Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! I just finished1Well, technically I have one more volume, but it’s all bonus content. So I’ve finished the main story. reading suu Morishita’s Like a Butterfly (日々蝶々), so I thought I’d feature it today! While the romance was sweet and engaging, the thing I loved most about this manga was the friendships between all the girls. They were complicated at times, but rooted in a lot of trust and openness, which I absolutely loved. The way they supported one another, and helped each other grow, was really wonderful. In fact, all the side characters were really engaging and kept the story from feeling too focused on one thing. I was a little sad to realize I was at the end because I was having so much fun spending time with everyone.
If you’re interested, the main story follows Suiren, a girl who’s developed a very specific defense mechanism to deal with the constant unwanted attention she receives because of her appearance. With the exception of her closest friends, she doesn’t talk, and when she does she uses a very quiet voice. When she meets Kawasumi, she feels compelled to reach out to him, but he has his own struggles with communicating. At times, their romance was painful to read about because they struggled to get on the same page, but if felt very real and honest for a young relationship. I found my heart breaking a few times as I read this, but suu Morishita always put it back together. If this sounds like something you’d like, I highly recommend it!
And, as always…
What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?
Happy Wednesday! 🌸