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メジロバナの咲く [Mejirobana no Saku] #1
A White Rose in Bloom, Vol. 1
A yuri story about romance between girls from the creator of the modern BL classic Classmates: Dou kyu sei!
Ruby is a student at an elite European boarding school. Things are going pretty well for her until she finds out that she won't be able to go home at Christmas. Instead, she'll be stuck at school with only one other student--the aloof and beautiful Steph--for company. As Ruby tries to understand Steph, she becomes more and more interested in the other girl. But can she break through Steph's icy exterior?
Ruby is a student at an elite European boarding school. Things are going pretty well for her until she finds out that she won't be able to go home at Christmas. Instead, she'll be stuck at school with only one other student--the aloof and beautiful Steph--for company. As Ruby tries to understand Steph, she becomes more and more interested in the other girl. But can she break through Steph's icy exterior?
180 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2019
17 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Asumiko Nakamura
79 books388 followersAsumiko NAKAMURA (中村明日美子) is a Japanese manga artist.
Born in 1979, she is one of Japan's hidden gems. The artist has penned a lot of titles since 2002 and has reached critical acclaim for her sensitive protrayals of romantic narratives featuring a wide range of characters - men and women, young and old. Nakamura has worked in a range of genres for an equally broad range of audinces winning recognition in every category.
Born in 1979, she is one of Japan's hidden gems. The artist has penned a lot of titles since 2002 and has reached critical acclaim for her sensitive protrayals of romantic narratives featuring a wide range of characters - men and women, young and old. Nakamura has worked in a range of genres for an equally broad range of audinces winning recognition in every category.
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December 16, 202016/12
Thank you Seven Seas Entertainment for a copy of this manga.
I enjoyed it! It definitely gave me those European boarding school vibes from 60s/70s shoujo manga. The wispiness of the lines and general art style were really pleasing and it was just a nice and enjoyable piece of manga to read.
You can find me on
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Thank you Seven Seas Entertainment for a copy of this manga.
I enjoyed it! It definitely gave me those European boarding school vibes from 60s/70s shoujo manga. The wispiness of the lines and general art style were really pleasing and it was just a nice and enjoyable piece of manga to read.
You can find me on
Youtube | Instagram | Twitch | Twitter | Tumblr | Website | The Storygraph
January 12, 2022
I think i was lowkey underwhelmed by this, especially bc id already seen Classmates and i enjoyed it so much. Ill start with the cons though:
1.The pacing is wAy too fast, like this shits traveling at lightning speed, like not in terms of them developing a romantic relationship but just as like 2 ppl who have never interacted previously i think more time shouldve been spent on their introduction
2. Some of the phrasing is a lil odd n it felt kinda all over the place at times, like the art interested me way more than the dialogue-
3.This goes back to pacing but neither of these characters have a proper personality atm, they arent fleshed out enough so i dont feel invested when something happens to their relationship bc i barely know them n they barely know each other-
Ok now the pros:
1.The art is literally gorgeous, i could stare at it all day, i love the character designs, the uniforms, everything, eVERYTHING IS PRETTY!
2. I like the boarding school all girls kinda setting, (probs bc i listened to a lot of audio books with this similar setting growing up)
3. I like the idea of the characters and theme/story, i think the idea is a good one and if more time is spent to actually get to know and understand these girls and more attention added to the developments in their relationship then i think this could be a rlly cute romance!
I dont wanna shit on this manga, its in no way bad, but my standards were high n it fell flat compared to Classmates, hOWEVER, i totally think its salvageable seeing as this is only the first vol:)
1.The pacing is wAy too fast, like this shits traveling at lightning speed, like not in terms of them developing a romantic relationship but just as like 2 ppl who have never interacted previously i think more time shouldve been spent on their introduction
2. Some of the phrasing is a lil odd n it felt kinda all over the place at times, like the art interested me way more than the dialogue-
3.This goes back to pacing but neither of these characters have a proper personality atm, they arent fleshed out enough so i dont feel invested when something happens to their relationship bc i barely know them n they barely know each other-
Ok now the pros:
1.The art is literally gorgeous, i could stare at it all day, i love the character designs, the uniforms, everything, eVERYTHING IS PRETTY!
