Chiisai Boku no Haru - Vol. 1 Ch. 6 - Making You Smile

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I feel like I'm watching a montage not reading a series. This pacing is just rapid fire like the author injected an espresso shot directly into their brain for every page completed.

So initially my worry with the Manga was that it couldn't decide between a sports Manga with a slow developing romance or a romance Manga with the sports only as a backdrop. It didn't feel like the MC was getting back into the sport for the right reasons and just because cute girl say nice thing. I thought it was admirable how he took someone telling him his dream was impossible and he didn't give up but instead focused on his other strengths within the field and made sure all the other guys he played with had fun and were safe first and foremost. That said I'm not against him getting serious, I'm just not sure it's for the right reasons or what message is trying to be sent. On the romance side... I really don't feel any. I mean it genuinely feels like they're just hanging out doing extra practice. Oddly enough the romance doesn't even feel like a backdrop to the sport aspect. It feels like a backdrop to itself and barely there. I actually just realized I hardly know the female lead that instigated the premise and whole ordeal at all. Like there's hardly any hints how she feels romantically, I don't know much about her personality or background, there's been few dives into her own story (like why does she play volleyball and want to win). If any of this has been given in detail then it's even worse because the female lead is that forgettable to me.

There's a couple of ways I would have liked for this series to go. The male lead finds the female lead being too serious after a loss and reminds her that the priority in volleyball and team sports is to have fun which allows her to lossen up and commit more to the sport. Their romance develops as her career progresses. The female lead becomes interested in the male lead due to his knowledge of volleyball and skill in strategies and asks him to become her personal coach. He agrees and they grow closer and he helps her improve. The male lead is introduced to a new female volleyball player who recently transfered and sees her hard she practices. At one point he stays late and asks her story and noticing similarities with his own it resonates and makes him want to at least make more of an effort to reach his childhood dream before giving up due to what others said about his height. This would be more of a sports Manga with romance slowly pacing in the background. Like I feel like there's a lot of options here. I'll also say if the author wanted to focus on sports I don't think the Tall girl X short guy trope works like at all. It's much more of a romance trope and appeals to a particular niche. For the sports aspect the girl having her own shortcoming and not being as naturally gifted would have worked wonders to establish a focus point with the MC seeing that and rethinking his own mindset.

I'm saying all of this because I'm most likely dropping here it feels like the author got similar feedback (maybe not all that but the romance vs sports) from their editor and then went "okay so it won't be a problem if I have them finish nationals in the next 3-4 chapters and then get married by chapter 15 right?"

Tl;dr: honestly those couple of pages of the coach going "I don't think it'll be that easy." and then it being that easy pretty accurately sums up my feelings.
 
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I feel like I'm watching a montage not reading a series. This pacing is just rapid fire like the author injected an espresso shot directly into their brain for every page completed.

So initially my worry with the Manga was that it couldn't decide between a sports Manga with a slow developing romance or a romance Manga with the sports only as a backdrop. It didn't feel like the MC was getting back into the sport for the right reasons and just because cute girl say nice thing. I thought it was admirable how he took someone telling him his dream was impossible and he didn't give up but instead focused on his other strengths within the field and made sure all the other guys he played with had fun and were safe first and foremost. That said I'm not against him getting serious, I'm just not sure it's for the right reasons or what message is trying to be sent. On the romance side... I really don't feel any. I mean it genuinely feels like they're just hanging out doing extra practice. Oddly enough the romance doesn't even feel like a backdrop to the sport aspect. It feels like a backdrop to itself and barely there. I actually just realized I hardly know the female lead that instigated the premise and whole ordeal at all. Like there's hardly any hints how she feels romantically, I don't know much about her personality or background, there's been few dives into her own story (like why does she play volleyball and want to win). If any of this has been given in detail then it's even worse because the female lead is that forgettable to me.

There's a couple of ways I would have liked for this series to go. The male lead finds the female lead being too serious after a loss and reminds her that the priority in volleyball and team sports is to have fun which allows her to lossen up and commit more to the sport. Their romance develops as her career progresses. The female lead becomes interested in the male lead due to his knowledge of volleyball and skill in strategies and asks him to become her personal coach. He agrees and they grow closer and he helps her improve. The male lead is introduced to a new female volleyball player who recently transfered and sees her hard she practices. At one point he stays late and asks her story and noticing similarities with his own it resonates and makes him want to at least make more of an effort to reach his childhood dream before giving up due to what others said about his height. This would be more of a sports Manga with romance slowly pacing in the background. Like I feel like there's a lot of options here. I'll also say if the author wanted to focus on sports I don't think the Tall girl X short guy trope works like at all. It's much more of a romance trope and appeals to a particular niche. For the sports aspect the girl having her own shortcoming and not being as naturally gifted would have worked wonders to establish a focus point with the MC seeing that and rethinking his own mindset.

I'm saying all of this because I'm most likely dropping here it feels like the author got similar feedback (maybe not all that but the romance vs sports) from their editor and then went "okay so it won't be a problem if I have them finish nationals in the next 3-4 chapters and then get married by chapter 15 right?"

Tl;dr: honestly those couple of pages of the coach going "I don't think it'll be that easy." and then it being that easy pretty accurately sums up my feelings.
Yeah, it feels like seeing the final chaps of a manga that got axed.

Except the whole damn story is like this.
 
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I don't even know what to call it, but the ....pacing(?) progress(??) development(???????) is all over the place. Still, I'm a sucker for reverse height difference and there's nothing terribly polarizing, so I'll keep it as an easy read. Thank you for the update💕!!!
 
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MANGAKA, PLEASE SLOW DOWN.
At this speed, we might see the main couple get together, have their first-hand holding, then their first kiss, just to split up because of some drama, then get together again, all in one chapter.

Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if we see the characters as adults by chapter 15.

Is this getting axed because I'm getting whiplash from all the skipping.

It seriously has the mood of a manga that's about to be axed, for sure!
But that's the thing, as surprising as it is, it seems the manga is actually kind of popular, so who knows.

Fy4f8VYagAAjnDl
 

jak

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Jan 23, 2018
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MANGAKA, PLEASE SLOW DOWN.
At this speed, we might see the main couple get together, have their first-hand holding, then their first kiss, just to split up because of some drama, then get together again, all in one chapter.

Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if we see the characters as adults by chapter 15.



It seriously has the mood of a manga that's about to be axed, for sure!
But that's the thing, as surprising as it is, it seems the manga is actually kind of popular, so who knows.

Fy4f8VYagAAjnDl
Maybe this has all been a flashback to current day where the main plot takes place.
 
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The pacing does seems really fast but I enjoyed the interaction at least...
 
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i think rather than pacing it self, it was weird flashback transition in-between that not properly marked.
 
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I kinda want the next chapter is a timeskip to 10 years later, but our boy was hit in the head, lost memory, and now he has to discover his past.
also, omg, this is just chapter 6??
 
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This kind of pacing either tells me that a tragedy will happen, or that the author just doesn't know how to progress feel smooth loll
 

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