Something's Wrong With Us, Vol. 2

私たちはどうかしている [Watashitachi wa Dōka Shiteiru] #2

by Natsumi Andō, Sawa Matsueda Savage (Translator)

Even after her mother’s passing, Nao continues to make wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets, to feel less alone. All who have a taste of her confections are floored by the heart she imbues into her work, but being a no-name new talent summons the jealous ire of established family businesses like Kogetsuan. Moreover, Nao has married into Kogetsuan through Tsubaki, the contested heir…to find out why he framed her mother for murder years ago. Now living under the watchful eye of in-laws, Nao must keep her past connections to Kogetsuan a secret, and Tsubaki may be her most formidable ally yet.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Mystery, Josei, Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 13, 2017

About the author

安藤なつみ, Andō Natsumi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for Zodiac P.I. as well as Kitchen Princess, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2006.

Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew....this story is something serious and is lowkey stressful! I knew that there were some interesting elements to this story based on my experience reading the first volume; however, I feel as though things were taken to the next level in this volume. There isn't much that I can say due to spoilers; however, we're still following Nao as she attempts to make this "fake" marriage work with Tsubaki. There was some shifting in their relationship that I appreciated in this volume, but THAT ENDING. GIRL! I wouldn't know what to do if I was in her position. Readers still don't know who committed the murder of Tsubaki's father, but I'm feeling as though we may get even more explosive revelations in the next volume. I'm definitely invested in the story and the incorporation of the Japanese sweets makes it even better.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mentioned in my added review for v. 1 that I understand Nao's motivations a little better. This time around, there was a character I'd basically ignored--the guy with the mustache--who is pretty obviously the currently absent heir to Kougetsuan. I wonder what their motivation is, and how their scenes connect to the other goings-on in Kougetsuan?

Getting it on with someone you hate is certainly a decision that can be made. Surely there's a long game here, that Nao concocted after Tsubaki first "proposed" to her, but the reader isn't privy to it yet. It's kind of cool that every corner of the MC's mind isn't laid bare to the reader from the first page of the first volume. It is a little frustrating when her actions don't make a lot of evident sense, and that storytelling decision can flatten the effect of some scenes. I don't think my initial assessment was incorrect, that it isn't as striking or involving as your average trashy melodrama. But I can appreciate the attempt to do something a little unusual, or a bit more subtle, even if it doesn't entirely work for me.

The love of wakame, and its use as a symbol of the characters' inner lives, continues to carry this story. Nao's decision to use Kougetsuan's own recipe for red bean paste to serve to the kimono shop rather than her own, shows that she respects that connection to them from years ago, and Kougetsuan's traditions, rather than trying to make an egotistical, flashy debut. I don't entirely believe that that relationship wouldn't have been permanently severed with the presentation of the red-dyed sweets, and that Kougetsuan would have gotten another chance with them. I did appreciate how it solidified some aspects of the story. Sometimes subtle, sometimes crudely blunt, sweets have a language of their own, much like arrangements of flowers do.

After an initial equivocal reaction to this story, I'm much more interested in seeing what it's up to on a second reading. And I'm totally up for seeing more nicely-rendered Japanese sweets, both in their own right, and how they add to the sense of suspense. I'm glad I gave this manga another chance.

***

Hey, we finally get something like a motivation for Nao! Sort of!...

"I wish they were gone. Once Kogetsuan is gone from this world, I'm sure my suffering will be over."

...well, not really. If wishes were horses, and all that. If this is a real aim of hers, she's taking an extremely subtle and circumspect way to get there, including moving forward with her training in making sweets, and building a bond of friendship with one of the lower-tier confectioners in Kogetsuan's kitchen, and getting closer with Tsubaki...

I liked how we get a little bit more into Tsubaki's head, and get more of an idea that he intuitively knows who Nao is, even if he hasn't directly confronted her about it yet. We understand more about what motivates him than Nao, come down to it.

On the bad side, the villain of the piece is way too obvious. There's literally no other suspect for the murder. It isn't even the slightest stretch to imagine they are lying about Tsubaki's parentage, as well. And then there's fucking the head confectioner, sabotaging Nao's sweets for the kimono shop, etc. etc. If the reader was in a position to understand--if not necessarily sympathize--with this character, they'd be a lot less boring. As is, they do something nasty every chapter or two like they're on a punch clock. Yawn.

I'm still on the fence about this one. The confectionary element continues to be fascinating, but I can take or leave the rest, from the story to the characters, to the overall feeling of the manga. Whether it's too subtle for this drama-loving brain to deal with (I'd like to think not), or whether there actually is a feeling of indolence or indifference suffusing the whole thing, or what, I'm just not finding my way into its head space, and that's making me not enjoy it as much as I'd like.

