Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 8, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2020

Volumes: 12 + Extra

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Clueless country girl Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park where she had once seen a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. Mr. Shishio’s change of heart causes Suzume to shut herself up in her room. When Suzume's mother returns to their hometown for a brief stay, Suzume makes the sudden decision to return home. But Yuyuka and Suzume's other Tokyo friends are determined to bring her back.

 

Review:

 

Recovering from the breakup, Suzume needs to get away. Coincidentally, her mom is back home, and so she gets to go back home for a little while. It's nostalgic and sweet, her getting to see her old friends and be back at her old home. But her new friends miss her, and Uncle Yukichi is worried about her, and her new home wants her back after a point.

Despite my feelings about Shishio at this point, and all the brewing things between Suzume and Mamura (which I thought was done with!), I really like how all of this is handled. Suzume needed to step back, and she needed to see her mom, and she gets to take that time away and do that. And when she gets back to school, she's stronger for it.

I think I'm still for Shishio in the romance, but I do love Mamura. And getting to see his family again was really fun. I like Mamura, I just don't know if I like him as much for Suzume. But, honestly, I'm a little conflicted about it at this point.

Why'd Shishio have to go and ruin it?

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 7, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2020

Volumes: 12 (+Extra)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. Suzume and Mr. Shishio take a trip together for the first time. But something weighs heavily on Mr. Shishio’s mind. Meanwhile, Suzume’s worried about being caught on a romantic outing with her teacher.

 

Review:

 

Suzume is attempting to connect better with Shishio, but Shishio is being reminded of the fact that he's older and he's her teacher. There's a lot of complications because of that, pressures, and a confrontation that we expected to happen at some point. It's not surprising how it goes, but it is rough. And how Shishio responds to it doesn't help anything.

I'm frustrated by this series at this point. It gives us like a tiny piece of progress, and then throws it all away in a second. I understand the drama of it, and I even understand the necessity of real possible issues. But it's still frustrating, and while I've been rooting for Shishio and Suzume, Shishio is starting get on my nerves a little bit with how he's handling these things.

I still feel like there's a definite main couple option here, but it keeps throwing these surprises at me that make me doubt it. I'm never quite sure where it's going next.

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 6, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 12 (+Extra)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Clueless country girl Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park where she had once seen a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. With Mr. Shishio’s true feelings for her out in the open, Suzume tries her best to figure out if they are an item or not. Meanwhile, Mamura grows suspicious of Shishio and Suzume’s relationship.

Review:

We're getting some conflicting messages here. Suzume and Shishio are growing closer, even making plans for Christmas. Shishio seems to be taking every chance he can to be around Suzume, but then he gets pulled away during Christmas, and Suzume ends up hanging out with Mamura during a surprise walk.

Mamura is always in the background here, and he seems to be taking a few steps forward. I'm not sure where his journey is heading. Because Suzume and Shishio are super cute, and we get a few scenes of that in this volume. Slowly, they're progressing their relationship. Then there's Yuyuka, who is trying to be a single girl and yet this boy keeps coming around. I think this new information for her puts them on a more equal level, though.

I'm definitely getting intrigued by the side character relationships, but I'm still very invested in the main romance. Definitely still following.

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 5, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 12 (+ Extra)

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Optimistic high schooler Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park where she had once seen a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. Although Mr. Shishio seemed interested in her, he suddenly turns cold and acts threatening toward Mamura. Suzume tries to avoid Mr. Shishio, but he blurts out his true feelings for her...

Review:

It's time for the festival. Which means we get to see the characters dressed in cafe uniforms, and Yuyuka in costume for the play. It feels very festive, and they're all rather adorable dressed up like this.

Suzume and Shishio fit in some pretty cute moments in this volume. They're clearly flirting around this right now, and Shishio has to be a bit more upfront about his feelings, since he's the one who turned her down. Even though he isn't supposed to be hanging around her during the festival, he sneaks in a few moments to see her. I'm really quite into this relationship.

Aside from that, though, Yuyuka gets quite a bit of attention in this volume. She's trying to deal with her feelings for Mamura, all while Minagawa is making his feelings for her very clear. He's just turning up everywhere she is, and he seems to see her a lot more clearly than most people. It's an interesting dynamic forming between them, and I'm curious where it'll go.

The last quarter of the book features a one-shot. It was cute, for sure. But I'm anticipating more Suzume and Shishio flirty moments.

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

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 4, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 12 (+ Extras)

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Optimistic high schooler Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park where she had once seen a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. She is trying to get over Mr. Shishio, but they unexpectedly end up going to an aquarium together. Suzume enjoys herself, but Mr. Shishio’s confusing attitude puzzles her.

