Cappuccino Review

This series is a seven chapters book and I think this is my first time writing a review about a short manga. This manga's artist is Yoshimizu Wataru. The artist for Marmalade Boy and Ultra Maniac. I haven't watch Marmalade Boy but I've read the manga and I watched Ultra Maniac when I was a kid. It's the reason why her art doesn't look like as the popular ones nowadays but I still liked her drawings. One thing, I didn't like is how her male main character somehow always looks the same.

First and foremost, this manga isn't shoujo. It's a josei. Even though it's not my first time reviewing one (Usagi Drop is my first one), I think just as the word josei suggest for. This story is directed to older women and teenagers might not dig this. 

So why am I reviewing this manga? Because no matter how many times I've read it, this manga gives me the same damn feeling and I have to share it to my blog. 

The story revolves around a couple who just graduated from college and they were planning to cohabit. The whole story showed the progress of their relationship and how it changed as they continued to live with each other. 

Do I recommend it? If you're up for a reality slap in the face, sure, go ahead and read this. If you're also up for an open ended story, pick this story. Generally, I consider this series as a good one despite the shortness of it. It isn't because I enjoyed reading it. It's because I liked how it seemed all possible. 

Same warning as always. Spoilers ahead.

Though I think I might have gave it away with the labels. Yes, the main character, Sousuke cheated on Airi. I haven't read much of manga series where the male lead cheats on the female lead. There isn't much because mostly, it was the ex of the female lead who cheated on her and that leads to meeting the main male character. There's a manga that kind of reminds me of this series but I forgot the title so I have to look for it again but that series ended differently. 

Anyway, back to Cappuccino. The title came from the coffee they used to drink with the matching mug they bought when they moved in together. The irony. The story is realistic with the way their relationship progressed and how Sousuke became complacent with the status of their relationship. That's the usual problem with living together without marriage first. I admit, I hate Sousuke when he cheated on Airi with his former student. He's a cram school teacher. I hated him more when he admitted it to his friend and thought that he'd react as if it was okay. It made me think how could wives forgive their husband who cheated on them or girlfriends who forgave their boyfriends. Is it love at its finest? 

I actually believe in if you are in love with two different person, you'll choose the second one because if you really love the first one, you won't be falling for the second one. I also hated how Sousuke was somehow bound to his relationship with Airi because he promised her parents that they will eventually marry. No matter he denied it, it was the case as I looked at it. And how he compared the feelings he have for the two of them. That's why I liked how it ended. They broke up eventually and met each other after two years.

Before I went to the ending more, I also want to say how the series didn't turn into a more dramatic mess when Inaba (Sousuke's best friend) confessed to Airi. Though, it also made me realize how much Airi love Sousuke. It was so bittersweet. 

I've read couple of one shots that portray cheating. I would want to say a few things about those story in another post. 

Now, for the ending, of course, part of me still wanted Airi and Sousuke to end up together but there's also a part of me that don't. I was glad how Airi moved on and became stronger in the process of healing her broken heart. It's an open ending. Airi finally accepted the invitation of her senpai in work and Sousuke was more resolved than ever to be better. Anything can happen. She might end up with the senpai or Sousuke might confess with Airi that he still love her in the near future. The author did not clearly said what's going to happen. That's one of the reason why I do and don't like open ended stories. The author will leave you pondering what will happen with them now. You will have to imagine what happens next. 

But I think that there's a higher possibility that Airi may end up with the senpai. Then I might be wrong. What happened with Sousuke gave me a look of the other side of the picture. He truly loved Airi. It made think of what my friend wrote in his facebook. I don't know it was his original or not but I got it from him. I want to mention his name but I think he wouldn't appreciate it. It was about how the man was blinded with a gold clay but he has only one pot and it was already filled with a silver clay which he loved even though it wasn't perfect. He threw the silver clay and got the gold clay but it turned out, it wasn't gold, it was mud. It's exactly what happened with Sousuke. He was blinded with the excitement of his relationship with Anna (the girl he had a relationship with) that he didn't saw Airi's feelings and neglected her in the process. 

It's amazing how much I can say about a seven chapters manga. 

There are many good josei mangas out there. Check them out. Right now, Chihayafuru is my number one even though it isn't complete yet. Then there's Game Over (I love rereading that manga even though it's short).