Manga Review: A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 3, by Makoto Hagino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

 Sometimes you find what you yearn for…

When her dad gets a job overseas, Konatsu Amano has to leave the Tokyo life she’s always known and relocate to a small seaside town to stay with her aunt. The move also means starting a new school surrounded by complete strangers, and it’s a lot to handle for a girl who has trouble with change. But on her first day in her new town, Konatsu is instantly drawn to Koyuki, an older girl who is the sole member of the Aquarium Club. Konatsu’s introverted tendencies are hard for her to overcome, but maybe she’s found something worth coming out of her shell for?

Koyuki and Konatsu, each lonely in her own way, are the only two members of the Nanahama High School Aquarium Club. As they spend time together, they discover that they are increasingly drawn to each other. When they go to the town summer festival together, Konatsu is finally able to ask why Koyuki spoke to her that first day at the aquarium open house. But Koyuki doesn’t have an easy answer, and her stumbling reply makes the mood uncomfortable. Will this new awkwardness force a distance between them?

 

Review:

 

In this volume, Konatsu realizes that her and Honami don't really know very much about each other, and so she tries to fix that. They're in the same club, and they've started growing closer, and yet she doesn't even know what class she's in. They make a misguided step toward understanding each other, but then when it's almost time for the festival, Konatsu works hard to take on more responsibilities for the club's show.

While there is some distance between the two girls, they both have good intentions and growing feelings for each other that they still don't fully understand. Plus they both have pretty good support systems with Konatsu's new friends and Honami's family. They're getting there, slowly.

This is still a really sweet yuri love story, and it just has a really nice, warm feel to it. I'm enjoying it quite a lot.

Manga Review: A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 2, by Makoto Hagino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the moment they met at the Aquarium Club’s open house, Konatsu has admired Koyuki and treated her like she wasn’t a distant figure on a pedestal. In turn, Koyuki has been open and welcoming to the new girl who stirs her heart. When the time comes to pick a club, Konatsu chooses the Aquarium Club with Koyuki. And even though it’s just the two of them, they manage to host a successful open house. What’s next for Koyuki and Konatsu, now that the shared experience has deepened the bond between them?

Review:

During the open house, there's some embarrassment and conflicting feelings, but Konatsu and Koyuki put themselves out there and that helps make it a success. Konatsu also meets Koyuki's dad during this, who turns out to be quite a supportive and good father.

After that, it's break time. Despite their difficulties with settling comfortably together, having too many worries about how to act around each other, they end up making plans together. Some of them don't quite go as planned, but they still learn more about each other during it.

Despite how timid and new to this they both are, they keep putting themselves out there and facing the misunderstandings that come along. Konatsu in particular might not be realizing what her feelings mean, but she's still trying to grow closer to Koyuki and spend more time with her.

This is a really sweet, heartwarming yuri series. It feels like first shojo love, only with girls. I'm really enjoying reading it so far.

As a sidenote, why doesn't Viz have a label for their more diverse series yet? They've released quite a few yuri or boys love series, or just ones that have a more diverse cast, and they're only under VIZ. They should add a new label for these, I think. I do think they're probably still just dabbling in it, but I hope when they get enough releases they'll expand it.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Volume 1, by Makoto Hagino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sometimes you find what you yearn for…

Konatsu is about to start a new school in a new town, and she’s basically all on her own. Her dad just got a job overseas, and her aunt can only check in from time to time. It’s a lot for a shy, reserved girl to handle. But on one of the first days of class, she discovers that the school has an aquarium! The club that runs the aquarium is headed by an older student named Koyuki, and Konatsu is instantly drawn to her. Konatsu’s introverted tendencies are hard to overcome, but maybe she’s found something worth coming out of her shell for?

Review:

Konatsu is forced to move to this small fishing town to live with her aunt, and she was already a quiet girl, who puts on a smile and tries not to bother people. When she stumbles upon the aquarium club, she meets Koyuki, the only member. Koyuki is seen as basically perfect, only she's also shy and awkward and doesn't really know how to talk to people. Thus starts a sweet little friendship.

We get to see inside both of their heads, which is nice, and I think helps us understand Koyuki's side, as well. They're both very similar, and they like each other from the start even though they don't really understand why or to what extent. It's the very beginning of yuri feelings, before either of them has really started to understand what it could mean.

I was surprised by how utterly sweet this volume is. I didn't have huge expectations, and am delighted by how utterly sweet and heartwarming this turned out to be. I really like both characters, and how their relationship is developing. They're also forming friendships outside of each other, and that's similarly sweet and innocent, which I like. We haven't seen much of their families yet, though I hope we'll get more of that. They're also part of the aquarium club, and I really like getting to see the cute creatures and see them learning about them.

This volume was a surprising delight and I honestly can't wait to read the next one. It also feels very shojo for a yuri, in a very good way, which I appreciate.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!