My Category: Male-lead Josei
Synopsis: Sekine Keiichiro seems flawless at a glance. He's intelligent and handsome; an upright salary man that is admired by all. But in truth he is a lonely, miserable man who has no purpose and direction, nor even any hobbies. Sekine joins a craft class to try and find something to be passionate about, but little does he know he will get tangled in one of the few things he does not excel in- love!
Warning: It does depict some sexual scenes (they aren't steamy and not really consensual), and I would not recommend this to young readers.
Overall, 7.5/10.
Warning: It does depict some sexual scenes (they aren't steamy and not really consensual), and I would not recommend this to young readers.
Overall, 7.5/10.
Story: *7/10
Barely more than 20 chapters at the moment, and it has a lot of room to grow, so it's a very tentative score. Plot wise the developments aren't that many, but the pacing is well done, albeit some people might think it's slow. It's hard to say anything about the story without giving spoilers, but it basically focuses on letting us understand Sekine's psyche and his fumblings with that pesky little thing called love.
There are very few characters in Sekine's Love, but that doesn't make the manga boring. It should be noted that the manga is very focused on Sekine's thoughts and him reflecting on the world and things that happen around him. It's more of looking inward at Sekine's thoughts and feelings rather than things happening around and to Sekine. There were also some comedic parts, not all just pensive and broody, and it was nicely balanced.
There are very few characters in Sekine's Love, but that doesn't make the manga boring. It should be noted that the manga is very focused on Sekine's thoughts and him reflecting on the world and things that happen around him. It's more of looking inward at Sekine's thoughts and feelings rather than things happening around and to Sekine. There were also some comedic parts, not all just pensive and broody, and it was nicely balanced.
Characters: 7/10
Sekine shines the most as he is the character that is most invested in and polished, but the supporting cast is what makes him shine; Kisaragi Sara, the lead female character is a very normal girl, in comparison to Sekine's incredibly unbalanced personality. Perhaps it is because of this that she also appears to be too bland for me... at least for now. I actually like Doujima, because of the dynamics he adds to the relationship between Sekine and Sara. But it is also interesting to see Doujima and Sekine together, as both have something the other wants, and are opposites that compliment each other well. Doujima's teasing and gradual warming up to Sekine puts a grin on my face. It's like... he's bullying a puppy he really likes. The Sakurato couple are there to propel the storyline more than anything else, and it's telling; but it was interesting I suppose. Kisaragi Grandpa has pretty much been out of the spotlight, and not much is known about him.
So, how about Sekine himself? He is basically what makes the manga. Luckily, I found Sekine adorkable. He is the only manga character so far that I have used such a word to describe, but he really is adorkable. He really grew on me, and I felt motherly feelings ahaha! I feel protective and at the same time I want to smack him for being so silly. Lots of times I felt pity for him.
Art: 9/10
The art to me is beautiful. Kawachi-sensei is a wonderful visual storyteller, and the visual flow of each panel and page is a delight. The characters are not all 'pretty people', which works very well in this story. To balance the compositional aspect the panels themselves are often simple and not busy. The line width used also stays constant, which some might find odd or hard to get used to. Some might not find this kind of art to their liking, but it will be an easy read for sure. I am reminded of George Asakura's Oboreru Knife, though I would say the latter is more 'arty'.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Of course, by this time a reader would realize everything is Sekine Sekine Sekine; his thoughts and feelings, characters in comparison to him, basically this manga is about looking at Sekine's world. If you don't like Sekine-kun himself, then you're not going to like this manga at all; but do give him a chance. He's a dork but an adorable, emotionally retarded one. Kawachi-sensei does her utmost to make you love him though, so if you do you'll definitely enjoy this.
Overall, 7.5/10.
Sekine shines the most as he is the character that is most invested in and polished, but the supporting cast is what makes him shine; Kisaragi Sara, the lead female character is a very normal girl, in comparison to Sekine's incredibly unbalanced personality. Perhaps it is because of this that she also appears to be too bland for me... at least for now. I actually like Doujima, because of the dynamics he adds to the relationship between Sekine and Sara. But it is also interesting to see Doujima and Sekine together, as both have something the other wants, and are opposites that compliment each other well. Doujima's teasing and gradual warming up to Sekine puts a grin on my face. It's like... he's bullying a puppy he really likes. The Sakurato couple are there to propel the storyline more than anything else, and it's telling; but it was interesting I suppose. Kisaragi Grandpa has pretty much been out of the spotlight, and not much is known about him.
So, how about Sekine himself? He is basically what makes the manga. Luckily, I found Sekine adorkable. He is the only manga character so far that I have used such a word to describe, but he really is adorkable. He really grew on me, and I felt motherly feelings ahaha! I feel protective and at the same time I want to smack him for being so silly. Lots of times I felt pity for him.
Art: 9/10
The art to me is beautiful. Kawachi-sensei is a wonderful visual storyteller, and the visual flow of each panel and page is a delight. The characters are not all 'pretty people', which works very well in this story. To balance the compositional aspect the panels themselves are often simple and not busy. The line width used also stays constant, which some might find odd or hard to get used to. Some might not find this kind of art to their liking, but it will be an easy read for sure. I am reminded of George Asakura's Oboreru Knife, though I would say the latter is more 'arty'.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Of course, by this time a reader would realize everything is Sekine Sekine Sekine; his thoughts and feelings, characters in comparison to him, basically this manga is about looking at Sekine's world. If you don't like Sekine-kun himself, then you're not going to like this manga at all; but do give him a chance. He's a dork but an adorable, emotionally retarded one. Kawachi-sensei does her utmost to make you love him though, so if you do you'll definitely enjoy this.
Overall, 7.5/10.
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