Reviews

Marmalade Boy, Volume 1 by Wataru Yoshizumi

jlaue93's review against another edition

4.0

The stuff with the parents is a little cringey, but I read this series in middle school and I decided to read it again as a 28 year old. It’s not too bad, just the stuff with the parents is a bit weird.

liine95's review against another edition

5.0

amazing

flower_girl's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

florienna's review against another edition

4.0

How is this somehow good?

How has the mangaka taken step-sibling (???) romance, the dumbest parents I've ever met and the clichést of shoujo romance troupes and blended them together into something that fills me with the desperate need to immediately read the next volume??

memandyme's review against another edition

4.0

I read this back in Elementary school. It was my first jump into manga and I went INSANE. I dont think I have ever been so obsessed with a romance couple in my life. I was a horrible, pre-puberty, cant imagine holding hands with a boy mess. This book really helped me get through that with some grace. I thought it was very clever with the little side notations to teach you some japanese culture and words. Really, a great read if you are in your teens or younger. As an adult, it is a book that should be taken for what it is and the age group it caters too. 4 stars because it is an old favorite. Would be 3 stars if you tried to actually read this as a serious piece of work. It is light hearted, charming and very heavy with over the top romance.

rafikiburns's review

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

margaretann84's review against another edition

4.0

I always wanted to finish this series, but I never got past the first few books because I had other manga I wanted to buy. Oh, well! It's still funny.

4/5 on here, 8/10 for myself

lenaonthecouch's review against another edition

You ever read something when your like 11 then come across it again when your like 24 and realize you’ve been consuming actual problematic garbage since the dawn of time? And that it wasn’t just a off shoot symptom of quarantine? No? Just me? Cool cool cool.

lilsuccubus's review

3.5

Well, I liked it (I love stepsibling romances), but I had some problems with it. First off, I do not approve of the kind of non-monogamy that the parents were practicing. Divorcing and getting remarried is fine, but living all together is not, since it clearly made Miki uncomfortable and caused lots of gossip. Her parents giving up on their marriage out of nowhere is likely going to mess up her views on relationships and commitment. There was a lot of emotional abuse (some severe gaslighting by all the parents) by both Yuu (hot and cold is very unkind) and the parents, but then some physical abuse from Miki. Multiple nonconsensual kisses, including Miki's first kiss. Seems like morally gray characters were very popular in the 90s, maybe. I also dislike Ginta, who could have cleared things up years earlier but of course waited until a rival appeares to say anything about his feelings. Also, kind of weird for Miki and Yuu to be considered stepsiblings when they aren't related in any way. Their parents haven't gotten remarried (also the editor's note shocked me at how sexist Japan was at the time, that men could remarry immediately but women had to wait 6 months). Anyway, I do plan to continue, but I felt that the romance stuff could have come along more slowly.

jlaue71893's review against another edition

4.0

The stuff with the parents is a little cringey, but I read this series in middle school and I decided to read it again as a 28 year old. It’s not too bad, just the stuff with the parents is a bit weird.