Maddies Manga

Working part-time as a samurai panda, Hanna has several rules that she must abide by. It’s important to not let anyone get the slightest hint of exactly who is manning the panda, after all—that takes the magic away! When her handsome classmate saves her one day, things get a little complicated.

You can read this manga for yourself here!

What’s this manga about?

Hanna has found a job that’s just about perfect for her. Though it’s a little warm inside and difficult to see, manning a character that isn’t allowed to talk has its perks. Especially when the one manning it has a very quiet voice. She’s been enjoying the job so much, and she sees it as her duty to protect the magic that comes with the character—that means following all of the rules that come along with manning a character religiously.

After being toppled over and harassed by some young children, one of her classmates comes to her rescue. She doesn’t know exactly who he is at the time—the giant panda head makes it hard to see clearly—but she recognizes his uniform. She puts the pieces of his identity together when she meets him at school, and has to act dumb when she overhears him talking about how he saved a panda the previous evening.

This boy, Ubukata just so happens to also work at the mall, and develops a quick interest in the panda. He tries striking up a conversation with her panda-self the next time he spots her at work, but it’s not exactly easy to speak to someone who isn’t allowed to use words. He also slowly begins taking an interest in our protagonist Hanna because of her panda-like gestures, but, will he figure out that her gestures are so panda-like because she’s the panda?

My thoughts

This is the newest series by the author of Futarijime Romantic! I was so excited when I heard she was starting writing again, and I have to say, this first chapter didn’t disappoint. Ubukata is a rather unique male lead, in my opinion. I do feel like he likes the panda a little more than anyone else in his social group, but Hanna does make for a cute panda.

I was slightly concerned that his dynamic with Hanna was going to be a little bit on the colder side, as in, he would be very kind to the panda, and then very unkind/indifferent to Hanna. Thankfully he’s very kind to both sides of her, just showing extra interest in the panda.

From this chapter, I think it’s safe to say that Hanna is already beginning to develop romantic feelings for Ubukata, and I can’t really blame her! He was clearly subtly flirting with her while she was in the costume at times!? To the point that I was questioning whether he really didn’t know who was inside it.

While this has very different vibes from Futarijime Romantic, I have a feeling that I’m going to enjoy it just as much. This author, Kanisawa Chihiro, has such a talent for writing charming characters with interesting relationships. There’s nothing generic about either lead in Horeta Hareta Panda, and I’m excited to continue reading on!