nutty nutz's manga / #comedy(7)

LR:1

Due to an accident back in 6th grade, Morimura Nobara becomes hearing impaired and instead gains the ability to understand animals' thoughts. Nobara now lives quietly as a 3rd year middle schooler, but then meets a boy whose voice sounds clear. As it turns out, this boy who can change into a dog was involved in Nobara's accident three years ago. And so with much reluctance from Nobara, Ro stays with her so that they can go back to the way they used to be. //First things first. I literally LOL-ed when Ro first changed into his dog form. Actually, I laughed a lot of times, too. I liked the mix of humor, fluffiness, and melancholy this manga gave me. It's hard to balance things out, especially when it's light-hearted but there's still drama in it. It wasn't too heavy, but still with plenty of relatable experiences and valuable lessons. To be honest, I thought the supporting characters believed Nobara way too easily when she claimed she could understand animals' thoughts. It's quite unrealistic, because Nobara herself was in denial even when she saw Ro transforming in front of her, but I'm willing to gloss it over. Hey, it's way too cute to be all critical. I know, it's a stupid reason. Whatever. I also put in the romance tag, even though it feels like there really isn't any. I'm glad it wasn't forced into the plot though, because I don't think Ro is ready for that yet, and so we get an open-end for that matter. Oh well. All in all, it was a satisfying read.//

Shibata Michiko, almost 30, is in the simplest of terms, a no-good woman. She loses her job, uses all her savings to provide for a con of a younger boyfriend, and ends up in debt. At this critical time, she encounters her former demon-like boss, Kurosawa Ayumu, and finds a part-time job with his opening of his grandma's cafe. //This was a good comedic ride with just the right amount of drama. Ayumu and Michiko's banter was always fun to read, even when it comes at moments I thought would be too serious. Ayumu's epic expressions were a plus, too. Michiko didn't grow overnight. She was still a little of a doormat, though towards the end, it has decreased greatly. I think it's thanks to her and Ayumu's relationship being as open as it was that made her less of a doormat. Well, she was still taking on too much work, but if she's happy with it with good reason, then I shouldn't think it's a bad thing. I'm glad she settled things nicely with Mogami, otherwise it might have been a scar in her future relationships (although with Ayumu, I don't think there's much to worry about). As much as I'm no fan of a girl being trampled on day in and day out, I'm surprised to find myself liking Michiko and rooting for her happiness and stability. As for Ayumu, the only thing I doubted was that it felt like he didn't really like her. I mean, I'm sure he does, just that it was too sudden. Right after his father told him that Michiko shouldn't just be a part-timer, he changed his attitude. But, I did go back a few chapters, and made a consideration for Ayumu. Looking back, he always did listen to Michiko despite his stubbornness (like confessing to Haruko, talking to his father, etc.), meaning she had more impact on him than I initially thought. It was also nice to realize that he smiled more often around her than with anyone else. So in conclusion, I think Ayumu may not have realized Michiko's potential to be his lover until his father mentioned it. The steps he made to reassure Michiko about the issue with her family and the subsequent matter of marriage also made my heart lighter. So, I'll leave things in a positive note and not nitpick on Ayumu's feelings.//

LR:2

LR:1