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heroine's quest for revenge and the unearthing of the truth beyond the murder mystery of her late morher's boss continues in vol. 2.


In order to gather evidence to prove her late mother's innocence of the murder accusation, the heroine made a deal with the murdered victim's son (the young master of the house) and moved into the enemy territory as the young master's newlywed wife. It isn't a love match and of course her less than welcoming mother-in-law is setting out to drive her from her newlywed husband's side.


I like the main story, I also like how the eerie and seemingly mentally ill grandfather is written and the sence with him suddenly started accusing the heroine for lying out of the blue, no doubt it would be difficult for the heroine if her in-laws ever discovered her true identity.


The love story is doing okay as well!


Plus this mysterious guy who shows up to be the heroine's fairy goddad, just who is he?! I can't wait to read the sequel!

[vin .ᐟ (hiatus)]

ADJDKSKDKDLKSAJADLDJLSDSLSLWK

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite the soap opera here. Defying elders, sleeping with the enemy, illegitimate heirs, secret identities. I am OBSESSED!

[Jordaline Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg I need vol 3 but it hasn't shipped yet 😭😭😭

[D.T. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The library had volumes 1 – 5, so I’m starting this series.

Making bean paste is serious business.

Where is the characterization? Right now, the characters are pancake-booty flat, and you could replace them with lamp posts and miss nothing; they’re too stale and unremarkable. Also, the evil mama is a cartoon villain. Where’s her Disney song? Every villain needs a catchy monologue. The granddad is way too thorny.

Also, the sex scene didn’t fit in with the flow of the story or the characters as they are now. How do you hate him so much, and not brimming with sexual tension and frustration and annoyance either, but you’re having sex together? I don’t even think it was based off of lust. It just happened.

Overall, this volume was slightly better than the first. But bad pacing may be the death of this story.

[vanessa♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

IS SHE STEWPID?????? gosh.

[Kira Thebookbella · Rating 4 out of 5]

With each one of these books, the relationship between Tsubaki and Nao deepens and the mystery gets a little more thick. It is a great combination.

[marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welp that was fast iykyk

Things are picking up. I like how she is trying to figure out what happened to her mother and who was actually the murder. The romance is giving me whiplash.

Thoughts while reading:

- I knew ittt
- WHAT
- Ouuu he is jealous
- I want her with the other guy lowkey
- OOP not her falling for him
- Bro I thought the grandpa was good
- THEY DID IT?

[✮Octjillery✮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume does a better job of giving us some motivations for several of the characters, but it's still messy plot-wise.

Also, they're bangin' already??

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, yeah. I'm officially jazzed and with the program. Am I about to try and binge this series before the year ends? In 10 hours, mind you lol.

RECAP: Nao is given another chance to redeem herself to the kimono shop by making another dessert for them. She learns how to make bean paste, the store's way, and struggles. Head confectioner is actually banging the mom so he's out to be difficult. She continues trying, Tsubaki blackmails head guy to get her kitchen time. She comes up with her own version but brings the shop's way to the meeting. Grandpa is discriminatory during the dinner, she ends up sleeping in Tsubaki's room and after some talking, she sleeps with him. Asks him what he'd do if the Sakura from his childhood reappears and he said he'd make her disappear. WHILE THEY'RE BOTH NAKED AND HE'S ON TOP OF HER. Meanwhile, mom finds out who she really is too ohohoh.

Plot thickens!!

[Monica Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nao grew up loving baking, her mother, and her best friend. But then her mother is framed for the murder of her best friend's father. Fifteen years pass and Nao is a skilled confectioner, but she has some skeletons that refuse to stay in the closet. Thrill, romance, mystery, family melodrama. The first volume did a good job setting up the story and this volume dove head first in. This manga reminds me of the Bollywood soaps I grew up on. I can imagine the shocked repetitive and excessive face closeups as each plot point unfurls. 😂Each cliffhanger pulls me into the next manga, but I'm currently on a forced pause from my library. 😭

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Tsubaki's grandfather treats him poorly and doesn't want to pass the business on to him because he believes Tsubaki's mom had an affair and that Tsubaki is the product of said affair and thus isn't his son's child. But that can easily be solved by getting an DNA test. So what is the hold up old man?
I can't imagine it'd be such a scandal if a DNA test was done. The family can't be so prestigious that if it gets out that a DNA was done it'll ruin the family in some way. I wonder if Tsubaki's dad felt the same way his father does? I wonder if something else his driving this behavior.

[Ａｎｔｈｏｐｈｉｌｅ 🪴 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I cant. I cannot fall for him". Yes you can't!! He's the reason your mom died. But is it true? I can't believe it, it gradually gotten steamy 😏👍🏻🌶️ Tsubaki is so hot and i always love men in yukata hehe. But the plot is quite fast isn't it? His mom already knew about Sakura, so what now..

