Jan 1, 2025
7.5/10
This is definitely a really solid, wholesome romance manga, but it certainly has its flaws partly due to its unique premise.
The premise of this manga is honestly one of, if not the first, of its kind by portraying a romcom from the bystanders’ pov, and it honestly makes for some really funny moments with their reactions to the male and female lead, sort of like a “breaking the 4th wall moment.”
Though, this also does come with some flaws plot wise, as the pacing is REALLY slow, and the side characters/bystanders are just that — side characters, they aren’t developed or explored besides for adding their
...
typical jokes, which is a shame. Some people might consider the lack of detail in the side characters a bit charming, as it enhances the realism as them being the audience, directing the attention to the ML and FML, but I would’ve, preferred otherwise, as they are equally as entertaining, especially when they bicker with each other.
As for the manga’s pacing, I mentioned it before, but it is SLOW. I get it, the story has to move really slowly since the entire setting is based on the train, and if it moves too fast, there’s not much more you could milk out of the male and female lead’s embarrassing romance. However, to take a double digit amount of chapters to learn their name ideally isn't the most entertaining pacing.
Despite the slow pacing, the manga doesn’t feel too drawn out due to its comedy/jokes each chapter. Some of the jokes are relatively unique, and every interaction in this manga does have some humor to it.
With that being said, the jokes also aren’t as potent due to the sheer amount of words. When I say the panels are wordy, they are wordy. This is usually the fault of the side characters’ exchanging speeches via text since they add “commentary” to the story, but it does get annoying/ruins the moment sometimes.
Don’t get me wrong, this manga is still entertaining as a cute romance manga, but it does get a little frustrating to read since with each chapter it feels like the male and female lead’s relationship takes 0.5 steps forward then 0.4999 steps back; well, that’s if they even took a step in the first place. If you can tolerate a really slow moving romance plot, then this story would be something to look forward to. As for me, I’m a bit half-way on it winning me over.
On a side note, the interactions with the male and female lead are reminiscent of having a gym crush where you would exchange glances for a year straight and never speak a word to each other. I’m not projecting, you are.
Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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