Manga Monday: Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 1

Series: Lovesick Ellie #1
Author/Artist: Fujimomo
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Released: November 28, 2017
Received: NetGalley

Apparently, I’ve been on a bit of a romance binge with manga, and I’m okay with that. Next on my list is Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 1. It’s one part romance and one part comedy, making it the perfect balance, as far as I’m concerned.

Nearly everyone has a high school crush that they look back on and feel a little embarrassed about – mostly because of how we behaved. Eriko Ichimura is the latest to join these ranks. She has a major crush on Akira Ohmi (aka Omi-kun), but rather than approach him; she quietly stays on the sidelines.

Or, more accurately, she runs a Twitter account dedicated to her daydreams and fantasy interactions between her and Omi-kun. Her username is Lovesick Ellie, and it was all fine until a series of unfortunate events led to Omi-kun finding her account – and discovering how she feels about him.

Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m charmed. Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 1 isn’t quite what I expected, but boy, did it have fun with the premise. This is a series that knows better than to take itself too seriously. Yet it doesn’t make the fatal mistake of diving into the realm of goofy. It toes the line, creating something both interesting and funny.

It helps that Eriko is an extremely charming character. From the start, it’s easy to sympathize with her, making readers willing to root for her. Omi-kun takes a little longer to open up, but that’s to be expected in this story of the tale. Once he does, it’s like we’re reading about a new character, and I loved their interactions.

Long story short, Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 1 was a lot of fun to read. I’ll probably pick up the next in this series, as I’m curious to see where it goes.

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.