Love, That’s an Understatement /ひかえめに言っても、これは愛 Volume 5 : Manga Review and Thoughts

This was probably the most stressful volumes in the series for me… There is a new character introduced who can end up being the instigator of many misunderstandings between Zen and Lisa…

If you haven’t read it yet, you can check out my review of volume 4 here!

To get to the point..

Do I recommend this manga? Yes!

Who do I recommend this manga to? Fans of high school romance.

Who do I not recommend this manga to? Those who prefer romance with drama.

Trigger warnings? None!

Information About the Manga

Who wrote Love, That’s an Understatement?

This manga was written by Fujimomo! You may be familiar with one of her other very popular series, Lovesick Ellie!

You can check out her X here! You can check out her instagram here!

How many volumes are out?

In Japanese, there are 7 volumes published.

In English, there are 6 volumes published digitally. Kodansha has added this series to their print club, however it is near impossible to find volumes for purchase at this point.

For those looking for the Japanese digitals…

For those looking for the English digitals…

What genre? What are the vibes?

High school romance
Yankee romance
Valuing friendship

Impressions and thoughts

This volume introduced a new character who I at first really enjoyed, but soon strongly disliked. My opinion of her kept changing throughout the volume, and my affection level for her will directly correlate with how much drama she brings to the series.

Apart from that, there was a lot of romance between Zen and Lisa in this volume, and we were able to see them make some progress together! We are also seeing just how much Zen trusts Lisa, as when Fumin tries to throw some bait at Zen, he instead seems to just let it go.

What happens?

We are quickly introduced to a character that seems like she could be a good friend to Lisa, with her excitedly gushing over what she thinks is Lisa’s bike. This character, Kuma, would later turn out to be somewhat problematic, as she used to be a part of Zen’s friend group when they were in middle school.

She makes a comment that she used to have a friend who wanted Lisa’s exact bike, secretly referring to Zen. Not realizing that said bike was actually Zen’.

Zen and Lisa are in a somewhat awkward part of their relationship, with Zen thinking that Lisa doesn’t actually see him as a man. He seems to see her being able to fall asleep in front of him so easily as proof that she doesn’t feel at all nervous around him.

To make matters worse, in the previous volume Lisa and Raku had a deep conversation about their relationships. In this conversation, Lisa was trying to convey to Raku that relationships shouldn’t just be physical, as the emotional element is incredibly important. Raku, unfortunately, understood this conversation to be Lisa confiding in him that she and Zen don’t have a physical relationship at all. And at the start of this volume, Raku tells Zen about this.

This thankfully doesn’t dim the mood of the volume though, as when Zen brings it up to Lisa, she clearly tells him that she indeed sees him as a man.

In order to get ready for a school festival, Lisa and the newly introduced Kuma end up bonding as they do their preparations. They talk quite a bit, with Kuma talking about boys quite a bit, asking if Lisa has anyone she likes. Kuma also alludes to her having feelings for someone, but doesn’t say who.

They then go outside, where Kuma sees what she thinks is Lisa’s bike parked outside again, and goes to check it out. She freaks out and falls over when she accidentally bumps into Zen, where they have the world’s shortest reunion.

When she falls over, Zen helps her back up – much to Lisa’s apparent displeasure. Kuma asks about Zen and Lisa’s relationship, begins acting strangely, and then all but runs away.

At the school festival, Zen and his friends arrive to see Lisa. Unfortunately, due to their school being infamous for having yankee, when some money disappears, they are the first and only suspects.

Not wanting to embarrass Lisa, Zen begins stripping to prove that he doesn’t have anything on him, but Lisa stops him before it goes too far. While she’s assuring the crowd that they would never steal anything, a teacher stops by to drop of the bag of money that was assumed stolen.

After the kerfuffle ends, Lisa takes Zen to a special area in the festival, where they can decorate lanterns.

My Favourites

Lisa standing up for Zen and his friends at the festival
The library scene – it’s good, trust me.

My Least-Favourites

Nothing!

Maddie’s ratings

Plot

Is the plot constantly engaging? – Yes!

Is it original? – More or less

Am I excited to continue reading? – Yes!

Art

Do I personally like the art? – Yes!

Does the art match the vibe of the story? – Yes!

Is the artstyle unique? – To a certain degree.

World-Building

Is there a lot of lore? – No.

Personal Enjoyment

Would I re-read it? – I did to make this review!

Would I add it to my physical collection? -I already own it!

Would I recommend it? – Yes!

Maddies Manga