2. I like the boarding school all girls kinda setting, (probs bc i listened to a lot of audio books with this similar setting growing up)
3. I like the idea of the characters and theme/story, i think the idea is a good one and if more time is spent to actually get to know and understand these girls and more attention added to the developments in their relationship then i think this could be a rlly cute romance!
I dont wanna shit on this manga, its in no way bad, but my standards were high n it fell flat compared to Classmates, hOWEVER, i totally think its salvageable seeing as this is only the first vol:)
January 6, 2021
Ruby is stuck at her boarding school over the holidays and her only companion is notorious older student ‘Steel Steph’, possessed of icy demeanour and a... mechanical leg... Steph seems unapproachable, but this wouldn’t be much of a yuri story if that was the case.
This is such a bizarre story - it has trappings of being a traditional class-s story, yet with references to the Vatican and CNN. The setting is classic all the way, yet the modern world butts up against it in strange ways.
Honestly it kept me off balance - this book is heavily invested in the divorce of Ruby’s parents, which sets several events in motion (I mean, might as well call out traditional marriage while you’re hooking up in an all girls’ school), yet that feels like something which wouldn’t even occur in older works of this type.
But who knows what is up with Steph? She’s got some very secretive history (explosive even) and a very interesting home life (in a shocking twist I think this is actually not deliberate incest). There’s a lot left to unspool with the way she handles herself.
Steph and Ruby definitely make an interesting pair (even the whole school thinks so!) - they have a tumultuous yet ultimately caring bond developing. Ruby is wildly emotional, but it makes sense given what she goes through during the book. Steph is more aloof, but the book is certainly hinting that she regrets her nature more than she’s admitting.
Where it goes from here, with a broad spread of supporting characters and a deliberately old-school feel, is anybody’s guess. Like I say, despite the modern world outside, the most advanced technology in this school/castle is an oven and a lot of the plot revolves around a pledge drive for a Christmas tree (Ruby’s goal here is pretty cute).
The art is mostly good - despite the standard ice queen look for Steph, she is not a complete blank slate and she gets more to do far more quickly than I was expecting. Ruby is just wonderful - I could watch her facial expressions all day, which is appropriate because she has a lot of trouble with running an internal dialogue.
I do think the skirts in this book are absolutely insane and I really found their design super distracting. It’s not so much petticoat junction as petticoat suburban sprawl with a nearby freeway and a cloverleaf. I did enjoy the way the students actually relaxed in the after class portions, at least.
Also, the language pedant in me is calling Steph out for her speech on Latin where she calls it a living language and then (correctly) a dead one in the span of two pages. Latin only functions so you can read the slogans of major educational institutions.
3 stars. I think I liked this, but I am still not sure, and if I read it all over again I don’t know that I’d have any more insight (this happens sometimes). It feels like the most retro thing ever, but it’s a lot more overt than anything from the 70s would be.
Having seen this setting taken to the realm of parody by ‘Yuri is My Job’ and to a look at a LOT of diverse lifestyle choices in ‘Kiss & White Lily For My Dearest Girl’, I have no idea where this particular series fits in. Evocative, strange, worth reading, but don’t ask me why. Hopefully the second volume clears things up.
This is such a bizarre story - it has trappings of being a traditional class-s story, yet with references to the Vatican and CNN. The setting is classic all the way, yet the modern world butts up against it in strange ways.
Honestly it kept me off balance - this book is heavily invested in the divorce of Ruby’s parents, which sets several events in motion (I mean, might as well call out traditional marriage while you’re hooking up in an all girls’ school), yet that feels like something which wouldn’t even occur in older works of this type.
But who knows what is up with Steph? She’s got some very secretive history (explosive even) and a very interesting home life (in a shocking twist I think this is actually not deliberate incest). There’s a lot left to unspool with the way she handles herself.
Steph and Ruby definitely make an interesting pair (even the whole school thinks so!) - they have a tumultuous yet ultimately caring bond developing. Ruby is wildly emotional, but it makes sense given what she goes through during the book. Steph is more aloof, but the book is certainly hinting that she regrets her nature more than she’s admitting.