Review:

Despite the previous volume, Suzume and Mamura don't wait too long to repair their friendship. And then Suzume unintentionally ends up on a date with Shishio.

After all this, school festival time is coming up, and a new guy shows up with an interest in Yuyuka. He has an odd way of going about it, and Yuyuka's pretty put off about him.

The previous volume was a bit of a surprise, but definitely wasn't the end to any future relationships. I still really like where Suzume and Shishio are heading; I think they're cute and am excited for that relationship to heat up. I like Suzume and Mamura as friends, and Suzume and Yuyuka as friends, too, actually. It looks like Yuyuka has some drama in her future, and I'm curious what's going to happen for her.

This should definitely be fun during the festival next time. I'm quite a fan of this series at this point, at least, and so I look forward to it. It has a more mature edge, and I like Suzume's straightforward, blank face personality that works with the humor really well. It's hitting the right buttons for me so far, at least.

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

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 3, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 12 +1.

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Optimistic high schooler Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park when she recallsm once seeing a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. In an unguarded moment while Mr. Shishio naps in the infirmary, Suzume voices her feelings. But he wasn’t sleeping?! Mamura soon realizes how Suzume feels about their teacher, and with Mr. Shishio’s ex-girlfriend back in the picture, things become even more complicated.

Review:

There's a surprising confrontation and twist of plot in this volume. While Suzume was still coming to terms with her feelings, she hadn't expected to actually tell him this early. And her doing this makes Mr. Shishio acknowledge it and attempt to move forward. It honestly threw me off and makes me conflicted. I understand his stance, and as it moves forward, we get to see why he reacted like this.

It could be because of his job, but mostly he's just hung up on his past relationship too much.

I do find it interesting how we take a break from high school and Suzume here, and get to see inside Shishio's head for a bit. He's got a different perspective, and he has to assess his real feelings for his ex and for Suzume before being able to actually move forward.

And then there's Mamura. Poor Mamura, who likes Suzume, while Yuyuka likes Mamura and Suzume is trying to help her.

It's all getting very complicated, honestly.

And I'm hooked. I'm here for it.

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

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 2, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 12 (+Extra).

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Optimistic high schooler Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park when she recallsm once seeing a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. She soon realizes that she is attracted to her homeroom teacher, Mr. Shishio. Although she tries to deny her feelings, they only grow stronger. But then her classmate Mamura does something that leaves her speechless!

Review:

Just as the class is going on a school trip in the wilderness, Suzume is realizing her feelings for Mr. Shishio. It looks like things are going to get complicated with Mamura, though, which I don't appreciate. I love him and Suzume as best friends.

We get to know Yuyuka a lot better in this volume, too. She's harsh and rude, and somehow has formed a friendship with Suzume. Her secret mean side has pretty much been blown with everyone at this point, though it doesn't scare people away like she thought it would—or maybe wants it to, now.

I really love the group of characters in this series so far. It's only just started, too, and yet I'm completely hooked. Suzume kind of balances things out, I think, between the characters. And I really like both love interests, though I'm leaning hard toward Mr. Shishio for Suzume.

I can't wait for the next one.

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

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 1, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 12 (+Extra).

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Optimistic high schooler Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park where she had once seen a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Review:

I had no idea what this series was when I started it, and am surprised by how completely hooked I am already.

Suzume was living in a tiny country town, where nothing exciting happened, and everyone knew everyone. When suddenly her parents tell her they're moving out of country and have decided for her to live with her uncle in Tokyo. She's against this, but doesn't have much choice.

In Tokyo, she doesn't know anyone, barely knows her uncle, and doesn't know what to expect. She meets her new teacher without knowing it, somehow forces a friendship with a guy who has never really interacted with girls, and gets the popular girl's eyes set on her, too.

Teacher-student romances are usually hit-or-miss for me, and I'm pretty sure this one is a hit. I'm pretty sure I'm into it.

Then there's Mamura. He freaks out when girls touch him and is thus afraid of them. Suzume figures this out by accident, and thus forms a forceful friendship with him. It's a similar start for her potential friendship with Yuyuka, actually. Neither are conventional or really wanted, but Suzume doesn't let that bother her. I don't think romance is needed between Suzume and Mamura, as honestly they already have just a great friendship at this point.

Then there's Suzume's uncle, who's friends with her teacher. He's sweet and protective, and only gets upset when he discovers her bad grades. I like him a lot already, too.

I don't think I've appreciated a heroine so much in a while. Suzume is brash but smart, she doesn't let things bother her too much; I love her reactions, and her straight-face at first. She's so cool, but she also just wants friends.

It's unexpected already, but I can't wait for the next one.

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