Hazuki Takeoka

This series just cannot break out of the slow and dull storytelling in which it is mired. The big deal for this volume is that the protagonist is worried that her high school classmates may find out that she has been lying about her popularity in middle school because (gasp) really she was nerdy and didn't have a boyfriend! Oh my! Such a scandal! Not.

What next? We find out she stuffs her bra?

There's nothing really bad here, but it's so low key and childish that I just don't care if I never show more come across another volume again. show less

The story actually has a fun hook with the revenge theme and Cinderella motif. It's too bad the creator didn't have enough confidence in his tale and characters, though, and instead resorted to inserting an excessive amount of fan service. Despite that, I'll seek out the second volume at the library.

FYI, since it seems to be missing above, here's the back cover copy:

Revenge is a dish best served cold!
"Pig Legs." That was the nickname Makabe Masamune was cursed with by childhood classmate show more Adagaki Aki. But a lot has changed in eight years. He's lost weight, changed his name, and turned himself into a new man - and a handsome one at that. Masamune's grand plan is ready to begin. He'll make Adagaki fall in love with him, and then dump her hard! It's a story of love and vengeance, plain and simple - what could possibly go wrong? show less

Hardly anything happens in the present day at the class reunion, while the flashbacks firm up a romantic triangle that is probably meant to make the book more interesting, but just adds to the melancholy tone that threatens to suffocate the characters and the story.

The art is very well done, but the story is so thin and lacks any innovations or hooks or even tension thanks to the split timeline revealing where everyone ends up. I have another volume on hand, so I'll read it, but it may be show more the last one for me unless the series concludes soon. show less

A questioning college student returns to Tokyo for a high school reunion looking for a chance to reconnect with the woman upon whom she had a confusing crush in high school. Most of the book flashes back to her high school days and her awkward pursuit of Aoi Koshiba which gets a little nonconsensual, harassing and stalkery at times but is not entirely unwelcome.

The scenario is a bit too mild and the set up a bit too dull by just a hair. The characters seem promising, so I'll try a couple show more more volumes in because-it's-there mode. show less