Where it goes from here, with a broad spread of supporting characters and a deliberately old-school feel, is anybody’s guess. Like I say, despite the modern world outside, the most advanced technology in this school/castle is an oven and a lot of the plot revolves around a pledge drive for a Christmas tree (Ruby’s goal here is pretty cute).
The art is mostly good - despite the standard ice queen look for Steph, she is not a complete blank slate and she gets more to do far more quickly than I was expecting. Ruby is just wonderful - I could watch her facial expressions all day, which is appropriate because she has a lot of trouble with running an internal dialogue.
I do think the skirts in this book are absolutely insane and I really found their design super distracting. It’s not so much petticoat junction as petticoat suburban sprawl with a nearby freeway and a cloverleaf. I did enjoy the way the students actually relaxed in the after class portions, at least.
Also, the language pedant in me is calling Steph out for her speech on Latin where she calls it a living language and then (correctly) a dead one in the span of two pages. Latin only functions so you can read the slogans of major educational institutions.
3 stars. I think I liked this, but I am still not sure, and if I read it all over again I don’t know that I’d have any more insight (this happens sometimes). It feels like the most retro thing ever, but it’s a lot more overt than anything from the 70s would be.
Having seen this setting taken to the realm of parody by ‘Yuri is My Job’ and to a look at a LOT of diverse lifestyle choices in ‘Kiss & White Lily For My Dearest Girl’, I have no idea where this particular series fits in. Evocative, strange, worth reading, but don’t ask me why. Hopefully the second volume clears things up.
December 26, 2021
Hm. Well that was...disappointing.
I like Nakamura's other works so, so much; it's going to be a while before the next Classmates volume is out, so I figured I'd give this series a try. But while the art still has that wonderfully unique long-limbed stylistic charm to it, the writing doesn't remotely match up to Nakamura's usual quality.
It's not because it's yuri, or at least that shouldn't be an issue; while this is Nakamura's first long-form GL manga, Maiden Railways had a variety of stories covering different types of relationships, and they were all sharp and poignant and achingly lovely or sad or just simply interesting in a way that this...isn't.
The characters' personalities are thinly drawn, and the pacing is incredibly rushed and just...weird. I should like the setting; Nakamura explains that a lot of the inspiration came from a childhood favorite Enid Blyton book, and there are a number of references listed about English boarding schools, so there was certainly a fair amount of research that went into this. The problem is, that research never feels like it transitions into an actual story.
I, too, have nostalgia about studying in England. I like the overall look of the school itself, and the way the big windows and arched ceilings and book-cluttered libraries and snowy grounds and chillingly cold study halls remind me of the time I spent in rooms like those, carving out friendships with people who were crammed into the same spaces and going through the same experiences. That all makes me want to like it, but...I didn't.
The main character is a girl named Ruby, who has a bright, friendly, often loud personality that draws people to her and masks the insecurities that seem to largely come from growing up in a household with parents who stopped loving each other long ago. The initial storyline, which I thought from the summary was going to cover this entire volume, kicks off when Ruby's parents decide to go on a "second honeymoon" as a last-ditch effort to see if they can save their marriage. Since this trip falls over Ruby's winter break, she has to spend Christmas alone at school while all her friends head home to their families.
Well, mostly alone: the only other person there is a tall, beautiful, chilly older student named Steph, whom a bunch of the girls in school have crushes on (?) while gossiping about her prosthetic leg (?). I thought that second part was an interesting touch, but it quickly turns out to not be true; Steph has a slight limp because she lost part of her little toe in a pretty dramatic event that will probably be an important part of her storyline later on. For now, all it functions as is an excuse for Ruby to...to kiss her toe...for no apparent reason and out of absolutely nowhere.
These are the kinds of pacing issues I mean.
