MANGA REVIEW | "Lovesick Ellie" - Volume One
When fantasizing about romance, one must realize that the dream will be far from reality. That good looking girl or boy will not be perfect in every way; in fact, they might be the complete opposite of the dreamboat you think they are! The titular character in Fujimono’s Lovesick Ellie certainly finds this out the hard way, as her fantasy man is nowhere near the Prince Charming he thought he was.
Ichimura has no real experience with love. It’s so bad, that she pretends to have a relationship with class heartthrob Ohmi-kun online, under the Twitter handle “Lovesick Ellie”. But after stumbling on a conversation with his teacher, Ichimura falls and leaves her phone behind. Ohmi-kun returns the phone, but not before revealing that he knows her secret.
That’s when Ohmi-kun’s real personality starts to pour through his dreamy outer surface. He’s rude, blunt, and rather childish. This side of Ohmi-kun shatters Ichimura’s fantasy, but for some reason she finds a charming aspect of this side. As such, the two start a strange friendship that has the possibility of blossoming into a romance.
There are good parts about Lovesick Ellie that make it stand out from other shojo series. The back-and-forth between Ichimura’s real self and her Twitter persona can be entertaining at times. Online, she’s a jokey confident person; offline, she’s practically a wet noodle. These contrasts help to set the stage for certain comedic moments, as well as a good amount of heartfelt situations.
With that being said, it’s hard to be excited about Fujimono’s series after reading You’re My Cutie!! awhile back. The chemistry between Ichimura and Ohmi-kun are very similar to that of Madoka and Shikura, not to mention how the possibility of love coming to fruition being paced in the same way. After reading both, I can’t help but feel like Lovesick Ellie is lacking a certain charm that You’re My Cutie!! has, despite the latter being a merely good series.
Even as they try to have a tender moment — be it Ichimura making a friend or going to a local festival — there’s nothing here that makes me want to root for these two. They have a cute moment from time-to-time, but it doesn’t feel genuine enough to make me grow fond of their romantic journey. I do like that they’re attempting to make progress with Ichimura and Ohmi-kun, but it’s hard to latch on for the ride when these two are the least fun kind of hot messes in the manga genre.
Maybe it’s because I’m not this manga’s demographic, but Lovesick Ellie just couldn’t grab me. It’s pretty to look at, but as stories go it feels like it’s been one too many times already. The shojo manga world needs fresh blood and narratives, and this isn’t either of them. Simply put, Lovesick Ellie should be muted from any romance manga lover’s timeline.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Tomo Tran of Kodansha Manga
