Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! You all know I wanted to make this another &TEAM header…but I have some self-control…So instead it’s about a new shoujo manga I read! Matcha Made in Heaven (この恋、茶番につき!?), by Umebachi Yamanaka (山中梅鉢), is currently running in Be Love magazine and currently has 12 volumes published in English. I read the first volume a few weeks ago, and I was immediately hooked. The main character, Chako Hananoki, is delightful and extremely relatable…

I promise this is also a romance, but at least in volume 1 it isn’t the primary focus. You see some early hints at a connection, but it’s more focused on Chako’s attempt to escape her stalker finance, return to her family’s tea farm, and find a place to belong. There’s also the beginnings of what I think will be a found family situation. So basically it’s everything I love! I definitely plan to keep reading this, and I highly recommend you check it out too!

And, as always…

What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?

Happy Wednesday! 🍙