MANGA REVIEW | "The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch" - Vol. 1
At the office, Hibiki Yoshida is as cool as a cucumber. He gets things done, pushes his employees to be their absolute best, and is more punctual than a pin cushion. But what he does outside of the office is a mystery to his coworkers, as every offer to grab a bite, a drink, or even a date is shot down immediately. Oh, if they only could see what Yoshida was attempting to do when he’s not in business mode…
A new series from debut author Shizuki Fujisawa, The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch showcases what our titular character does after he leaves the office. For you see, when he’s not working the office, he’s helping his childhood friend Sena Shimakaze with her manga series. Whether it’s inking or cooking for the assistants, Yoshida does it all, even without pay. His reason: he’s been in love with Shimakaze for a very long time, and it’s the only thing he can do to support her.
Some may be asking why Yoshida doesn’t just confess his feelings for Shimakaze. Well, on top of that making the story ridiculously short, it’s also because Shimakaze — master storyteller that she is — couldn’t read a romantic signal if it shot her in the face! Thus Yoshida struggles with Shimakaze’s needs and lazy mannerisms in order to keep her manga running without failure. And all of the assistants — including newcomer Rin Hanamori — just want to see Yoshida happy.
A lot of unpacking is needed when reading the first volume of The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch. On top of Shimakaze’s crazy weekly schedule, there’s every length that Yoshida goes in order to make sure she and the assistants get the job done without overdoing it. But it’s easier said than done when it comes to workers’ moral, as his regular job keeps him from the manga work until the evening. By that time, Maki, Takeshi, and Ryoya are already at their limit.
Thankfully, Yoshida’s positive attitude is what the team needs when they’re at their wits’ end. And while he’s in love with Shimakaze, it doesn’t mean she’s immune to getting a few lumps on her head for her stupidity. It’s a pairing that sees the personalities of the male & female leads being switched out, with Yoshida being the responsible one and Shimakaze being the ditzy one. It’s a nice twist for Yoshida the Catch, one that pays off with some solid comedic timing.
A great example of the solid timing occurs in Chapter Two, where the team needs to take a picture of two people kissing for reference. Maki gets it in her head to have Yoshida kiss Shimakaze, a perfect way to get the two childhood friends on the pathway of love. However, because of Yoshida’s self-consciousness, everything that could put a cork into the kissing process happens. It leads up to a solid punchline that’s both funny for the reader and slightly aggravating to Yoshida himself.
There is a lot of care that’s placed into the visual aesthetic of Yoshida the Catch. Fujisawa — despite it being their first manga — has the knack for bringing a beautiful and comedic look to this workplace rom-com. It brings to mind Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, where the chats about attention to details in character discussions make their way to the overall look of the manga itself. How the characters look, their surroundings, and even the sillier reactions are drawn with care, sweetness, and enthusiastic vibrancy.
The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch has a great amount of potential. While it shares some similarities with other stories about creating manga, there’s a charm to our two leads that makes it a wonderful read. Although the three chapters in the first volume make it a short visit to Shimakaze’s studio, what The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch delivers in those stories will make anyone raring to return to see what happens next!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Tomo Tran of Kodansha Manga
