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A review by asipofcozy
Seaside Stranger Vol. 1: Umibe No Étranger by Kanna Kii
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
What an adorable manga. Finally! We are given a realistic-ish gay relationship and we are given a scenario (that we don't see quite often) of a family not reacting positively to their child coming out. Don't get me wrong I love the fluffy reads of families accepting their queer child, and throwing pride parades and the whole sha-bang. However, that is not always the case and a lot of the time families don't react correct and react irrationally which tends to hurt the child. We see that in this case.
The art style was definitely an art style I quite enjoy. At times it reminded me of Hitorijime My Hero. Did some panels feel cramped and had way too much packed in, yes. However, it could have been worse.
Also, I enjoyed the multi-queer representation! It makes my heart happy that a manga artist didn't just include a gay couple!
My biggest issues with this manga were:
1. The plot was confusing
I understood what was going on. However, there were a lot of time skips, which aren't pointed out. Usually, time skips or flash-backs are in a weird gray or the borders of the pages are completely black. That was not the case for this and I did not realize what was a flashback and was present day. The other issue was the plot was all over the place and things just felt choppy. I felt like I was reading 3 different plot lines and none of them lined up.
2. The weird romance
I honestly have no words for the strange romance between Shun and Mio. It just felt disconnected. Mio leaves for three years and appears suddenly telling Shun he likes him but there is no indication of that anywhere. He ONLY met him ONE day! How is there any progress there? The romance just made absolutely no sense and at times it just didn't feel real.
I am planning on continuing this series. I am hoping that the romance will get better through the next few volumes and that the plot starts to make sense. I am not liking that the story is jumping everyone and there is no linear pace. Hopefully that will change soon.
The art style was definitely an art style I quite enjoy. At times it reminded me of Hitorijime My Hero. Did some panels feel cramped and had way too much packed in, yes. However, it could have been worse.
Also, I enjoyed the multi-queer representation! It makes my heart happy that a manga artist didn't just include a gay couple!
My biggest issues with this manga were:
1. The plot was confusing
I understood what was going on. However, there were a lot of time skips, which aren't pointed out. Usually, time skips or flash-backs are in a weird gray or the borders of the pages are completely black. That was not the case for this and I did not realize what was a flashback and was present day. The other issue was the plot was all over the place and things just felt choppy. I felt like I was reading 3 different plot lines and none of them lined up.
2. The weird romance
I honestly have no words for the strange romance between Shun and Mio. It just felt disconnected. Mio leaves for three years and appears suddenly telling Shun he likes him but there is no indication of that anywhere. He ONLY met him ONE day! How is there any progress there? The romance just made absolutely no sense and at times it just didn't feel real.
I am planning on continuing this series. I am hoping that the romance will get better through the next few volumes and that the plot starts to make sense. I am not liking that the story is jumping everyone and there is no linear pace. Hopefully that will change soon.