[givememycheetos · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one does manga with unexpected hyper-dramatic twists like Natsumi Ando.

[Cristina Patón · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remain intrigued

[Reibekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to eat sweets.

[Paola · Rating 5 out of 5]

DUDE ITS BARELY VOLUME 2

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. The story is developing. I like the sweet confectionary pieces and the family drama as a dichotomy, but there also seems to be a lot of other characters and pieces at play, leaving an unfocused feeling for me. Perhaps when it's concluded, I can see the bigger picture/fuller world.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tf everyone got beef with this girl for? She was literally 5 years old and y'all still got beef with her? Homegirl just wants to make wagashi

[kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’re finally getting into the meat of the story. Nao is proving her worth and devotion to the confectionary and Tsubaki is slowly warming up to her.

I don’t love the translation, however, I imagine this being a more richly worded story makes translating Something’s Wrong With Us complicated. The wording often feels clumsy and requires mental rewrites to understand the underlying message.

The art while well done, doesn’t impress me as much as the story. I’m itching to know where this ends. The murder mystery is still tightly wound. But it feels as though things will start to unravel in the next volume.

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The contradictions in character actions vs their supposed motivations are confusing. Does the evil mom want her son to be successful or not? It's doesn't seem like it. The grandfather's actions can be jarring but it's too be expected. And then the main two. I think I know the why and what of what's going on. To me, the lack of a cohesive feel adds to the uncertainties and dangers in Nao's life. Nao is the typical "good fenale" central character that occupies so many manga and that makes her familiar to the reader. The mother is cliched in the opposite direction, so that leaves the males, and what little is known about them, to drive the mystery and suspense. We're essentially presented with one obvious danger, but the others are questionable, which should prompt a protective feeling in the reader toward Nao. I like the story but I'm not sure I like the formula.

[Jennifer]

The story doesn’t make a lot of sense so far, and most of the characters suck. The scenes skip in a way that makes me feel like I’ve missed something. I don’t understand who the grandfather thinks will be heir if he doesn’t accept outsiders and also doesn’t believe Tsubaki is related. And...has he never heard of a DNA test? It’s bizarre. I also find it weird that Nao needs so much training in making wagashi when she’s supposedly been doing it all this time and seems to have an instinctive grasp of the art. I know each store has its own recipes, but it’s like she’s a complete newbie sometimes. It’s so rushed and odd. Her fake mom just conveniently appeared at exactly the right moment, and her mother-in-law seems to half believe that’s the truth, despite having the investigation report in her hands.

[georgiaotaku · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. I’m done. I have volumes 1-3 but this isn’t good. I’ve been on a romance kick and there is much better material out there. I love enemies to lovers and food related stories but this is a mess. The story jumps around and is rushed. You don’t give a crap about any of the characters because they have no characterization. Their personality is azuki beans. No joke. Like that’s fine that they are passionate about that but it can’t be their whole story. Also the plot is lacking greatly. I’m really unsure how this got published in the US. They talk about all these Japanese sweets like you know what they are talking about and unless you have prior knowledge it is boring and lacking any form of emotion. Done.

[Kye · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are slowly but surely getting more of the story. I'm not a huge fan of how quickly the romance is developing especially since this is supposed to be an enemies to lovers situation, but I can tell a bump in the road was coming through. This volume was heavily focused on Sakura learning to make red bean paste so it kind of dragged but the ending has me hooked and ready for the next volume.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is definitely in the level of hot mess, but I seriously want to keep going. I am so curious about how this is all going to go down. There is revenge and family judgement within the series, and I can't wait to see how it all pans out!

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content note for the SERIES: murder, death of a parent, violence, unfair loss of job/firing, domestic violence, abuse, involuntary confinement, attempted murder

Okay, I don’t wanna spoil anything, so I’m only going to give a vague-ish review of the first couple of books in the series! First, let me assure any of you who might not be interested in NSFW material (or disappoint those of you who are lol)– this isn’t that spicy of a comic. There are a few panels in each book so far that include very brief allusions to sex but don’t show anything outright.

Y’all. This series had me in a VISE GRIP!! It’s SO GOOD. It’s incredibly well written, and the art is just so beautiful and elegant, matching the subject matter perfectly. The number of kimono and wagashi illustrated in here alone is so satisfying.

This series is the kind that gets better and better with each volume, and that’s not something I can usually say about much these days, so I was so, so happy to read this. It unfolds throughout and never lets you rest on your laurels, thinking you know for sure what’s going to happen or who will be unveiled to be involved with the main plot or any number of subplots going on at the same time. Beautiful!

I love the characters, and I love how the creator develops their relationships across so many volumes. I felt so fulfilled watching these characters’ arcs unfold the way they did. I want to say more, but I would be spoiling SO MUCH if I did! Just, trust me, you need to go give this series a read, it’s fantastic. It’s no wonder they got a tv adaptation!

I disagree a bit with the jacket copy on this series, describing it as spine chilling. Maybe I’m desensitized by all the horror movies I watch (lol jk it’s a lifetime’s worth of trauma 😂), but this was actually much more of a wagashi-centric drama, romance, thriller for me than a spine chiller. And that is not a bad thing at all! I think this series is so successful in part because of how fluidly it combined so many genres into a seamless and engaging story.

My point is, the jacket copy doesn’t quite do it justice. If you like comics that introduce you to artisan crafts and what goes into making them, this is a comic you want to read. If you like enemies to lovers and/or enemies to friends, this is your comic. If you like mystery and thrillers, this is a comic for you. If you like attention to detail and well designed plots and other aspects of writing as a craft, this is definitely your comic! Odds are very good you’ll like this comic, my friend!

Now, lemme give you a couple warnings, though: there is a lot of showing of abuse, violence, and manipulative, if not gaslighting, behavior in here. There is murder, attempted murder, child neglect, the loss of parents, etc. There are some topics I wish the creator had addressed better, such as the domestic abuse aspects, especially earlier in the series. But I promise you, the story is worth it.

Overall, I love this series so much! I’m in pain waiting in line for books 17-19 from my library right now, and I can’t wait to see how it continues. Please read it so we can talk about it!

[Gita Karmani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rate nya tinggi krn art makanannya yg bagus, tp story nya tbh menjengkelkan 😂

Ibunya Tsubaki ini kyk uler, antagonisnya parah bgt. Dia flirting sama salah satu pegawai senior Kogetsu-an spy bisa ngusir Nao dan gak pakai dapur, sampai malsuin orderan dr pelanggan terpercaya Kogetsu-an biar Nao bisa dipecat. Walau kesal ada salah paham, akhirnya pelanggan mau order ulang tp dgn catatan dia memesan menu wagashi lain, Monaka dan harus Nao yg bikin. Tsubaki melihat kemampuan Nao dan Monaka bikinnya yg enak dan memuaskan pelanggan, entah knp kyk ada hal terselubung. Entah krn dia melihat kesenangan karena pelanggan yg muji produknya, atau taktik spy naikin reputasi Kogetsu-an.

Tsubaki kyk entahlah ya, dia ini sptnya berusaha agar Nao pny tempat di Kogetsu-an tp sadar kalo dia gak pny power apapun disana. Lain juga dia pendiriannya gak jelas, ngancam Nao juga kyk mihak ibunya tp di sisi lain dia kyk gak mau Nao pergi. Bahkan dia juga kyk cemburu saat ada pekerja magang di Kogetsu-an yg kyk flirting sama Nao.

Kirain bakalan ada yg mihak Nao, karena kakeknya Tsubaki (pemilik Kogetsu-an saat ini) kelihatan baik, tp ternyata dia diam2 gak bisa nerima kematian anaknya yg tragis dan juga bikin masalah. Spt dia bawa ibunya Tsubaki yg katanya selingkuh dan menganggap Tsubaki anak dr selingkuhan ibunya (pdhl bisa ngusir ibunya aja kalo mau tp mungkin ibunya ngancem dia bakalan bawa Tsubaki juga jd gak ada yg ngurus Kogetsu-an), dan juga ibunya Nao yg diduga membunuh anaknya. Kakeknya juga marah karena Tsubaki-Nao hanya menyebutkan pernikahan sbg kedok karena gak pernah lihat mereka tidur bareng, yg bikin Nao pindah tinggal di kamar Tsubaki.

Yah adalah art2 cenderung 18+ tp jd pembuka awal perasaan Tsubaki. Dia cerita dgn Nao kalo ada gadis yg dulu tinggal di rumahnya ikut bikin wagashi dan dia memanggilnya Sakura. Juga Tsubaki menyatakan kalo Sakura adlh cahaya hidupnya tp juga kegelapan karena udah bikin bapaknya terbunuh (ngarep juga kalo Sakura lenyap dr hadapannya). Dan satu hal yg jd misi Nao adlh, dia harus menyembunyikan identitasnya sbg gadis "Sakura" yg dulu tinggal di rumah Tsubaki bersama ibunya.

Juga ada bapak2 yg sptnya diam2 dr balik bayangan bantu Nao utk mengungkap rahasia Kogetsu-an sekaligus masalah yg dialami ibunya. Plus bukan ibu Tsubaki kalo dia gak ngelakuin apa aja buat nyingkirin Nao, dia mulai tahu kalo Nao adlh Sakura yg dulu tinggal di Kogetsu-an bersama ibunya.