to make her happy and has shown himself to be dependable. I'm not a huge fan of this cliche because it tends to make an unnecessary rift in an otherwise solid friendship, but I have hope that this friendship will stay strong despite this misunderstanding.
The final cliche I want to talk about is the "I don't have a chance with her so I'll go back to my old ways" cliche. This is geared more towards bad boys/playboys but you get my point. This one doesn't bother me predominantly because it makes sense in terms of Kai's character and his age. Kai is a teenager who, for the first time, has fallen in love with someone. He has gotten sick multiple times due to this love, and he has made some solid attempts to improve his chances of being with his new love. Upon seeing her happy with his best friend, he feels he has no choice but to give up, a natural conclusion a teenager would draw. Kai feels like he doesn't stand a chance, so he just gives up. It does bother me that he gives up so easily, but Takahashi's reaction at the end of the manga was poignant and I think will refresh his motivation to win her over.
Those are my thoughts for this volume. Sorry it became so long, but I really wanted to talk about romance cliches and how they can be done well with the right execution and context. I truly love this series and cannot wait for volume 5!
Ayumi is still fantastic and I absolutely adore her. She makes me smile every time she graces the pages with her enthusiasm and genuine desire to help Riko.
I like seeing two priests following different religions playing games together, and it implies that they are friends with a Christian priest as well (the aforementioned priests follow Shinto and Buddhism (?)).
Kai's niece and nephew are so stinking adorable, I can't stand it. I love them so much.
Misaki's character is a great foil for Kai's. His down-to-earth yet caring nature is also really nice and I enjoyed seeing more of his character in this volume.
Okay, fangirl moment aside, I want to talk about the romance manga cliches that occurred in this volume and why they didn't bother me as much as they usually do. First and foremost, the "dense at love" character we all know and love. While this cliche drives me up the wall, it didn't bother me here because I felt it made sense in context. Our dense heroine Takahashi has never viewed Kai as a romantic partner, nor has she had any feelings for anyone other than Sensei. Since she has had such strong feelings for an unrequited love, along with barely getting along with Kai in the first place, it makes sense why she would be so quick to dismiss his confession. He has only recently started changing his behavior around her and there hasn't been enough time for her to both get over her love and consider what his change in personality means. Yes, I'm sure the mangaka is primarily doing this to draw out the plot/drama, but I think it makes sense and am not bothered by it.
The other cliche I want to discuss is "I see my crush smile/blush at another guy, that must mean she loves him" cliche. This one is a little harder only because it could be solved easily by the main character using their words, but again I will defend it. In this case, Takahashi is smiling at Misaki, and Kai truly feels that she loves him and his reasoning is actually sound. Up until this point, Kai has been seen as a shallow playboy, while his best friend Misaki has always been kind, considerate (if not blunt) and a generally good guy. From Kai's point of view, why wouldn't Takahashi go for Misaki? He's a really good guy that has the potential to make her happy and has shown himself to be dependable. I'm not a huge fan of this cliche because it tends to make an unnecessary rift in an otherwise solid friendship, but I have hope that this friendship will stay strong despite this misunderstanding.
The final cliche I want to talk about is the "I don't have a chance with her so I'll go back to my old ways" cliche. This is geared more towards bad boys/playboys but you get my point. This one doesn't bother me predominantly because it makes sense in terms of Kai's character and his age. Kai is a teenager who, for the first time, has fallen in love with someone. He has gotten sick multiple times due to this love, and he has made some solid attempts to improve his chances of being with his new love. Upon seeing her happy with his best friend, he feels he has no choice but to give up, a natural conclusion a teenager would draw. Kai feels like he doesn't stand a chance, so he just gives up. It does bother me that he gives up so easily, but Takahashi's reaction at the end of the manga was poignant and I think will refresh his motivation to win her over.
Those are my thoughts for this volume. Sorry it became so long, but I really wanted to talk about romance cliches and how they can be done well with the right execution and context. I truly love this series and cannot wait for volume 5!
~4 Stars
While it would have been nice for Riko to see what Kai was saying, that would have been too easy. Of course she takes it as merely meant to cheer her up. Though there are hints that she just won't let herself think that he likes her that way, which is somewhat of a good sign.
We get quite a lot of Misaki in this volume. There's still the developing of a relationship between him and Ayumi, and it's obvious they're forming some kind of understanding type of relationship, even if they don't quite see it yet. But then we get a curveball as Kai thinks Misaki and Riko are starting to hit it off. This shows a really mature side of Kai, as he believes he can't compete with Misaki, and we get some insight into their friendship because of this. They've known each other for a long time, and Misaki has always been there for Kai, even if he didn't realize it at the time. They've formed a really close friendship over the years, a caring and respect for each other. It's sweet.
Aside from that, it's nice to see the rest of the guys trying to root for Kai, and trying to push him and Riko together. Also Kai's family. I love how big and close they are, and enjoy seeing them all together, and him taking care of the kids. It's so sweet.
The romance is going to take a bit longer, I suspect. But it's fun to see it grow, and I like the side characters a lot, as well. I'm enjoying getting to know them better, and would actually like more of that at times.
While it would have been nice for Riko to see what Kai was saying, that would have been too easy. Of course she takes it as merely meant to cheer her up. Though there are hints that she just won't let herself think that he likes her that way, which is somewhat of a good sign.
We get quite a lot of Misaki in this volume. There's still the developing of a relationship between him and Ayumi, and it's obvious they're forming some kind of understanding type of relationship, even if they don't quite see it yet. But then we get a curveball as Kai thinks Misaki and Riko are starting to hit it off. This shows a really mature side of Kai, as he believes he can't compete with Misaki, and we get some insight into their friendship because of this. They've known each other for a long time, and Misaki has always been there for Kai, even if he didn't realize it at the time. They've formed a really close friendship over the years, a caring and respect for each other. It's sweet.
Aside from that, it's nice to see the rest of the guys trying to root for Kai, and trying to push him and Riko together. Also Kai's family. I love how big and close they are, and enjoy seeing them all together, and him taking care of the kids. It's so sweet.
The romance is going to take a bit longer, I suspect. But it's fun to see it grow, and I like the side characters a lot, as well. I'm enjoying getting to know them better, and would actually like more of that at times.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced