Thirty-two year old scriptwriter Sakuma Ellie and twenty-two year old rookie voice actress Inuzuka Wako are roommates with a strictly professional relationship. Or at least, that's what they tell everyone. In fact, they've been living as a couple in Ellie's apartment for the past year, spending delightful, tranquil days together.
This is a very sweet, very quiet manga. It's what slice of life manga really is at its core, and I love reading these kinds of stories from time to time. Today was a great day for me to read this one. I think this age gap romance is realistic, sweet, and charming. I love seeing how they treat and respect each other, and how they truly are partners. They have a very healthy dynamic, and root for each other in their work lives as well. It's beautiful, and I kind of have crushes on both of them.
Deceptively simple and low-key, this is a beautiful exploration of two women in love as they go through their daily lives. It's real strength is in how it gives you the space to read between the lines to see how truly happy and comfortable they are.
I loved this one! We follow two adult women ten years apart who live together. We see there day to day life, and it is just so wholesome and quiet. If you like sweet slice of life manga, I highly recommend this one! The couple was very open about their relationship, and it was refreshing to see.
Sakuma is a scriptwriter, but when her boyfriend dumps her, she probably hadn’t counted on a chance encounter with Wako, a young voice actress who quickly falls for the older woman. As we come into the story a couple years into the relationship, the two are living together and, well, that’s the book.
It’s one thing to be a bit of fluff, but it’s something else entirely to be well-written fluff and that’s where this series distinguishes itself enough to be worthwhile. Sakuma and Wako are absolutely adorable and quite the unlikely pairing.
This manga is the first thing I’ve seen from Takashi Ikeda in ages and it’s no exaggeration for me to say that Whispered Words was a formative work in my appreciation of yuri, so seeing they had a new series was a delight and set my expectations quite high.
Now, this lacks the excruciating tension and drama of its predecessor, but otherwise it’s a real treat seeing just how far Ikeda has come in their writing. Looking at this on the surface, I read this because of the author but I figured it would bore me into a coma. Not so much.
On the face of it, this is a simple story about a pair of lesbians, but as many, many stories have shown us, writing an established couple in a way that holds the reader’s interest isn’t exactly easy. Although you wouldn’t know it from these two.
Sakuma and Wako are very sweet on one another and they flirt and bicker and do all the couple things and are equally charming in different ways. Sakuma is ten years Wako’s senior and an established worker, plus the slightly more mature one. Wako is still trying to make a name in voice acting and definitely has a youthful immaturity that can get her into trouble.
There’s a lot of play, a lot of heart, and some damn funny jokes in this and, while some stories work better than others, these are all quick little vignettes that do a thing, typically quite well, and move on to the next one. Ikeda uses this to focus on all the aspects of the relationship and that really keeps things fresh - especially after the first few chapters look like they’re about to strike a very repetitive tone for the series.
The natto story that lands Wako in couples jail is great, and I love the poor female colleague of Sakuma’s who has been crushing on her for years and never been able to confess. Wako’s very childish jealousy plus Sakuma’s utter obliviousness makes this one land really well. Sure, this is an old joke, but you can make anything work if you put the effort in, as we see here.
Saruma gets her moment to be the brat during the cough drop story, which echoes a much nastier version from Namekawa-san Won’t Take A Licking, but to infinitely better effect. These characters have traits, sure, but they are more than that.
And if you want to see some heart, the chapter where Wako spends most of it staring at a blank phone screen is a highlight, although this story has lots of sweet little moments besides. That ending is predictable, but no less enjoyable for it.
Now, there is no dramatic heft here, so don’t expect any. Our leads have a life so sliced you could make an open-faced sandwich with it. But I personally came into this expecting to be bored, frankly, just from the description, and it is so much better than that. It is infinitely cozy.
4 stars - maybe even 4.5 if I thought on it more. A wonderful couple being wonderfully charming and finding their way through life together. It might not seem like much, but this is a mangaka who knows what they’re doing and it shows right on the page.