During the unspecified amount of time they spend together over the winter break, Ruby and Steph hardly talk. There are a lot of dialogue-free panels with a structure that's honestly kind of confusing; we cut between things like Ruby hiding under a table in the library, right next to Steph, to eating a meal across from her later on, with no indication of how Ruby actually got out of the library when there was absolutely no way she could've crawled out of there without being seen. Good dramatic framing without much thought put behind it, which is weird for someone of Nakamura's caliber.
After a few of those silent meals, Steph finally mentions that Ruby leaves a lot of her food behind on her plate, and Ruby makes a sad comment about how it's Christmas Eve and there's no turkey or cake, which leads to the only time they have any sort of actual conversation...when Steph shows unexpected kindness by bringing Ruby some turkey later that night.
Ruby, who had been crying in bed while rereading her mother's letter, winds up drawing Steph into conversation, which was the very first step in starting to build some kind of actual friendship/relationship...but instead of carrying down that path, Nakamura has Ruby abruptly ask to kiss Steph's toe, and then we cut back to the post-holidays, when nothing else happened between them and everyone in school is gossiping about them.
It honestly doesn't make any sense.
We then pick up a few new characters, including Steph's pretty roommate and some younger girl who I thought was possibly a relative until she and Steph started kissing, so I guess she's...an ex...? A current girlfriend? Her adopted sister? Homestay family? A cousin? Absolutely no clue, but she and Ruby get into an actual knock-down-drag-out fight at the end of this volume because Ruby, after no further communication or relationship development with Steph, decided she had a crush on Steph.
And she announced it in the middle of a hallway, with other people around. Then got really angry and told Steph to never talk to her again after Steph asked her out on a date. And then asked Steph to tutor her in Latin so she could try to bring her grades up to get a scholarship that will allow her to stay in school....mostly so she can be around Steph....
If this is confusing to read, that's how it felt for me, too, as I was flipping through these pages, trying to find an actual thread of a story to follow.
I'm also very confused by the fact that Ruby's last name changed when her parents got divorced - that's not a thing that generally happens with teenagers her age, and certainly not over the course of a few weeks. And during this very quick divorce proceeding, I guess her dad's family also completely cut her off, so her school is no longer going to be paid for, which is...weird as well. I get that her parents aren't staying together, but is her dad just pretending she's not his child anymore?? What is going on?
And honestly, Ruby and Steph also have no chemistry. At one point, I was starting to think Steph and her pretty roommate might've been a thing - they certainly have a stronger bond, and there was that whole bit with Steph watching her sweep down the hall with her curly hair swinging, then watching her sing - but she started kissing this younger girl instead, so that theory flew out the window really fast.
I'm sure volume 2 will have a few more answers, but I'm honestly not sure I'm interested enough in finding them out. How can someone write something as amazing as those other works, and then produce...this. I don't get it.
I like Nakamura's other works so, so much; it's going to be a while before the next Classmates volume is out, so I figured I'd give this series a try. But while the art still has that wonderfully unique long-limbed stylistic charm to it, the writing doesn't remotely match up to Nakamura's usual quality.
It's not because it's yuri, or at least that shouldn't be an issue; while this is Nakamura's first long-form GL manga, Maiden Railways had a variety of stories covering different types of relationships, and they were all sharp and poignant and achingly lovely or sad or just simply interesting in a way that this...isn't.
The characters' personalities are thinly drawn, and the pacing is incredibly rushed and just...weird. I should like the setting; Nakamura explains that a lot of the inspiration came from a childhood favorite Enid Blyton book, and there are a number of references listed about English boarding schools, so there was certainly a fair amount of research that went into this. The problem is, that research never feels like it transitions into an actual story.
I, too, have nostalgia about studying in England. I like the overall look of the school itself, and the way the big windows and arched ceilings and book-cluttered libraries and snowy grounds and chillingly cold study halls remind me of the time I spent in rooms like those, carving out friendships with people who were crammed into the same spaces and going through the same experiences. That all makes me want to like it, but...I didn't.
The main character is a girl named Ruby, who has a bright, friendly, often loud personality that draws people to her and masks the insecurities that seem to largely come from growing up in a household with parents who stopped loving each other long ago. The initial storyline, which I thought from the summary was going to cover this entire volume, kicks off when Ruby's parents decide to go on a "second honeymoon" as a last-ditch effort to see if they can save their marriage. Since this trip falls over Ruby's winter break, she has to spend Christmas alone at school while all her friends head home to their families.
