If you haven't heard of this series, you're probably worried that the title, which sums up the premise of the series (The protagonist Machi, sick of her parents pressuring her to marry a successful young man, decides to marry her female best friend Hana) gives the impression that the lesbian romance won't be taken seriously. If so, then you needn't worry, since, without spoiling too much, Machi and Hana do gradually fall in love. That being said, this story has other shortcomings.
The most relevant one is the brevity of the series. There are only three chapters, which total a little over 100 pages. As a result, there isn't much room for a romance arc or much development in the main couple's relationships. The series also ends abruptly, without much of a semblance of conclusion apart from the implication that the main characters' arrangement will become permanent.
The characters are a mixed bag. Machi is a fairly well-written character who ends up undergoing a fair amount of Character Development in the short series, while Hana makes a good foil to Machi who has good chemistry with her, but most of the others are largely extraneous at best. Machi's coworker and boss are both largely forgettable, her parents come off as cartoonishly evil in-laws from hell, and Hana's ex largely exists as a plot device to push the two closer together. The main couple is most important, but the side characters should at least come across as believable human beings.
As harsh as the review may be so far, it does have some merits. The artwork is fairly good. The series involves less angst and drama than some of Naoko Kodama's other work. While it does have issues with pacing and a lack of resolution, it's also marketed as a short yet intense series, and can appeal to those who are into one-shots.
In the end, while romance series can tend to drag on too long with Will They or Won't They? merely used to artificially prolong the series, it's also important to take things at a realistic pace, and being able to tell a good story over the long haul is a mark of a good writer. This series isn't bad, per se, but it would have been better off if it had a few volumes to properly develop the main characters' relationship.
Manga Could Have Been Longer
If you haven't heard of this series, you're probably worried that the title, which sums up the premise of the series (The protagonist Machi, sick of her parents pressuring her to marry a successful young man, decides to marry her female best friend Hana) gives the impression that the lesbian romance won't be taken seriously. If so, then you needn't worry, since, without spoiling too much, Machi and Hana do gradually fall in love. That being said, this story has other shortcomings.
The most relevant one is the brevity of the series. There are only three chapters, which total a little over 100 pages. As a result, there isn't much room for a romance arc or much development in the main couple's relationships. The series also ends abruptly, without much of a semblance of conclusion apart from the implication that the main characters' arrangement will become permanent.
The characters are a mixed bag. Machi is a fairly well-written character who ends up undergoing a fair amount of Character Development in the short series, while Hana makes a good foil to Machi who has good chemistry with her, but most of the others are largely extraneous at best. Machi's coworker and boss are both largely forgettable, her parents come off as cartoonishly evil in-laws from hell, and Hana's ex largely exists as a plot device to push the two closer together. The main couple is most important, but the side characters should at least come across as believable human beings.
As harsh as the review may be so far, it does have some merits. The artwork is fairly good. The series involves less angst and drama than some of Naoko Kodama's other work. While it does have issues with pacing and a lack of resolution, it's also marketed as a short yet intense series, and can appeal to those who are into one-shots.
In the end, while romance series can tend to drag on too long with Will They or Won't They? merely used to artificially prolong the series, it's also important to take things at a realistic pace, and being able to tell a good story over the long haul is a mark of a good writer. This series isn't bad, per se, but it would have been better off if it had a few volumes to properly develop the main characters' relationship.