cute overall, but i cannot escape the weird kid proportions

itsu August 21, 2024 10:40 am

i'd forgotten until starting to reread, that this manga was one with a really jarringly proportioned kid. (not the worst i've ever seen, but it's up there...)

it's great nonetheless that halfway into the manga the artist seemed to give akito a significantly more appropriately softened face instead of an older child/adult head awkwardly shrunken down to fit on a tiny body. however, despite that improvement, said body continued to be seemingly too small for his age much of the time - an age which is actually kinda uncertain? in the first chapter the 'terrible twos' is mentioned, implying he's two, maybe nearing three, but then later he's going to kindergarten? which, for japan, seems to be for four to six year olds (though they CAN be as young as three???). he gave off a four or so year old vibe to me, which fits the kindergarten but not the 'terrible twos', yet regardless of either option, his body's drawn SO dang small!! cause i really think he'd be too small even for a two year old! sometimes he looks more like an infant compared to the others. even when his face was much cuter and softer, the scenes where he'd be on level with chiharu or ryou really highlighted that things were still kinda wonky in the proportion department.

secondary annoyance barging into my primary: why is chiharu's BROKEN arm only wrapped and not in a cast? or at least a splint?? and only somehow gonna take THREE weeks to heal??? and why is it not in a proper sling?? seems more like a bad sprain than a break. also, you can absolutely hug someone with just one arm XP

...WELL, uh, neither of those thought worms were really relevant to story, it's just something that continued to bug me both back whenever it was that i first read this and upon the reread now. not sure if others shared the unnecessary but inescapable sentiments, but maybe someone here might see this and feel validated XD

overall it's cute and quite a simple, cliché little thing. while it clearly had issues, perhaps, as the lovely translator theorized, some or all of those issues might have shined through so much because it suffered to a degree due to unknown circumstances on the author's side of things. who knows ╮(・へ・)╭

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