Well, mostly alone: the only other person there is a tall, beautiful, chilly older student named Steph, whom a bunch of the girls in school have crushes on (?) while gossiping about her prosthetic leg (?). I thought that second part was an interesting touch, but it quickly turns out to not be true; Steph has a slight limp because she lost part of her little toe in a pretty dramatic event that will probably be an important part of her storyline later on. For now, all it functions as is an excuse for Ruby to...to kiss her toe...for no apparent reason and out of absolutely nowhere.
These are the kinds of pacing issues I mean.
During the unspecified amount of time they spend together over the winter break, Ruby and Steph hardly talk. There are a lot of dialogue-free panels with a structure that's honestly kind of confusing; we cut between things like Ruby hiding under a table in the library, right next to Steph, to eating a meal across from her later on, with no indication of how Ruby actually got out of the library when there was absolutely no way she could've crawled out of there without being seen. Good dramatic framing without much thought put behind it, which is weird for someone of Nakamura's caliber.
After a few of those silent meals, Steph finally mentions that Ruby leaves a lot of her food behind on her plate, and Ruby makes a sad comment about how it's Christmas Eve and there's no turkey or cake, which leads to the only time they have any sort of actual conversation...when Steph shows unexpected kindness by bringing Ruby some turkey later that night.
Ruby, who had been crying in bed while rereading her mother's letter, winds up drawing Steph into conversation, which was the very first step in starting to build some kind of actual friendship/relationship...but instead of carrying down that path, Nakamura has Ruby abruptly ask to kiss Steph's toe, and then we cut back to the post-holidays, when nothing else happened between them and everyone in school is gossiping about them.
It honestly doesn't make any sense.
We then pick up a few new characters, including Steph's pretty roommate and some younger girl who I thought was possibly a relative until she and Steph started kissing, so I guess she's...an ex...? A current girlfriend? Her adopted sister? Homestay family? A cousin? Absolutely no clue, but she and Ruby get into an actual knock-down-drag-out fight at the end of this volume because Ruby, after no further communication or relationship development with Steph, decided she had a crush on Steph.
And she announced it in the middle of a hallway, with other people around. Then got really angry and told Steph to never talk to her again after Steph asked her out on a date. And then asked Steph to tutor her in Latin so she could try to bring her grades up to get a scholarship that will allow her to stay in school....mostly so she can be around Steph....
If this is confusing to read, that's how it felt for me, too, as I was flipping through these pages, trying to find an actual thread of a story to follow.
I'm also very confused by the fact that Ruby's last name changed when her parents got divorced - that's not a thing that generally happens with teenagers her age, and certainly not over the course of a few weeks. And during this very quick divorce proceeding, I guess her dad's family also completely cut her off, so her school is no longer going to be paid for, which is...weird as well. I get that her parents aren't staying together, but is her dad just pretending she's not his child anymore?? What is going on?
And honestly, Ruby and Steph also have no chemistry. At one point, I was starting to think Steph and her pretty roommate might've been a thing - they certainly have a stronger bond, and there was that whole bit with Steph watching her sweep down the hall with her curly hair swinging, then watching her sing - but she started kissing this younger girl instead, so that theory flew out the window really fast.
I'm sure volume 2 will have a few more answers, but I'm honestly not sure I'm interested enough in finding them out. How can someone write something as amazing as those other works, and then produce...this. I don't get it.
January 17, 2025
C'est pas fou, mais c'est pas mauvais
Pas sûr que je lise la suite, même si le dessin est trop beau
Pas sûr que je lise la suite, même si le dessin est trop beau
February 28, 2021
read this because classmates is my comfort anime and i love the author’s art style. however, this book kinda fell flat and im not sure if i’d pick up volume 2 if it’s like this. it was too fast paced and i didn’t get to know the characters enough to form an attachment :((. also the plot was a bit all over the place? i got what was going on but still felt lost somehow lol. still, the artwork was as beautiful as ever. the storyline just needed a lot of work.
