Manga 141761 Kiyoku Yamashiku Modokashiku

tl;dr: Imagine if the Akagi x Kaji pairing in Tsurezure Children had their own separate series





Story:

If you read the tldr you pretty much have a gist for what the story is about. It basically follows the relationship between the formal yet secretly perverted ML who likes to tease the delinquent but soft hearted FL.

Each chapter generally follows a sort of "mini arc" style where there's an intro and conflict, usually dealing with one of the character's (mostly the FL's) insecurities, and a resolution by the end of it. Each chapter also generally provides some character development (mostly with ML) with brief backstories accompanying it. ... It's not something that will keep you thinking all night, but it certainly does help to provide more substance to the characters.

The romance is also nicely developed between the leads. Unlike most series' this one doesn't really beat around the bush when it comes to establishing the couple early, so rather than having a premise that has a 'will they wont they' subplot sprinkled on top (which would likely be the case if this was a shounen romcom ngl) instead we get a series that shows the couples development post confession. I think the series does a nice job blending the romance with the comedy so it doesn't feel too forced or half assed

That being said though, what will likely make or break this series is the comedy itself. While this series does have enough character to make it stand out more than just "repeat x formula a billion times and don't change anything" it still does rely on the same formula more or less for its comedy. However, there is enough variation that it ends up being a case of "what is he gonna say this time" as opposed to "oh here it comes again"

Art:

The art is fairly nice, it gets the job done and the facial expressions on the FL can be funny to see

Character:

This is really where the series shines the best. The chemistry between the 2 leads are amazing, they work perfectly well with each other on both the romantic front and especially the comedy front. The banter between the leads doesn't really come off as pretentious LN esq nor does it give the sense of "okay can we move on now."

The main ML, like in many shoujo is the star of the show. Even though on the outside he may seem formal, in reality he is quite perverted and loves to tease the FL. In classic shoujo fashion he has his own backstories which shows his less than fortunate upbringing and how the FL is there to save the day, but to give its credit it never overly stretches out the stories nor makes them overly melodramatic.

Now that isn't to say the FL is a pushover in terms of a character. She herself has her own strengths beyond just being the tsukkomi to the ML. Her reactions are priceless and the little moments where she's unintentionally derpy make her also an enjoyable one to watch

The rest of the side characters have their own features as well. Well 1 of them at least who actually shows up frequently

Enjoyment:

I've always enjoyed this sort of lighthearted teasing/banter with actual romantic development happening throughout. It's sorta like what I wanted to witness with Takagi-san (but never ended up). Personally I enjoy the comedy, I enjoy the characters and I especially enjoy the romance