Manga Review: LDK, Volume 2, by Ayu Watanabe

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: December 2015

Volumes: 19+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

LOVE RIVALS Aoi appears to finally be coming to terms with her feelings for Shusei. But before she can come to a conclusion, she witnesses a shocking scene between Shusei and a beautiful woman. However, it turns out that Shusei is not the only one who's popular with the opposite sex, as a younger rival enters the fray and vies for Aoi's attention. One boy is enough headache, but what will Aoi do with two gorgeous boys as love interests?

Review:

I really want to love this series. I really, really do. But it’s just not working for me.

I expect this kind of series to have a lot of drama, and romance, and maybe a little bad smut. I expect it to be a guilty pleasure drama, one so badly good you can’t stop watching. But this just isn’t doing it for me.

We meet Shusei’s sister in this volume, who forces Aoi to pretend to be Shusei’s girlfriend, to a ridiculous amount. Then there’s a school festival, where girls argue over who gets Shusei’s school shirt. We meet a rival for Aoi’s affections, a guy who actually likes her and is kind of sweet, even if he does push himself on her too much. He gives her more room and kindness than Shusei, at least. Which, of course, means that Aoi doesn’t like him like she does Shusei.

Shusei could be more a dick bad boy, but I actually think his personality is okay. He likes Aoi, and he’s not afraid of it, which I like. But mostly the drama and the emotions, and even the artwork, is very one-dimensional. Aoi’s freak-outs are over exaggerated, as is the drama. None of it is pulling me in, and none of it is making me want to read more.

I want this to get better, but I don’t really think it will, sadly.

Manga Revew: L-DK, Volume 1, by Ayu Watanabe

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Volumes: 18+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

LIVING, DINING, KITCHEN...LOVE?

Aoi Nishimori is a high school girl who lives alone in her own apartment, but to her surprise, she discovers that the prince of her school, Shusei Kugayama, has moved in next door! To add to this, a series of crazy happenings result in the two living together under a single roof! Shusei is known to be a heartless guy and Aoi particularly hates him after he coldly rejected her best friend, so a life of cohabitation seems like a recipe for disaster. And yet, Aoi somehow can’t stop her heart from pounding when she’s with Shusei...

Review:

I was so excited for this series, and now I’m a little disappointed. Which sucks.

The first part is pretty rushed. We find out that Shusei is the popular guy in school, who gets confessed to and fanned over all the time, and who doesn’t like it. He moves in next door to Aoi, who lives alone. And by the end of the chapter, something happens with Shusei’s apartment and so he stays with Aoi.

They get in to a bit of trouble at times, what with trying not to let people know. Shusei doesn’t really care, but Aoi does, trying to keep it from her best friend who liked Shusei.

Mostly, the characters seem very one-dimensional. Aoi is exaggerated and easily embarrassed, pushing Shusei away. She tries not liking him for her friends sake, though, and I liked that she did seem to have a true friendship with another girl, who didn’t freak out upon finding out about Shusei. Shusei definitely has his jerk moments, like when he tricks her into staying handcuffed together for a day. But I also think that he truly doesn’t have an interest in most girls, gets annoyed over the way they fan over him, but is starting to like Aoi. I don’t see why, as she annoys me, and their chemistry is so one-dimensional, but still.

This volume was disappointing, but I will be giving it a couple more, because I see potential in it. I hope it gets better.

Wishlist Thursday[129]: L-DK by Ayu Watanabe

L-DK 1 by Ayu Watanabe

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Volumes: 18+

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

Volume 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

LIVING, DINING, KITCHEN...LOVE?

Aoi Nishimori is a high school girl who lives alone in her own apartment, but to her surprise, she discovers that the prince of her school, Shusei Kugayama, has moved in next door! To add to this, a series of crazy happenings result in the two living together under a single roof! Shusei is known to be a heartless guy and Aoi particularly hates him after he coldly rejected her best friend, so a life of cohabitation seems like a recipe for disaster. And yet, Aoi somehow can’t stop her heart from pounding when she’s with Shusei...

Why?:

I am really excited for this series. I tend to enjoy Kodansha’s shojo series, and they’ve been licensing some really interesting ones lately. This series seems more in the realm of Say I Love You than Kiss Him, Not Me!, which makes me even more excited. I loved the mature shojo in particular, plus the art looks really pretty. I can’t wait to get this volume.