Manga Match 25 Chikyuu no Owari wa Koi no Hajimari

I had actually picked this shoujo up when I was on one of my hunts for great shoujo manga, but I never ended up finishing it. It's a shame honestly because I had to rely on scanlations ya know? So it wasn't ideal. But I was able to finally finish it!

{Spoilers...but you already know how it's going to end up hehe}

So this isn't like every other romance because it's kind of dysfunctional and it's got an interesting twist. It follows the protagonist Mahiru and her struggle to come to terms with the fact that people tend to favor her younger, popular, and extroverted twin sister Mayo. She has a complex in which she believes that Mayo has done no wrong, and because she views her sister as being perfect, she comes to hate herself. This mindset that she has is challenged when she starts high school and the school's numero uno ikemen Satomi takes an interest in her. Of course this is all because Mahiru was kind to him when it was his pre-glow up, but she doesn't know that. And it unfolds into this sweet, but at the same time frustrating, romance between a guy that has some social cue issues due to his unfortunate past and a girl with, for lack of a better phrase, an inferiority complex. It's sad really how Mahiru wasn't liked by her other classmates because she was more introverted than her sister. Like she's such a sweet girl that thinks badly of herself just because she's faced with the real and oh so painful emotion of jealousy. Honestly speaking, I don't think any of the characters have any reason to be hated, they all just have problems with communication and getting their feelings properly understood by others.

One thing I do have a problem with is the pacing. I assume that the series is over because it literally said "the end" at the end of chapter 20 so I think it's safe to assume that it's over, right? And so I can say that while their romance in general was well developed and they all have pretty clear motivations and everything was resolved, it just seemed short. And while Ginga's love was hinted at in later chapters, I kinda think it was still sudden for him to confess his love for Mahiru. Mahiru is super duper cute, but still it was a bit sudden.

Overall I think it was a great visualization of how precious love is in any form. It's also a good reminder to always tell your loved ones you care about them and make sure they understand your feelings properly. From all the shoujo manga I've read I've really come to appreciate good communication. Because the lack of communication and misunderstandings always pains my heart a little bit. Which is silly because it's fictional, but in every story I think there's a little bit of truth and wisdom to be taken from it. Over the summer I plan to perhaps write a novel. Maybe yes, maybe no, but I think I want to try to narrate my feelings in hopes that it reaches someone out there going through something similar or something. Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking. Who knows~

I didn't realize it was over until I had finished chapter 20, so excuse the lack of screenshots, I'm a bit drained from school anyways (lol that's all I talk about rip sorry), but please enjoy these doki-doki ending moments. Also I think this author really loves the plaid/checkered/modular(?) tones because they're absolutely everywhere. And look at those shoujo sparkles :') love em