Manga Review: "A Condition Called Love" vol. 2

Learning what 'Love' is for the First Time

The second volume of this manga really helped deepen our understanding of the characters; Hananoi has a decidedly darker past than what I originally expected, and Hotaru has her own trauma to deal with too. I’d say Hananoi’s borderline brooding with how territorial and possessive he’s become, but in a caring/nice way. Waiting for his girlfriend after work, walking her home, it’s all very well-intentioned, but somewhat overbearing the top. Hotaru’s understanding of how love works levels up a bit in book 2 as well. I found it really, really funny watching her friends listen to her and losing their minds trying to get it through to her that the feelings she’s experience ARE love, but Hotaru has to figure that out herself. I’d say that volume 2 improved my appreciation for this series, cementing it as one I’ll actually continue collecting. This couple has some very cute moments together which bring my shriveled up old heart joy. Very curious where things will go from here.

Just look at how cute they are

I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5 if I could give half stars. 9/10

There's still some room for improvement, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this manga now.

"A Condition Called Love" is published by Kodansha and retails for $10.99

Maybe I'll start putting some store links around here... thoughts in the comments??

Manga Review: "Insomniacs After School" #1 ---- 10/10

For a manga about two characters with Insomnia, they certainly seem to sleep a lot

This is a really charming book. It belongs in that wonderful niche slice-of-life genre called ‘Iyashikei’ [healing type]. Ganta Nakami and Isaki Magari are both high school students suffering from terrible insomnia, but they find themselves able to sleep, together (not in a dirty way), at school, in the old abandoned observatory. They revive the astronomy club in an effort to secure themselves some much needed rest. The vibe in this series is really great, reminding me of Call of the Night to some extent, just without all the vampire business. The characters are very average looking, maybe a bit frumpy even. I felt at ease watching them doze off in the middle of the day. It feels really weird saying that I was HYPED UP to read this series, especially when the energy level in it is beyond low. It’s chill. Unassuming. Just a nice little volume to help you relax. Will definitely look forward to volume 2 and the anime.

One thing that I think gets really underrated in a lot of manga is the backgrounds, especailly nature/weather shots. They've really done a great job in this book with capturing some very pleasant scenes.

There's something about the sound of rain that always managed to help me wind down. It's gotten to the point where I've compiled an entire playlist on YouTube of nothing but just rain tracks, since, sadly, I live in probably one of the dryest parts of the USA. Generally we get about 14 inches of rain in an entire year... so, I've had to make do with the artificial stuff. I'll tell you though, seeing pages like these, gives me exactly that same mood that I'm trying to find.

Ultimately this series is exactly what I wanted it to be. A kind of sleepy, calming experience. I'm always up for more of those. Life is too busy. I need a book like this every once in a while to take it slow. I wasn't really expecting a romance subplot, but perhaps we'll get one??? There definitely seemed to be a couple sparks there in the first few chapters, but who knows if that'll actually happen, and if it does, when. Either way this series is already a 10/10 for me with just the first volume.