Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rereader33 's review for:
Hatsu Haru - La primavera del mio primo amore, Vol. 4
by Shizuki Fujisawa
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!