January 17, 2021
3.5 rounded up for Nakamura's lissome art and excellent research (and Enid Blyton reference).
This is an odd yet still classic combination of the Class S yuri tale and English boarding school story. Mysterious refugee Steph, angry Ruby, and the rest of the group are familiar to readers of both genres, and the mix of tropes is simultaneously perfect and disorienting. The contrast between white rose Steph and red rose Ruby largely works, and there's a real sense of the story somehow taking place outside of the world rather than in it. I'm not quite sure what to make of it beyond that; I'm sure I'll come up with something if I let it sit a while.
I will say that no character in manga has ever so richly deserved to be slapped than that brat Liz, though.
This is an odd yet still classic combination of the Class S yuri tale and English boarding school story. Mysterious refugee Steph, angry Ruby, and the rest of the group are familiar to readers of both genres, and the mix of tropes is simultaneously perfect and disorienting. The contrast between white rose Steph and red rose Ruby largely works, and there's a real sense of the story somehow taking place outside of the world rather than in it. I'm not quite sure what to make of it beyond that; I'm sure I'll come up with something if I let it sit a while.
I will say that no character in manga has ever so richly deserved to be slapped than that brat Liz, though.
November 10, 2021
a sapphic relationship set in a boarding school, ofc i’m giving it five stars 🙏🏻
February 11, 2022
Me in a happy straight passing relationship, : I WANT MY QUEER ROMANCE NOW
This is so cute and can't wait for volume 2!
This is so cute and can't wait for volume 2!
July 11, 2022
3.5
at the end of the day, if it has wlw, i'm gonna enjoy it
at the end of the day, if it has wlw, i'm gonna enjoy it
January 3, 2021
Rep: queer main characters; sapphic romance
A White Rose in Bloom has a yuri story in a boarding school, with an aloof girl, Steph, and an extroverted girl, Ruby, as the main characters. Steph has a reputation at the school of having a cold personality and a prosthetic leg, which is why she is also called Steel Steph. Ruby, meanwhile, gets interested in the mystery of her, when she is forced to stay at the school for the winter break as her parents are trying to save their marriage with a last-ditch attempt of a trip. She naturally has some resentment about having to stay back, and misses a warm Christmas celebration which is lacking at the school, and in Steph's interactions with her. However, they have a moment where they bond, which becomes the catalyst for a developing relationship, that has the school buzzing about it, and Ruby being the target of some envy.
The artwork is beautiful and stylistic, with the character design and movement bringing out the emotional impact of the scenes so well. The pace is slow but it works for this slowly developing love story. There's still a lot Ruby doesn't know about Steph, so I guess there is potential for angst and tension in future volumes, much like how it was in this one. The extras at the end were so cute, and I am starting to love even the cast of secondary characters.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Seven Seas, via Edelweiss.
A White Rose in Bloom has a yuri story in a boarding school, with an aloof girl, Steph, and an extroverted girl, Ruby, as the main characters. Steph has a reputation at the school of having a cold personality and a prosthetic leg, which is why she is also called Steel Steph. Ruby, meanwhile, gets interested in the mystery of her, when she is forced to stay at the school for the winter break as her parents are trying to save their marriage with a last-ditch attempt of a trip. She naturally has some resentment about having to stay back, and misses a warm Christmas celebration which is lacking at the school, and in Steph's interactions with her. However, they have a moment where they bond, which becomes the catalyst for a developing relationship, that has the school buzzing about it, and Ruby being the target of some envy.
The artwork is beautiful and stylistic, with the character design and movement bringing out the emotional impact of the scenes so well. The pace is slow but it works for this slowly developing love story. There's still a lot Ruby doesn't know about Steph, so I guess there is potential for angst and tension in future volumes, much like how it was in this one. The extras at the end were so cute, and I am starting to love even the cast of secondary characters.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Seven Seas, via Edelweiss.
