Maddies Manga

Yanagida and Akari’s relationship is finally solidified! Their relationship isn’t as shallow as it may have once seemed, and the two help each other cope when Akari’s ex makes a sudden appearance.

Author

This series is written by t e n. Instagram.

Genre & Tropes

Workplace romance, spicy romance.

Info about this series (ongoing)

There are two volumes published physically, and four volumes published digitally.

TL;DR rating

As this volume gave us some more plot and character development, I enjoyed it a lot more than the first! I will be reading on, but it’s not a priority read.

You can check out volume two of this series for yourself below!

My thoughts on this volume (Spoilers!)

I’m happy to say that I enjoyed this volume a lot more than the first! My main gripe with volume one was that it lacked plot, and mainly focused on seeing how many different places the main couple could make out in their office without getting caught. While I don’t necessarily mind a bit of spice in my romance, I need to actually like the characters in order to get behind it. I need a bit of plot before my spice!

In volume two we learn more about why Yanagida and Akari like each other, and we finally see them out of the office! While I typically enjoy office romances, literally the only thing they did in the office was make out. I was very happy to see them leave.

The two of them are able to have genuine conversations, and also finally go out on a proper date in this volume. This is what I was waiting for! Now that it’s been established that they’re an actual couple that has feelings for each other beyond “I like his voice” and “she stood up for me one time”, I’m finally able to root for them.

As this is a more spicy romance (but not explicit!), naturally, there are spicy scenes littered throughout. Thankfully, everything in this volume is much better paced than in volume one. We see them go to a hotel, go to an amusement park, go for drinks with their coworkers, and then go to an onsen. While there is some spice in every single new location, there is also plot development in every single new location!

In the hotel we learn that Yanagida actually fell for Akari a long time before they ever technically met, and I thought his whole stalker arc was actually really sweet. At the amusement park we get to see them wish they were able to attend high school together, and they do some reminiscing. When they go out for drinks we get to see Yanagida’s jealous side, and at the onsen we learn that Akari’s feelings for Yanagida aren’t as shallow as they once seemed.

Thanks to all of the variety in this volume, I felt very satisfied with the plot! While it isn’t the most story-heavy series out there (it still mainly focuses on their relationship and spice), it gives enough story that I finally was able to start rooting for the two of them. I just want Akari to be happy!

Things I particularly enjoyed (spoilers)

❤️ Akari being able to stand up to her ex! I loved seeing her get closure, and Yanagida was there to help keep her confidence up!

🧡 Yanagida being a confirmed stalker—why did he just sneakily watch Akari on the roof for what seemed like months?? I like that it was used to explain that he had been fond of her for a while, but that could have turned creepy.

💛 The cosplay escape room!! I’m actually so jealous, I want to go do one too…

💚 Yanagida secretly holding Akari’s hand during the after-work drinks meeting. He’s so supportive, I love him.