I didn't like this. It doesn't necessarily do anything wrong, but it wasn't for me. The main couple is a 32/22, 10-year age gap, and there isn't anything wrong with it but age gaps generally aren't my thing. The story consists of short, slice-of-life chapters that are lovey-dovey and low on drama. If you want something cute and chill, it could work. But I didn't find it particularly charming or funny so ended up feeling quite bored.
For the most part, this was a sweet and enjoyable read. I was just left wanting a bit more of it.
This manga is definitely of the slice of life variety, but it started out a bit too chill for my tastes. I can enjoy slice of life, but I have to still feel like there’s some guiding force to the narrative. This took quite a while to feel like it had something anchoring all these moments we see in the main characters lives.
I think I will continue this series, but it’s not a top priority. Whenever I do continue, however, I hope we get to see a lot more of Wako’s mom! I really liked the dynamic she added to the story.
I was charmed by the little slice-of-life vignettes about two women who are two-years into their romantic relationship and a year into living together. One is 22 and the other 32, so they have little age gap frictions once in a while, but generally the tone is light and giddy as they are very deeply in love.
Some romantic rivals are hinted at and some family history foreshadowed, but the book is generally drama free. The humor is fairly reserved too, so unless you like seeing a couple lovebirds cuddling, you might not get much out of it.
A sweet little laidback manga. I’m not a huge fan of slice-of-life, so it was a little slow and quiet for me, but I liked it more than usual. The couple works really well and I loved Wako as a character. I appreciated the mature, no-angst domesticity of this adult relationship and it made a nice change from high energy high school type stuff.
'The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This' is a chill queer adult romance between a script writer and a voice actor, living together and going about their lives. They're not out to their friends or coworkers, but the story (such as it is) is about the little ways they express their love for each other, and the various ups and downs of adult relationships. It's really good and calming and lovely, and I'm really pleased by it. Definitely going to read more.
ugh this was so freaking adorable!!!!! probably my favorite yuri so far…tied only with doughnuts under a crescent moon. I love the age gap (both consenting adults, ty very much, the only way this trope should be done), the slice of life aspect, the slow and sweet romance here…it is so well done!! exactly my cup of tea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This looked so cozy and cute and I really wanted to love it, but I found the interpersonal dynamics to be really weird and toxic. The couple were so mean to each other! And so maladaptively codependent. I'm sure there are cultural dynamics in this story that I missed, but it still was un uncomfortable read.
I couldn't get into the concept. It had some cute moments, but this "we do not come out and say this is a queer relationship just skirt around it" was frustrating and boring. I won't be picking up any more of it.
Sakuma is a scriptwriter, but when her boyfriend dumps her, she probably hadn’t counted on a chance encounter with Wako, a young voice actress who quickly falls for the older woman. As we come into the story a couple years into the relationship, the two are living together and, well, that’s the book.
It’s one thing to be a bit of fluff, but it’s something else entirely to be well-written fluff and that’s where this series distinguishes itself enough to be worthwhile. Sakuma and Wako are absolutely adorable and quite the unlikely pairing.
This manga is the first thing I’ve seen from Takashi Ikeda in ages and it’s no exaggeration for me to say that Whispered Words was a formative work in my appreciation of yuri, so seeing they had a new series was a delight and set my expectations quite high.
Now, this lacks the excruciating tension and drama of its predecessor, but otherwise it’s a real treat seeing just how far Ikeda has come in their writing. Looking at this on the surface, I read this because of the author but I figured it would bore me into a coma. Not so much.
On the face of it, this is a simple story about a pair of lesbians, but as many, many stories have shown us, writing an established couple in a way that holds the reader’s interest isn’t exactly easy. Although you wouldn’t know it from these two.
Sakuma and Wako are very sweet on one another and they flirt and bicker and do all the couple things and are equally charming in different ways. Sakuma is ten years Wako’s senior and an established worker, plus the slightly more mature one. Wako is still trying to make a name in voice acting and definitely has a youthful immaturity that can get her into trouble.