July 17, 2022
20220718 2nd read
不從頭看起劇情都忘光了
--
20210504 1st read
沒想到是硬派天主教寄宿女校風百合
拉丁文課上西庇阿文集，太猛啦
第二集怎麼不快一點出啊
不從頭看起劇情都忘光了
--
20210504 1st read
沒想到是硬派天主教寄宿女校風百合
拉丁文課上西庇阿文集，太猛啦
第二集怎麼不快一點出啊
May 22, 2022
Nakamuras art is stunning
July 2, 2021
I enjoyed this manga. It's about a loud, moody girl at boarding school who starts to have a seemingly mutual crush on the prettiest girl in school, who also happens to be tight with the headmistress and a real square when it comes to the rules.
"Steel" Steph comes across as haughty and condescending at times, then suddenly she'll be smoking and kissing girls. Her personality is a conundrum. Meanwhile, Ruby seems pretty immature, shouting in the hallways and sassing her mother in front of the headmistress. They're both oddly likable, though.
The art is a bit strange. It's very sketchy. I think it's quite pretty, though sometimes people's noses head-on are drawn with such weird shading they look like squiggles. And there are no backgrounds to speak of. Occasionally you'll see a window or a bookshelf or a staircase, but mostly it's blank white space or just some scratchy lines to indicate a wall exists.
Overall I like this. I'm curious to continue, but this isn't one I want to see drag on for more than a few volumes.
"Steel" Steph comes across as haughty and condescending at times, then suddenly she'll be smoking and kissing girls. Her personality is a conundrum. Meanwhile, Ruby seems pretty immature, shouting in the hallways and sassing her mother in front of the headmistress. They're both oddly likable, though.
The art is a bit strange. It's very sketchy. I think it's quite pretty, though sometimes people's noses head-on are drawn with such weird shading they look like squiggles. And there are no backgrounds to speak of. Occasionally you'll see a window or a bookshelf or a staircase, but mostly it's blank white space or just some scratchy lines to indicate a wall exists.
Overall I like this. I'm curious to continue, but this isn't one I want to see drag on for more than a few volumes.
March 29, 2022
ruby is a student at an elite european boarding school. one christmas she is forced to stay at school while her parents go on vacation to try to work out their marriage. her and steph are the only ones staying behind. i am in love with this series already especially steph. people call steph “steel steph” with the rumor going around that her left leg is made out of steel but learning more about her like why she walks differently and etc made me love her even more. ruby is a friendly and bubbly person who i can never see myself hating. i wish i had the second one already cause i just wanna read it rn
August 26, 2024
3.8/5
Inizio di serie interessante. Forse di lettura un po’ troppo veloce, e anche di trama, però la storia in sé al momento mi sta prendendo parecchio. Sicuramente i personaggi sono da sviluppare meglio così come la storia che necessita di maggiore background. Averlo ambientato in questa specie di collegio per me è già un grande plus essendo amante dei racconti ambientati in quei luoghi.
Disegni poi bellissimi e molto particolari.
Inizio di serie interessante. Forse di lettura un po’ troppo veloce, e anche di trama, però la storia in sé al momento mi sta prendendo parecchio. Sicuramente i personaggi sono da sviluppare meglio così come la storia che necessita di maggiore background. Averlo ambientato in questa specie di collegio per me è già un grande plus essendo amante dei racconti ambientati in quei luoghi.
Disegni poi bellissimi e molto particolari.
April 17, 2024
Very decent! Nakamura's stories never seem to keep pace with her stylish art.
The blonde girl in this kind of looks like 2000s gwyneth paltrow and has an artificial toe which made me think 'didn't gwyneth paltrow's character in royal tenenbaums also have an artificial toe' but I looked it up and it was a finger. My mistake.
The blonde girl in this kind of looks like 2000s gwyneth paltrow and has an artificial toe which made me think 'didn't gwyneth paltrow's character in royal tenenbaums also have an artificial toe' but I looked it up and it was a finger. My mistake.
June 10, 2021
4.75 ⭐
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot/Extras: 4/5
*(separate) Enjoyment Level: 5/5
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Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot/Extras: 4/5
*(separate) Enjoyment Level: 5/5
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Read
February 1, 2022Blossoming sapphic crushes at a girls' boarding school. Most of the girls seem authentically teen (i.e. acutely sensitive and overwrought).
