Title: 15 Minutes Before We Really Date Vol. 4
Author: Perico
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 164
Genre: Slice-of-Life, Romance
Publication Date: October 15, 2024
Final Thoughts
We have arrived at the final volume of 15 Minutes Before We Really Date. I honestly thought we had two more to go because AniList had this listed at 6 volumes; however, a message from Perico at the conclusion of the manga explains how this used to be a webmanga on Twitter which was picked up by Kadokawa/Yen Press and recompiled into volumes more suitable for selling, thus reducing the volume count to four.
With that being said, the final volume finishes Natsuha’s long-distance trip as she tries to get into Tokyo University along with Yuuki’s involvement with Hina and the high school yearbook. After we settle things there, we go into a nice epilogue where we learn the fates of our main characters. Without spoiling anything, I will say that I was quite satisfied with the ending and with how everything turned out. They did throw in some nice bonus chapters after everything wrapped up if you were craving more content.
As with the end of any manga series, I tend to look back at everything and after thinking about how this series went, I can say that it was a short and sweet slice-of-life romance story; however, one that didn’t take too many risks. Natsuha and Yuuki were childhood friends who ended up dating; however, it was more about finding themselves rather than trying to make their relationship work… at least in a direct manner. By process of figuring out their lives, it, in turn, dictated whether or not their relationship would work at all. It was all fun and games until Natsuha went away to study. The distance between them put them through many mental trials (mainly Natsuha) but it also made them realize just what they meant to one another.
Because the series opted to focus on this aspect, the typical stuff that you would find in a slice-of-life romance is absent. All of the tropes were not present and, I have to say, that this was a major breath of fresh air! We did get a school activity but putting together a yearbook is something very rarely seen. The fact that Perico opted to go with something unconventional and take that risk paid off as it was unique, it felt fresh, and after reading several series before this one for review and seeing festival after festival after sports day after sports day, you have no idea how thankful I was to see something different.
Also, Hina seemed like artificial drama at first but you realize that this is something everyone goes through when they are in a long-distance relationship. Wondering what your partner is doing, questioning every action they take, every friend they make, the jealousy, the pain of not being there by their side, creating conflicting emotions of trust, sewing seeds of doubt, all of it was represented here but in a natural way. We get both sides of it, too. Natsuha and Yuuki each have conversations that give their perspectives and how they view things and it affects them differently. It leads them to draw their conclusions of what they want out of life and for the short period of time this series had, it was well done!
The only gripe I have is the side romance between Nao and Sosuke. At one point, I mentioned that I had become more invested in their relationship than Natsuha and Yuuki’s but that was mainly because their relationship’s story took a while to ramp up. In fact, I would say that things didn’t get really deep for them until the end of the third volume. The wrap-up for Nao x Sosuke did feel a bit rushed and I was hoping for something more from it but it did pluck a few strings in the right places.
Overall, 15 Minutes Before We Really Date isn’t going to be the deepest romance series but it does just enough to make it interesting and satisfying with an ending that doesn’t disappoint. While a bit on the generic side, there were some moments that strayed away from the conventional plot points to make things feel refreshing and new. If you want a comfortable series to read, this should be on your list!
Overall Score: 3.5 / 5
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