There’s a lot of play, a lot of heart, and some damn funny jokes in this and, while some stories work better than others, these are all quick little vignettes that do a thing, typically quite well, and move on to the next one. Ikeda uses this to focus on all the aspects of the relationship and that really keeps things fresh - especially after the first few chapters look like they’re about to strike a very repetitive tone for the series.
The natto story that lands Wako in couples jail is great, and I love the poor female colleague of Sakuma’s who has been crushing on her for years and never been able to confess. Wako’s very childish jealousy plus Sakuma’s utter obliviousness makes this one land really well. Sure, this is an old joke, but you can make anything work if you put the effort in, as we see here.
Saruma gets her moment to be the brat during the cough drop story, which echoes a much nastier version from Namekawa-san Won’t Take A Licking, but to infinitely better effect. These characters have traits, sure, but they are more than that.
And if you want to see some heart, the chapter where Wako spends most of it staring at a blank phone screen is a highlight, although this story has lots of sweet little moments besides. That ending is predictable, but no less enjoyable for it.
Now, there is no dramatic heft here, so don’t expect any. Our leads have a life so sliced you could make an open-faced sandwich with it. But I personally came into this expecting to be bored, frankly, just from the description, and it is so much better than that. It is infinitely cozy.
4 stars - maybe even 4.5 if I thought on it more. A wonderful couple being wonderfully charming and finding their way through life together. It might not seem like much, but this is a mangaka who knows what they’re doing and it shows right on the page.
This cute little yuri is just a very sweet and wholesome adult slice of life story. 22 year old Voice Actress Wako and 32 year old Scriptwriter Ellie are dating in secret and living together. Wako is an up and comer and can't be out because Japanese idol shit. She is a lil lesbian where is the older Ellie realized she was in falling for Wako. We see them after they have been seeing each other for 2 years and living with each other for one year with flash backs and cut aways to their lives, friends and families. The art is very soft and sweet, it all lends to the very wholesome vibe of the story. The expressions are captured super well and Ikeda is very good at capturing a wide range of bodies and looks.
This is a great example of a story that like exists in the real world with real world bigotry and shit existing without really needing to be a drama at all. It's very rooted in reality while also being cute and feeling very natural. The main pair have a very cute dynamic that reminds me a lot of my own relationships and honestly there isn't a lot to not love. The main issue is since it's a cute slice of life there isn't a big draw to keep reading further volumes other then just enjoying seeing these two's lives keep going forward. If you just want some cozy reading I highly highly recommend this series.
A premissa é bem simples: contar o dia a dia de duas mulheres que estão em um relacionamento e moram juntas, mas que precisam ser discretas. Uma é Eri, roteirista e já bem estabelecida em sua carreira e a outra é Wanko, alguns anos mais nova, que está começando sua carreira como dubladora. A relação das duas lembra um pouco a dinâmica de uma mãe e uma adolescente e isso é bastante incômodo – pois levanta a questão por que a personagem está se comportando de forma tão infantil? Além delas, há a melhor amiga de Erin que está não tão secretamente apaixonada por ela. E as três colegas de Wanko, duas que estão fingindo que estão em um relacionamento, por alguma razão que não fez sentido. Há outros personagens LGBTs que aparecem, como a que está questionando seu gênero, mas é frustrante como não há nenhum tipo de desfecho para nenhum personagem. O que me fez continuar a ler os cem capítulos foi a premissa de que tratava de um casal sáfico adulto no Japão moderno, então eu esperava que eventualmente a dinâmica delas iria ficar interessante – mas não aconteceu.
This is the perfect manga for a chilly fall day with a warm blanket and a steaming drink - just something to keep you cozy with very minimal effort on your part. It’s also, amusingly enough, probably the manga that is the closest to showing the relationship my wife and I have, so I might be a tiny bit biased in this review… just a little bit.
