Title: How Do We Relationship? Vol. 1
Author: Tamifull
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Digital
Pages: 216
Genre: Yuri, Romance, Comedy
Publication Date: June 9, 2020
The Story
How Do We Relationship? (Tsukiatte Agetemo Ii Kana?) is a new series from Tamifuru (Tamifull after English translation). This seems to be the debut series from Tamifuru as I couldn’t find any other series by them. Still, I have to say that if this truly is their first series, they have made an instant fan out of me right from the start!
The story centers around two girls in college, Miwa and Saekano. Saekano is really the first real friend that Miwa was able to make but the two of them are complete polar opposites. Miwa is quiet and reserved, always thinking about things to their deepest core while Saeko has got to be one of the biggest outgoing tomboys you’d ever meet. The secret about Miwa is that she’s not into guys. She would much rather date a girl and things change when she decides to get to know Saeko better and discovers that she, too, is into girls. They start a relationship but since Miwa has no clue what to do, it’s up to Saeko to help her figure it out!
That is the gist for the series and the first volumes wastes zero time getting right into things. In fact, the pacing was a little fast but in this case, I don’t really mind it. Since the series is about getting Miwa used to a relationship, you kind of need to be in one in order to do that, don’t you? Watching Saeko and Miwa together is absolutely hilarious. Saeko is not shy by any means and even admits that she wants to have sex with Miwa from the split second they became a couple. Still, Miwa is super reserved and not ready for it. Her indecision ends up leading to a lot of little small arguments between them that cause them to question their relationship but they resolve those issues pretty swiftly and quickly.
While it might seem convenient to resolve issues quickly, they’re not really big issues at all. Just typical little squabbles or annoyances that couples go through but live with because of the love that they have for one another. There really haven’t been any huge major roadblocks but with this being the first volume, I wouldn’t really expect any.
The side part of this story is that since the two of them are in college, it is pretty much expected that they have to join a club. They end up joining a band club in which they discover Miwa has no real talent whatsoever. She can’t sing so they assign her to play the bass… to which she has no clue how to do that either. This is where our supporting cast comes in and they all play a great part right out of the gate! In fact, let’s take a look at the cast!
Characters
First up is Miwa. As I said, she is pretty reserved. She’s constantly thinking about the little details of everything and is a bit scared to get too deep into a relationship with Saeko for unknown reasons. She claims that it is because it is her first time but there have been many not-so-subtle clues that there is more beneath the surface in that regard. She is definitely hiding something from Saeko but just can’t bring herself to say it. Even at the end of the manga when the two of them have their “moment,” there is a lot of hesitation. She claims that it’s because of a switch but I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s just some sort of cover-up.
I do like Miwa’s personality, though. She’s sweet and innocent enough but she does get a bit on the frustrating side by being overly cautious about EVERYTHING. Still, she was thoughtful enough to get a job in order to throw Saeko a surprise birthday party so even though she’s reserved, she means well with everything that she does and that really shows off her caring and considerate side.
Saeko, on the other hand…. OH MY GOD. If you want to see a tomboy turned up to 11, look no further than this character. In fact, she instantly became my favorite character in the book by the time I reached page 12. Maybe because she reminds me of Ashe from my upcoming light novel series and how she would act towards her childhood friend Renji. To say that Saeko isn’t shy would be a gross understatement. She has zero shame whatsoever… at least at first.
When Saeko gets to know Miwa more, it causes her to actually think about her actions and the things that she says. It puts things into perspective and even Saeko admits that when she, at one point, wonders why she is thinking so deeply about a relationship with Miwa. She never experienced something like that before so when she thinks about it like that, it’s almost as if she’s questioning who she is and if acting so outward all the time is inconsiderate or even the right way to act. To cause that kind of level of thinking in a character like that just shows how much this relationship means to Saeko. It’s a nice alternative side to her but she doesn’t compromise her true self because of it! Saeko is just an all-around run character.
If Saeko is a tomboy turned up to 11, Rika is turned up to 12. I didn’t think anyone could be more forward than Saeko until I met Rika. Holy God this girl…. She’s the type where if you ask her to have sex, she would make you finish before you could even get done asking her the question. She’s not shy about having sex, asking about whether or not others have had sex, or in one case, spying on Miwa and Saeko as they tried to make out while making up from one of their little squabbles. Hell, she even recited a riveting speech about getting the two of them to make up while riding one of her “friends with benefits.” The difference here is when Saeko does it… it’s cute. When Rika does it, it’s annoying. She is a bit like nails on a chalkboard at times but she’s still a fun character… in more ways than one.
We have Usshi who is just a plain girl who helped start the band. She just enjoys the company of others. Not really much to this character as she’s more or less the “support friend.” In fact, the same kind of goes for the rest of the band members. They all just feel like background characters right now but I’m sure that they will play more prominent roles in the future.
Final Thoughts
Each time a new series debuts, I check out the synopsis and if it’s something that catches my interest, I decide to check it out. In the case of How Do We Relationship?, I felt that a yuri romance series could be a nice switch from the typical romance genre that I love to cover. Now that the first volume is under my belt, I have to say… WHEN IS VOLUME TWO!!?
Seriously, I had a lot of fun reading this first volume as there was a great balance between the characters’ personalities and it brought a sense of realism to the genre. By that, it takes great care in tackling the issues on whether or not it’s okay to come out as gay to people. It worries about what other people would think if they were to find out and it also shows that there could be more people accepting of that fact than one might think.
On the other hand, it also tackles simple issues that any couple, regardless of orientation, go through. Such as when Miwa overhears a conversation about Saeko finding her to be a pain in the ass sometimes. Usshi had to set things straight and be honest by telling Miwa that she really can be a pain in the ass all due to her inability to just let things flow naturally. She always has to question things and think deeply about stuff. Like Saeko even said, that she feels that there is a checklist of things that need to happen before the meta objective can take place.
That right there hit close to home because I am the exact same way. I am a realist and I always make my decisions based on the hard facts and information that is presented to me. I’m constantly living in my head and thinking so I’m kind of in the same boat as Miwa. My mind works like a checklist and even when I’m at work, I like taking care of tasks in the order I receive them. I get so annoyed when I’m pulled off a task to work on another because I know that what I’m working on will remain unfinished while I do something else and that irks the ever-living crap out of me! So, when Saeko calls out Miwa for doing the same exact thing, it’s like I instantly felt a connection to the main character which is why I don’t mind her flaws one bit… but it also means I can understand it when people think she’s a pain in the ass!
All-in-all, I felt this was a great read. It had a great sense of realism mixed with fun characters and lost of moments that will make you laugh. The comedy just happened naturally and didn’t feel forced which is always a good thing. As I said earlier, if this is Tamifuru’s first series, I’ve already been made into a fan after just one volume!
Great job and I suggest you guys check it out of if you’re looking for a nice romantic comedy to sink your teeth into!
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This item was provided for review by Viz Media