November 12, 2022
Was kinda bored tbh but very pretty art
May 16, 2024
Primo volume che parte benissimo, i personaggi femminili sono subito ben delineati con caratteri ben distinti.
La storia sembra una classica commedia romantica all’interno di un collegio femminile, ma come ogni buon manga non mancheranno elementi di drammaticità e di mistero sui personaggi, infatti già cominciano ad affiorare.
Sono curiosa di sapere come si svilupperà
La storia sembra una classica commedia romantica all’interno di un collegio femminile, ma come ogni buon manga non mancheranno elementi di drammaticità e di mistero sui personaggi, infatti già cominciano ad affiorare.
Sono curiosa di sapere come si svilupperà
December 2, 2024
Lesbian board school :)
January 13, 2025
GL ASF!
December 23, 2024
La fan de Oniisama e en moi est conquise : pensionnat, école pour filles, ambiance londonienne, et cette vibe des années 60-70.
En revanche, je suis un peu frustrée par le rythme qui ne semble pas en phase avec la narration. Il y a quelque chose qui devrait être de l'ordre de l'intemporel, mais les journées s'enchaînent sans que la narration nous permette réellement de nous imprégner de l'histoire.
J'appréciais l'idée de ne pas savoir précisément à quelle époque se déroule l'intrigue. Cela me laissait imaginer les années 70. Mais un détail m'a perturbée : dans un dialogue (le seul), un personnage fait référence à CNN du coup ce serait plus milieux des années 80, ça ne change pas grand chose, je suis juste chiante. (C'est pas un reproche pour la manga)
Quoi qu'il en soit, j'ai très hâte de découvrir le deuxième tome !
En revanche, je suis un peu frustrée par le rythme qui ne semble pas en phase avec la narration. Il y a quelque chose qui devrait être de l'ordre de l'intemporel, mais les journées s'enchaînent sans que la narration nous permette réellement de nous imprégner de l'histoire.
J'appréciais l'idée de ne pas savoir précisément à quelle époque se déroule l'intrigue. Cela me laissait imaginer les années 70. Mais un détail m'a perturbée : dans un dialogue (le seul), un personnage fait référence à CNN du coup ce serait plus milieux des années 80, ça ne change pas grand chose, je suis juste chiante. (C'est pas un reproche pour la manga)
Quoi qu'il en soit, j'ai très hâte de découvrir le deuxième tome !
January 29, 2025
3,5/5
October 18, 2025
Благодарение на арта на Накамура само като ги погледнеш, знаеш какви характери ще имат и как ще се движат, и как ще се държат :D Това, разбира се, не е лошо в крайна сметка, най-вече е комфортно. Авторката продължава да развива най-различни светове от "скандалния" жанр, този път засягащ история с девойки. Доста впечатляващо е колко внимателно е проучила нещата с латинския и Сципион - въобще не знаех кой знае какво за Сципион или въобще не си спомням и зрънце (би трябвало да са ме карали да се запознавам с темата в университета, ама тук беше по-интересно :D). И вметката с унгарския език също ме изненада много приятно... Следващия път герой от България, моля! Тя се приближава към нас :D
June 4, 2024
Very fast paced but very cute <33
November 22, 2024
Asumiko Nakamura on tunnetumpi BL-mangastaan, mutta ei ole täysin ennenkuulumatonta, että BL-mangakat piirtävät myös muuten sateenkaarevaa mangaa. Tässä tapauksessa siis yuria. Edelleen keskeneräinen mutta tällä hetkellä kolmen osan mittainen sarja leikkii genren ehkä tavanomaisilla palikoilla, mutta lopputulos on raikas. Silmiä hivelevä piirrostyyli luo hahmoista jokseenkin androgyynin mielikuvan, mikä sekin tuntuu aika tuoreelta, vaikka tietysti kaikenlaisia tyttöprinssejä mangassa ja animessa näkeekin usein. Yhden pokkarin perusteella kiinnostuin toden teolla.
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