Sentimental, by SHIMOKITAZAWA Mitsuo

> Manga > Sentimental, by SHIMOKITAZAWA Mitsuo
  • Title: Sentimental
  • Author: SHIMOKITAZAWA Mitsuo
  • Publisher (JP): Shueisha
  • Imprint: Margaret
  • Year: 2008
  • ISBN (JP): 978-4-08-846261-5
  • Licensed in North America?: No
  • Also Known As:
  • Publisher (US):
  • ISBN (US):
  • Anime Version? No
  • Live Action? No

My, what large eyes you have! That was my first thought upon seeing this cover. I mean, seriously, I know that eyes can get huge in shoujo manga, especially for things aimed at younger audiences such as Ribon or Nakayoshi titles. But come on now, the eyes on this cover are rather ridiculous. There is barely room for both eyes on her face! They are so large and so close together, it is almost creepy! Yes, this cover art is silly, but I have to admit that it is rather *cough* eye-catching. (sorry ^^;) This cover grabbed my attention, and I am happy to report that while the interior art does also have large eyes, it is not quite as exaggerated a this cover. *whew!* This is a collection of 5 one-shot stories. Actually, the third and 5th stories are connected. At any rate, this is a fun book, once you get past the unusual art style. It is a bit smutty, so be warned.

Our first heroine is a high-schooler named Yuna. She has a crush on her sempai, Asahi. It’s a one-sided love from-afar type of thing. Yuna can’t keep her eyes off of him. One day, Yuna is shocked when Asahi actually looks her way and smiles! No way! Her friend thinks Yuna is crazy, after all, Asahi is crazy-popular and pretty much has a new girlfriend for every day of the week. He is handsome enough to have been scouted by host clubs, and he is even rumored to have seduced a female teacher! There is no way a ridiculously popular guy like this would notice Yuna.

But Yuna knows that even though Asahi has a reputation for being a player, he really is a nice guy. In fact, last year when Yuna was in middle school, he rescued her from some guys bothering her on the street. He was really kind to her, and from that point on, Yuna fell for him and decided she would attend his high school too.

It seems that Yuna has finally captured Asahi’s attention, for shortly after smiling at her, he rescues her again, this time when she is stuck in the rain without an umbrella. Soaked to the skin, he takes her back to his place to dry off, and one thing leads to another…

Yuna can’t believe her good luck. She finally gets to be with Asahi-sempai! However, she knows it is all really just a dream, a fantasy that came true for one time only. But when Asahi clings to her at school the next day, Yuna begins to think perhaps it wasn’t a dream after all? Ah, but in spite of Asahi’s claims, reality soon comes crashing down on Yuna in the form of Asahi’s other girlfriends. Did Yuna really think she was something special?

Story 2 begins with a secret love. During the day, Akari is good friends with her close friend since middle school, Yuuko and Yuuko’s boyfriend Takuma. However, at night, Akari and Takuma meet up. They have a secret love relationship that they are hiding from Yuuko. It all began during a time when Yuuko and Takuma has gotten in a fight and had broken up. Akari was friends with both of them, and cheered up Takuma when he was depressed. Takuma began to fall for Akari and soon they began seeing each other behind Yuuko’s back. Akari feels horribly guilty. She really loves Takuma! Hwever, Yuuko can sense something wrong in her relationship with her boyfriend, and she asks Akari to come with them on their next date to help relieve the tension. Oh no, how horrible is this? How can Akari sit and watch Takuma and Yuuko on a date? Will their secret love be discovered? What will happen to an important friendship?

Story 3, called Black x Black, gets a bit supernatural! Mayuka is a girl who is always alone. While her classmates are all out having fun at karaoke, or going on dates, Mayuka is left by herself. However, this is about to change. One day while returning home from school, she is surprised to find a cute guy passed out on her front porch! Who is he? How did he get there? What should she do? Mayuka brings him inside and helps him, but when he wakes up, he certainly doesn’t seem very appreciative. The guy is surly and not very nice. He immediately wants to leave. It’s when he tries to leave by her second-floor balcony and can’t, that Mayuka starts to freak out. The guy then claims to be a demon! A demon who has fallen and has lost his power source! What is a quiet girl like Mayuka going to do with a sudden, possibly demonic (or perhaps crazy) house guest?

Story four begins with a confession and a rejection. Shunsuke, a 1st year high school student, is confessing to Yuki, a 3rd year student. Unfortunately, Yuki rejects him, saying that she is graduating soon, and when she does, she will be leaving to go to Tokyo for university. This doesn’t stop Shunsuke. He loves Yuki, and is determined to make her fall for him too. But Yuki is not so easy to convince. You see, she has been in the same position as Shunsuke, and knows how he feels. Two years ago, when she was a 1st year, Yuki was dating a 3rd year sempai. When he graduated, he also left for Tokyo. Yuki is still in love with him, and he promised to wait for her. Now she is finally about to be able to join him in Tokyo. She can’t fall for anyone else now and endure yet another 2 year wait. But Shunsuke is very persistent, and seems to be driven by a strong feeling for Yuki. Will be be able to make her forget her beloved sempai?

At the end of the volume is a very cute and silly short story about Mayuka and her demonic house guest that involves jealousy, presents, and animal costumes 🙂

While the first two stories in this book are a bit smutty (and I am impressed at how fast these girls fall into bed with their love interests) the rest of the book is relatively smut-free. I admit that the guys in this book can be annoying, in particular Takuma (hello, break up with Yuuko already!) but all-in-all, this is a light-weight, no-brainer sort of romance book. I liked it 🙂

3 thoughts on “Sentimental, by SHIMOKITAZAWA Mitsuo

  1. uhm… where do you find this manga to read it online ? can you actually find it online?
    i saw what you said about it here and i really want to read it cause i think it’ very interesting

    1. As I say on the front page of this site, please don’t ask me where you can read this stuff online. I have no idea if it is available online (I figure people can try google themselves), and even it it was out there, I would rather people purchase the actual books from someplace like Amazon Japan instead of reading illegal scans. Thanks!

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