Cappuccino

Title: Cappuccino
Author: Wataru Yoshizumi
First Published: November 1, 2008
Publisher: Shueisha
Pages: 192
Genre: Drama, Josei, Slice of Life
Format: Web
Source: Web
Rating:


Synopsis:

A bittersweet story about the life of Kojima Ari and Fujitani Sousuke as they live together in a de facto relationship (without marriage) in modern-day Japan.

But will the choices and mistakes they make bring them together or tear them apart?

Review

Reading another Wataru Yoshizumi manga has been a real callback to high school, which for me was a golden age of shojo manga. Yoshizumi was one of the queens of the genre for western readers like me in the late 90s and early 2000s. I was surprised to stumble on a josei manga by this author, but it easily felt like the type of manga that is perfectly suited for a shojo reader graduating to josei.

The plot is simple, college sweethearts Ari and Sousuke find that they have difficulty seeing each other due to their busy work schedules, and decide to live with each other out of convenience. Ari is excited to have more time with her 4-year boyfriend, as to be expected for any young adult setting sail on their first long-term adult relationship. It’s no surprise when little problems start to crop up, and when you’re young and inexperienced it’s not easy knowing how to address those issues either.

Although there is a decent amount of drama to create a big splash, it’s the little things that added up over time that made the really bad things feel like just the tip of the iceberg. These little things are the difference between whether or not a relationship can survive a larger problem. I appreciated that the manga felt like I was reading a shojo, but just a little more toned down and realistic in its approach to issues, and how you can still love someone but not be happy. It felt very grounded in reality, and I liked that the author embraced the bittersweet parts of relationships.

I think the only thing that didn’t quite land for me was the characters. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but I didn’t find them all that engaging, which is understandable for a one-volume manga. I kept going back and forth on my rating because of that factor but ultimately decided to bump it up for how maturely the story is handled and the message it has for young women about self-love.

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