As much as I enjoy longer series, sometimes it’s nice to read a manga that’s self-contained. This Wonderful Season With You is a short and sweet manga from TokyoPop that doesn’t try juggling too many plot points, and wraps everything up smoothly.
Between This Wonderful Season With You and the author’s previous work, Dekoboko Sugar Days, it’s clear that Atsuko Yusen enjoys playing with the opposites attract trope. The jock and nerd pairing has been seen time and time again, but subtle nuances help the characters feel unique. Junpei Enoki is a member of the Electronic Engineering Club and checks all the boxes of the stereotypical nerd. He’s awkward, physically weak, loves computers, but isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Ryousuke Shirataki looks like the classic jock, but he gets more depth than the rest of the cast. An injured shoulder ruined his baseball career and he spends the majority of the manga feeling lost and without purpose. He joins the Electronic Engineering Club and the relationship between him and Enoki grows. They don’t have much in common, but their willingness to explore their different interests makes them more believable as a couple. As a weakling, it was funny and relatable seeing Enoki struggle to keep up with Shirataki at the gym.
Since this is a short manga, there isn’t much development for the side characters. The other two members of the Electronic Engineering Club aren’t much more than the typical nerds, in both appearance and behavior. The president gets a little depth, but it is quickly pushed aside to put focus back on Enoki and Shirataki. The inclusion of Shirataki’s family allows the reader to learn more about him and brought a subplot that helped break up the romance.
The characters work well together and the additional one-shots at the end show that there are plenty of storylines Yusen could expand on in the future. That being said, some one-shots won’t be for everyone but I get why they were included. This is a 17+ manga, but the main story is fairly safe for work. Two one-shots are included at the end of the manga, one safe for work and one more adult. Some BL fans want adult content included in the story, some don’t, and some don’t care either way. Including an explicit one-shot at the end of the story feels like a good compromise. The story is wrapped up before the one-shots begin, but it’s there if you want more. Regardless of where you stand, we can all appreciate the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure reference in the first date one-shot.
The manga works well as a single volume, but I still was left wanting more. This isn’t a bad thing because it shows that Atsuko Yusen has written nice characters that I would love to see more of. Maybe this story will continue in the future, or maybe they will release a new manga I can check out. If you were a fan of Dekoboko Sugar Days, or are looking for a cute manga to add to your collection, This Wonderful Season With You is a solid choice.
This Wonderful Season With You Manga
Enoki is practically the poster-boy for what a typical nerd looks like: short and slight, complete with big round glasses and social awkwardness. His main hobby is playing video games, and he's used to not having many friends at school. Then, he meets Shirataki, a former member of the baseball club and his exact opposite; tall, muscular and sporty. Despite their many differences, the spark of friendship between the two boys begins to grow into something more...
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