Ellie and Wako are two perfectly normal, adult grown women who are living their best creative lives and are also living together. Ellie is the older of the two, more of the stoic serious type who is happy to just disappear into her work and only come up for air now and then. Meanwhile Wako is the bouncing sunshine of the couple, always expressing emotion and excitable while living and reminding Ellie to take a break now and then. The two are the perfect couple without really letting the world interrupt, they just mesh and are comfortable with each other...
Thirty-two year old scriptwriter Sakuma Ellie and twenty-two year old rookie voice actress Inuzuka Wako are roommates with a strictly professional relationship. Or at least, that's what they tell everyone. In fact, they've been living as a couple in Ellie's apartment for the past year, spending delightful, tranquil days together.
Slice of life manga Wlw romance Established Relationship Low stakes Domestic Quick read Demographic: Seinen 10 year age gap, which can be uncomfortable for some (the artstyle makes me forget it, but as a 32yo, I can't see myself with a 22yo *shudders*)
Sakuma's friend, Ataru, is going to be trouble, I can tell.
This one took me a while to read. I started thinking it was a little slow and I wasn't sure about the age gap. So I took a break from it. Coming back and restarting it, it is a really cute story. I love how they support each other. The story takes place in chronological vignettes about moments in their life and switches perspectives mainly between the two main characters (Wako and Sakuma) there are also a couple of chapters that take place from the perspective of friends and relatives in their lives. Overall it was a fun read and I'd definitely recommend it as a cozy read!
I stopped after finishing Volume 2. This series doesn't do enough to grab my interest... and I'm REALLY into slice-of-life / slow-paced manga.
There's a really strange moment where Sakuma is essentially reduced to "a straight woman having sex with a lady" and she does nothing to correct that language. Another scene established that she put a great deal of effort into learning how to pleasure a woman, so it's strange that this passion doesn't come through otherwise... I guess there's a cultural divide here?
cute domestic stories revolving around a couple; i found the title phrase being used to frame every chapter kind of annoying, especially because the first part of the phrase would be on the first page, then the last part on the last page so i'd forgotten what the context was by the time i'd see '...pretty much like this' out of nowhere. otherwise, sweet and a solid bet for readers who enjoy slice of life stories.
DNF @ 10-20% I really disliked the inclusion of the setup "and the two of them" and the ending of "are pretty much like this" at the beginning and end respectively of every chapter, especially since the chapters are only a few pages each; it got really repetitive and annoying really quickly. I would've preferred a more flowing narrative structure than just snapshots, but that's how I feel about almost all manga.
After the 3-month binge reading of yuri manga, now I’ve pretty much had enough of those high-school romance tropes and DNF more and more often. But I knew this’d be my cup of tea after a few pages of sample and preordered it right away. It was not disappointing at all. I like the relationship’s ONLY mildly sweet and fun enough, without too much steaming heat. Lovely slice-of-life adult yuri.
A refreshing change from the standard fare in yuri manga, this is a slice of life story about two adults living together. It doesn't have the "will they or won't they?" setup, which always seems more like "how will they?". Instead it just follows the day to day lives of a couple so in love that they make many of the people around them need insulin.
These two are perfect for each other. Wanko is just totes adorbs, OMG she's just so cute and bubbly. Her lover is such a kind gal, and for her age, she looks darn good. I am really enjoying this series, and plan to continue reading it. If you like moderately paced Yuri slice-of-life series, I highly recommend this.
If you're after zero angst, all domestic fluff, this. Set a year after our two lovebirds have already moved in together, this volume focuses less on a plot and more on the little expereinces they share in their daily life. It's very cute!
Ahh it’s so cute! Nothing's happening much, except slice of life, but tbh that’s perfect for me at the moment. Just let it stay that way throughout the whole series, please~
Well, there is one person that might become a bit of a problem in the future (since they suspect there’s a deeper relationship between the two women living together), but overall the vibe is chill and healthy.
Found this based on a review and thought I would give it a read. I liked the relaxed tone of the book and while there were some interesting insights such as people demanding voice actors/actresses are not to have a partner(that surprised me). All in all it is intriguing to see a couple just growing with each other.